The Indians Abroad

Overseas Living: NRIs & India abroad

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Best Bollywood movies of 2011

Dec 24

Posted by admin in Bollywood, Entertainment, India | No Comments

The best Bollywood Hindi movies of 2011
The tastes vary, choices differ. When it comes to the Hindi films, some like spicy and action packed thrillers while others prefer sweet and romantic dramas. The films below may not be what you crave, it may not include your ‘all time favorite’, but here are the standout Bollywood features from 2011.

1. Ra.one: This is a very ambitious, very expensive and a very technically complex film from Bollywood. It pushes the envelope on the visual effects. This science-fiction/superhero film is well written and beautifully directed by Anubhav Sinha. The star-studded cast includes Shahrukh Khan in dual roles, Kareena Kapoor, Armaan Verma and Arjun Rampal in the lead. Amazing graphics, along with Shah Rukh Khan as the superhero make this sci-fi thriller a great success. Hollywood delivers so many sci-fi themed movies every; this is a good start for Bollywood.

2. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara: This flick is a beautiful reminder that you only live once. The film features an ensemble cast of Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol, Farhan Akhtar, Katrina Kaif, Kalki Koechlin, Ariadna Cabrol and Naseeruddin Shah. A story of three bachelors dealing with their friendship and romance, the well-scripted film has real-life acting all around. The scenic back-drops are very lively; the refreshing music is composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy with lyrics from Javed Akhtar.

3. Delhi Belly: In the words of ‘The Hollywood Reporter’, the movie is a “Sexy, filthy and thoroughly entertaining comedy”. The film is shot in English mostly, with very little Hindi dialogues. Directed by Abhinay Deo and produced by Aamir Khan, the movie stars Imran Khan, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Vir Das, Poorna Jagannathan and Shenaz Treasurywala. Rated ‘A’ for adult contents, the film highlights today’s street-smart youth in an evolving society influenced by the global culture.

4. Bodyguard: Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor clicked in this blockbuster, with record earnings of Rs.22 crore on the first day . The movie theme is typical romance long with intense action – a winning combination for many Bollywood fans. Directed by Siddique, this star-power film is filled with melodious music, romantic scenes and action-packed fight sequences. As pointed out by the Time of India: ‘Salman’s signature dialogue – “Mujh par ek ehsaan karna ki mujh par koi ehsaan na karna” – once again struck a chord with fans.’ Read the rest of this entry »

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20 Best English Movies from India – The Indian English films

Mar 23

Posted by admin in Bollywood, Entertainment, India, india abroad, Non-Resident Indian, NRI | 11 Comments

Best English Movies based on India or with Indian Themes

There are so many English movies that come out of India every year. Some equally beautiful movies based on Indian culture originate from other parts of the globe. Here are 20 best stand-outs:

1 Gandhi (1982): This Internationally acclaimed movie needs no introduction. The film stars Ben Kingsley as Gandhi, a brilliant actor by any measure. Amongst much recognition home and abroad, the film won the Academy Award for Best Picture, winning eight Academy Awards in total.

2. City of Joy (1992): The social drama is based on the life of a farmer who moves to Kolkata with his family and finds out that life is nothing but simple in the city. Patrick Swayze, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi and Art Malik lead the brilliant cast. This is one of best movies that use talents from India and Hollywood.

3. Monsoon Wedding (2001): Directed by Mira Nair, this is romance, comedy and drama – all together – depicting the lives of NRIs and the NRI weddings. An extravagant Punjabi wedding and the family traditions are beautifully depicted throughout this movie. Naseeruddin Shah’s acting is solid once more, and plays a father who is organizing an enormous, chaotic, and very expensive wedding that involves NRI families and joint families coming together from different parts of the world.

4. A Passage to India (1984): This classic is one of the most memorable English film based on the Indo-British relationship and their impacts on the day-to-day life during English Rule in India. Written and directed by David Lean, the screenplay is based on the 1924 novel by E.M. Forster. The acting, the direction and the beautifully landscaped scenes equally contribute to this masterpiece. The film has won various awards included Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. The brilliant acting comes from Judy Davis, Victor Banerjee, Peggy Ashcroft and James Fox in the key roles.

5.Being Cyrus (2006): This is one of the best Indian films in English. It is a psychological drama revolving around a dysfunctional family. The brilliant acting is led by Naseeruddin Shah and Dimple Kapadia; the well told story is narrated by none other but Saif Ali Khan in the role of Cyrus Mistry.

6. Bride and Prejudice (2004): This is a Bollywood style adaptation of the novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen. It is filmed primarily in English, with some Hindi and Punjabi dialogue. The lead cast of Aishwarya Rai, Martin Henderson, Nadira Babbar, Anupam Kher and Naveen Andrews plays well in the desi adaptation of an old classic story from west. The wedding and party scenes, the complicated feelings of love, the dance numbers and culture depiction….are all nicely integrated

7. East is East (1999): This is a very comic and funny movie with a dark side of an NRI story based out of England. Om Puri delivers one of the best acting of a conflicted father with double standards. Married to a white woman, the father forces his kids to live the traditional and strict desi lifestyle. The children, born and grown up in UK, see themselves as British and reject their father’s rules on dress, food, religion and arranged marriage.

8. Bend it like Beckham (2002): Starring Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley, the title comes from the soccer player David Beckham’s skill at scoring from free kicks by “bending” (curving) the ball past a wall of defenders. It is a beautiful depiction of a Punjabi family’s life in England. The film explores the lives of Indians abroad and how NRIs ‘bend’ the social and traditional rules to adapt to the local culture. It has a lively music, with a touch of folk genre.

9. Parzania (2007): Translated – Heaven and hell on earth, this is an Indian drama film catering to the extreme human emotions. It is a terrific story of the struggles of a family after they lose their 10 year old son during the racial riot. The film featured Naseeruddin Shah and Sarika in the lead roles. This low budget drama has lovely acting and beautiful direction. Read the rest of this entry »

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Top 20 Bollywood movies of 70s decade

Aug 22

Posted by admin in Bollywood, Entertainment, India, Most Popular Stories | 5 Comments

Top Bollywood movies of 70s decade

The Bollywood in 70s was at the peak of everything you can relate to in a Hindi movie – acting, directing, music and exploring new boundaries. As you can see below, some of the best Bollywood movies of all times were produced during this decade.
Choosing top 20 movies out of a span of 10 years, when every year was producing score of flicks, is almost impossible. The selection below tries to accommodate every genre – action, classic, artistic, popular….
So here we go:

1. Sholay (1975): This all-time-great movie needs no introduction; it is one of the biggest hit ever from Bollywood. It is a classic thriller of modern days, a must watch Bollywood gem. The mega cast includes Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri and Amjad Khan. Sholay is the highest grossing film of all time in Indian cinema. When first released, the movie did not win any major awards from the film critics, but it has a cult like following. At the 50th Filmfare, it received the award as the Best Film of 50 Years.

2. Bobby (1973): The movie is a brilliant combination of romance, music and social conflicts. This blockbuster is known to be a trend-setter in its own rights. Raj Kapoor introduced the genre of teenage romance with a rich-vs.-poor clash as a backdrop. Some of the romance sciences were simply too forward for its time. This popular flick was a debut film for Dimple Kapadia and the first leading role for Rishi Kapoor.

3. Pakeezah (1972): This is a legendary movie; with a larger than life appeal. Beautifully directed by Kamal Amrohi, this movie is a combination of good artistic tastes, lovely costumes, a fluid storyline, excellent settings and melodious music. The film is a story of a Lucknow tawaif (courtesan) played by actress Meena Kumari. Raaj Kumar and Ashok Kumar lead the cast. The evergreen and superb music is by Ghulam Mohammed and Naushad.

4. Mera Naam Joker (1970): Raj Kapoor spent every penny he had on this movie, and it flopped during the first release – it was just too long, with run time over 5 hours. The second release, the re-edited and compressed version, ended up as one of the most successful film of all times. Comedy, drama, tragedy, romance…. it has something for audiences of all ages, including a fine soundtrack. The mega cast includes Raj Kapoor, Simi Garewal, Manoj Kumar, Rishi Kapoor, Dharmendra, Dara Singh, Kseniya Ryabinkina, Padmini and Rajendra Kumar. Read the rest of this entry »

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