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Bollywood Corner

Bollywood is not the ONLY Indian industry.

Agree with the opinions here. I have no patience for majority of south Asian movies thanks to long drawn out melodrama (and don't get me started on the songs). My view is tainted since I was born in the US but I would still say Bollywood is pretty bad - could do a LOT better given the human capital at disposal.

One thing I would like to point out to Pakistani folks is that Bollywood is India but India is not Bollywood. Do realize there are other major industries out there and huge population segments that barely follow/care about Bollywood. I do see a bias in attention towards Bollywood from folks in Pakistan, which of course is justifiable given your language/ethnic proximity to the industry. Alluding that Bollywood represents the entirety of Indian film industry is factually incorrect and is myopic.

If you want a higher percentage of quality south Asian films from a sample set, try Malayalam (my favorite among Indian films, though I do not understand the language). Quality is far better and relatively more films are without songs. Granted, it could be tougher for Pakistanis to get into south Indian movies given the language factor, and of course the thread topic is about Bollywood.
 
Bollywood is not the ONLY Indian industry.

Agree with the opinions here. I have no patience for majority of south Asian movies thanks to long drawn out melodrama (and don't get me started on the songs). My view is tainted since I was born in the US but I would still say Bollywood is pretty bad - could do a LOT better given the human capital at disposal.

One thing I would like to point out to Pakistani folks is that Bollywood is India but India is not Bollywood. Do realize there are other major industries out there and huge population segments that barely follow/care about Bollywood. I do see a bias in attention towards Bollywood from folks in Pakistan, which of course is justifiable given your language/ethnic proximity to the industry. Alluding that Bollywood represents the entirety of Indian film industry is factually incorrect and is myopic.

If you want a higher percentage of quality south Asian films from a sample set, try Malayalam (my favorite among Indian films, though I do not understand the language). Quality is far better and relatively more films are without songs. Granted, it could be tougher for Pakistanis to get into south Indian movies given the language factor, and of course the thread topic is about Bollywood.
Interesting you mention Malyalam movies. Are there any recent movies you would recommend which have also been dubbed in hindi?
 
Once upon a time (till 70s maybe) it delivered good movies. Now it delivers good movies amidst a mountain of nonsense, so the ratio is quite bad compared to other industries. But if you are a selective movie watcher you can get your hands on some nice ones. In all spheres of life India and as an extension South Asia delivers low quality products. Be it innovation, academics, technology, movies or sports we are the least productive part of the globe, this in spite of having over 20% of world's population. I honestly believe our music and cuisine can match up with the best of the world, nothing else comes to my mind.

Here is an interesting observation (or another one to be more accurate) Bollywood has stuck steadfastly to the 3 hour musical format for decades while we westerners chuckled in amusement at the saccharine silliness of it all. But as Bollywood's more sophisticated critics have persuaded producers to turn out more serious and sombre material, Hollywood has suddenly started churning out....3hr musical bonanzas like La La Land and The Greatest Showman!! Throwing the more discerning forward looking Indian critics into a state of utter confusion.
 
Here is an interesting observation (or another one to be more accurate) Bollywood has stuck steadfastly to the 3 hour musical format for decades while we westerners chuckled in amusement at the saccharine silliness of it all. But as Bollywood's more sophisticated critics have persuaded producers to turn out more serious and sombre material, Hollywood has suddenly started churning out....3hr musical bonanzas like La La Land and The Greatest Showman!! Throwing the more discerning forward looking Indian critics into a state of utter confusion.

How many movies of 2018 were 3 hrs long?
The average duration of Bollywood movies has reduced a lot not sure how u r getting that data, even Padmavat is 2 hr 44 incl credits..most movies have been much lower.
 
The most profitable movies last year Badhai Ho and Stree ,both were around 2 hrs.
 
The most profitable movies last year Badhai Ho and Stree ,both were around 2 hrs.

ADDING Two most grossing movies of 2018(Sanju and Padmavat) both around 2 hr 40 which was similar to Avengers infinity also at 2 hr 40 mins..
 
Interesting you mention Malyalam movies. Are there any recent movies you would recommend which have also been dubbed in hindi?

My preferences are non-romance action oriented films (cannot personally relate to any South Asian romance/arranged marriage stuff).

Two options
#1 - Drishyam
#2 - Mumbai Police

Drishyam has a hindi version starring Ajay Devgan (which is crap IMO). See if you can find a hindi dubbed version having original Malayalam actors.

The bang for your buck is maximized you are open to watching subtitled versions of those 2 movies in malayalam itself. I'm curious to hear your thoughts if you do end up watching either.
 
I didn't make.the statement about Pakistani dramas ,coz I haven't seen many.. you did so assuming you have watched both..

Bollywood :livid:

Okay recommend me something to watch bro so I can form a judgement.
 
I don't like or watch it anymore but that does not make it "rubbish". They continue making such movies because there is high demand for them. They make money for many people other times when a movie flops the makers suffer massive losses. In terms of quality the "golden days" were from the 50-s to mid 80's.
 
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How many movies of 2018 were 3 hrs long?
The average duration of Bollywood movies has reduced a lot not sure how u r getting that data, even Padmavat is 2 hr 44 incl credits..most movies have been much lower.

Well isn't that really just reinforcing my point? While Indians are taking pride in shortening film times to mimic Hollywood movie length, American movies are going the other way and bringing out films which have moved from the typical 100 mins to many which are now spanning 2-3hrs!

Quick...tell the Bollywood moguls to revert back to the longer format!
 
It's all subjective.

People should watch whatever they like whether it's Bollywood, Lollywood or Hollywood. Too many people sound like snobs with their " Indian/Pakistani movies are garbage" take. Let's be honest, the average person knows very little about the science and art of moviemaking (including me).

These movies make big money for a reason.
 
I don't like or watch it anymore but that does not make it "rubbish". They continue making such movies because there is high demand for them. They make money for many people other times when a movie flops the makers suffer massive losses. In terms of quality the "golden days" were from the 50-s to mid 80's.

THIS. I cannot comment about 50s-80s being too far removed, otherwise your points are agreeable.

End of the day this is a product you have to create with a $ investment for a given customer segment and with some sort of ROI in mind. You just end up creating what maximizes the ROI given what the fat portion of your customer segment's statistical bell curve demands.

Why blame the "inferior" product of the creators when they are simply catering to the "inferior" market demands of the customer segment in question? Put it other way - bollywood is crappy because the tastes of the target segment (be it in India/Pakistan/US/UK) watching these movies are also crappy.

One can argue then that it is up to the creators to help align interests of the masses but I think not. Creators are in the business of creating a product with financial skin in the game and they are justifiably incentivized for maximizing their ROI.

Normal question - why is bollywood crappy?
Deeper and better question - why is the quality of taste among bollywood watching population crappy?
 
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Well isn't that really just reinforcing my point? While Indians are taking pride in shortening film times to mimic Hollywood movie length, American movies are going the other way and bringing out films which have moved from the typical 100 mins to many which are now spanning 2-3hrs!

Quick...tell the Bollywood moguls to revert back to the longer format!

It's more with time available to a family, the working hours have gone up for every family and attention span among youth seem to low as well which is the reason.
 
Today's Bollywood is made for today's generation. Many people can't relate to it anymore especially those over 30 years I would say. At least we don't get saas-bahu fights on long lost brothers reuniting in the end to bash up an Amrish Puri or Amjad Khan.
 
Bollywood indeed has many flaws there are no doubts about it. However, some of the criticism it receives is quite laughable. The funniest thing is that the people that call Bollywood garbage generally use Hollywood as the benchmark for top quality films.

While its true that Hollywood produces some great movies but that shouldn't hide the fact that quite a large number of 'garbage' movies come out of Hollywood every year. Its also funny that people who call Bollywood 'nonsensical' flock to watch movies like Jumanji, The Meg, Venom, or Deadpool etc. These are among the top grossing Hollywood movies btw.

Lastly, the argument that Bollywood is an industry where 'hacks like Salman' give blockbusters each year. Hmm last I checked Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood due to his mind blowing performances in movies like Fast and the Furious, Jumanji, Skyscraper etc.

I think some people just criticize Bollywood for the sake of it. While a lot of bad movies do come out of Bollywood, there are also several good movies that come out as well. The industry is not for everyone though and If some don't like it they should simply not watch it. No one is putting a gun to their heads.
 
Bollywood indeed has many flaws there are no doubts about it. However, some of the criticism it receives is quite laughable. The funniest thing is that the people that call Bollywood garbage generally use Hollywood as the benchmark for top quality films.

While its true that Hollywood produces some great movies but that shouldn't hide the fact that quite a large number of 'garbage' movies come out of Hollywood every year. Its also funny that people who call Bollywood 'nonsensical' flock to watch movies like Jumanji, The Meg, Venom, or Deadpool etc. These are among the top grossing Hollywood movies btw.

Lastly, the argument that Bollywood is an industry where 'hacks like Salman' give blockbusters each year. Hmm last I checked Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood due to his mind blowing performances in movies like Fast and the Furious, Jumanji, Skyscraper etc.

I think some people just criticize Bollywood for the sake of it. While a lot of bad movies do come out of Bollywood, there are also several good movies that come out as well. The industry is not for everyone though and If some don't like it they should simply not watch it. No one is putting a gun to their heads.

Let’s get one distinction clear .....Bollywood is/was an unashamed den of thieves who go around the world stealing stories and music from around the world without getting due permission from the originators..... even then they do a pretty bad job of it.
 
Let’s get one distinction clear .....Bollywood is/was an unashamed den of thieves who go around the world stealing stories and music from around the world without getting due permission from the originators..... even then they do a pretty bad job of it.


Generalization, that’s another classic one :19:

Like I mentioned, don’t like it than don’t watch it :)
 
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bollywood is the single reason indians haven't developed intellectually. funny and sad to see some indians taking pride in this garbage. also sad that it is popular with pakistanis who are at the same level as the indians when it comes to intellect (or lack of it).
 
Why is it called Bollywood? It makes no sense.

Coz it takes the first letter from the city of of it's headquarters Bombay, now Mumbai. The rest of the world is from Hollywood. Similarly the Pak industry is known as Lollywood coz it was formed in Lahore.
 
Bollywood seems to form Indian opinion when it comes to all previous wars with Pakistan:)):)):))
 
bollywood is the single reason indians haven't developed intellectually. funny and sad to see some indians taking pride in this garbage. also sad that it is popular with pakistanis who are at the same level as the indians when it comes to intellect (or lack of it).

Hindi movies are hit in China. Are the chinese stupid too?

Dangal: 1220 crore
Secret Superstar: 736 crore
Bajrangi Bhaijaan: 295 crore
Hindi Medium: 218 crore
Hichki: 153.13 crore
 
My preferences are non-romance action oriented films (cannot personally relate to any South Asian romance/arranged marriage stuff).

Two options
#1 - Drishyam
#2 - Mumbai Police

Drishyam has a hindi version starring Ajay Devgan (which is crap IMO). See if you can find a hindi dubbed version having original Malayalam actors.

The bang for your buck is maximized you are open to watching subtitled versions of those 2 movies in malayalam itself. I'm curious to hear your thoughts if you do end up watching either.


Among Malayalam movies also highly recommend the following three. Three below have been remade into other Indian languages which were poor remakes so make sure to watch the Malayalam original version.

Memories (Mystery)
Usthad Hotel ( based on coming of age)
Bangalore Days ( story on three cousins )
Premam ( Romance)
 
bollywood is the single reason indians haven't developed intellectually. funny and sad to see some indians taking pride in this garbage. also sad that it is popular with pakistanis who are at the same level as the indians when it comes to intellect (or lack of it).

You have some evidence to back that up or just your intellect (or lack of it).
 
I knew Bollywood was poor viewing but 2018 had set a new low for the main Indian film industry.
 
Bollywood indeed has many flaws there are no doubts about it. However, some of the criticism it receives is quite laughable. The funniest thing is that the people that call Bollywood garbage generally use Hollywood as the benchmark for top quality films.

This is precisely the insight I was trying to raise. These films should be judged only by Indians for Indians. Why should Hollywood be any sort of benchmark? Do Americans judge their films according to Indian standards?

I say this as a westerner who has little appreciation for Bollywood by the way, which is precisely why my opinion shouldn't count. But many Indians agree with me which disturbs me and makes me wonder as to the mentality which causes it?
 
This is precisely the insight I was trying to raise. These films should be judged only by Indians for Indians. Why should Hollywood be any sort of benchmark? Do Americans judge their films according to Indian standards?

I say this as a westerner who has little appreciation for Bollywood by the way, which is precisely why my opinion shouldn't count. But many Indians agree with me which disturbs me and makes me wonder as to the mentality which causes it?

There are a couple of reasons I believe. Firstly, Bollywood is not the only film industry in India so there are probably quite a few Indians that don’t relate with.

Secondly, people do associate Bollywood with just a specific genre (you know the ones with the cheesy romance and the over the top action). Maybe rightly so as these movies have historically had a big market. However, there are still some well thought out intelligent movies that do come out of Bollywood each year.

And then there are the in the closet Bollywood lovers, who just get a false sense of superiority by claiming to hate Bollywood in public. These are the people who see everything Bollywood but with an excuse that they have to watch it because their parents/spouse etc made them.
 
This is precisely the insight I was trying to raise. These films should be judged only by Indians for Indians. Why should Hollywood be any sort of benchmark? Do Americans judge their films according to Indian standards?

I say this as a westerner who has little appreciation for Bollywood by the way, which is precisely why my opinion shouldn't count. But many Indians agree with me which disturbs me and makes me wonder as to the mentality which causes it?

Can we say that every Hollywood movie coming out is good and what classifies a good movie ? Is Hollywood fast and furious movies considered a good movie ? It’s made billions in the box office. Or how about the ones that won oscars like “ La la land” Is that considered a good movie.

I really don’t think one can compare Hollywood movies as good and bad and similarly the same with Bollywood movies. It’s up to the viewer to decide. I think 2018 saw Bollywood come up with an absolute gem of a movie with “ Andhadhun” a suspense thriller which challenges you’re mind and makes you question a lot of things. It did well at the box office. But did do amazing in terms of a movie like “ Race” which was you’re standard Bollywood madam leave you’re brain at home type movie. Sometimes the masses decide what they want to watch. And if they want to watch Salman Khan showing his muscles , dancing and defying gravity then that’s what the audience wants. But as we make more movies like Andhadhun the audiences perception and taste has to also change which takes time. If anything I thin this year in Bollywood we have seen movies of different genres which also did well and they challenged movies like the typical Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan movies.

Notable movies of this year that were different and good were

Andhadhun
Mulk
Raazi
Karwaan
Badhai Ho
Stree
 
Soon a great comedy about the so called surgical strikes on Pak is releasing. It's called "Uri":)):)):)) Some of the period movies like "Padmavat" as good viewing.
 
Good Timing.

I say good timing because Bollywood in the past 2 years has not really produced any 3 Idiots esque films.

What is more surprising is that the three Khan’s (Aamir, Salman, SRK) even failed to break the usual records. Aamir’s latest was Bollywood’s most expensive film, yet the biggest flop of all time. Race 3, Zero were terrible for their standard too.

But this just highlights what I am trying to say, Bollywood has been far from entertaining in the past 2 years or so. They seem to be running out of ideas. It’s no secret that they have a tendency of copying Tamil/Hollywood films.
 

Hopefully not cheesy..if anyone followed Divine and Naezy its based on them
 
Among Malayalam movies also highly recommend the following three. Three below have been remade into other Indian languages which were poor remakes so make sure to watch the Malayalam original version.

Memories (Mystery)
Usthad Hotel ( based on coming of age)
Bangalore Days ( story on three cousins )
Premam ( Romance)

I maybe biased but I like Tamil movies much more than Malayalam, some recent ones and some old ones that come to mind are

Interrogation
Kaakkaa Muttai
Nayakan
Bombay
Appu Raja
Anjali
Roja
 
To my South Indian brothers, I have seen KGF getting some really good reviews? Should I give it a watch? Also any decent Hindi print available?
Thanks.
 
I maybe biased but I like Tamil movies much more than Malayalam, some recent ones and some old ones that come to mind are

Interrogation
Kaakkaa Muttai
Nayakan
Bombay
Appu Raja
Anjali
Roja

Tamil overall.is better coz when a good movie comes it's.amazing and reaches a very high ceiling(for an Indian movie), Malyalam is great on quality though..in terms of percentage.

I personally like Tamil but that's coz I'm biased and grew up watching em, Anjali and Thalpathy are my fav both Mani Ratnam but his movies have been trash post Dil see (my personal opinion).
 
To my South Indian brothers, I have seen KGF getting some really good reviews? Should I give it a watch? Also any decent Hindi print available?
Thanks.

If you didn't like Bahubali leave it..that's what I heard from my friends so I let it go.
 
Hated that one. Absolute waste of time and money.

Yup ,I didn't like.it either and same reason I gave this a miss..
Seems to be biggest Kannada movie though..and the fan boys are going crazy over numbers..
 
Reviews are pretty solid though.
This is what a strict critic said on Twitter about kgf
"There are more chances of finding intelligent life on Jupiter than finding subtlety in #KGF. It's not the blood but testosterone that runs through characters' veins. The sensibility of the film seems to have stuck in the black hole of 90s bad Hindi cinema.
The editing has no sense of pacing to it. There's hardly a shot that stays for 2 seconds on screen. It's as if the editor was on cocaine while editing it."

But public response is good. Hardcore massey action fans loved it.
 
Yup ,I didn't like.it either and same reason I gave this a miss..
Seems to be biggest Kannada movie though..and the fan boys are going crazy over numbers..

Dozen of my bolly lover friends have already recommended it and they all seemed to be going ga ga over it. Might check it out someday.
Also have you seen Andhadhun. You think I should give it a try?
 
This is what a strict critic said on Twitter about kgf
"There are more chances of finding intelligent life on Jupiter than finding subtlety in #KGF. It's not the blood but testosterone that runs through characters' veins. The sensibility of the film seems to have stuck in the black hole of 90s bad Hindi cinema.
The editing has no sense of pacing to it. There's hardly a shot that stays for 2 seconds on screen. It's as if the editor was on cocaine while editing it."

But public response is good. Hardcore massey action fans loved it.

Thanks brother. Should avoid it then.
Also your views on Andhadhun?
Might watch it tonight before going to sleep.
 
Dozen of my bolly lover friends have already recommended it and they all seemed to be going ga ga over it. Might check it out someday.
Also have you seen Andhadhun. You think I should give it a try?

Yes Andhadhun ,Badhai Ho and Stree gave all 3 a try ,they are commercial and of course there are plot holes but they are entertaining on a very believable.level with some great acting in Andhadhun and Badhai Ho..Stree you should see jus for the novelty of it and humor..
 
Thanks brother. Should avoid it then.
Also your views on Andhadhun?
Might watch it tonight before going to sleep.
Don't know yet to watch. I heard good mostly things about it.
But director is good in this genre of movies "Johnny gaddar" "badlapur"and now "andhadhun".
 
Yes Andhadhun ,Badhai Ho and Stree gave all 3 a try ,they are commercial and of course there are plot holes but they are entertaining on a very believable.level with some great acting in Andhadhun and Badhai Ho..Stree you should see jus for the novelty of it and humor..

Don't know yet to watch. I heard good mostly things about it.
But director is good in this genre of movies "Johnny gaddar" "badlapur"and now "andhadhun".

Shukriya Bhaiyon.
 
Why does everyone love Badhai Ho?

It was a good idea but an average movie.

But literally everyone seems to love it. I'm baffled.
 
Why does everyone love Badhai Ho?

It was a good idea but an average movie.

But literally everyone seems to love it. I'm baffled.

just that one scene of "(slap) saalay apna kamra chahiyay tha tujhay".... omg.... its a movie with a very funny what if scenario to it if one can not relate to it....

for me I love these lower budget with higher/acting packed movies rather than high budget sk, srk, ak, rk's type of ** films with zero acting...

in this digital age you will see a turnaround in bollywood hopefully, where the zawazuddin siddiqui, pankaj tripathi, vijay raaz, sanjay mishra, ayushman khurrana, raj kumar rao, and the likes will stand out more and be more appreciated than the fakes like srk, sk, rk's, etc... ak is still half decent here and there but going down hill in choice of his movies...
 
Yes Andhadhun ,Badhai Ho and Stree gave all 3 a try ,they are commercial and of course there are plot holes but they are entertaining on a very believable.level with some great acting in Andhadhun and Badhai Ho..Stree you should see jus for the novelty of it and humor..

Name one plot hole in Andhadhun ? Everything was properly explained and for a suspense thriller I was quite surprised that there were no plot holes or fallacies that i observed. The open ending at the end was the perfect ending to the movie as well. I couldn’t have written something better.
 
Why does everyone love Badhai Ho?

It was a good idea but an average movie.

But literally everyone seems to love it. I'm baffled.

A lot of dialogues were very specific to Delhi again which I liked, for example grandmother talking about govn slogan on kids, these were things which were advertised up north.
Many jokes are very specific(religious middle class) and I feel could be lost on half the population.

The way they covered the parents and the grandmother story was not only humorous but also subtle,plus I saw the movie with my parents and and them being from Delhi they could get the humor inside out.
 
Thanks brother. Should avoid it then.
Also your views on Andhadhun?
Might watch it tonight before going to sleep.

You will like KGF if you are an action fan! Editing is fast because they had to bundle a lot of stuffs & characters within the time-frame! The ones who liked this movie have loved it to the core and watched multiple times... Heard it was released in Pakistan and did well there...
 
Dozen of my bolly lover friends have already recommended it and they all seemed to be going ga ga over it. Might check it out someday.
Also have you seen Andhadhun. You think I should give it a try?

KGF is there on Amazon Prime (in South Indian languages with English subtitles. Try to watch it in Kannada with subtitles). With live streaming you will at least have chance & interest to watch it again (rewind some bits), so you may understand it (But big screen will give actual pleasure!)
 
Gully Boy probably the best of the year so far imo. Haven't seen Badla yet.

Uri, Kesari, Total Dhamaal, Gully Boy, Luka Chuppi and Badla were hits at the box office.

Let's see how Salman Khan's Bharat turns out this Eid
 
There ahould be an Indian movies corner, this one just gets dominated by Bollywood :( Anyway, Peranbu and Super Deluxe were great, looking forward to SyeRaa Narasimha Reddy coming later this year
 
SyeRaa review Naveen garu? ?

Man, Hopeless Biscuit is still here !!!!!! Good to see bro !

It was alright....as a chiranjeevi ****** growing up..it was a decent watch to see him act in full flow especially in the climax. Could have been better !
 
Shreeram Lagoo has died , was a great actor and probably Independent India’s greatest theater personality..

In movies the guy could act with his eyes..
 
Ayushman was decent this year with Bala and Dreamgirl, don’t think I watched any movie of Kumars and Khans..
Gully boy was decent and so was Mard ko dard nahi hota, Chchichore

Pretty dull year..

Movies I want to see:
Judgemental hai kya, Article 15

Also an year we had movie on Modi lol
 
Chhichhore Movie

This movie is a masterpiece and much needed for Asian parents who put unneccesary pressure on their children. This movie is similar to 3 Idiots but I think it is much better than that because 3 Idiots was a bit too cliche.



Best thing is that this movie has a variety of targets which is not that common in Bollywood.
 
There is a bollywood corner for Hindi movies.. it’s not a masterpiece not even close, it’s entertaining and funny yes.

There are better web series’ which deals with Indian parents and engineering.
 
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There is a bollywood corner for Hindi movies.. it’s not a masterpiece not even close, it’s entertaining and funny yes.

There are better web series’ which deals with Indian parents and engineering.

such as?
 
There is a bollywood corner for Hindi movies.. it’s not a masterpiece not even close, it’s entertaining and funny yes.

There are better web series’ which deals with Indian parents and engineering.

I think you were a brilliant student so you could not relate to it but there are millions of students who can relate to this movie. It's not overtly positive or even negative. It just shows the balance of life and how much pressure a lot of students face.
 
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