Bollywood- Bas Naam hi Kaafi Hain!

My love for Bollywood movies started when I was just 6 or 7 years old. Though, surprisingly, it didn’t really kick off until the lockdown in 2020 due to Covid. When I was little, the most important things to me were the Bollywood songs. I would sing them in the shower and try to remember them when my friends and I were playing Antakshari. Antakshari is a very popular game in India, where you take the last syllable of a specific song and try to think of a song that starts with the same syllable. Though most of all, I used to love Bollywood songs because of dance.

I went to dance class since I was little, and our teacher always made us learn dances on the most trending songs during the time. We would sing the song to each other, and always knew the hook step to each one. It connected my friends and I on a different level and it’s always one of our most common and favorite topics to talk about. In school, we would talk about the most recent movie that had come out, and the most popular actors and actresses. There would always be a buzz about a new movie on Monday that everyone watched over the weekend, especially if it was the movie of a popular actress or actor.

The vibe in a Bollywood movie theatre just hits different. Walking in, the sweet and salty scent of the salted caramel popcorn fills the air. As the lights dim and the movie starts, everybody holds their breath for the lead actor’s entry, and cheers when they finally come on screen. The dance, drama, romance, and action of the Indian movies is something no one can beat for me. As the lead song comes on, everybody’s screaming and whistling and even doing the hook step. These are movies that make you cry, laugh and bond with your loved ones. Bollywood was always a big part of my childhood, and to see the actors I’ve grown up watching now, when I understand more about the industry, is beyond nostalgic.

There was this one movie that has always been my favorite. Its name is Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani. The movie was about a group of friends who evolve over time, their pranks and changes in their characters shown in the most vivid detail. Along with the time I watched the movie in the theatre, I have binge watched it at home at least 100 times. When I was little, I loved the first half, full of fun, childishness and the group of friends together forever, not having a care in the world. One scene, in which they eat Maggi (Instant Noodles) was my favorite. I would sit in front of the tv on Sunday mornings would always slurp the noodles in my home along with them. Those were the best weekends.

Though as I grew up, that changed, and my feelings were stronger to the second half, full of the reality of life, how they found their own path in the world, ready to start a new chapter in their lives. That movie was one of evolvements from watching it as a little kid in awe to stepping in the shows of the character, understanding the pain and hard work they put in to achieve their goals.

After I moved here, I got Netflix, as there was never really a need of it in India. That’s when I got introduced to more classic movies, some that were before my time, but still ageless. That’s when I got introduced to Shah Rukh Khan. At first, I watched some classics like DDLJ, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Khabhi Khushi Khabi Gham. There was drama, action, comedy, and definitely romance. I got obsessed with the movies, and it also gave me a way to connect to India. There was always some kind of festival or wedding in each of those movies, and I would be in awe of the wonderful lehenga collection that they wore. I decided that for the next wedding I would attend, I would wear a lehenga like the one that Poo wore in Kabhi Khushi Khabhi Gham. I started dreaming about these big fancy functions, and it gave my 12-year-old self a chance to step into a world of drama and feel the chaotic love and heartbreak of the character’s pain right before their life full of happiness.

Bollywood movies give me a chance to dream, a chance to explore a world so different from reality that it makes me smile, allows me to live in the moment and just watch the heroine of the movie marry the love of her life. - Navaka

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