Today I am going to do the impossible. I am going to give you a Bollywood recommendations list with only ten movies on it. Of course, I’m going to emphasize that these ten films are only among the must-see Bollywood movies of the past decade, that there are in fact dozens upon dozens of Bollywood films from the past decade well worth watching (so as to appease my conscience which will otherwise wake me up for nights add nights to come screaming “What about THIS movie and THIS movie and THIS movie!”).

To put it simply: this is not a top ten list; this is a ten-who-are-on-a-much-longer-list-which-would-take-too-many-pages-to-print-in-this-wonderful-newspaper list. All clear? Good, onto business.

The previous decade (to clarify from 2003 to present) has been the last decade of the first hundred years of Hindi cinema. Along with that distinction, it is probably the easiest decade for Westerners to enter into watching movies from the industry. In other words,
the movies made during it are likely more accessible to first-time Bollywood viewers than films from prior decades may be.

As I assume that the majority of you are first-time Bollywood viewers, I figured a small list of recent films would be the best tool to keep you from becoming overwhelmed by the vastness of the industry (hundreds of films are made a year and with those films lasting three to four hours, it’s always handy to have an idea of which films are truly worth spending the time on—and you certainly won’t want to miss any of these gems). Keep in mind, also, that these are in no particular order.

• 3 Idiots (2009) : College (or life in general) getting you down? You’ve come to the right film. Farhan, Raju, and Ranchho are engineering students in India and while that education and career track is among the most prestigious, it’s also incredibly difficult and full of unnecessary stresses with little joy experienced in learning. The three friends discover themselves and each other while they come of age in a story sure to inspire you (and give you hope for your future that all current economic reports seem to be lacking).
•  Jodhaa Akbar (2008) : I mentioned this stunner in my very first column—it’s the historical drama and love story situated around sixteenth century Mughal emperor Akbar the Great and the Hindu princess who will become his wife, who the film dubs Jodhaa. The leads are talented, the cinematography is gorgeous, and the film is both emotional and humorous in turns. (The Bollywood class I mentioned in that same article—the one I’m aiding Dr. Banerjee in teaching—was riveted by it.)
• Rang De Basanti (2006) : Interested in unconventional political activism? In young adults rebelling against a corrupt system that abuses them and others? Then Rang De Basanti is the film you should view first from this list. Poignant and inspiring, this film sparked what Dr. Banerjee once described as a “pay-it-forward movement” in India. It is arguably the most powerful film on this list and will leave you with a long lasting impression and a desire to save the world (although I’d caution against taking hints from our protagonists on how to do that).
• Rockstar (2011) : This Ranbir Kapoor starrer (Google him—he’s quite a looker) isa moving combination of star-crossed lovers and a theme of what it takes to be an artist. This should be especially interesting to any of you looking to make it big as a singer as it chronicles the protagonist’s rise to stardom. Jordan is told during his first attempts to pursue a singing career that no artist is successful without heartbreak in their past and successive events will harken back to this is in beautifully subtle ways. In addition to compelling storytelling, Rockstar boasts one of my favourite soundtracks in Bollywood history.
• Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) : The manic pixie dream girl—i.e. Zoey Deschanel’s typecast—is a pretty popular character type in our film industry, but what about the manic pixie dream boy? Shahrukh Khan (my favourite, in conjunction with Amitabh) plays one as the loudmouth Aman, with a heart as big as his smile and the inability not to eavesdrop on everyone in a fifty foot radius. He swoops into Naina’s life, mending and building relationships among her and her family and friends and teaching her how to smile (one-two-three-EEEE). The film is easily one of my very favourites.
• Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) : ZNMD is the Hindi equivalent of YOLO, but more fun. A group of three friends, who aren’t on very good terms, take a trip to Spain during which they mend their friendship and discover the real keys to individual happiness. The film is funny and light and boisterous, another to add to the collection of inspiring Bollywood movies.
• Main Hoon Na (2004) : A personal favourite! Main Hoon Na is a tale of family and friendship and is an action comedy (if you’re not sure whether you’re supposed to be laughing, you are—by all means, laugh until your sides ache). Ram is an army major who goes undercover at a college to protect his commander’s daughter and to hunt for his long-lost half-brother. His success in the former is vital to the future relations between India and Pakistani—two countries with a history of less than amicable border-sharing—and in the latter to his happiness, as he has found himself alone after the recent death of his father who, of course, expressed his son’s reunion with his estranged family members to be his dying wish.

These next three I must admit, in the interest of full disclosure, I have not seen. However, they all come with ringing endorsements from qualified persons and they’ve been the talk of the town as well. (Not this town, other towns, but towns.) You and I will be looking
forward to watching these together!

• Dabangg (2010) : A comedy that took the Bollywood-viewing world by storm! Jana Brookshier, who I mentioned last week, insisted I borrow it from her with an impressive amount of fervor. My friend Alena Dufkova, who runs a beautiful Bollywood blog at bollymusings.tumblr.com, warns potential audiences that, “Dabangg is just FUN. You musn’t take it seriously, because the film is not even trying to be serious.” From what I hear, it’s a hoot and a half and that’s all you need to know.
• Kahaani (2012) : Kahaani is a mystery thriller with a female protagonist (a rarity on this list) who is pregnant no less and played by the stunning and talented Vidya Balan. I’ve heard that the ending is quite unexpected and fitting—a must for any good mystery thriller—and the themes of womanhood and motherhood are deftly handled. It also takes place in one of my favourite cities: Kolkata in Bengal (which happens to be the hometown of our recently moved Dr. Banerjee).
• Vicky Donor (2012) : This film is so well-liked by Dr. Banerjee that she amended her film viewing list for her Bollywood class to include it as an option (and trust me, she’s very particular about that as well she should be). Vicky Donor is classified as a comedy-drama and is about a young man who becomes a hyper-active (for lack of a better term) sperm donor and must deal with the consequences of that within his romantic relationship.

I’ll catch you next week, Millikids! (Unless you come comment below in which case you’ll be ahead of the crowd and good for you.)