A while ago I posted a few newbie questions about Indian cinema and got a lot of helpful replies. Now I've gotten around to picking movies for my first order and doing some research on them. I understand there are heaps of classics and must-sees but I have to start somewhere... here's those that I found the most interesting:

Satya (DEI/Eros) - Looks like a good and serious gangster thriller. Is this the best release available? I read that it is heavily cropped... also, is it uncut?

Sholay (Eros/B4U) - Everyone says it's THE classic, so I'll get this one. I guess this is the version to get, since I want directors cut and full aspect ratio... I only wish the picture quality would have been better...

And then I thought about a taste of the cliché Bollywood romance movie with lots of good songs - is Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai (DEI) a good choice here? The disc itself looks good but is the movie worth seeing? Also, I read this movie take place a lot outside India - Is there any similar movie where I can see more of Indian scenery?
(BTW I just can't stand Hrithik Roshan, but he's quite fun to watch, acting like Schwarzenegger or Stallone )

And I'd also like to order a Preity Zinta movie, since I liked her very much in Mission Kashmir - is Kya Kehna (Tips Music Films) a good choice?

Thanks for any help,
/Micke

or! for Priety u can go for Soldier..if like action.
Dil se!..if like intense drama.
Dil chahta hai! if u like light romantic comedy kinda!!
ur choice ur flavour!!
kya kehna for her acting potential is good too!!

The Satya DVD by DEI/Eros has one of the best 5.1 soundtracks in Indian DVDs. You can hear the bullets whizzing from speaker to speaker during the shootout scenes. The picture is non-anamorphic and approximately 1.80:1 aspect ratio (cropped from the 2.35:1 original AR). Though the picture becomes a little soft in certain scenes, it is quite a decent disk overall. The cropping becomes evident only in a very few scenes.

Haven't seen the Eros/B4U version, so can't comment on that.

For mainstream Bollywood musicals, you could try the recently released Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ) and Lagaan DVDs. DDLJ is shot in both UK and India, while Lagaan (India's nominee for the Oscars this year) is set completely in pre-independance rural India. The DDLJ DVD is not the greatest in terms of quality, but it is one great movie, and belongs in every Hindi movie addict's collection. Lagaan has been released by Columbia Tristar, and is a decent disk. Check the reviews for both these movies on the Zulm main page.

Hope this helps.

Chaver.



Edited By chaver on Jan. 18 2002 at 00:33

Must classsic's that will make you understand how Indian cinema works;

Satya = DEI version is cropped, but the quality is excellent! And fear not the film is uncut, it was never censored in the first place, the Indian certification board pass this film uncut with an A rating (Persons over 18).

Sholay = EROS/B4U version is quite poor in quality but its the only way to see the film as intented by the director.

If you want a good typical Indian Romantic film then I would think the following films would suit you;

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (although the film's plot is quite questionable and full of flaws it is still loved by us mad Indian film fans as it really does capture romance on screen that hasn't been seen in an Indian film since the 1960's. However not much locales shots of India is seen as the film was mostly shot outside Indian and in studio sets)

Dil (This film has a great soundtrack and has some nice locations of India. Also has a very typical story, which is still romantic and good performances from top actors Saheed Jaffery, Madhuri Dixit, Aamir Khan & Anupam Kher)

Kabhi Kabhie (I think this is one of a few films which competes massively with DDLJ in terms of soundtrack and plot line. The story is much more developed and songs are still as romantic as when they first came out. We see some wonderful locations shots of North India, and some wonderful performances from the mulit cast, which still look amazing when compared to the cast seen in K3G)

Im sure others on this forum would offer some more titles which are just as good or better then the ones I mentioned!

Thanks a lot for the replies!
I've already seen Lagaan (actually, along with Mission Kashmir it's one of the grand total of TWO Indian movies I've ever seen... huh :0) and even though I loved it I'll go for something I haven't seen yet. I checked out Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge but it seemed like a very expensive disc, I'd rather go for the cheap ones first. Maybe I'll check out Dil Se, it's cheap, it's got Preity Zinta in it and I liked the hilarious train song.
As for Satya, I've wanted it since I read your great review Sunny. It seems the DEI version is the best around, so I'll go for it. But at Indiaweekly, it says only Eros (though the cover pic states B4U), I read somewhere on this forum that there was a way to make sure you got the DEI version, but I've forgotten it by now... how should I do?

Also, I saw some "song only" DVDs and I'm thinking of buying one - any recommendations? I've heard a few Daler Mehndi songs (I guess he's quite popular over there) and couldn't resist the cover of Boom Boom Hitz 2000 :doze: ... if anyone has got it: is it any good? which songs are included ( I liked Bolo Ta Ra Ra and Balle Balle (I won't tell you what that means in Swedish since that would include some nasty language :p )) ?

Cheers,
/Micke



Edited By Micke on Jan. 19 2002 at 02:41

Hey,

If you're just getting into watching Indian movies, I suggest you get the good movies regardless of if the DVD is superb or not. Satya is a great movie, but you can't get a great DVD version. I'm not sure if you like the "thinking" movies or the entertainers or what, but I'll name some goodies

Thinkers:
American Desi
Satya
Dil Se
Sarfarosh
Bombay
Chandni Bar
Darmiyan
Betaabi
Astitva
Khamoshi
Shool
Maachis
Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar

Entertainers (non obvious ones):
Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega
Rangeela
Andaz Apna Apna
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
Beta
KKHH, DDLJ, JJWS, DTPH
etc etc.

I'm guessing you've heard of most of the entertainers, but some of those thinkers don't get much hype.

Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar is excellent film but the DVD is no better than a VHS tape. There is no point wasting money on bad DVDs when VHS tapes are the same or even better quality.

If you want a good romantic film shot in India and shows Indian culture, I recommend HUM DIL DE CHUKE SANAM (2 discs DVD by DEI) The movie has great visuals, colorful backdrops, brilliant music/songs/dance combo and nice performances.

For Preity, I recommend DIL CHAHTA HAI as she looks her best in this movie. Absolutely ravishing.

I'll second that!

Hello,

As someone who was in your position in the past, I would recommend:

- Sholay
- Dil Se (terrific soundtrack, superb photography, not cliched)
- Kuch Kuch Kota Hai (in my opinion, the best of what someone above has called the "entertainers" - although I have certainly not seen them all [eg my DDLJ and Lagaan DVDs are in the mail to me as I type this]. KKHH has a very well balanced mix of traditional and modern elements, very good story - a great "date" movie. I thought it was distinctly better than HDDCS and KNPH.)
- Hum Aapke Hain Koun (a classic and extremely popular film that is not liked in this Forum because it extols traditional family values. Some of it is perhaps just too cute, but it is very well made, and entertaining -- unless the Greens are too far right for you. )

Thanks again for all the replies. I will probably do two orders, one with as many movies as possible from the cheaper indiaweekly, and then a smaller one from indiancdstore with all the DEI titles (those which indiaweekly only have the B4U version of, like Satya).
I will probably go for Dil Chahta Hai for my Preity Zinta movie, it seems really good and it's quite cheap. And I'll check out Kuch Kuch Kota Hai and Dil Se too, thanks for the recommendations!

Cheers,
/Micke

Micke, advantage of Indiaweekly is that you could get DEI versions of many B4U titles (Only if you insist and if they have them). Sometime back EROS had parternership with DEI and those are labelled EROS-DEI. After the parternership ended, EROS re-released them as EROS-B4U and are in general, inferior. Websites will not show the EROS-DEI brands as they are illegal. Some stores will give you the EROS-DEI labels only if you insist and if they have them from old stock.

Rana



Edited By rana on Jan. 22 2002 at 22:00

OK, thanks for the info! I'll send a mail to Indiaweekly and ask them to send the DEI version if I order from them.
But one thing; if the DEI/Eros titles are illegal, how come indiancdstore stock them (for example Satya - http://www.indiancdstore.com/ViewDetails.asp?p_id=197 , it says manufacturer DEI/EROS here)? Is there any risk I'll get the B4U version from indiancdstore if I don't send a mail saying I want the DEI? (It seems there shouldn't be any need for a mail as they clearly state DEI/Eros...)

/Micke

I can't say for sure what will happen with your order, but I bought several DEI/Eros titles from indiancdstore a few weeks back, and they were all DEI (including Satya).

Also, their prices on those titles are probably about as low as they have ever been anywhere, so I don't think there is any need to get those elsewhere.

PS You can email indiancdstore and they are pretty good about replying.

PPS ALSO, you always rent titles from indiaweekly (and other sites like godesigo.com, desifilms.com and even Neflix has a good assortment of Indian titles - especially the older ones that you are looking for).

On the other hand, there is no point in renting those DEI/Eros titles since they sell for $5.99-$6.99 which is not much more than the rental cost. However, you might consider renting titles in the $15-$25 range, unless you're sure you'll like it.



Edited By kstuart on Jan. 24 2002 at 01:29

Renting would be great, but it seems they only rent to people in the US...
No 1 on the wishlist would be a nearby store here in Sweden that would stock Asian and Indian DVDs for rental and selling - but that's about as likely as Preity Zinta living in my basement
Maybe there is a store like that in one of the bigger cities, but I doubt it. There's only 9 million of us Swedes and as far as I know 98% have never seen an Indian movie - and most would probably not like it if they saw one - that's the result of being force-fed with Hollywood movies.
So I guess it comes down to importing from the internet - that's why sites like zulm.net are so great

/Micke