Going to the cinema was one of my favorite cultural experiences when I was in India. First of all, being a woman, I got to cut in line. When I walked into the theater, I had a basic understanding of Indian cinema aka Bollywood – it’s the largest film industry in the world producing over 1,000 films a year, all popular music comes from the movies (often accompanied by dance numbers) and there’s NO KISSING on screen (yes, that means no sex either) – but it was still quite the experience. Never mind that the film Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge we saw (selected based on the movie poster at the theater) wasn’t in English, I’m not sure that we would have 100% would have comprehended it anyway. One second there was a gun to some one’s head, and the next thing I knew there was a popular song and dance number with girls in sequin tops running over green hills. It’s not for everyone, but I do love my Bollywood! Here are a few others worth checking out:

• Devdas (exquisitely beautiful film that is also the most expensive ever made)
• Bride & Prejudice (Jane Austin a la India… good intro into Bollywood since it’s in English)
• Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham (popular soundtrack)
• anything with Aishwarya Rai
• Monsoon Wedding (Indian weddings, talk about an experience!)
  
• The Namesake and Bend It Like Beckham (not Bollywood, but about the Indian experience)

P.S. There’s a great article in the Feb issue of PRINT about the handprinted Bollywood posters (sorry the full article is not online).