#Hindi Songs of 2000

[misting-moors]

lawrence and ali — chand sifarish (if the moon pleaded for me)

watch on youtube

[springs-hurts]

Not me falling in love again and again after listening 𝙑𝙤𝙝 𝙙𝙚𝙠𝙝𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙢𝙚𝙞𝙣

Ali Zafar you beauty 😭❤

[eat-5star-do-nothing]

why are the 2000s bollywood songs so underrated. some of them are so wholesome and addictive<3

[jaanedil]

saw a video with the caption "listening to old bollywood songs in the car" and it was shava shava 😭

[phir-milenge]

Kiteretsu [opening theme]

[hood-ex]

This got long so I decided to send it in an ask.

So India has like a dozen film industries organized by language. Bollywood is the biggest and that's Hindi. There are also movies n Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam, Marathi, Kannada, Bengali, Punjabi and more. I won't go into all of them because I mostly watch movies in Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi and the occasional Telegu movie.

(super cool thing is that sometimes, there's actors who work in multiple film industries so it can be like a fun surprise when you see someone you associate with a specific language pop up somewhere else)

I tried to pick based on what you said you liked in one of the other replies. You mentioned you like musicals though so you'll be happy to know that songs are integral to Indian movies. Also these recs are a mix of personal favorites and ones I know to be popular/iconic because if it was just up to me, half of these would be thrillers, horror or crime because I think indian films do those genres really well. They also lean heavily towards romcoms.

Hindi:

Sholay (1975) This is just a classic Hindi action movie starring Amitabh Bachchan, who's possibly the biggest actor from Bollywood in the 70s and 80s Like even i've watched it and I haven't even taken the time to look through 70s Hindi movies yet.

Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993) A runaway bride gets taken in by three kids and they have to hide her so their uncle who's taking care of them doesn't kick her out. The kids are so goddamn cute. This stars two very known 90s stars, Amir Khan and Juhi Chawla.

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) Iconic Hindi romance starring equally iconic pair of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. Shah Rukh is by far the most popular beloved actor in Bollwood since the 90s and arguably still today. Him and Kajol were a big pair that did tons of movies together in the 90s and early 2000s. I cannot understate how popular these two are.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) Another, arguably even more iconic Shah Rukh Kajol romance but it's a love triangle. Personally, I can't stand this movie but it's super duper popular and also features the love of my life, Rani Mukherjee as the 'it' girl Tina that Shah Rukh's character initially falls in love with.

Kabhie Kushi Kabhie Gham (2001) I'm sorry, I don't know how this ended up being all Shah Rukh Kajol movies but I needed to mention it because this is my personal favorite from this pair and in general. I also love the way this leans into the 2000s aesthetic in the second half and you're going to be baffled and amused by the character Pooja in the second half.

Devdas (2002) Devdas is an epic tragic love triangle featuring again Shah Rukh Khan but also Aishwarya Rai, one of the most influential celebrities to come out of India in the modern age and Madhuri Dixit, beloved actress and dancer from the late 80s/early 90s. The song 'Dola Re' from this movie is one of the coolest dance sequences to exist.

Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) A modern love triangle- you know, I didn't realize how many love triangles are on here but this one will make you cry. It's a romcom but I promise, the tears will come. And then you'll watch it again.

Om Shanti Om (2007) A love letter to Golden Age Bollywood, this movie is going to pack in approximately 15 references per minute, you won't understand any of them and it will still be an excellent time. At heart, this is a fantasy romance/revenge featuring reincarnation (which is a suuuper popular trope but ended up being sparse on this list). Starring Shah Rukh Khan across Deepika Padukone in her first role (they go on to be a pretty beloved pair though not as much as srk and kajol). I rewatch this 1-2 times a year.

Jodhaa Akbar (2008) Starring Aishwarya Rai again, this is a historical romantic drama set in the 1500s. I always get distracted by how beautiful the costuming in this is. You'll recognize Hrithik Roshan from Kabhie Kushi Kabhie Gham but with the ugliest mustache known to mankind.

3 Idiots (2009) is a comedy/coming-of-age about 3 college friends. Sounds basic but it's really hmm, heartfelt? Starring Amir Khan.

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) coming of age romance/drama/comedy something about a group of college friends. Stars Deepika Padukone across Ranbir Kapoor (big 2010s actor).

Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavadahn (2020) first big blockbuster type movie about queer people. It made me cry, i made a gif from this my header for like over a year, it's a bit cliche but yk

Telegu

Telegu's really hit it off in the last 10 years or so but I've only a passing familiarity and I definitely can't tell you what's been popular in the last couple decades. BUT

Bahubali 1 and 2 (2015/2017) It was a cultural phenomenon when it came out, because of the effects and cinematography but also largely because of how it's one story split intentionally into two movies. That concept was unheard of in Indian film and the overwhelming success of Bahubali is directly responsible for the dozens of 2 and 3 part film series being produced today in south indian films. It's like an epic fantasy action movie(s) about- actually i'm not going to spoil the plot on this one. In simplest terms, it's about a guy learning about his dad.

RRR (2022) Not a personal favorite but it actually has a tumblr fanbase. Bromance but like two indian revolutionaries fighting against the british in pre-independence India. Really, it's very much about their friendship. Stars Jr NTR and Ram Charan, both of whom are pretty popular Telegu actors. This like Bahubali was an insanely popular hit.

Tamil (this was so hard because i like tamil movies but i don't think they're the greatest. They do however have the best love songs, hands down)

Kadhalan (1994) It's an action romance ft politics and terrorists but at heart, it's a inter-class romance about a college kid that falls in love with a politician's daughter. You may have noted by now that inter-class romances are a BIG theme in indian movies. This stars Prabhu who is still an iconic choreographer and dancer and Nagma.

Minsara Kanavu (1997) a romance Prabhu again and Kajol from all of those Hindi films. The plot is that she doesn't believe in love and wants to go become a nun and he's trying to change her mind because he's in love with her. It would've been so easy to get this film wrong but it ends up being really hard to dislike.

Anbe Sivam (2003) a slice of life about a guy who gets stranded at an airport and makes a friend. R. Madhavan, who plays the friend is the poster boy for 90s Tamil romances and is an excellent romance actor, if you're interested.

Ghilli (2004) A sports player accidentally gets involved with a gang. It's like an action romance featuring some of the most iconic actors in Tamil film, including Vijay and Trisha. I had my cousins dance to one of the songs from this at my wedding. This movie actually just reran in theaters for it's 20 year anniversary a couple months ago.

24 (2016) A guy invents a time traveling machine. I really wanted to include a movie with Suriya because he along with Vijay are like the two big stars of the Tamil Film Industry. They both have catalogs of 60+ films. And in this movie, Suriya plays a triple role.

Malayalam. This one's my native industry which somehow made it really hard to pick movies from because I mostly watch masala films or (like low-brow action comedies).

Kireedam (1989) A action/drama about a guy's downfall. Thematically, think Othello. Stars Mohanlal, the biggest actor in Mollywood and watching him in this movie will show you why.

Killukam (1991) a comedy about a girl, an illegitimate daughter of a supreme court judge, pretending to be mentally ill while searching for her father. Very of it's time but it's classic comedy. Stars Mohanlal again.

Yoddha (1992). One of the rare times that Malayalam film delves into fantasy, this is a movie about a young rural guy protecting a Nepalese kid from a murderous, supernatural cult. It's been a minute since i've watched this so I can't speak to how the cultural aspects were treated but I remember that part of this was shot in Nepal. It's also considered a cult classic. And features Mohanlal yet again.

Aaram Thampuran (1997) Another mohanlal film about a man who gets involved in a village's affairs. Stars Manju Warrior who was a known 90s actress before she got married and quit. This one's an iconic action film but I think that Mohanlal's role in this is like the template of classic Malayalam hero and says a lot about the qualities that make up a South Indian typical movie 'good guy'.

Nandanam (2002) The fact that this movie is this old makes me feel old. A slightly dramatic, mostly realistic interclass romance ft (1) god. It'll give you a fair bit of insight into Malayali culture and class prejudices. Anyway story's about a religious house-servant who falls in love with the grandson of her employer. Or really, the grandson falls in love with her. It's a personal favorite of mine and stars Navya Nair (who is soo underrated) and Prithviraj (who is not, which is to say he's hella popular and currently trying his hand at directing)

Meesa Madhavan (2002) A thief gets wrongfully accused of a crime and tries to prove his innocence ft a romance. It's classic 2000s Malayalam comedy. Features Dileep and Kavya Madhavan who were a pretty popular pair of the 2000s/2010s even and irl had an affair and he divorced his wife for her. (his wife incidentally is manju warrior who i mentioned above)

Classmates (2006) A school reunion unearths old hurts and hidden secrets. It's got everything; mystery, angst, romance, comedy, and an iconic soundtrack.

Notebook (2006) No this has nothing to do with the iconic Nicholas Sparks adaptation. It's about three college friends at an all-girls school and how they deal with one of them getting pregnant. The initial romance is SO cute. The song, one in particular is great. The execution is so-so but for a movie about teen pregnancy in 2006 Kerala, it's not bad. And I would consider it iconic.

****** manichitrathazhu (1993) It's about a couple who move into a new house and the wife gets possessed by a ghost. It's ICONIC. I didn't mention it above because it does dip into horror and you said you didn't like scary movies.

i know this might seem super large and overwhelming. I promise I did try to limit the choices a bit and was at times more or less successful. Anyways I hope it helps some.

Wow, thank you for the explanation and for the long list of recs! Love all the different language categories. Lol! I wish I liked horror movies more, especially so you could share your favs 😆. I might try Manichitrathazhu 🫣. Maybe my friend who loves horror movies will watch it with me.

I'm looking at some of these on Google, and omg, Kabhie Kushi Kabhie Gham is 3.5 hours long 😳. I'll have to settle in with a snack for that one 😆.

These all sound really good though! Thank you for taking the time to compile this list, I highly appreciate it!

[thepoopdokyeomtouched]

HI!!!!

dude sajda karaan>>>

ik this is random but there's only so many desi blogs on tumblr and you seem like a really cool person idk

BRO WHAT OTHER BOLLYWOOD SONGS DO YOU LIKE BECAUSE YK THE 2000S SONGS LIKE DESI GIRL, BREAK UP SONG, MAKE SOME NOISE FOR THE DESI BOYZ ALL HIT SO HARD

(this is my somewhat subtle way of asking if you wanna be moots?)

OH DAMN WE ARE GOING THERE!?! Ok lets get in it

Starting of from old bollywood

Maine poocha chand se

Bahon mai chale aao

Chura liya hai

Aaj mausam

Lag ja gale

Pehla nasha

These are my favorite 90's songs 😭

Then 2000's

Piyu bole

Tu hi re

My dil goes hmm

👏🏻RHTDM👏🏻 THE WHOLE ALBUM IS MY SOUL EVEN THE RAIN SCENE FLUTE TUNES 😭😭😩😩😩💗💗💗💗

Suno na suno na

Main yahi hoon

Hosh walon ko khabar kya 😩🤌🏻

Kabhi khushi kabhi gam, the whole album 🤭💗

Falak tak

Lazy lamhe, ab to forever, hey shona, ladki kyu, chhalka, saathiyaan, chupke se 😭🤭💗

----NOW THE GOLDEN ERA OF BOLLYWOOD---

Starting with kk's songs : Tu hi meri shab hai, soniye, abhi abhi, beetain lamhe, dil ibaadat, kya mujhe pyaar hai, labon ko, tujhe sochta hoon, zara sa, haan tu hai, oh meri jaan, mat aazma , humko pyaar hua and more ☝🤓

Then Mohit chauhan : the whole ROCKSTAR album like hello?!?! Tujhe bhula diya , masakali, kuch khaas hai, khoya khoya, rabba, IS THIS LOVE, DOORIYAAN, bheegi si bhaagi si, abhi kuch dino se, TUMSE HI, tune jo na kaha and my ultimate fav PEE LOON

My fav artist kk, mohit chauhan, javed ali, sonu nigam, shreya ghoshal, monali thankur, nikita gandhi, sunidhi chauhan , MITRAZ, Vilen, darshan raval, arijit singh, jubin nautyal, asees kaur, shaan, neeti mohan, armaan malik, pritam, vishal shakher, ar rehman, ayushmaan khurana and so many more

Then all emraan haashmi songs 😭 pee loon, tuhi mera, hosaana, tum mile(the whole album 🔥) saibo, I hate love stories (whole album), ek break ke baad, uff teri aadat, hey yeah, tum tak, ranjhaana, rishte naate, paani da rang , soniyo(raaz), AASHIQI 2 WHOLE ALBUM 😩, tera hone laga tu, aajao tamanna, ek din teri raahon mai, hum tum, tere liye(prince), o bekhabar,, sawar loon, JAB TAK HAI JAAN 👺, allah maaf kare, rabba mai to marr gaya oye, mera mann, mann mera, baatein kuch ankahi si, tera chehra(adnan sami), MAULA MERE MAULA, deewana kar raha hai, oh my love, khyaalon mai, guzarish, tose naina, raabta, chori kya re, dagabaaz re, sanam re, gazab ka hai ye din, moh moh ke dhaage, ishq risk, ANJANA ANJAANI(THE WHOLE ALBUM ⚰️, ye tune kya kiya, halka halka, tere naina, ishq bulawa, THE BEST IKTARA, KYA KAROON, WAKE UP SID.

I have a whole sensual playlist romantic, sad, dance, I'M CRAZY ABOUT IT 😩😩😩😩

Even pops like "blam the nights, oh gujariyan, subha hone na de, lat lag gai, lucky boy(bachna ae haseeno is also a DOPE ALBUM🔥😩) , ladies vs ricky bahl, baand baja barat's ayyvien ayyvein, dum dum, aadha ishq, aa zara and so many 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

And OF COURSE WE ARE FRIENDS NOW (moot is so weird for a hindi speaker me yk🤓)

[cant-get-worse-than-this]

Introduction post!

Basics

Hi!!!

My name is Kesar (or any other variant of the name Caesar is fine to call me!) and I am 15. I am neurodivergent. I am an Asian-European (India and Sweden!), Hindu, and my pronouns are he/they!

Interests and Likes

I have a hyperfixation/special interest (I don't know which to use because I'm in denial about being autistic LMAO) of the Mediterranean, mostly Italy and Spain but also France, Portugal, Egypt, Greece, etc!

Languages

Due to my interest, I have taught myself Italian all on my own and I study Spanish at school since 2020, so I can speak them both at a good level.

All of the languages I speak as well as some more info on my history with them:

Swedish, I speak it every day and a bit at home

Hindi, I speak it every day at home with my family

English, I speak it here and I consume a lot of English media. Also I went to an international school for a couple of years.

Spanish, I've been learning it at school. Ever since I started learning it I've been the best in the class (this is very much a flex, I am very proud of the fact). I speak it at a very good level but I'm not close to fluent.

Italian, I am very proud of that I speak it because I learnt it all on my own using primarily music. I started learning it in 2021 but then took a LONG break for almost 2 years and in 2023 I got back on track and learnt it so well I'm almost at the same level at it as I am at Spanish hahaha

French, as I speak Spanish and Italian it wasn't that hard for me to get a grasp at French. I'm definitely not good at it and am best at written French, not spoken, but I understand enough to say I know it. Also, I can carry a conversation in French so. Yeah. I also really like Lupin.

Urdu, as I speak Hindi I understand Urdu well. Of course there are words I don't know, but since I understand so much of it and I speak it better than I speak Spanish or Italian I had to include it.

Music

My favourite song artists are Marco Mengoni and MIKA. They are my top 2. I love them so much.

I also listen to Mahmood, Måneskin, Queen, The Lonely Island, Lady Gaga, Kali Uchis, Megan Thee Stallion, Veronica Maggio, Shreya Ghoshal, and a lot more.

Apart from that I like English music from 2000 to the late 2010s. I also like Hindi music, rap (i listen to a LOT of Megan Thee Stallion, she's such a queen), Eurovision (although I am not supporting them this year due to them including Israel, Free Palestine🇵🇸), Hispanic music, Francophone music, Italian music and Swedish music. I also enjoy classical, both South Asian and European.

TV

I love TV! My favourites are dramedies. I like comedy a lot. My favourite type of show would be sitcoms because I understand them and I grew up with them and I like their humour. Here are TV shows I very, very strongly like in no particular order:

Psych, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Community, 1899, Mythic Quest, Lupin, Monk, SNL (Saturday Night Live) and probably more that I just don't remember right now.

I have also watched a lot of other things, but this is all that comes to mind.

There are films that I really like, and most of them I have watched more than a few times. Like there were literally periods when I would just keep rewatching these:

The Kung Fu Panda film series, The Hotel Transylvania film series, The Lorax (specifically the Italian dub), The Shrek film series, and once again probably many more.

Other stuff I like:

Doraemon, Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse & Across The Spiderverse, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhaan (2020), Smiley (2022), Saiki K (TV series, I haven't been able to read the manga :/), etc.

Books

Mostly I read fact books, in middle school the librarian hated me for (metaphorically) eating up all the books on ancient Egypt, but I also have a few books I really like!

I love Rick Riordan. My favourite from him is definitely The Kane Chronicles but I also like PJO. I'm TKC all the way, though.

I also like Geronimo & Thea Stilton as well as Diary of a Wimpy Kid. They give me comfort.

I have a lot of queer books I bought for the sole reason of them being queer but I haven't read them yet hahahaha. I'm almost finished with Friday I'm In Love by Camryn Garrett!

I am also reading Babel by R. F. Kuang and Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafón!

Playlist time!

My Marco Mengoni playlist:

My Brad Bakshi playlist:

My Trobed playlist:

My Braddavid playlist:

My StottleMonk playlist:

My Sethon playlist:

That is all I can really come up with right now, but I will probably edit this soon! I'm not very good at stating what I like and all of that because I'm always scared I'm not telling everything or that people won't understand how I like it and stuff LMAO so don't be surprised if I take this post down :( I'm trying to get better though, so I'll keep it up!

[llovelymoonn]

favourite poems of march

miki schumacher de / re / formation

craig arnold pitahaya

brian turner here, bullet: “what every soldier should know”

eileen myles not me: “peanut butter”

noor hindi breaking [news]

jane hirshfield my species

annesha mitha you are a tyrannosaurus rex

mary ruefle among the musk ox people: poems: “blood soup”

alice notley mysteries of small houses: “as good as anything”

nomi stone on world-making

k. silem mohammad poems about trees

franz wright the break

fred marchant the looking house: “night heron maybe”

carl phillips cortège: “domestic”

alexa luborsky connotations

bruce smith the other lover: “to the executive director of the actual”

nikky finney head off & split: “the aureole”

alice fulton personally engraved

amy beeder because our waiters are hopeless romantics

chiagoziem jideofor self-preservation

carol muske-dukes skylight: “the invention of cuisine”

joyce peseroff a dog in the lifeboat: “april to may”

rigoberto gonzalez other fugitives and other strangers: “other fugitives and other strangers”

toi derricotte the undertaker’s daughter: “my dad & sardines”

tarfia faizullah yr not exotic, but once ya wanted to be

jenny george the artist

jack spicer a second train song for gary

victor hernandez cruz maraca: new and selected poems 1966-2000: “red beans”

xi chuan power failure

jean valentine door in the mountain: new and collected poems, 1965-2003: “sanctuary”

duane niatum drawings of the song animals: new and collected poems: “consulting an elder poet on an anti-war poem”

kofi

[tsupertsundere]

HELLOO. i see you reblog a lot of hindi cinema!! i would love to watch more of it, what are your top 10 favorites?

🤩😍🤩😍🤩😍🤩😍🤩😍🤩😍🤩😍🤩😍🤩😍

this might be my favorite thing I've received in my inbox.

wh I well I wh how could I possibly refuse hee hee hee hee

limiting this to hindi cinema helps!! or so I thought, before I went through several rounds of intense interrogation and several scribbled pages of notes and realized this just outs me as a baby shah rukh khan stan, which I am. I resisted every impulse to try to make the list broad and varied and kept only repeating 'what are your FAVORITES, what are your FAVORITES' and even then narrowing everything down was really painful... I feel like I've watched very many but then not very many at all.

There are another half-dozen more I had to cut with great anguish (Paheli, Ram-Jaane, the Don films) OMG EDITED TO FINISH MY FRIGGIN SENTENCE: BUT I PRESENT TO YOU AND TO ALL: VI TSUPERTSUNDERE'S TOP TEN:

Mohabbatein ("Love Stories", dir Aditya Chopra, 2000)

A young men's college ruled by a headmaster who disdains love--can one music teacher help three love stories grow, and let love tower above all? ✫ My first hindi film. Still can't think of a better introduction. Truly has it all. My favorite ghost story also!! ✧ Standout number: the three ingenues have an incredible dance sequence - it's the emotional climax of the film for me.

Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai ("Say You Love Me", dir Rakesh Roshan, 2000)

When Rohit, an aspiring musician, meets Saxena, a rich bussinessman's daughter, his dreams of stardom glimmer right within his reach. Life has other plans. ✩ Hrithik Roshan's debut - and what a debut! My first introduction to a beloved facet of hindi cinema - double roles!! ✫ Standout number: The number that takes place in Cafe Indiana, Ek Pal Ka Jeena, accurately conveys how it felt like to go to a Rainforest Cafe when I was very young. Truly thrilling!

Muhjse Dosti Karoge! ("Will You Be My Friend!", dir Kunal Kohli, 2002)

Childhood friends Raj, Tina, and Pooja are caught in a classic love triangle - Pooja loves Raj, but he only has eyes for Tina. When he moves away, Pooja poses as Tina as they email back and forth and their friendship blossoms long-distance. A decision made in childhood brings problems to Pooja's doorstep - as they all graduate high school and become adults, Raj returns home... ✧ Rani Mukherjee and Kareena Kapoor are the real MVPs here - shining stars in every movie they're in. ✩ Standout Sequence: The medley, seen above, brought me to my fucking feet when we first watched it. The characters diagetically are singing these popular songs for each other at a wedding celebrations - each song's lyrics weave in and apply on multiple levels, depending on who knows what and what they mean, up to and including Hrithik Roshan reprising Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai! Genuinely one of my favorite sequences I've seen period on film, if I could ever put together anything half as layered I'd be patting myself on the back forever.

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... ("Through Smiles and Through Tears", dir Karan Johar, 2001)

The wealthy Raichand family splits in half when elder son Rahul falls in love with a lower-caste girl and marries her - younger son Rohit watches his beloved brother disappear to England and the light in his home wither away. When he becomes an adult, he's determined to find his brother and unite them all again. ✫ These three fuckers as a dad and two sons just make a fascinating family together, let alone the kind of heavy hitting talent you get from Jaya Bachchan (indeed married to Amitji) and of course Kajol my beloved Kajol most of all. 'It's All About Loving Your Parents' is a much much much... much harder sell than I'm prepared to give - at the very least, it's all the drama I can watch in. ✫ Standout Sequence: Bole Chudiyan above is so much fun, of course, but Say Shava Shava is also a really great 'here's how fun things are when things are GOOD' establishing song. When Amitji says 'EVERYBODY' he is not asking!!

Those four films are a truncated highlight reel of the 8 or so films I like watching around the holidays!! They work really well together and I associate them with each other a lot.

Darr ("Fear", dir Yash Chopra, 1993)

Kiran Awasthi has a freshly minted college degree, a bus ticket home, a beloved boyfriend in the Navy... and a stalker. A young woman is slowly driven mad by a ruthless specter who will stop at nothing to be by her side. As she and her boyfriend escalate... so does he. ✧ Truly breathtaking. A breakout role for SRK, another hit cementing Juhi Chawla my fucking beloved Juhi Chawla as the OG expression queen. My favorite horror film. Rahul Mehra deserves to be in Dead By Daylight so he can fight Leon in a twink off. Simply the bloodiest there is. My Halloween costume next year. ✩ Standout sequence: Any time Juhi Chawla is on screen and I'm not kidding.

Chaahat ("Desire", dir Mahesh Bhatt, 1996)

When the father of a father-and-son comedy duo gets sick, his son, Roop, would do anything to secure the money he needs to restore his father's health. So when he catches the eye of a wealthy club owner's sister, he can't say no, no matter how much her desire consumes... ✫ Diametric opposite of Darr, now Shah Rukh Khan is the target!! As a carnivore girl lover I can't not adore it. ✧ Standout sequence: Chaahat Na Hoti, pictured above. This was the frame that made me sit up and go 'oh I have to... I gotta watch this movie right now. Right now.' And I was so right.

Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani ("Yet, I Have the Heart of an Indian", dir Aziz Mirza, 2000)

Ajay Bakshi is a hotheaded, loudmouthed reporter - a rival media network hires his counterpart and superior, Ria Bannerjee, to try to take him down. ✫ A gag-a-minute comedy with more gumflaps than brains, just like our lead. Juhi is heaven in this. I can only describe this as 'I think this is what the guy from American Psycho THOUGHT was going on.' Was a flop - came out right after Kaho Na... Pyaar Hai and couldn't compete - but it hits the zany button like nothing else. ✧ Standout sequence: The inventiveness of the sets in pretty much every song is my favorite. CONTENT WARNING: There is an awful anti-Chinese gag sequence at about the middle of the film. The two leads pose as Chinese reporters to get into somewhere, and it's just wall to wall racial caricatures. I hit that ff button through it myself, a truly unpleasant marring in an otherwise goofy-ass romp.

Chak de! India ("Let's go! India", dir Shimit Amin, 2007)

Can a disgraced former field hockey star turn 16 proud, contentious players from all over the country into one unified team as their coach? Can each young woman play her all on the field - for herself and for her team? ✩ A sports anime fit into one film, I wish it were several seasons long. Each girl is spectacular and is a joy to watch!! ✫ Standout Sequence: The character work is where this one shines. Bindiya Naik is my personal favorite (and not just because the instant I saw her performance I went 'omg, she's playing my OC almost exactly. I'd cast her in a heartbeat!)

Fan (dir Maneesh Sharma, 2016)

Aryan Khanna is the King of Bollywood. Gaurav Chandna is almost him, but not quite - knows everything about him by heart, uses him as the light in his life, and Gaurav even looks just enough like him to boot. All Gaurav wants is five minutes of his time. Just five minutes... ✩ Eminem's 'Stan' as a feature length thriller that literally no one else could make. I can only quote this letterboxd review, because it's right: "even if there was another celebrity who could pull off tearing himself open to splash his own imposter syndrome onscreen, they wouldn't dare try...happy birthday to the only actor good enough to make his fans sympathize with his own stalker". I was SO upset to learn that this flopped. ✫ Standout Sequences: the practical and special effects used to differentiate SRK's two roles bar none some of the best I've experienced - uncanny valley is real here, and half of the horror is the ALMOST. but not quite.

✫��✩✫✧✩✫✫✧✩✫✧✩✫

While I followed a loose, non-ranking order for the preceding nine entries, I had to save the only possible film for number one:

Om Shanti Om (dir Farah Khan, 2007)

"30 years ago," irrepressible junior artist Om Prakash Makhija has only one dream grander than making it big in the film industry - to get a chance to act alongside his greatest inspiration, superstar Shanti. His wish comes true, but, well... some dreams, one lifetime is not enough... ✫ THE BEST MOVIE THAT EXISTS. THE BEST MOVIE THAT DOESN'T EXISTS. Don't believe me? Let these ladies convince you - when I learned that somehow The Coolest And Most Sparkling theater troupe on the face of the planet staged a production of this I literally got so lightheaded I couldn't see for a second. This movie came out when I was thirteen - if I had seen it then I think it would have made a huge difference. As it was, I saw it at the second most perfect time: when I was/am also a 30 year old irrepressible junior goofball, just like Om. Farah Khan is one of my favorite directors for certain. A film about the hindi film industry, I place it last also because the more faces you recognize, songs you can pick out, movie references you can catch, the better - and it's incredible even still. ✧ Standout sequence: I can't say the whole movie (... minus Deewangi Deewangi it's the Yakuza 4 of this movie) can I??? Let me just say - long story short, Farah Khan got the idea for this film when Andrew Lloyd Weber had her to choreography for his stage show, Bollywood Dreams. She thought the plot, a poor junior artist becoming a big Bollywood star, was eye-rollingly unrealistic. She could do better, she thought... and that idea eventually became Om Shanti Om. The climax is her proving she could do Phantom of the Opera better than him, too!!

✫✧✩✫✧✩✫✫✧✩✫✧✩✫

And, if you'll indulge me... in thanks for giving me a really fun thing to do today, I have one more film: one that I think you would like, based off of the vibes of the journal entries I got to read!

Veer-Zaara (dir Yash Chopra, 2004)

An Indian pilot and the daughter of a Pakistani politician fall in love, but are wrenched apart when the pilot is imprisoned on false charges. He languishes 22 years in prison, never saying a word, until a young Pakistani lawyer is assigned his case and she is determined to see him freed... ✧ Certified Mom Movie and is an absolute banger. When I thought 'who would be a character who I could see Estelle looking forward to meeting for lunch', Rani Mukherjee's lawyer was right at the top of the list. ✫ Standout Sequence: My personal favorite, Main Yahaan Hoon, is the song linked above. It drives me Insane absolutely Insane - this depicts 'they're not in the room but they're the only thing on your mind' in a way seldom more effective!

✫✧✩✫✧✩✫✫✧✩✫✧✩✫

omg NOW I'm done for eel. This was a terrific exercise in tilling the soil in my brain - I'm really inspired by the all visual direction, the colors and depths, the sensibilities in general exemplified by the movies here, and hope to one day reflect it in my own work! I have to make the Yash Raj reshade shaders I want to see in the world.

Please don't hesitate to drop me a line about anything you find interesting here, other movies you've seen, or anything else! Genuinely truly always love getting to see your work. Thank you for reading!

[iamgayforyourmom1510]

WHATS UR FAV HINDI SONG

main agar kahoon, ajab si and ye ishq hai the 2000s ones are so ✨

[weirdly-specific-but-ok]

Have you listened to 'Mere Liya tum kaafi ho' by Ayushmann Khurrana? I think it has a very aziracrow vibe. Like think of them singing that to each other when other feels inadequate because the other person is so much better than them. Think of the fluff.

I just had to get it outta my system lol. Not many people will be even able to listen to it cause it's in hindi but hopefully you can give me your opinion

*sidles into frame looking shadily around* *hides the fact that my hindi is only marginally better than my french under an imposter trenchcoat* ALRIGHT LESSGO.

...okay. Okay holy shit first of all. This is such a sweet song. And ABSOLUTELY SO AZIRACROW. For Me, You Are Enough is the title of the song. Oh my Someone. THANK YOU ANON MAGGOT.

This is an Indian queer movie oh my god why has no one told me about it? My knowledge of Indian cinema is limited to like five movies from the early 2000s/10s, but still? Someone should have told me? Is it a good movie?

I'm so starved for queer media to see desi films with queer folks would be a joy. Any maggots from India or Pakistan or our neighbours here, or anyone who knows desi films, who can give me recs? (no sad endings i will DIE).

Here's the song with English lyrics for anyone who doesn't know Hindi :") Should be mostly accurate, I hope y'all enjoy hearing it, especially if it's your first song in any Indian language.

This is filled with so much joy, I don't know about the film but the song is. So much fluff.

Queer people are all over the world, and we always have been, and we always will be.

[ladystarksneedle]

Any hindi song that reminds you of helaegon?

Hellooo my lovely thank you for this ask! I was just thinking of Bollywood parallels today so this is quite like you've actually read my mind. Aegon gives me major Emraan Hashmi vibes tbh and I don't know why. Maybe it's the smirk, the bad boy charm he can put on to the sad boy-wet eyes-pathetic mess he transforms into and hopefully into the character with the best arc on the show during later seasons. Emraan hashmi movies are quite interesting, at least the ones from the early 2000's with thrilling endings so I guess that parallel makes sense?

Here's a list of songs I can think of for them at the moment, some of them involving him:

[bollywoodirect]

Tributes to legendary poet and Hindi film lyricist #MajroohSultanpuri on his 24th death anniversary (24/05/2000).

Majrooh Sultanpuri was known for his beautiful songs and poems that still evoke nostalgia for the golden era of the past.

In this photo (L to R): #NaushadAli, #AliSardarJafri, #MajroohSultanpuri, and #KaifiAzmi.

What are your favourite songs by Majrooh Saab?

[unusualshrimp]

hindi song from the 2000s-2010s save me

[iqmmir]

greetings gorgeous many heart emojis, strawberry + cardinal + blood + maroon + ruby for the ask game❔

strawberry: what album would you love to have on vinyl? — namae dake demo oboetette kudasai because i love narumi mona soooo much everyone should know

cardinal: what is the first song that made you cry? — i can't remember, but it was probably coffee house or se amar choto bon by manna dey, sorry i didn't listen to a single song in a language that isnt bengali or hindi till i was ten so

blood: which of your family members is your favourite? — mikukitty and my brother 🩷

maroon: what role do you play in your group of friends? — 'umm they asked for no pickles'

ruby: favourite pre-2000 song? — SO MANY... umm hotel california and last resort and new kid in town and brick in the wall and summer of 69' and o saathi re and eleanor rigby and prison trilogy and so many more actually, i just can't remember right now