Phil goes Bollywood: Phil watches JAB WE MET (2007)-December 8, 2011

Once again I traveled to that far away land in India called Bollywood where I found another priceless cinematic gem that was fun and enjoyable to watch. Starring the love of my life Kareena Kapoor, tonight's film is the romantic comedy JAB WE MET!

Theatrical Indian Movie Poster (2007)

In the film Kapoor portrays the cute, funny, quirky, carefree, feisty, and very chatty Punjab girl named Geet Kaur Dhillon, who while on a train returning home to Bhatinda meets Aditya Kashyap (Shahid Kapoor), a wealthy Mumbai-based businessman who is depressed after losing his father and being dumped by his girlfriend. After Aditya gets off the train in Bar Nagar, Geet follows him, missing her train and losing her luggage. However they make it to Bhatinda, where he meets her family, including her as well as her soon to-be betrothed, Manjeet (Veer Pratap Singh). Geet tells her family that she's marrying Aditya instead, so the family welcomes him with open arms. However Geet has a plan: she elopes with him - not to get married - but to re-locate to Manali - where her true love, Anshuman, is waiting, and who she hopes marry him. But as Aditya's life prospers, Geet's takes a turn for the worse. When her family comes looking for her, Aditya must find her and rescue her from her failed new life.

Again, Kapoor just shines as Geet: funny, witty, and just so beautiful. But when she's cast away by Anshuman, she does a complete 180, becoming sad, depressed, and reduced to a shell of her former self. A fantastic performance by Kareena Kapoor. Now the other Kappor, Shahid does a great as well; showing several different ranges of emotions as well. Both characters start off the film as emotional opposites; towards the end they end up switching places, which horrifies Aditya. Greet was his source of inspiration which enabled him to turn his life around, so he returns the favor by reminding her who she is.

Both Kreena and Shahid have great on-screen chemistry, of course it helps that this being there fourth film they starred together in. Writer and director Imtiaz Ali keeps the film light, funny, and warm hearted. Plus the dancing in the film is very impressive and the music is very catchy! Ali would go on to direct the recently released film ROCKSTAR (which was my second Bollywood film I ever saw). The film was released to theaters in India on October 26, 2007.

JAB WE MET is a fun, light-hearted, romantic comedy that will leave you with a smile on your face. Another Kapoor film to check off my list! Yes I love her! So what? Go see this film and try not to fall in love her! You can't so there! But really, check out the film. Two thumbs up!

JAB WE MET is currently available on DVD and can be purchased at your local video retailers or at Amazon. Visit their website at www.amazon.com

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil goes Bollywood: Phil watches KISMAT KONNECTION (2008)-November 28, 2011

My quest of watching Bollywood movies continues! Once again I visited my local library and checked out a TON of Hindi films. One of those films was a cute and funny, light-hearted, romantic comedy called KISMAT KONNECTION, which was a real treat to watch.

Original Hindi Movie Poster (2008)

Set in the bearthtaking city of Toronto, the film follows the misadventures of Raj Malhotra (Shahid Kapoor), an out of work Architect who just can't seem to get a break. Desperate, he visits a gypsy who he saw on late night television named Haseena Banu Jaan (Juhi Chawla). She tells him that his luck does need to change, plus his "lucky charm" and his "one in a million" will be the same. Her predictions come true in the form of the beautiful Priya (Vidya Balan), a social activist who is protesting the demolition of the community center where she works at so a shopping mall can be built in its place. Ironically, Raj has just been hired to design the shopping mall. Too make matters worse, Priya discovers that she is Raj's lucky charm and breaks up with him. Now Raj needs to figure out how to save the community center and to win back Priya's heart.

This was a cute, funny little romantic comedy with some great musical numbers. The cinematography is top notch, and credit goes to director Aziz Mirza, who does a great job keeping the film flowing smoothly without any dragging any part of the film. He also gets some terrific shots of Toronto as well as some fine performances out of his cast. Kapoor's portrayal of the unlucky but lovable Raj is fun to watch but Balan steals the show as the strong, independent, and caring Priya; giving her more dimensions to her character creates a pathos that we the audience can relate to. However we can relate to both Raj and Pryia for this one simple fact: they are both real and flawed characters, whether they're falling in love or fighting with one another. Their acting is very down to earth and relatable, so this is a bonus for the audience. The film was originally released in India on July 18, 2008.

KISMAT KONNECTION is a fun-filled romantic comedy that fans of this genre will enjoy to watch, while simultaneously being introduced to the wonderful world of Bollywood films. A real treat to watch and share with your significant other. Defiantly worth checking out!

KISMAT KONNECTION is currently available on DVD by UTV Home Entertainment. To purchase a copy, visit the Amazon website at www.amazon.com. To learn more about UTV and their film library, visit their website at www.utvgroup.com

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!