5 Movies Every BG should See

by Reshma Jae – Georgia State University

With the recent release of Bret Ratnor’s controversial movie ‘Kites the remix’ I though I’d throw in a few ‘cross cultural’ movies that every Indian-American girl should see.

5. Kites: the Remix

I haven’t seen the Remix yet but I have seen the original and I should begin by saying Hrithik Roshan and I are in love. Moving on, the movie is an interesting blend of cultures that hasn’t really been done before without being Indian soap opera dramatic. In the movie Hritik Roshan is wounded and dying in the desert and the sultry heroine arrives before I do therefore stirring up a forbidden love between the two. Their love story meets an action packed adventure resulting in a an action movie with love as the ultimate goal.

4. Monsoon Wedding

Mira Nair’s movie revolves around a large Punjabi family gathering from across the globe in order for their daughter’s wedding. The web becomes tangles when the bride to be in having an affair with a married man, stories of sexual abuse, forbidden love between casts, career pressure from parents, stress between family members, and much, much more. The tale is a bold and daring insight to how our culture is faced with modern issues but has a outdate moral code.

3. Namesake

The plot of this movie is based on the concept of people who struggle with balancing their lives as Indians and Americans. Mira Nair and Kal Penn are both extremely talented and the Bollywood/Hollywood cast is a refreshing change. Although the book is exponentially better than the movie, the general idea is still conveyed well in the movie. If you refuse to read then check out the movie, if you’re a nerd like me get this book yesterday.

2. Slumdog Millionaire

This movie defines the cross between Bollywood and Hollywood, directed by Danny Boyle (28 Days Later) it follows the story of a young boy who was thrown into the slums of India and his journey to eventually be a contestant on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. The whole story is extremely touching and superbly made but still provides you with the edge-of-your-seat drama that every movie go-er thrives for.

1. Three Idiots

Unfortunately, I don’t catch as many Bollywood movies as I could, but whenever Aamir Khan comes out with a new movie I’m pretty much in the theatre. Three Idiots is honestly one of the most refreshing and innovative movies that has ever come out of Bollywood. The story focuses on three engineering students who share a room at Imperial college of Engineering, one of the best colleges in India. Each of them has a different motive for attending the university with Aamir Khan’s character being a wealthy genius who is attending for the sheer passion of learning rather than to rank at the top of his class like the rest of the students. Beyond that I can’t tell you much more than it’s honestly one of the most original story lines I’ve entailed in Bollywood.

What do you think? Are there any other movies you would add to my list?

Honoarable Mentions: Bride and Predjudice and Mistress of Spices