An American's Guide to Bollywood

Hannah & Rose discuss the 2016 Sonam Kapoor film Neerja, about a flight attendant who protects her passengers during a hijack. This film is directed by Ram Madhvani with songs by Vishal Khurana and Prasoon Joshi. It stars Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Yogendra Tiku, and Abrar Zahoor Dhar. Recommended for beginners. Rated for older teenagers. The songs used in this episode are Aankhein Milayenge...

Hannah & Rose discuss the 2016 Akshay Kumar film Airlift, about the evacuation of 170,000 Indians from Kuwait at the beginning of the Gulf War. This film is directed by Raja Krishna Menon with songs by Amaal Mallik and Ankit Tiwari. It stars Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur, Kumud Mishra, and Prakash Belawadi. Recommended for beginners. Rated for teenagers. The songs used in this episode are Tu Bhool...

Hannah & Rose discuss the 2010 Salman Khan film Dabangg, about a corrupt cop who lives fearlessly. This film is directed by Abhinav Kashyap with songs by brothers Sajid–Wajid. It stars Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Sonu Sood, Arbaaz Khan, Om Puri, and Murali Sharma. Recommended for intermediate viewers. Rated for teens. Other names mentioned in the episode are Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Happy New Year,...

Hannah & Rose discuss the 2004 Amitabh Bachchan film Khakee, about four police officers who have to transport an accused terrorist safely to trial in another city. This film is directed by Rajkumar Santoshi with songs by Ram Sampath. It stars Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, and Aishwarya Rai. Recommended for intermediate viewers. Rated for older children. Other names mentioned in t...

Hannah & Rose discuss the 2004-2013 Dhoom series, about a mismatched pair of cops and the mastermind thieves they face. This series is directed by Sanjay Gadhvi and Vijay Krishna Acharya with songs by Pritam. It stars Abhishek Bachchan, Uday Chopra, John Abraham, Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Aamir Khan, and Katrina Kaif. Recommended for intermediate viewers for Dhoom and Dhoom 2 and beginner...

Hannah & Rose discuss the 1999 Aamir Khan film Sarfarosh, about a cop who has to uncover and stop a Pakistani gun running scheme. This film is directed by John Matthew Matthan with songs by duo Jatin-Lalit. It stars Aamir Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Mukesh Rishi, and Sonali Bendre. Recommended for advanced viewers. Rated for teenagers. Other names mentioned in the episode are Monsoon Wedding, Abhi...

Hannah & Rose discuss the 2011 Ajay Devgn film Singham, about a small town cop who takes on the biggest criminal in Goa. This film is directed by Rohit Shetty with songs by duo Ajay-Atul. It stars Ajay Devgn, Kajal Aggarwal, Prakash Raj, and Govind Namdev. Recommended for intermediate viewers. Rated for teenagers. Other names mentioned in the episode are Shah Rukh Kahn, Amitabh Bachchan, Karee...

Hannah & Rose discuss the 2016 Shah Rukh Khan film Fan, about a man whose obsession with a Bollywood star takes over his life. This film is directed by Maneesh Sharma with songs by duo Vishal-Sheknar. It stars Shah Rukh Khan. Recommended for beginners. Rated for older children. Other names mentioned in the episode are Darr, Hrithik Roshan, Salman Khan, and Sanjay Dutt. The songs used in this e...

Hannah & Rose discuss the 2008 Shah Rukh Khan film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, about a man who enters a dance competition in disguise to woo his wife. This film is directed by Aditya Chopra with songs by duo Salim-Sulaiman. It stars Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma, and Vinay Pathak. Recommended for beginners. Rated for families. Other names mentioned in the episode are Om Shanti Om, Chalte Chalte, Ran...

Hannah & Rose discuss the 2007 Shah Rukh Khan film Om Shanti Om, about a small time Bollywood actor who is killed and reincarnated to get revenge. This film is directed by Farah Khan with songs by duo Vishal-Shekhar. It stars Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and Arjun Rampal. Recommended for beginners by Hannah and intermediate viewers by Rose. Rated for families. Other names mentioned in the...

Hannah & Rose discuss Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017), a multi-generational saga about a royal family set in a mythical India. This film is directed by S. S. Rajamouli with songs by M. M. Keeravaani. It stars Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Ramya Krishnan, and Sathyaraj. Recommended for intermediate viewers. Rated for 10 and up. The songs used in...

Hannah & Rose discuss the 2015 Salman Khan film Bajrangi Bhaijaan, about an Indian man who finds a Pakistani girl separated from her parents is India and is determined to bring her home. This film is directed by Kabir Khan with songs by Pritam. It stars Salman Khan, Harshaali Malhotra, Kareena Kapoor, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Recommended for beginners. Rated for families. Other names mentioned...

Hannah & Rose discuss the 2001 ensemble Monsoon Wedding, about a Delhi family preparing for their only daughter’s arranged wedding. This film is directed by Mira Nair with a score by Mychael Danna. It stars Naseeruddin Shah, Lillete Dubey, Shefali Shah, and Vasundhara Das. Recommended for beginners. Rater for teens and above. The songs used in this episode are Aaj Mera Jee Kardaa, Fuse B...

Hannah & Rose discuss the 2008 ensemble Tashan, about a man who works in a call center and is drawn into underworld intrigue by a beautiful woman. This film is directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya with songs by Vishal–Shekhar. It stars Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, and Anil Kapoor. Recommended for beginners. Rater for teens and above. Other names mentioned in the episode are Dhoom...

Hannah & Rose discuss the 2001 classic Lagaan, a period film about a ragtag group of Indian villagers who are challenged to a game of cricket by the British occupation. This film is directed by Ashutosh Gowariker with music by A. R. Rahman. It stars Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Paul Blackthorne, and Rachel Shelley and is narrated by Amitabh Bachchan. Recommended for beginners. Rated for families....

Hannah & Rose go over 5 tips for watching Bollywood movies in their new podcast, An American’s Guide to Bollywood. Our upcoming movies are Lagaan, Tashan, Monsoon Wedding, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, and Baahubali 1 & 2. Pardon our Hindi. Here are the names we (mis)pronounced in this episode: Shah Rukh Khan, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Aamir Khan, Mira Nair, Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Prab...