because guests are as gods
Hey, everyone - hi. This is Beth. I am absolutely fascinated with the question of who is reading this, and my curiosity is further piqued by the growth of the happy little dots on my ClustrMap. Either there is some creative ISPing going on here, or I see people visiting from India, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Europe, South America, Canada, and the US. (Special shout-out to Canada! I'm an honourary Canadian! I love you guys!) Anyway, hello to you all! I don't like how most guestbook thingies on websites seem to work, so instead I invite everyone who stops by to leave a little comment on this post (this will also be linked from the nav bar) and say hi and share why you like or are interested in Bollywood - and what brought you here. Thanks! And don't forget to have a snack before you go - they're on the table over there. Punch, too.
Comments
Side note: my family all lives in Virginia (but not near Richmond)
please add East Malaysia to your visitor's list, 'cos, you've got a definite fan in me! :) i don't remember how i found your blog, but, it'll stick now :P
i can't list down why i love Bollywood. it's like a love story, you fall hard and you can never get up -- you just don't want to :) i love the hindi language and many things in the Indian culture, her colors, etc.
thanks for the punch ;)
-triSh*
Well I must say that the you've got nice original and rich content on your blog.
Well I'm from India only (Delhi to be precise) and even I've gotta blog dedicated to Bollywood.
Check it our if you wish to http://bollywoodsense.blogspot.com/
Well my blog is not about analysising on bollywood unlike yours.It is all about latest gossips or news, music and videos.
I've even read an article on Wall Street journal that you're heading towards Toronto to attend IIFA. GOod luck for that. I'm sure you're gonna enjoy this gala event.
p.s- Do contact me..if you like my comment
Second, where do you get MiniKhan? I want one and about 10 others that I know want one too....
Third, my buddies at www.AsiaPacificArts.com found you and we are now all over your blog(s)
Fourth, Are you on Twitter? (so I can retweet your articles to people)
I subscribed :D
Mini Khan...I got him on ebay about 4 years ago but I haven't seen any for sale for ages. But maybe this one should come visit you for a bit? He has traveled all over the US and Europe and has even been to Mumbai....
I tweet at twitter.com/bethlovesbolly but be warned that only 1/3 or so of what I tweet about is filmi. I also indulge in the typical "OMG my job is nuts!" or "lemon ice cream is delicious!" etc. :)
Very nice blog and very well written articles. I love the way you do humour as well, will have to go through your older posts just to enjoy the writing style :)
Ajay
ajay dot yadavalli at gmail dot com
http://myterms.wordpress.com/
Loved the way you've put across yourself on your blog. And more so your love for bollywood is overwhelming. It is people like you i am looking for. I am Minal Desai from Warmly Designs and we share a little bit of your love for bolllywood, and so we have done these bollywood placemats. Needed some inputs from your end. How do you like them? Can you think of any other foodie, filmy dialogue?
would love to hear from you.
Here it is - http://warmly.in/bollywood-placemats/
I am Wendy from Tennessee and my whole family, my two teens included, are Bollywood fans. Living in rural TN makes it interesting to try and support our "habit", all I can say is think God for Netflix and the internet!
I am always thrilled to find others who are as taken with Bollywood and the Indian culture as we are. My favorite actors are SRK and Shahid Kapoor, though I certainly enjoy many others and my favorite actresses are Rani, Kajol and Anushka is growing on me.
We are also about to start using Rosetta Stone Hindi as a family. We figure that will make family movie night easier. LOL
We stumbled on BW by accident. I believe it was Bride and Prejudice that started it all. Then we saw Slumdog Millionaire. Neither are strictly BW, I know, but gave us a glimpse of the culture. We saw a couple of more non-BW but BWishq films (The Other End of the Line, The Namesake and Outsourced) and decided to try a full blown subtitled BW. Our first was Bunty Aur Babli and I admit, we weren't so sure for about the first hour of the movie. By the end we were charmed and tried another. DDLJ was our intro to SRK and we fell in love.
Now we are growing our list of "have seen" and hoping to actually see one on the big screen (a bit of a challenge around here) soon.
From one BW lover to another, nice to meet you. :)
DDLJ seems to be a magic film. :) I hate it, but there is no denying its power!
Happy movie-watching!
I got into Bollywood because I had a hankering that I'd enjoy them. I'm a culture junkie (MA in Anthro!) and also love musicals with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, etc.
I watch Veer Zaara with tears in my eyes, even over 50 viewings later! I can't get enough SRK and Rani!
I found your blog through a book review of King of Bollywood on GoodReads!
http://musingsofamovielover.blogspot.com/
I've started watching Bollywood movies in 2009 and since then I've become addicted! :) I watched nearly 100 movies but I can't talk about them because nobody around me watches Bollywood :( That's why I just started a blog to write my thoughts about the movies. When I came across your blog I was really impressed with it, so much to read! Especially I liked the review about Dhobi Ghat:)
bollywoodista - Happy blogging! :)
Love your writing and wish you'd post more, although I'm aware you probably don't want to quit your job and watch movies and blog.
Anne - Oh what a cool story! You are a very hardy cinematic traveler indeed to endure multiple viewings of Heyy Baby. :D Let me know some of your favorite Bengali films. I'm particularly interested to track down things that are NOT Ray, Mrinal Sen, and Ritwik Ghatak simply because those three are what EVERYONE says when I ask about Bengali movies (and of course I had heard about those before I even started watching Indian films). I just ordered a few from Induna so should be writing them up soon-ish. I've gotten some recommendations from folks on twitter that I would be happy to pass on to you if you wish. My email address is on the front page of the blog if you ever want to get in touch.
I wish I posted more too. The weekly column at the WSJ India Real Time blog has consumed a lot of my writing energy this year, as has my actual 9-5 job. BUT thank you very much, and I hope to be posting here more by the end of 2012 when various other things in my life calm down a bit.
I have only just come across your wonderful blog and it's suddenly one of those things I can't imagine life without! Let's just say that I have a class at 9am tomorrow and it's 2am and here I am...with no intention of moving whatsoever. So much goodness.
I thought I might link you to an article for no other reason than a gut feeling that you'll like it. It is in one part a tribute to Shammi Kapoor and another a story of how Bollywood saved a journalist's life. And it doesn't read for more than a page!
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2089363,00.html
I sign off with an indescribable joy of having found a kindred spirit.
Neha
I have only just come across your wonderful blog and it's suddenly one of those things I can't imagine life without! Let's just say that I have a class at 9am tomorrow and it's 2am and here I am...with no intention of moving whatsoever. So much goodness.
I thought I might link you to an article for no other reason than a gut feeling that you'll like it. It is in one part a tribute to Shammi Kapoor and another a story of how Bollywood saved a journalist's life. And it doesn't read for more than a page!
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2089363,00.html
I sign off with an indescribable joy of having found a kindred spirit.
Neha
Just wanted to let you know another Canadian loves your site (and Bollywood, too).
I watched my first Bollywood movie three years ago on a Jet Airways flight to India - Love Aaj Kal. It was the perfect intro, but I must say that the 1990s are my current favourite era. Obviously Kajol being fantastic has a lot to do with that.
Anyway, I am about to leave modern-ish Bollywood and delve backwards, and that's how I stumbled across your blog. You'll be a great help along the way, and I wanted to thank you.
Stef
Neha - Your comment made my day. Happy reading - but do get some sleep. :) And thank you for the Shammi story - I hadn't seen that.
Stef - Oooh what part of Canada are you from? I lived in Toronto for two years and I miss it terribly. Give a shout if you want any recommendations for 70s and 80s films - and do read Memsaab Story (link in my sidebar) too - she is my go-to for films before 1980.
Hello, again! Thanks for replying, your comment made mine :) In all the excitement I forgot to share my experience of Bollywood so here it is.
Amitabh Bachchan, he of the soulful eyes reciting 'Kabhi Kabhi' makes me go weak at the knees. But let's rewind. I'm Indian so Bollywood has always been a part of my life. As a 90's baby, I was young enough not be scarred by the high rise pants, god awful dance moves (read: pelvic thrust, weird bass and garish costumes) but old enough to remember Raj giving Simran his hand as she jumped on the train in DDLJ. I was the most gullible thing as a kid and I honestly used to believe the storylines shown in movies. I once asked my parents the name of the song they sang at their wedding! I HONESTLY believed songs could potentially start playing from no where if the moment was right! Yea, I was like 6 years old. However, as with any Bollywood fan, I did grow up to learn that Bollywood is on the most part best appreciated through suspension of disbelief. The fact that you GET IT, and can somehow can see past all the weirdness and eccentricities enough to love it is truly a refreshing change. It is tiring to explain to my non-Bollywood watching friends how one can be a relatively intelligent being and still enjoy Bollywood.
Ranbir Kapoor is a current favorite. I admire his dedication and his ability to make me forget that he's acting.
Keep well & Happy watching!
ps. I wish we could meet. Please give me a heads up if you head to the land Down Under and require an Australian buddy :)
Went through your blog an I must say that its a must stop for all fans of Bollywood movies, or movies in general for that matter.
I have a movies blog too. Rashomon Effect (http://www.rashomon-effect.com). Mind adding me on your blogroll if you find it interesting enough?
Thanks,
R
As for the weirdness and eccentricities - I try to appreciate them for what they are and what they intend to do, even if I don't personally like all of them. And of course many of them I LOVE, especially the ones developed and/or portrayed in the 70s.
Sadly no trips to Australia planned but there are some great Bolly bloggers in Melbourne (probably elsewhere too, but those are the ones I happen to know). Try Cinema Chaat (link in my sidebar)!
I've been watching Bollywood since 2005, but I think I trace my interest back to a few years earlier. I watched Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in 2002 (?), but I was turned off by the fact that Anjali only seemed to be attractive with long hair, a sari, and by losing at basketball. Luckily, I soon saw the gorgeous Monsoon Wedding and a couple of friends who had studied in India brought me a sari and showed me how to eat (though not well) with my fingers. Those little cultural glimpses hooked me. Well, that and the dancing.
I've been using your blog for the past year to feel like I have a filmi-watching community and to find new movies, which I've luckily been able to order through the regional library network. I also just saw my first film in a theater a couple of weeks ago (Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola -- such a fun experience, even if it's not my favorite)!
Any ideas on good films to suggest to the uninitiated? I have friends who have been asking me to host a Bollywood party and I honestly cant identify my "a-ha!" film.
-Hilary (your map says from Saline, but it's actually Ypsilanti, MI)
Thanks for commenting! I recently contributed some suggestions to a list of films for newbies over at Aspi's Drift: http://www.aspisdrift.com/2013/01/bollywood-101-brief-introduction-and.html One of the things I like about this particular list is (though I do not agree with everything on it, as is the way of lists) that it's annotated - more food for thought as you choose. :) Others I think work well include Chak De India (sports movie framework will already be familiar), Bunty aur Babli, Kandoukondain (Tamil version of Sense & Sensibility), maybe this year's Aiyyaa (haven't tried it on a newbie but if your friends like things like Amelie?), Omkara or Maqbool....
I am dewaanifordrama, and I originally hail from South Africa (where I was long ago introduced to SRK by an Indian friend who always had pictures of him all over her school books, but sadly I never watched Bollywood then). I have since lived in many places, but I currently live in the mid-west in the US (going to grad school).
I recently started blogging about Korean dramas, but Bollywood was my gateway into that, and still my first love. The first Bollywood movie I watched was Kal Ho Naa Ho, and I was HOOKED from then on out. (A friend was going to cook Indian food for us, which I LOVE, and she was going to introduce us to Bollywood. She ended up having to cancel...but the other friend and I were like, hey, let's try it out, we can always stop if we don't like it). Well, um, *cough* that has proved nigh impossible.
I am starting a Bollywood blog in addition to my Korean drama blog...but it's in baby stages as of right now *silly grad school*, and this is how I stumbled across your fabulous blog, which of course is going on the blog list!
I've been following your tweets for quite some time now and you never cease to entertain and educate me with your love for Bollywood. Thoroughly enjoy your insights !
Big ups to Canada!
Hello from another Bollywood addict! My first film was Veer Zara and from there I fell in love with SRK! Thanks to Netflix and being in a circle of Indian friends I've seen over 30 films in the past two years. I love Aamir Kahn, Salman Kahn I guess all the Kahns!! Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Kahn too. As for the ladies I love Kajol and Sridevi!
Rani is great too and the Bachans! Watching Well Done Abba at the moment it's very funny. My top ten favorite films are
Dostana
3 idiots
Taare zameen par
DDLJD
Chandini
Bunty aur Babbli
Dil chata hai
Hum tum
Kabhi khusi
Bachne Hanseno
Lauren
I fell down the Bollywood and Indian film rabbit hole at the beginning of this year, and just can't seem to find my way out again (thank goodness). Of course, I had to immediately seek out some sort of commentary on what I was watching, and your blog was one of the first resources I found back in January. You and Filmi Geek and Memsaab Story and the PPCC and others (and your delightful collaboration on Masala Zindabad) are pretty much 100% responsible for my education in Hindi cinema. I can't thank you enough for the time you've spent over the years to amass your thoughts about movies, your screencaps, your research, and your time collectively building a community of English filmi-blogs that I've spent countless lovely hours reading. Also, if it weren't for you, it probably would have taken me a lot longer to stumble upon 70s masala, which is pretty much the best thing I've ever seen in my life (and is practically all I want to see for the rest of it). So, thanks :) I owe you one (or two, or a thousand).
~Miranda (Twin Cities, MN)
Have you found crew of Indian film fans in Minneapolis? There are a lot of them! Start with Bollywood Food Club (link in my sidebar) if not.