Modern Hindi Movies

Last week I went on a binge of Bollywood movies.

The last time I actually watch Hindi movies was in my school days and at varsity.

Hindi movies those days had melodious songs, great dances and beautiful beguiling actresses.

These days, we have lost most of that shine.

Hindi movies these days  may be shorter in duration but they lack the satisfaction that audience enjoyed in halcyon days.

The classic those days included movies like Sangam,Tesri Manzil, Pyar Mohabbat, Junglee, Haathi Mere Saathi, Hamraaz, Hari Rama Hari Krishnan, An Evening in Paris, Aal Gale Lag Jaa, Yaadon Ki Baraat and Waqt.

Today the Hindi movies do not have such memorable nostalgia. Songs are forgettable, the actors and actresses, except for a few, are not enduring and the dances too are very robotic.

I would say, that they are time wasters.

Let us review some of them in brief.

Kuch-Kuch Hota Hai- This is a milestone of a movie. It has the right cast, the chemistry between the main stars are magnetic and the songs are great. The movie evokes much sadness and can bring tears to your eyes- the essence of a good Hindi movie. It stars the great Sharukh Khan, the adorable Kajol and the vivacious Rani Mukerjee. Wonderful and unforgettable movie with a catchy and unforgettable theme song.

Kahaani-This is one classic cloak and dagger movie that retains the excitement of the earlier batch of classic movies such as Tesri Manzil. Though the male leads are quite forgettable, Vidya Balan as the 'pregnant'protagonist in Kolkata, is superb in her role and won her the top female award for acting in Bollywood.

Cocktail-An enjoyable fare with two beautiful actresses-Deepika Padukone and Diana Penty. It uses London and Capetown as the sets to tell the story of love and value conflict of Indians in faraway lands. Saif Ali Khan plays the protagonist.

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham-a family drama of misunderstanding and forgiveness with the particular theme of  'parents are right' and their children should approach them for forgiveness to maintain  family harmony. Stars two Bachchan family members-Amitabh and his real wife, Jaya, Sharukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Kajol and Kareena Kapoor. Tolerable fare.

Pyaar to Hona hi tha-This movie uses Paris and India as location shooting and stars the real-life husband and wife team-Kajol and Ajay Devgan. It is an average fare and does not evoke much Bollywood magic.

Om Shanti Om-Two movie in one, spanning two era in time, this outing stars Sharukh Khan and Deepika Padukone. Can be quite enjoyable though the part that is meant to be thrilling and mysterious did not come out well.. Songs and dances are forgettable.

Chennai Express-Another movie that is meant to  promote the beautiful Deepika Padukone, a South Indian actress. This farcical movie has a poor story-line. A mobster's daughter ran away to avoid marrying another village thug to be saved by a Romeo from the city. Plenty of slapstick from Sharukh Khan. Nothing really good about it.

Break Ke Baad-Playing on the premise, that lovers can break up to find more about themselves before returning to the relationship can be dicey as portrayed in this movie. Deepika Padukone and Imran Khan stars. The setting is Mauritius. Two childhood friends went to Australia. Aaliya played by Deepika ended up in acting while Abhay (Imran) became a chef. Another movie with a weak plot, is is an average fare and only good for those who want to watch pretty Deepika acting.

Ramleela-classic Romeo and Juliet with songs and dances in a fictitious land of violence.  Ranvir Singh and Deepika Padukone stars. If you are not a hard-core Indian song and dance lover, give this a clear miss.

Love Aaj Kal-another Deepika-Saif Ali Khan movie again with London and San Francisco as settings. While Jai and Meera go through turbulent times in their relationship, Veer Singh, a confidante of Jai tells his love story in another time in India and how, in the face of tremendous odds, he managed to get the love of his life. Jai then journeys back to India only to find that Meena has left for San Francisco. He then pursued her to San Francisco where they had a joyous reunion. Fanciful fare-an average movie and can be dull as well.

Three Idiots-This is one wonderful movie about three friends and their escapades in college. Interesting plot-line with the winning portrayal of  Aamir Khan as the protagonist, Rancho and Karrena Kapoor in the lead role of  Pia, a medical intern. Have fun!