#WHO?? WHO WILL DO LOVE LIKE THEM?? WHO WILL LOVE LIKE SHYAM LOVES ROSIE??

[sukitaee]

i am a shyam singha roy lover first, human second

[neengareadynaaready]

Spoilers for the movie Mersal (2017)

I do not actually think much of the romance in mass action films (as in the ones with heavy action plots) because the "heroine" or the hero's love interest is either underused or forgotten towards the end of the film. It's not that I hate it hate it. It's just negligible to me - even in one of my favorite movies, Master, where there isn't actually a romance going on between JD and his love interest (I have forgotten her name see). We don't know if he reciprocates. Also, we have that one song/montage of her falling for our hero because of course she does, who wouldn't blah blah, but our hero has a bigger mission to fulfill. And that was fine with me because the focus of that movie was the action.

Which is why I really like the relationship between Vetrimaaran (Vijay) and his wife Aishwarya (Nithya Menon) in Atlee's Mersal (2017).

They're different for Vijay's character lineups because they're already married. And they have great chemistry together. Aish and Vetrimaaran tease and flirt. They're playful with each other.

With her dying breath, Aish makes her husband promise that she will be the last to die on the hill of bad medicare.

And Vetrimaaran as head of the village gets Aish's full support. She's a smart and tough woman.

And the only reason we get this absolutely beautiful couple is because... they die. Tragically.

But Vetrimaaran doesn't fulfill that promise because he also dies.

And the second reason we get this lovely couple is because Vetrimaaran isn't the main hero. It's his sons, Maran and Vetri (born months apart but look alike -- and look like their father because they're Vijay avatars too lmao).

They're together in heaven.

If Vetrimaaran were the main hero, we would get a long courting phase, maybe Aish dies and Vetrimaaran goes on a rampage and stuff. But that would be no different from other Vijay's films. The reason he gets to die and reunite with his wife in the afterlife is because he's not the main hero.

Where on earth am I getting with this rambling?

It's just the fact that the only reason we got a good married couple with actual chemistry in a masala action film ... is because they're not the main hero and heroine.

We can argue that Shyam Singha Roy is a mass action film but also not really. Like yes there's action but the focus has always been on the love story between Shyam (Nani) and Rosie (Sai Pallavi). (I'm using them as an example because their chemistry is good. Actually, Nani and Sai Pallavi make a really good on-screen couple. They are both very charming and romantic to each other.)

*Alright, I'm rambling again. I just wanted to express my thoughts on Vetrimaaran and Aishwarya and their lovely chemistry that I don't see often in many mass action films.

[misalpav]

ok. rrr is the first and only indian movie i have seen in my life. do you have any recs for movies like it? or just movies you like? i trust your taste and my summer is long.

Ofc! Here's a list of some of my favorites:

Telugu

Magadheera (2009)

One of SS Rajamouli's older works and Ram Charan and Kajal absolutely stole my heart in this one. The music is still the loml and it actually also had MM Keeravani directing music

Harsha is falsely implicated for killing Indu's father and she too is kidnapped. But Harsha and Indu share a bond from a previous life, and when he realises this, he sets out to set things straight.

Jai Lava Kusa (2017)

This is one of my all time favorite NTR Jr. movies and he actually plays a triple role (identical triplets)

Identical triplets, Jai, Lava and Kusa, get separated at a young age and follow different paths in life. Jai becomes an evil criminal, Kusa becomes a small-time crook and Lava becomes a bank manager.

Dear Comrade (2019)

TW: sexual assault

This is a movie I hold rly rly close to my heart A) cuz Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika are love and B) the plot was so important especially near the climax.

A hot-headed student union leader falls in love with a state-level cricketer; but soon, his anger issues become a roadblock on his way to unite with her.

Shyam Singha Roy (2021)

If I were ever to marry anyone, Shyam is my template for that person. I absolutely loved Nani's depiction of Shyam and Sai Pallavi's Rosie. Also reincarnation but there's a twist

Vasu is a director who left his former job to make films. His girlfriend is set to play the lead role, but when she is molested and Vasu is accused of committing plagiarism, the young couple's fortunes take a turn for the worse.

EDIT: I'm dumb. I forgot to add Baahubali 1 and 2 (2015 and 2017) which is a must watch and one of the first major modern Pan-India movies

Hindi

The Kashmir Files (2022)

If you're going to watch a Hindi movie, make it this one. This tells the unheard story of the genocide of millions of Kashmiri Pandits by Islamic Terrorists and this genocide has taken place time and time again with absolutely zero media attention.

Shush Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan (2020)

I couldn't have left a list of Indian movies I made in Pride Month without mentioning this movie could I? Ayushmann Khurrana is one of my favorite Hindi actors and the representation in this movie was solid imo. Tbh I live for the song Mere Liye Tum Kaafi Ho in this movie

When two men, Kartik and Aman, fall in love with each other, they face opposition from Aman's family but they attempt to win them over.

3 Idiots (2009)

This one is a classic and works to reverse the mindset a lot of Indian students have to deal with where life = studying and parents' expectations without real time for themselves. As a student it was relatable to me and again, it was fucking hilarious.

In college, Farhan and Raju form a great bond with Rancho due to his positive and refreshing outlook to life. Years later, a bet gives them a chance to look for their long-lost friend whose existence seems rather elusive.

Shershaah (2021)

A biopic of the real life Vikram Batra, I absolutely fell in love with this movie and rediscovered my love for Siddharth Malhotra (the main actor). The music for this movie >>>>

The life of Indian army captain Vikram Batra, awarded with the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest award for valour for his actions during the 1999 Kargil War.

Tamil

Heads up: I don't actually speak Tamil (not well anyways) so I'm just listing movies I saw and liked but I haven't actually seen as many as w telugu/hindi

3 (2012)

I think this intensified my love for Dhanush by about 10000. The music is why Anirudh Ravichander is one of my absolute favorite Indian singers

Ram and Janani are high school sweethearts who eventually get married; however, Janani is mystified when Ram commits suicide all of a sudden and she tries to find out the truth behind his death.

Theri (2016)

And the other love of my life, Vijay Thalapathy. I think this is the first movie of his that I saw with my friend and I honestly got pissed at her for gatekeeping him for so long so that should tell you a lot

When his daughter's life is endangered by a local gang, a man will do whatever it takes to stop them; however, at the same time, his dangerous past slowly resurfaces.

Wow ok this is a lot longer than I intended and I was just getting started lmao but hopefully you find something interesting. If anyone else wants to add other movies feel free to rb, comment and obv feel free to add more languages.