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hood-ex · 3 months ago

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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!

#thank yooou!!! <333 !!!#movie recs #replies

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