Some of you may recall a little syllabus that I was given around this time last year by three of my fellow movie lovers. It was last autumn that a few of my friends conspired to get me into anime by setting a very specific watchlist for me – one designed to get me into the best that the genre has to offer and hook me with accessibility.
Well that went over so well, that I thought I’d spend this winter working on another genre – and what better way to go about it, than to turn once again to my fellow movie lovers?
Considering that today is Diwali, it’s apropos that this time out, I’m interested in Bollywood – which if it’s possible, might be a harder sell than anime was. Anime had me apprehensive because of how feverish its fans are, and trepidations that had come from how little I’d seen. Bollywood is a different animal entirely. For starters, I haven’t seen a single frame. For seconds, if there’s one thing I know about Bollywood it’s that the films are lavish – they are filled with sensory overload, and are never interested in getting the deed done quickly.
Still, I want to give it a shot, and get a sampling for a genre that I’m woefully unaware of. For this, I am at the mercy of Nikhat and SDG (whose real name is Shantanu).
They have compiled a twelve-film syllabus for me. I’ve listed it below in reverse-chronological order, and if I have a request for them (or anyone else reading this post), it’s to set up the pecking order for me. If it were up to me, I’d ask to start out with the most accessible and work my way up to the more acquired taste, but I leave it to those of you in-the-know.
Here’s what I hope to tackle over the coming months…
DEVADAS DEVDAS
LAGAAN
SATYA
MONSOON WEDDING
DILWALE DULHANIYA LE JAYENGE
JAANE BHI DO YAARON
GOL MAAL
SHOLAY
JEWEL THIEF
TEESRI MANZIL
MOTHER INDIA
AWARA
Just like last year, I don’t have a specific timetable on this. I want to enjoy these and not see them as a chore. In addition, given their length, I don’t see myself mainlining two or three in a weekend the same way I did the anime films last year.
One thing I do hope is that I’ll be able to find a screening of one or two of these as that actually really helped me soak up the splendour of things last time around.
So wish me luck – I might need it – and if you or anyone you know has any tips or thoughts on digging into Bollywood, I’m all ears!