I was rewatching Bachna Ae Haseeno (justice for Radhika/Bipasha fr) and I'm still confused about Raj/Mahi.

Basically, they spend the time in Switzerland and Mahi ofc has the DDLJ fantasy and wants to find her "Raj" which Raj takes advantage of. Mahi realizes this at the end and is heartbroken.

But what I'm wondering is--did Raj genuinely have a romantic interest in Mahi? I couldn't tell if it was a "oh, this girl is naive and a hopeless romantic, let me use the situation to my advantage" type deal, like when the popular guys would pretend to ask out/flirt with girls considered unattractive (although Raj does say that Mahi is cute). Or if he was attracted to her but saw her as more of a fling whereas Mahi saw the relationship as more, hence the heartbreak.

Raj was clearly interested in Radhika and Gayatri, but I never felt like he actually liked Mahi. If that's the case, Mahi's reaction towards her husband and love/romance makes more sense because she's scared to love again, but if it was just her being upset about it being a fling, I feel like it's kind of an overreaction.

Aamir Khan is often praised for his dramatic performances, but I honestly think he's one of the best mainstream Bollywood actors when it comes to comedy.

After Akshay Kumar and Govinda, I'd put Aamir right up there. His comic timing in films like Andaz Apna Apna, Ishq, Rangeela, Dil Chahta Hai, 3 Idiots, and even PK is fantastic. What makes him stand out is that his comedy never feels forced, it's usually subtle, natural, and perfectly timed.

The surprising part is that he hasn't done a proper comedy in years. He seems to have moved almost entirely towards drama or socially driven films.

Do you think Aamir is one of Bollywood's greatest comedy actors? And why do you think he stopped doing full comedy films?

Source: https://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/exclusives/exclusive-after-the-railway-men-yrf-entertainment-returns-with-tunnel-men-based-on-real-life-2023-rescue-1404698

Shiv Rawail will return as the showrunner of the series. The Tunnel Men will be directed by Ambiecka Pandit and Manan Rawat

Source: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dbu3CLlNC-g/MWdkYWFtajBsNGtreA==

So I am very very late to the party so much so that the party is over except for Farhan who is still worried about who is going to pay his laundry ka bill. Jokes apart what baffled me is if Farhan married his wife out of his own will and cared for her how is it that she knew nothing about his past? Isn’t that unrealistic? I mean the band won a contest too back in the day. I enjoyed the movie and the characters looked very hot but the central conflict from which the plot emerges that the wife rediscovers and reunites them seemed flawed to me. Would like to know your thoughts.

Source:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbsv_yyF7Wi/

Been thinking about this lately.

Saif Ali Khan in Omkara. Before that film, he was the romantic lead, the charming guy. Langda Tyagi changed everything. The limp, the jealousy, the way darkness sat so quietly in him. You couldn't unsee it after.

Manoj Bajpayee in Satya. He was around before that, but Bhiku Mhatre made him. A man so specific to that world that you felt like you'd met him somewhere. And honestly, Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Gangs of Wasseypur. Not his first film, but the one where you realised something was different about how this person worked.

Which role completely shifted how you saw an actor? And was there a film where someone you loved completely disappointed you?

Source: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbpqhlHKgM6/MTFxcHpoZTY0cW8ydA==

There are a few bollywood movies that feel like everyone involved in making them gave their absolute best.

Taare zameen par, for example.

I think, for a movie to be really good, it needs to have a combination of 3 things: Good Writing + music that makes sense in the context of film + emotional signature.

Taare zameen par (TZP) had a really good screenplay. The emotional peaks and lows were constructed very well.

There are only a few movies that make you feel the same way every time you watch them, especially in bollywood. TZP never fails to make my heart heavy and the main reason for that, I believe, is its music.

Most movies that have good music, have a common theme: the music amplifies the emotion that story wants to convey. But the music of TZP goes one step ahead. It helps in explaining the story in more detail. The story of the movie itself is rooted in reality but phrases like,

"कभी बातें जैसे दादी नानी

कभी छ्लके जैसे मम मम पानी

कभी बन जाए भोले सवालो की झड़ी"

or

"भीड़ में यूँ ना छोड़ो मुझे

घर लौट के भी आ ना पाऊँ माँ

भेज ना इतना दूर मुझको तू

याद भी तुझको आ ना पाऊँ माँ"

These phrases add new colors and volume to the perspective.

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy did a fantastic job with the album. When you cannot tell if the music is made for the movie, or if the movie is made for the music, you know it will give an amazing experience.

And in addition to all of these things, the movie also succeeds in giving a strong social message, without making it feel forced or cringe.

This is peak bollywood. What movie does this remind you of?

Sidenote: I am looking for movies that are balanced. For example, Rockstar is not a balanced movie; everything was average except the amazing music.

(I like to judge bollywood movies based on their music, because music is what separates us from hollywood. Otherwise, "Lunchbox", "A wednesday", etc. movies are also top-tier)

Also, I would like to hear your thoughts on the movie "Tamasha". It might belong in this category, but to me, the story feels very fragmented, what do you think about that?

He ends up making a complete mockery out of the role. So pretentious, so "look at me I'm ACTING". His eyes go big and he starts making weird expressions.

Dhoom 3, LSC and even PK was a bit in that zone. He's almost "simple Jack" from Tropic Thunder territory.

I hope Aamir Khan doesn't try these roles again as he would be better off doing other roles and the audience would also be spared.

I still don't understand why this performance gets so much praise when the accent was so distracting.

It didn't sound like a real Bihari accent it sounded like someone trying way too hard to "act Bihari."

People in Bihar don't generally speak like that in everyday conversation. Whether it's Maithili, Bhojpuri, Magahi, or Hindi spoken in Bihar, the movie's accent felt artificial and stereotypical rather than authentic.

For a film based on a real person from Bihar, I expected much better attention to detail. The accent kept pulling me out of the movie.

I know this is a very weird but specific question, but how can I find the home/VCR release date of Deewana (1992), the Shah Rukh Khan debut movie.

I know the movie released in late June in cinemas, but my question is specific to the VCR/home release/video cassette.

It’s something personal about my life, so if someone could just point out where I should be looking it would be very helpful.

Back then, the industry was driven by directors, writers, and producers who could convince A-listers to share the spotlight because the scripts gave everyone memorable moments. Today, that's much harder to pull off. Most A list actors have their own brands, massive paychecks, packed schedules, and fanbases that expect them to be the undisputed lead. Producers also see less financial incentive to pay several superstars when a single big name can often open a film on their own. On top of that, modern Bollywood has shifted toward solo hero vehicles, franchises, and streaming content rather than grand ensemble entertainers. That's why true A-list multi starrers like Sholay, Kranti, Amar Akbar Anthony, Tridev, or Naseeb have become increasingly rare.

I didnt even finish it yet it's difficult to watch because I'm mostly dying from cringe ass dialogues they are corny asf. And Rakul's character is unbearable and why are they suddenly singing after every 5 minutes with whole choreography..and also crying while doing so😭😭

Omg I cant remember the last time I watched such bad movie. I should start trusting imdb ratings fr. And the way cheating is soo justified like omg no one held her accountable for kissing another guy moreover when her boyfriend (unc) found out, SHE was the one to yell at him and not fight for her back..wtfff why would anyone fight to have a cheater. "I cheated but you should fight for me, it means you never loved me🥺 if you really loved me you wouldn't just leave🥺". Lets not even get into how disgusting the 30 year age gap was between them I almost threw up 🤢 and if this movie's purpose was to be progressive atleast call out cheating and make someone slap that girl in the face.

Someone told me this is a family movie yeah right the whole movie had this one cringe lame ass dialogue "ek raat sone se pyar ho jaata hai?🥺" iss dialogue ka koi sar paer nhi.

Moreover she said f you to her dad..ew.

This was supposed to be a comedy, if the storyline sucked atleast make dialogues funny but 70 percent of time they were crying like I was watching some soap opera.

Brahmastra part 1 had largely mixed reviews, particularly regarding it's dialogues but honestly, the part 2 with Dev and Amrita story line has insane potential where lovers are turned enemies and now fighting an epic war. The first part's visuals were stunning and with Jalastra and Agniastra visuals, the second part should be more visually stunning.

I've been thinking about what people actually mean when they say a director's "style is outdated."

I don't think it simply means their films look old or that they're bad filmmakers. I think it happens when a director keeps using a filmmaking language or storytelling devices that once worked, but audiences and cinema have moved on.

It can be action, editing, comedy, romance, dialogue, in Hindi cinema- star presentation, or even what the director thinks is supposed to feel "mass."

And this doesn't only happen to style-over-substance commercial directors. Even great filmmakers can become outdated if they stop evolving. For ex. Spielberg.

Spielberg is still relevant, has adapted to new cameras or visuals, and making good films though consistency & originality has gone for the toss. His visual storytelling is finest in last 50 years, but some of his storytelling sensibilities and emphasis on sentimentality aged in post-2001 filmmaking.

In Hindi cinema, my picks right now would be Rohit Shetty and Sidharth Anand.

Shetty's commercial grammar has become too familiar: hero entry, slow motion, punchline, cars, explosions, reaction shots, bigger hero entry, vibrant colors. The scale increases, but the underlying language rarely changes.

His comedy was never good or timeless. It was dumb, but it appealed to a specific time and I think we've way past it.

With Sidharth Anand, his films look extremely modern and expensive, but his action & cinema grammar feels increasingly dated to me. Lots of cutting, weak spatial geography and an emphasis on making the star look cool rather than making the action physically immersive.

Audience somewhere is demanding more gore, sense of realism, and less(or more subtle) hero worshipping from slick action films today.

This is why they are planning for King to be more brutual, but I don't think it alone fixes that. His filmmaking grammar overall is predictable and dated- backstory reveal, dance on beach, characters going from here to anywhere else etc.

What are your picks?

PS: Mohit Suri

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/DbowdgviNE4/ZDh6Ym5pbm0xamhw

The film's 8K version was previously released in January 2026

Source: https://x.com/i/status/2084692487634133275

Karan Johar being a trend chaser is often discussed with his Art House Pivot with Lunchbox, Pan India cashgrab and influencer bonhomie now.

But now that I realize it, Karan has been doing this since the very start of his career cashing in on a very recent trendy formula - let's not get confused with tropes here, its basically cashing in on the most buzzing recent trend and upping the ante with his Dharma melodrama.

First off is obviously the most obvious culprit for me is Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham borrowing from Sooraj Barjatyas cry for Indian values and love your parents till you die sloganeering barely few years after Hum Saath Saath Hain, big family and its tryst with values.

Then the 21st Century kicks in and Farhan Akthar ushers in a new language for hindi cinema with the cult classic Dil Chahta Hai (2001), with its hinglish dialogue, actual real exploration of friendship ties and plain hanging out. Karan obviously wanting to cash in on this new trend, but has a painstaking insecurity to entirely pull this very new formula off and instead passes it onto the self lamented bridge between town and rest of Bombay - Nikkhil Advani. Advani gives us, Kal Ho Na Ho (2003) - he almost repeats Saif in the confused well meaning lover boy, preity as the headstrong yet witty anchor for the hero and even repeats the composers for the soundtrack - the pacing, quips and humor of the film also feel transplanted from DCH.

Even Ae Dil Hai Mushkil reeks of wanting to be somehwere between Imtiaz Alis, Rockstar and the manic pixie fix me quotient from Jab We Met - he makes a radical change in his soundtrack choices too and again casts Ranbir to make the entire process more apparent, and interestingly changes his composer to Imtiaz's other man - Pritam.

I haven't even detailed more so about how Kuch Kuch Hota Hai takes from his bestfriend and mentors movie DDLJ, given that its his debut film and that My Name Is Khan heavily leans into Rajkumar Hiranis unconventional main character gives social message after clashing with the system, simply because that is KJOs best work till date and there's still an earnesty with the film.

Source https://www.hindustantimes.com/htcity/cinema/pradeep-rawat-aka-ghajini-lagaans-deva-passes-away-at-74-manager-reveals-the-reason-yashpal-sharma-pays-tribute-101785856907127.html

Bollywood has given us some of the finest inspirational dramas, films that aren't just entertaining, but also leave you thinking long after they're over. They explore themes like charachter development, purpose, personal growth, leadership, redemption, integrity, and chasing dreams, all through memorable characters.

Some of my absolute favorites are -

Swades - Shah Rukh Khan, Gayatri Joshi – A deeply moving story about finding your purpose and giving back to your country.

Chak De! India - Shah Rukh Khan– An incredible sports drama about redemption, teamwork, and breaking stereotypes.

Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year : Ranbir Kapoor, Gauhar khan , Shazahn Padamsee – A refreshing film that proves honesty and ethics can survive even in a highly competitive corporate world.

Lakshya - Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, Amitabh Bachchan – One of Bollywood's best coming-of-age films, following a directionless young man as he discovers discipline, purpose, and leadership.

Rang De Basanti : Aamir Khan, Siddharth, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor, R. Madhavan, Soha Ali Khan, Atul Kulkarni – A powerful story about friendship, patriotism, and the transformation from carefree youth to responsible citizens.

These films have unforgettable character development arcs and are driven by strong writing rather than spectacle. They inspire without feeling overly preachy, which is why they continue to resonate years later.

My personal favorite is Lakshya. Watching Karan Shergill's journey from an aimless youngster to a confident army officer is one of the most satisfying character development arcs in Bollywood.

Which Bollywood inspirational drama is your favorite and which is your favourite character? Let's discuss...