Thank you for the music!

With over 60 Bollywood movies under my belt but many more to go, I want to record a collection of some of my favorite songs, dance numbers, or song picturizations thus far.  I plan to look back with nostalgia at a later date, seeing, perhaps, what was knocked out by later favorites and what managed to stand the test of time.

I have created the categorizations to fit my favorites, rather than the other way around. There are certain recurring themes in Bollywood music, and if I were to list only one "Favorite Romantic Song," for example, it would leave a lot of other favorites out. Not that I'm not inevitably leaving a lot of favorites out, anyway. The music and dancing are a big part of my love for Bollywood, and I have so many favorites. I would even say... "a plethora." It's hard to narrow them down. For me it's like being presented with a room full of Cadbury chocolate products, and asked to pick favorites.

Brace for a video onslaught!

Favorite Bhangara-inspired Dance-to-the-Drum Song:
"Nagada Nagada" from Jab We Met. This is the song and performance that truly hooked me on Bollywood.

It is so colorful, infectious, and joyful! I knew I had to see more of these kinds of movies.

Favorite Romantic Song:
"Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai" from Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. No contest so far. This truly gives me a warm, bubbly feeling inside.

Favorite Item Number:
"Kajra Re" from Bunty Aur Babli. A true item number, having nothing whatsoever to do with the plot but only functioning to show off a beautiful woman who has fabulous moves. Aishwarya Rai is so graceful and lovely in this.

Favorite Romantic Song Involving the Woman Imagining Her Love Who Isn't Really There:
"Yahaan Hoon" from Veer-Zaara. Zaara is preparing for her arranged wedding to another man in this picturization, while her true love, Veer, keeps getting in the picture. Watching this, I can't believe I ever thought SRK was ugly. What was wrong with me?

Favorite Romantic Song Involving the Man Imagining His Love Who Isn't Really There:
"Tum Se Hi" from Jab We Met. Aditya's life is better because he met Geet, and he sees her everywhere. I don't even mind that they don't have Shahid dance much in this. It is so sweet.

Favorite Happy Wedding Celebration Song:
"Maahi Ve" from Kal Ho Naa Ho. The happiest part of a tear-jerker of a movie. It's the engagement party! Couldn't find a version with subtitles for this one, but I guarantee it's fun to watch anyway.

Favorite Melancholy Romantic Song:
"Khaali Hai" from Paheli. What a beautiful, haunting song from a fascinating, fantastical movie. I love this movie, except I'm not sure about the ending.

Favorite Happy-College-Kids-Dancing Song:
"Chale Jaise Hawaien" from Main Hoon Na. Watch how much of the first part of the dance is all one take. Impressive, is it not? And Amrita Rao is adorable.

Favorite Song from a Movie I Haven't Actually Seen Yet:
"Aati Kya Khandala" from Ghulam.

Favorite Dancing-on-a-Train Number:
"Chaiyya Chaiyya" from Dil Se. Okay, it's also the only dancing-on-a-train song I've ever seen. This song is spectacular, and may be my very favorite at the moment. Fun, romantic, and daring- it's pure entertainment.

Jab We Met-- When I fell for Bollywood. And Shahid Kapoor.

Jab We Met came out in 2007, starring Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor, and directed by Imtiaz Ali. It was a big hit in India, as I understand, but it was four years before I ever got wind of it. This is because I didn't watch Bollywood. I had heard of it. Remember that exchange in the Muppet Movie?

"Gonzo: I always wanted to go to Bombay, India, and become a movie star.

Fozzie: You don't go to Bombay to become a movie star. You go where we're going, Hollywood!

Gonzo: Sure, if you want to do it the easy way.

I had a notion that it was silly and involved dancing. A big part of this impression I had was from the "Benny Lava" video  which made the rounds on the internet a long time ago. Now that I have done some exploring in Indian Cinema, I can tell you that that is not actually from a Bollywood film, it's from a Tamil film (Tollywood?). And I want to watch that movie now...

So, in 2011, I was putting my nursing baby to bed, which involved a routine in which I sang to him and nursed him, and then, when he was basically asleep but still nursing, I would turn on the tv and watch a little something until he let go. I like foreign films, and since I speak Japanese and have lived in Japan, I have a particular fondness for a good Japanese film. I also lived briefly in Taiwan, and every now and then I pretend I'm going to try to bring my Mandarin level to something above that of a two-year-old. Now, if you have Netflix, you know that the program keeps track of what you watch and has rows of suggestions for you based on your viewing history. Apparently, Bollywood fits in some "Asian foreign film" rubric for them, because after watching several Japanese and Chinese movies, Jab We Met showed up in my recommendations. On a lark, I decided to check it out.

I'll be honest. The first thing to keep me interested was Shahid Kapoor as Aditya. I didn't mind watching him wander, depressed, through the city during the opening sequence. Acting depressed does not impair his considerable good looks. I didn't mind it one bit. And then he boards a train and Kareena Kapoor shows up as Geet, armed to the teeth with effervescence, and... I kept watching. I watched Geet try to take Aditya under her wing, end up missing the train as a result, and turn on him to demand he escort her home. I watched some ridiculous "special effects" involving a toy car that left me scratching my head, but I kept watching. I watched them arrive in Bhatinda and get welcomed by her large, effusive family. And then I saw Nagada Baja.

That was when I was really and truly sold. To say it was fun to watch doesn't quite capture it. It was joyful! They were having fun performing and I was having fun watching it and I hadn't felt quite so satisfied with a movie experience in a long time. That was it. I was entranced. And I was hooked.

I loved the rest of the movie, too, extending broad forgiveness for slight flaws it might have because of the deep pleasure it gave me. I recommend this film to everyone. If you haven't seen it yet-- find it. Watch it. Love it. My own copy is lent out at the moment to a friend who had never seen a Bollywood film before.

After I met Jab We Met, I had two thoughts. "Why have I never tried watching Bollywood before?" and "I have to see more!"