Showing posts with label Indian movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian movies. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Celebrating World Bollywood Day – September 24 | Bollywood Blog Posts Roundup

World Bollywood Day is celebrated every year on September 24 to honor the vibrant world of Hindi-language cinema—its music, storytelling, dance, and global cultural impact. Though not officially declared by any government, it's a fan-driven observance that has gained traction across popular culture calendars and online communities.  This blog has eleven (11) posts highlighting Indian cinema. Enjoy!

World Bollywood Day
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(1) Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007)

Do you like movies where the bad guys get their comeuppance? This film is based on a true story.


(2) 6 Bollywood Movies With an Awesome Soundtrack

NOTE: I am a Priyanka Chopra-Jonas fan. So yeah! She stars in 5 of these movies.


(3) Three (3) Bollywood Films That Address September 11th

  • (1) A love story set against the backdrop of a terrorist plot.

  • (2) A child is killed because of 9/11.

  • (3) Indian-Americans studying at a university, thought they were all-American kids until 9/11 happened.


(4) Chandni Bar (2001)

Per Wikipedia: “The film was a critically acclaimed hit and it won four National Film Awards.” Per me: It a depressing.


(5) What's Your Raashee? (2009)

Two words would be sufficient to review this movie. Adorable cuteness!


(6) Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)

This movie was very controversial among the Indian audience. (Americans would not have raised an eyebrow.)


(7) My Two (2) Favorite Aamir Khan Movies

Aamir Khan is an amazing actor. If you watch these two films, you won't need convincing.


(8) Kismat Konnection (2008) is a Delightful Bollywood Movie

When people say “Kismet” or “Kismat”, they mean it's your fate or destiny.


(9) Spotlight on Bollywood Superstar: Akshay Kumar

This Indian-born Canadian actor can play a good guy, bad guy, funny guy, and more!


(10) Mission Kashmir (2000)

An alternate title for this film could be: “Were you dreaming of a pink house?”


(11) Based on a True Story: Mary Kom (2014)

A gooooood movie!! Based on a real-life female boxer, Mary Kom.


OK! That's my roundup! Dive into the magic of Bollywood.


Thank you for reading. Please visit often.


  • Please share the love: Post this roundup with the hashtag #WorldBollywoodDay.


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Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Movie: Bollywood: Chandni Bar (2001)

Watched “Chandni Bar” (2001) as a Friday night movie pick. Chose this film because I was not familiar with any of the Indian actors or actresses. As far as the acting, the script, etc. … it was fine. I say “fine”? But according to Wikipedia: “The film was a critically acclaimed hit and it won four National Film Awards.”

Well! I don’t want to spoil it for others who have not seen the film. Don’t get me wrong. The performances were award-worthy. It’s just that … if I were to use one word to describe the storyline, that word would be “hopeless”.

Throughout the movie, I kept hoping. But my hope was never fulfilled. I was very moved by the characters and the harsh realities of life they faced daily; especially as the threads of their daily lives were sewn into the fabric of the criminal underworld. Definitely not a Cinderella fairy tale.

Someone described it as a handbook to life in Mumbai. What do I know? I'm American and to me, it was a very sad movie with a very sad ending.

*** Original source




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Monday, August 11, 2025

Movie: Three (3) Bollywood Films That Address September 11th

Do you like Bollywood movies? Bollywood is a name inspired by the word “Hollywood”, the word that is synonymous with American cinema, films, and movies. It merges “Bombay” and “Hollywood” and is used to refer to Hindi or Indian cinema. I enjoy watching Bollywood movies. The music and dancing are always great. The comedies can be very funny. The science-fiction flicks are kind of quirky. But the drama films? Oh, the drama!!! Full of life’s complexities. Mixed marriages: not so much interracial, but interfaith, i.e. two different religions. Main characters always faced with choosing sides: loyalty to family versus allegiance to country, or on a broader scale, to the world we live in. Having to answer life’s difficult questions:

● Where do I take a stand?

● How do I defend my loved ones?

● If I know or even suspect imminent danger, isn't it my duty to warn others, so they can protect themselves?

There are 3 specific movies that address and answer these questions. Producers and directors of Bollywood cinema did not shy away from the content but chose to address the post 9/11 environment in the United States, broach the topic of terrorism, and bring it even closer to home in three films: “Kurbaan”, “My Name is Khan”, and “New York”. Each film starts out with a loving couple, who should be like every other loving couple in the whole wide world: bonded together in a blissful union by promises of fidelity, secure in the hope of living happily ever after forever. The happily ever after part of their lives is going quite well until … 9/11 happens.

  • Kurbaan is an intense Bollywood drama; a love story set against the backdrop of a terrorist plot.
  • My Name is Khan is the story of a loving couple in this movie. Even though the man suffers from Asperger syndrome, he is very gifted in many ways. However, a tragic incident tests their relationship.
  • New York is a movie about three all-American kids. Indian-Americans studying at a university, doing all the things that crazy college students do while pursuing their higher education, and then, 9/11 happens.

Of these films, my favorite is “My Name is Khan”. I’m not the only one who was impressed with this movie. Fox Star Entertainment, an American company, thought so highly of this foreign film that they bought the distribution rights to it.

Have you watched any of these films? If not, you should put them on your watch list.
♦♦
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Wednesday, June 4, 2025

6 Bollywood Movies With an Awesome Soundtrack (Reblog)

I heart Bollywood movies, mainly because of the music. These movies are underrated, but I rate them 5 out of 5 stars just for the soundtrack.

I am a Priyanka Chopra-Jonas fan so yeah!  She stars in 5 of these movies.


(1)  *Karam (2005 ‧ Drama)

A young married couple should be able to lead a fairy tale “happily ever after” lifestyle. If only the husband weren’t a paid contract killer, a bad guy who made some other bad guys really angry. It made their lives really complicated.  Music video: Tinka Tinka performed by Priyanka Chopra-Jonas.


(2)  *What’s Your Raashee? (2009 ‧ Bollywood/Comedy)

A guy needs to find a wife or lose his inheritance. He decides to choose his bride according to her “raashee” (her astrological sign).

(3)  *Fashion (2008 ‧ Bollywood/Drama)

A young woman pursues her dream of being a top fashion model, making sacrifices and bad decisions along the way to get to the top.

(4)  *Yuvvraaj (2008 ‧ Drama)

There were light-hearted moments. But there was nothing funny about the plot. There are 3 brothers. One brother is mentally challenged and when the father dies, he leaves all the money to this son. The other 2 brothers, who feel that have been cheated, scheme to try to get the inheritance.

(5)  *7 Khoon Maaf (2011 ‧ Thriller/Drama)

The film is called “7” because the woman has seven husbands. Each time she marries, she is certain the man she chose will be her soulmate for life. It doesn’t work out and she conveniently becomes a widow, albeit she is never charged with any crime. In the end, she does find her soulmate. To be fair, the other six had it coming.


(6)  *Dostana (2008 ‧ Comedy/Drama)

Two guys need to rent an apartment at a complex in Miami, Florida USA, with one catch. They have to be gay. They pretend to be gay, sign the lease, and their roommate is a hot young heterosexual female that both of them fall for; only she doesn’t know it because she thinks they’re gay. The movie is cute and funny!

My review and recommendation were shared on my partner blog:

6 Bollywood Movies With an Awesome Soundtrack
| Joie de Vivre Magazine Blog






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Thursday, October 3, 2024

Indian Movies: Celebrities: Spotlight on Amy Jackson

Do you heart Amy Jackson?  Do you even know who Amy Jackson is? She’s an actress. OK. Yeah. She’s a hottie! I discovered her by accident, because of two music videos on YouTube.
  • The first music video attracted my attention because it looked like an Indian version of Beauty and the Beast.
  • In the other music video, Ms. Jackson was a female photographer who was being taken on a tour in India.
Watching the music videos piqued my interest. Had to seek and find what movies these videos were associated with. I was extremely pleased with the results of my treasure hunt!




♥ But first, let me share a little background info about Amy Jackson.

Her nationality is British; born on the Isle of Man and grew up in Liverpool. She was the winner of several beauty pageants including Miss Teen Liverpool and Miss Teen World. At the age of 16, her modeling career began.

Her acting career blossomed almost instantly when she caught the eye of director A. L. Vijay who thought she looked like a perfect fit to play the part of the leading lady in a Tamil language historical period drama. (He was right! IMHO.)

She has appeared in several Indian films and is currently included in the ranks with other female Bollywood superstars. She is also included alongside female superheroes. She is Imra Ardeen / Saturn Girl in the popular American TV series “Supergirl”.

Follow her on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

♥ And now the moment you’ve been waiting for.

The two South Indian (Tamil) films discovered after watching the related music videos, that made me join the Amy Jackson fan club are Madrasapattinam (2010), a historical period drama.  I (2015), a drama sci-fi thriller.

What hooked me about these movies? I’m a sucker for romance. Both were love stories.

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Links of Interest:


Image credit: Amy Jackson Top Live Wallpaper by Solution




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Thursday, February 23, 2023

Spotlight on Bollywood Superstar: Akshay Kumar

Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (Sep 9, 1967), known by his fans as Akshay Kumar, is “an Indian-born Canadian actor” (per Wikipedia) and a Bollywood superstar. He makes great movies, and I always love him when he is cast as the good guy.



According to the Times of India, “Akshay Kumar entered the film industry as an action hero, but proved his mettle in comic as well as romantic roles.”

I agree 100%. I have watched several of his films, and Akshay Kumar can do action hero, comic, and romantic roles, all-around good guy. But I refuse to accept him in a bad guy role. No. No! NO!! Absolutely not!

He played a gangster in the gangster film “Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara!”. He wasn’t one of the bad guys. He was the Big Bad Guy, in charge of all of the other bad guys. Sorry, but in my humble opinion, he was not suited for this role. He should have been cast as one of the law enforcement people trying to catch the bad guys. It was a good movie, but … Mr. Kumar as a bad guy? No way!

By contrast, I watched another one of his films, “Rustom”, because it was on a list of the best 2016 Hindi films, and he was fantastic! Not only was he the good guy, but you’ll appreciate the fact that the movie was based on a true story.

If you are not familiar with this actor, start by watching the two films mentioned, and then you can decide. Good Guy or Bad Guy? I am confident you will agree with me.

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Original source




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Friday, September 23, 2022

Kismat Konnection (2008) is a Delightful Bollywood Movie

Are you a fan of Shahid Kapoor?  

When people say “Kismet” or “Kismat”, they mean it's your fate or destiny. The word is derived from the Arabic qisma, meaning "portion" or "lot." I first heard this word watching a Bollywood movie, “Kismat Konnection” (2008) which starred Shahid Kapoor. 

The female lead is Vidya Balan.  As of September 2022, it was still streaming on Netflix.  "A man finds his lucky charm in the form of a woman whom he had once clashed with on every level, but on whose presence he must now rely to succeed."

When I did some research I found out this film was a remake of an American movie, “Just My Luck” which starred Lindsay Lohan. Since I'm not a Lohan fan, I didn't know anything about that movie. Since I am a huge Shahid Kapoor, I would highly recommend watching this movie. You'll love it! It's delightful!  Totally PG!





Thanks for visiting my entertainment blog. While you're here, check out some of the other posts tagged "Bollywood".  It is a wide variety of films, drama, romance, and comedy.
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Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Action Adventure Film ~ Life of Pi: Spotlight on Suraj Sharma

If you enjoy books adapted to film, then you will probably enjoy the film “Life of Pi”. It was based on a book by the same name and was released in 2012. Now it is streaming online at various sites.

For me, part of enjoying a film is knowing some of the “behind the scenes” entertainment history and trivia; especially, information about the casting decisions. For example:
  • Who decided to choose an unknown Indian teenager and cast him in the starring role?
Wouldn’t you like to know? Well here’s the scoop.
Life of Pi

Ang Lee chose Suraj Sharma, an unknown teenage Indian actor to portray Pi Patel, in the film adaptation of the novel, “Life of Pi”.

■  Suraj Sharma played the character Pi as a young boy. The late Irraf Kahn (1967-2020), a well-known Indian actor, was cast in the role of the adult Pi.

When one hears the name “Ang Lee”, the movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” almost immediately comes to mind. But most people know that Ang Lee is an award-winning contemporary filmmaker who has garnered international recognition, with an impressive filmography resume. Ang Lee is a Taiwanese-American director, producer, writer and more, with over 60 film titles to his credit. So it’s understandable that there was a flurry of buzz and excitement when his fans learned that he would direct “Life of Pi”.

As briefly mentioned, Ang Lee’s film project, “Life of Pi”, is based on a best selling novel by the same name written by Yann Martel. The Man Booker Prize is considered the world’s most important literary award. Each year, it endorses the finest in fiction by rewarding the very best book. Yann Martel’s book won this award in 2002. Life of Pi has a simple storyline. Pi Patel, a teenage boy, survives a shipwreck and is left on a small boat with a tiger.

Perhaps the part about the tiger makes it a little less simple. Conveniently, Pi happens to possess a comprehensive detailed knowledge of animal behavior and an ardent love of stories, which are all the life skills he needs to survive, and he does. Until he kissed thr shores, he lives at sea for 227 days with a big Bengal Tiger.

With this fantasy adventure, Canadian author Yann Martel proved his worth as a master story teller; and Ang Lee proved he had the ability to capture this vivid and thought-provoking tale on film.

For Ang Lee to take notice is extremely high praise for anyone’s written work. Yann Martel was no doubt humbled, honored and ecstatic that the brilliant Ang Lee brought his novel to the screen.

For Ang Lee to cast you – an unknown, a newcomer – to play the leading part in his film adaptation of an award-winning novel – is surely a dream come true for any aspiring actor. Particularly an actor, with no acting experience.
Suraj Sharma was 17 years old, an Indian actor and student from New Delhi, who beat out more than 3,000 challengers.

After a worldwide casting search for the “perfect Pi”, Suraj Sharma was selected to play the role of the teenaged Pi, the zookeeper’s son. How did he do it? How did Suraj Sharma manage to catch the eye of Ang Lee? According to Mr. Lee, it was his eyes. Mr. Lee was quoted as having said: Sharma has a natural talent to convey emotions through his eyes.

Apart from expressive eyes, what does Suraj Sharma have? Below are a few biographical facts about Suraj Sharma:

The name “Suraj” is Hindi meaning “sun”. His surname is a common name for many Hindu Indians. Suraj Sharma’s parents are both mathematicians in Delhi.

Before being chosen to play the lead role in “Life of Pi”, he was just your average teenager, a Class XII humanities student of Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, who enjoyed playing practical jokes.

He dumped his first girlfriend (according to his girlfriend) after making all kinds of promises to include her in his rise to stardom, fame, and fortune.

For the audition, Suraj Sharma read out the ‘Survival Manual’ from Chapter 58 of the book. A little background info: In Chapter 58 of the novel by Yann Martel, the Manual is included with the lifeboat supplies. Even though Pi is beginning to despair because it appears his situation is hopeless, he nevertheless determines that practical advice contained in the book is what he will need to keep himself alive, i.e. to survive. Therefore, he must read it.

And read it, he did! Not just with his lips but with his eyes, winning the approval of Ang Lee and his casting crew.

· Suraj is very photogenic. Pi had to be a teenaged boy of “medium complexion”, a “fairly well-developed physique”, say between 5’6” and 6’ tall. He had to not only act the part of Pi, but look the part as well.

· When the news broke about Ang Lee’s selection of Suraj Sharma for the leading role in “Life of Pi”, it was reported by the BBC, Washington Times, The Times of India, Bollywood Hungama News Network, TamilWire Forum, and the EuroInvestor (U.K.), to name just a few of the publications.Suraj Sharma made his acting debut in the company of veteran actors Gerard Depardieu (the Frenchman-Chef), Adil Hussain (Pi’s father), Irrfan Khan* (the elderly or adult Pi), and Tabu (Pi’s mother). In addition, Tobey Maguire (of Spider-Man fame) played a small role as a journalist who interviews the adult Pi (Irrfan Khan) about his experience.


The movie “Life of Pi” was successful at the box office as well as the award shows. Sharma’s performance received many positive reviews. In fact, he was nominated for the BAFTA Rising Star Award (British Academy of Film and Television Arts).

Suraj Sharma has continued his acting career playing parts in both Indian and American movies and television shows. His latest endeavor is a TV series called “Little America” which was released January 2020.

Have you watched “Life of Pi”?

Have you followed Suraj Sharma’s acting career?

* In Memory Of:  Irrfan Khan (1967 - 2020)


NOTE: This is my original content previously published at Article Writing Jobs (articlewritingjobs.com)
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