Hum Tum

This is a feel-good movie with the fixings similar to DDLJ. Hum Tum was released in 2004 under the direction of Kunal Kohli. Playing the lead male is Saif Ali Khan in which we also see him in Dil Chahta Hai as Sameer. For this role he won two awards. His character’s name is Karan Kapoor. He comes from a film family being the son of Bollywood actress, Sharmila Tagore. It’s said his trademark is his smile! The female counterpart is Rani Mukherjee; we also saw her starring as herself in Om Shanti Om for Om’s party. For this role she won four awards. Her character’s name is Rhea Prakash. She hails from a film oriented family of Bengal origin. Her trademarks are her husky voice and that she’s been called the Queen of Bollywood!
The movie is basically an adaptation of When Harry Met Sally minus the orgasm scene. They meet on a plane from Delhi to New York, and cannot stand each other! She finds him disrespectful to women, and he sees her as overly serious. They part ways after a massive falling out with the hopes never to see each other again. But these “star crossed lovers” are destined to meet again, three years later, but Rhea’s getting married this time! They part ways once again, but on a bit better terms. She to the US, and he stays in Delhi to help his mother with her wedding business. Four years pass this time and Karan moves to Paris as a successful cartoonist and meets Rhea who has become a successful boutique owner. Karan learns Rhea is widowed and running away from Delhi to not be pushed into marriage again. It’s at this stage they’re friendship deepens to which the mother asks Karan to help find a new mate for Rhea. Confusion, misunderstanding, and harsh emotions boil to the surface with an explosive ending! -Christina Tom

Rang De Basanti

Starring:
Aamir Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Madhavan, Kunal Kapoor, Siddharth Narayan,
Sharman Joshi, Atul Kulkarni, Alice Patten
Waheeda Rehman, Om Puri, Kirron Kher and Anupam Kher

In this drama, when the granddaughter of a British army officer comes to India to make a documentary about Indian freedom fighters based on her grandfather’s diary, she meets a politically apathetic, diverse group of young Indians. They agree to star in her film, and slowly begin to lose their apathy and identify with their characters. India’s problems in the past and India’s problems today become real for them, especially when one of their own dies in a plane crash as a result of government corruption. Quickly their identification with their characters takes on a life of its own as they use their inspiration and revolutionary tactics to fight back. -Sheila Kelly

Main Hoon Na

At a glance:
Title: Main Hoon Na (I’m Here Now)
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Action
Run Time: 2 hrs 53 min
Director: Farah Khan (the famous choreographer from Dil Se)
Brief Summary: College hi-jinks and terrorists
Cast: Shahrukh Khan as Ram Sharma
Naseeruddin Shah as Shekhar Sharma
Sunil Shetty as Rhagavan Datta
Zayed Khan as Lakshman Sharma
Amrita Rao as Sanjana Bakshi
Sushmita Sen as Chandni Chopra
Boman Irani as Principal
Bindu as Ms. Kaker
Satish Shah as Prof. Rasai
Kiron Kher as Madhu Sharma

Main Hoon Na is a masala film that tells the story of Major Ram Prasad Sharma (played by our favorite actor Sharukh Khan) as he searches for his long lost brother while undercover as a college student to guard his commander’s daughter. The movie begins with a declaration of Project Peace, an attempt to forge relations between India and Pakistan through a POW trade. As the announcement is made, a terrorist by the name of Rhagavan interrupts the television broadcast with his army and wreaks havoc until Major Ram swings in to save the day. Rhagavan gets away and swears revenge, but not before murdering Major Ram’s father Brigadier Shekhar Sharma, who in his last breath reveals to Ram that long ago he had another family and his dying wish is to be sent off by his two sons reunited.
Despite Ram’s attempts to get a leave of duty to search for his brother, he is put on assignment to bodyguard his commander’s daughter Sanjana – but his commander reveals to him that a boy by the name of Lakshman Prasad Sharma also attends the school. College hi-jinks ensue as Ram tries to fit in at college and stay close to an unwilling Sanjana, who hangs out with the number one biggest trouble maker in the school: Lucky.
Main Hoon Na mixes elements of youth culture, brotherhood, action and romance into a film that offers a path to peace between families and countries. It’s a throwback to the Bollywood conventions of old, both in style and presentation, even directly referencing Sholay on several occasions. Overall, Main Hoon Na is a very entertaining and fun-filled watch that leaves you with a warm, familiar feeling of satisfaction. -Angela Sham

Veer-Zaara

Veer-Zaara (2004)

Shahrukh Khan ...................... Veer Pratap Singh
Preity Zinta ............................Zaara Hayaat Khan
Rani Mukherjee …………….Saamiya Siddiqui
Kiron Kher ………………….Mariam Hayaat Khan
Divya Dutta ………………...Shabbo
Boman Irani ………………...Jahangir Hayaat Khan
Anupam Kher ………………Zakir Ahmed
Amitabh Bachchan …………Chaudhary Sumer Singh (Special Appearance)
Hema Malini ………………..Maati (Special Appearance)
Manoj Bajpai ……………….Razaa Shirazi (Special Appearance)
Zohra Sehgal ………………..Bebe

Veer-Zaara is a film situated in both Pakistan and the Punjab region of India. It stars the unforgettable Sharukh Khan as Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh, an officer in the Indian Air Force who falls in love with the beautiful Zaara Hayaat Khan, played by Preity Zinta, while he rescues her from a bus wreck. The film is told in flashback form by an aged Veer, and the film tells the story of him trying to figure out how to deal with his love for the Pakistani Zaara. Zaara is in an arranged marriage which would cement a political tie with another prominent Pakistani family, therefore she is very important to her family. Can Veer win her and her family over?
This film also introduces Rani Mukherjee, who plays Saamiya Siddique, a lawyer fighting for Veer’s freedom from prison. She is also a prominent campaigner for women’s rights, and many people don’t want her to win the case because she might catapult women to professional prominence with her success. CAN SHE DO IT!? -Grady Macklin

Singh is Kinng

Singh is King, or S.I.K., is a 2008 film directed by Anees Bazmee and stars Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif. It has gone on to gross over Rs.600 million worldwide and it is still grossing more. It has had considerable success in North America, grossing over $1.1 million dollars in its first weekend ("Mega Hit Singh Is Kinng : Record Breaking Box office thread." Naachgaana 16 Aug 2008 4 Dec 2008 ). The music of the film received attention in the States because of rapper Snoop Dogg’s involvement; he as a small cameo and performs the title track. This was a worldwide success because of its enticing plot, comedic aspects, and great song and dance sequences.
Lucky Singh, played by, Sonu Sood, is the king of the Australian underworld. Back in a small village in India, Happy Singh, played by Akshay Kumar promises to bring Lucky back to his village. In his attempt to fly to Australia, his boarding pass gets mixed up with someone else’s and he ends up in Egypt. While he is there he meets Sonia, played by Katrina Kaif, and falls deeply in love with her.
Happy eventually flies to Australia and finds Lucky’s house, but Lucky does not want to go back to India and kicks Happy out on the street. Happy is taken in by an elderly woman, played by Kirron Kher. Although she has very little, this woman provides food and shelter for Happy, and he sees her as a mother figure.
In an attack, Happy risks his life to save Lucky’s. They both survive, but Lucky becomes paralyzed and can no longer be king. So, Happy takes his place and tries to get the underworld gang to change there ways and become good. Soon, elderly women that provided for Happy when he needed it most came back to Happy. She was upset because her daughter was coming back to Australia and as no idea of the poor financial situation that she is in. Happy allowed her to use the gang’s mansion and the gang pretended to be the servants. But, he soon finds out that the elderly women’s daughter is Sonia, the women he fell in love with in Egypt, and that she is engaged to sneaky Puneet, played by Ranvir Shorey!
The plot twists and turns and is incredibly funny. It is a great modern film that keeps the same traditional values and morals of Bollywood. -Allison Connolly

Dostana

Film: DOSTANA (Friendship)
Released: November 2008
Director: Tarun Manusukhani
Summary:

This Bollywood film is the first to directly star two males, Sameer (Abhishek Bachchan) and Kunal (John Abraham) as a gay couple but, of course now knowing Bollywood films, there is always a catch. Both Sameer and Kunal are desperate in seeking a new apartment and they pretend to be gay so they can move in with the attractive Neha (Priyanka Chopra). Neha works for Verve Magazine, and when her boss resigns the new editor-in-chief is appointed to Abhimanyu Singh (Bobby Deol). Sameer and Kunal assist Neha to prove her talents at the magazine and Abhi takes notice of her, giving her the title, of co-editor-in-chief.
Both Sameer and Kunal scheme their way into getting private time with Neha and they begin to develop strong feelings for her, while still pretending to be gay. Abhi sweeps Neha away and Sameer and Kunal scheme against him, to keep them away from each other, and Neha to themselves. After Abhi proposes to Neha, they reveal that they have been pretending to be gay, and Sameer and Kunal are both inexplicably in love with Neha. In the end, does she trust them again? Does she accept Abhi’s proposal? Watch out for a roller coaster melodrama with non-stop twists, some club pumping item numbers and smashing Farah Khan dance moves. Dostana is the first Bollywood film to be shot entirely in the electric city of Miami. See the first ever on screen kiss of two of the hottest Bollywood stars. Is gay still considered taboo in Bollywood cinema, or are Bollywood fanatics and audiences ready to embrace a more sexually complicated love story? -Asa Bhuiyan

Cast:
Abhishek Bachchan as Sameer John Abraham as Kunal
Priyanka Chopra as Neha Melwani Bobby Deol as Abhimanyu Singh (Cameo)
Kirron Kher as Seema (Sameer's mother) Boman Irani as M (Murli) (Neha's Boss)
Sushmita Mukherjee as (Neha's Aunt) Shrey Bawa as Veer (Abhimanyu's son)
Shilpa Shetty - (item girl in "Shut Up & Bounce")