Like your romance repressed and sizzling? You’re in the wrong place. Head over to my period drama post and make yourself right at home. Like your romance nuanced and well-developed? Go check out my Asian drama posts. If, on the other hand, you prefer your romance epic and fiery, Bollywood is right up your alley(I love all three genres but require very different moods to watch them).
Why You Should Watch Bollywood Cinema:
Sweeping sets, exquisite cinematography, general hilarity, stunning locations, epic love stories, amazing acting
Why You Might Not Like It:
Too much singing, bipolar plots, over-the-top acting, 3-hour-lengths
Want kisses/love scenes in the rain? Spiderman ain’t got nothing on Bollywood, friends. Want ridiculously romantic scenes set in beautiful locations ala the 2005 Pride and Prejudice walk across the moor (okay, so it was a field. you get my point) in the end? Bollywood’s got it.
Bollywood is like Titanic – gorgeous and epic and generally high-concept, with sweeping swets, iconic music and beautiful leads who often have intense chemistry. It can also, in its turn, be heartbreakingly tragic, brilliant, gritty societal commentary, and the fluffiest of fluffy romantic comedies. In general, however, the Bollywood trademark is the tragicomic high-budget romance.
Films to start with:
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge – click on the title for my review, but suffice to say that DDLJ is not just one of the best Bollywood movies I’ve ever seen, but in the top 50 movies I’ve ever seen. A smash hit to end all smash hits in India, it had the longest-running theater run(something ridiculous like 10 years I believe) of any Indian film ever. In many ways it’s the Indian Titanic, only much, much funnier and somewhat less cliched. It’s also one of the films most often recommended to Bollywood newbies, and one of their most famous films in general.
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham – Bollywood’s most expensive film ever as of 
2001 and the first to open at #3 at the British box office, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham is an excellent blend of family saga and intimate romance, and stars three generations of Bollywood’s best and/or most famous actors. Not quite a tragedy and not quite a comedy, it’s just a good, entertaining film.
(and yes, um, if the actors look similar to the ones in DDLJ, it’s because they are the same)
Veer-Zaara – If you don’t want to start with the romantic comedy of DDLJ or the tragicomic romance/family tale of KKKG, then this bittersweet epic might be right up your alley. I have no hesitation in calling Veer-Zaara brilliant – if anyone should ever challenge the idea that Bollywood films can be high cinema, Veer-Zaara is the answer to that. With a star-studded cast including Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, and Rani Mukerjee(the latter of whom at least gave the performance of her career), this high budget, visually stunning epic has shades of both The English Patient and Pride and Prejudice, and is compelling from start to finish.
Actors/Actresses:
5 actors to know: Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Saif ali Khan, Shahid Kapoor
5 actresses to know: Kajol, Rani Mukerjee, Preity Zinta, Kareena Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai
Terminology:
jodi- chemistry or pairing, basically refers to an onscreen couple
masala -a type of film/cinema which mixes different
Finally, see this much more extensive Introduction to Bollywood for more in-depth information
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Re-posting this review from an older blog.