Episode 16: Om Shanti Om

Release Date: 2007

This is the second episode of our dual episodic series where we explore films based on Bollywood. 

Om Shanti Om is a 2007 Hindi romantic fantasy film written and directed by Farah Khan, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone (in her Hindi film debut), Shreyas Talpade, Kirron Kher, and Arjun Rampal - with a slew of high-profile cameos from Bollywood.

The film was a huge hit, becoming the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2007 and the highest-grossing Hindi film ever at its release.

Plot Summary: 

The story follows Om Prakash Makhija (Khan), an obscure 1970s actor who dies in a suspicious on-set fire involving his crush, well-known yesteryear's superstar Shanti Priya (Padukone). He is reincarnated in the present day as superstar Om Kapoor, seeking to exact revenge on the perpetrator, Shanti's husband and powerful producer Mukesh Mehra (Rampal).

The film is a tribute to the 2 OG films based on reincarnation and revenge - Madhumati (1958) and Karz. (1980)

Where to watch: Rent on YouTube

Favourite Scenes/Iconic Dialogues: 

1. Award Speech
2. Iconic Dialogue - Picture Abhi Baki Hain Mere Dost. 
3. Yenna Rascala - Great parody 
4. Deewangi Deewangi - 37 cameos from Bollywood stars - inspired by the OG Amitabh’s Song John Johnny Janardan from ‘Naseeb’ movie. 
5. Javed Akhtar on writing Dard-E-Disco
6. Ending Credits

Trivia: All the trivia from this film is here.

Soundtrack - One of the best soundtracks of the 00s by Vishal-Shekhar.

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Episode 15: Luck By Chance

Release Date: 2009

This is the first episode of our dual episodic series where we explore films based on Bollywood. 

Luck By Chance is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Zoya Akhtar. It is her directorial debut. She also co-wrote the movie with her father, Javed Akhtar. The film stars her brother, Farhan Akhtar, in the lead role along with Konkana Sen Sharma. 

When it was released, Luck By Chance flopped at the box office and received mixed critical reviews. Over the years, however, the movie has become a cult film, extremely popular with hardcore Bollywood fans. 

Zoya and Ayan Mukherjee (Wake Up Sid) won the debutant director award. The movie is the most meta movie one can get in Bollywood—it blends humour, satire, and parody on the workings of the Bollywood industry. It has a plethora of cameos from the who’s who of Bollywood, including 17 A-listers, with Hrithik Roshan having an extended cameo. 

Plot Summary: 

The film’s plot revolves around the struggle of 2 outsiders trying to enter Bollywood as hero/heroine. Farhan Akhtar plays Vikram, who comes from Delhi to try his luck in Bollywood, and Konkana Sen Sharma plays Sona, a young girl who has escaped her small town life and marriage to try her luck as an actress in Bollywood. Rishi Kapoor plays the producer Romi Rolly, Juhi Chawla plays his wife, Dimple Kapadia plays the yesteryear actress Neena Walia, trying to get her daughter Nikki played by Isha Shravani her debut film with the hugely popular Zafar Khan by Hrithik Roshan.  As Vikram and Sona try to find their way in Bollywood, the audience goes along with their journey and learns about the inner workings of Bollywood. 

Where to watch: Prime Video

Favourite Scenes/Iconic Dialogues: 

1. Best opening credits in a Bollywood movie.
2. Romi Rolly / Anurag Kashyap Scene - Oye Institute - Mein film festival ke liye nahi bana raha hoon
3. All the cameos - Akshaye Khanna nails it

OutTakes:

1. Irony of the Casting: The film is about struggling outsiders trying to get an entry into mainstream Bollywood. It's a movie made by nepotism kids starring nepotism kids—Zoya, Farhan, and Konkana.
2. Soundtrack: One of the best soundtracks by SEL

• Bollywood Nostalgia: This film has so much Bollywood nostalgia - every frame has movie posters and meta references.

Trivia: All the trivia from this film is here.

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The central theme of this podcast episode revolves around a discussion of our personal favorite films from the year 2024, specifically focusing on "Merry Christmas" and "Aavesham." We delve into the nuances of these films, sharing our thoughts on their narratives, performances, and the emotions they evoke. "Merry Christmas," directed by Sriram Raghavan, is lauded for its engaging storytelling and strong character dynamics, particularly the chemistry between the lead actors. Meanwhile, "Aavesham," featuring Fahad Fazil, captivates us with its inventive plot and the versatility of its central character, which we explore in depth. This episode reflects our cinematic preferences, inviting listeners to consider their own experiences with these films while setting the stage for future discussions on a broader array of cinematic topics.

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Episode 14: Laapataa Ladies

Release Date: 2024

This episode is our first listener request. Minal’s cousin Mitali asked us to do a podcast on the recently released movie Laapataa Ladies which is garnering great reviews from critics and audience alike. We are joined by special guest Amit - a marketing professional, an aspiring cricket umpire, and a food lover. You can follow him on Instagram @fooodzilla where he posts about his food, travel, and umpiring adventures. 

The movie’s greatest strength lies in calling out patriarchy, portraying feminism, and taking every single character big or small on a road to self-discovery, while maintaining a light-hearted tone throughout. 

Laapataa Ladies is a 2024 Hindi/Bollywood comedy-drama film directed by Kiran Rao whose last directorial venture was Dhobi Ghat/Mumbai Diaries, which was released in 2011. The film is produced by Aamir Khan Productions 

The film stars two debutants Pratibha Ranta who plays Jaya and Nitanshi Goel as Phool as the 2 brides who get mixed up. Sparsh Srivastav of Jamtara TV series (Netflix)  fame plays the groom Deepak

Other supporting cast members include: 

• Chaya Kadam as Mai the tea shop owner, an established actress in Marathi films/TV and theater industry. 
• Ravi Kishan as the inspector who after a not-so-promising career in the 90s in Bollywood moved to Bhojpuri films and became a superstar there. He took up character roles in Bollywood and re-established himself. 
• Geeta Agarwal Sharma - Deepak’s mom who we recently saw in 12th Fail and Fighter. 

Plot Summary: The film is set in rural India in a fictional state called Nirmal Pradesh in 2001. 2 brides are traveling with their respective grooms on a train and there are many more newlywed couples in the same compartment. As was/is the tradition - the brides are in similar red sarees (bridal attire) with the veil over their faces. One of the grooms gets off at the station at night with the wrong bride and chaos ensues. 

Do the 2 brides return to their rightful destinations - Laapataa Ladies is the answer to this question. 

Where to watch: Netflix

Favourite Scenes: 

1. Inspector Manohar’s funny quips 
2. Mai explains the ‘Fraud’ sold to Indian girls 
3. Saas, Bahu and Friendship 
4. Inspector Manohar interrogates Pushpa/Jaya

Director/Cast Interviews: 

1. Round table with Neelesh Mishra
2. Kiran Rao with Anupama Chopra on Film Companion

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Episode 13: Beauty Inside 

Release Date: 2015

In this episode we discuss the romantic film ‘Beauty Inside’ which had the most unique premise among the romantic films we have watched. The movie blends fantasy with real-life situations and makes you think about what you truly value in the person you love.

2015 South Korean romantic comedy film starring Han Hyo-joo and a multitude of actors portraying one character WooJin. The film was moderately successful, both commercially and critically. It led to a failed attempt to remake the film in Hollywood, starring Emilia Clarke of Game of Thrones fame, and a more successful attempt to remake it as a Kdrama in 2018 starring Seo Hyun Jin and Lee Min Ki.

Synopsis: WooJin the main lead is a young man who wakes up as a new person every single day - it could be a child, an old woman, a middle-aged man or a young college girl - a different body and a different face yesterday. He is a furniture designer but is a recluse and runs his business with help do his best friend. He meets YiSoo, played by Han Hyo Joo, a furniture store salesperson. The movie is about how he falls for her and how their relationship evolves around his unique condition and the challenges it faces. 

Cast: 

The WooJins: 

123 cast members played WooJin in the movie. Some notable actors/actresses playing WooJin:

• Park Seo-joon (“Gyeonsong Creature”, “Itaewon Class”, “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim”, “The Marvels”) 
• Juri Ueno (Japanese actress) 
• Kim Hee-won - The main classroom teacher in ‘Moving’)
• Lee Dong-wook : Goblin, Touch My Heart, Life
• Chun Woo Hee: Be Melodramatic, Argon
• Yoo Yeon Sook: Hospital Playlist, Interest of Love
• Kim Ju Hyuk: Argon, Reply 1988 (The Elder Taek), Mr. Hong movie. was in the movie Mr Hong ( which was made into the drama Hometown Cha Cha). He died a very tragic death in a car accident and was just 40.  

Han Hyo-joo : 

• Plays YiSoo the female lead.
• Movies: Love 911, Cold Eyes, Alway
• Drama: W, Happiness, Moving

Lee Dong-hwi as Sang-baek (Woo-jin’s friend) – also seen in Reply 1988, Pegasus Market, Movie: Extreme Job, 

Moon Sook:  Plays Woo-jin’s mom - Tinnel and Mask Girl

Favorite scenes

• WooJin sees YiSoo and falls in love
• Woo-jin as a child
• Chun Woo Hee as WooJin and YiSoo - The first reveal
• The BreakUp 
• Ending Scene

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Episode 12: 12th Fail

Release Date: 2023

In this episode, we discuss the success of the movie '12th Fail’. 

This is a 2023 Hindi film which is a biographical drama film directed, produced, and written by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. It is based on the 2019 non-fiction book Twelfth Fail - Har Vahi Jo Lada Nahi by Anurag Pathak about Manoj Kumar Sharma, who overcame extreme poverty to become an Indian Police Service officer.

The film stars Vikrant Massey as Sharma, alongside Medha Shankar, Anant V Joshi, Anshumaan Pushkar, and Priyanshu Chatterjee. The film received widespread critical acclaim and emerged as a sleeper hit, grossing over ₹69 crore (US$8.6 million) worldwide on a ₹20 crore (US$2.5 million) budget. At the 69th Filmfare Awards, it won five awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor (Critics) (Massey).

Synopsis: 

12th Fail traces the journey of a young man Manoj Kumar who overcomes poverty and extreme adversities to achieve his dream of becoming an IPS officer after being inspired by an honest police officer in his village Chambal (notorious for its dacoits). 

Favorite Scenes: 

1. DSP Dushyant Singh - Stop Cheating - The moment that changes the course of Manoj’s life.
2. Manoj comes home to learn about his Grandmom’s death - Topnotch performance by both actors (mother-actor Geeta Sharma)
3. Manoj’s dad comes to see him - powerful and right there with the climax as the best scene from the film
4. Gauri Bhaiya backs Manoj as he prepares for his last attempt at the civil services exams  
5. Restart 
6. Shraddha’s proposal
7. The climax - as predictable as it was, it was pure satisfaction. 

Other movie recommendations to watch:

1. How Phoolan Devi after the atrocities she faced, went on to become Chambal’s famous dacoit known as The Bandit Queen.   Seema Biswas starred in and as The Bandit Queen directed by Shekhar Kapoor.
2. To understand the true genius of Vidhu Vinod Chopra watch the cult classic that changed the course of Bollywood films - the noir film based in Mumbai - Parinda 

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Episode 11: The Year End Wrap - 2023

Happy New Year to all our listeners! This is our first episode of 2024 and co-hosts Benny and Minal summarise their 2023 in movies, the notable mentions, and their respective Top 5. Rest assured you will get many movie recommendations from us since we don’t have many overlaps in our lists! These movies were not necessarily the best of the year but the ones we enjoyed watching!

If you have any common movies with either of the hosts, tag us on Twitter/Instagram, and if you have any recommendations to share with us, please do so!

Top 5 of 2023

Benny’s Picks

1. Godzilla Minus One (Japanese)
2. Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3 (American)
3. Spiderman; Across the Spiderverse (American)
4. Sapta Sagaradaache Ello - Side A (Kannada)
5. Jigarthanda Double X (Tamil)

Minal’s Picks:

1. Oppenheimer (American/British)
2. 12th Fail (Hindi)
3. Vaalvi (Marathi)
4. Wonka (British)
5. Tetris (American/British)

Notable Mentions

Benny’s Picks

1. Dada (Tamil)
2. Barbie (American)
3. Leo (Tamil)
4. Jawan (Hindi)
5. Cocaine Bear (American)

Minal’s Picks

1. Air (America)
2. Dhak Dhak (Hindi)
3. Mast Mein Rehne Ka (Hindi)
4. Sajini Shinde ka Viral Video (Hindi)
5. Bheed (Hindi)
6. Afwaah (Hindi)
7. Friday Night Plan (Hindi)

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Episode 10: Inglorious Basterds

Release Date: 2009

In this episode, we discuss the ‘Glory’ of the movie ‘Inglorious Basterds’.This is a 2009 alt-history war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger and Mélanie Laurent.

Inglourious Basterds is a firm favorite with both the hosts and Christopher Waltz's Hans Landa remains one of their favorite villains. Waltz’s Handa has gone down in movie history as one of the most iconic characters, sweeping all the acting awards that year. Tune into the episode, where the hosts tell you why this movie is rewatchable even after so many years and cannot stop mentioning Waltz/Handa every 5 minutes of the episode - because every favorite scene and dialogue is incomplete without Waltz’s reference. 

Synopsis: In Nazi-oc cupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers known as the Inglorious Basterds led by Lieutenant Aldo Raine played by Brad Pitt coincides with theatre owner Shosanna Dreyfus’s vengeful plans for the same. Melanie Laurent plays Shossana who had witnessed the slaughter of her family by Colonel Hans Landa played by Christoph Waltz. As the relentless executioners advance and the conspiring young girl's plans are set in motion, their paths will cross for a fateful evening that will shake the very annals of history.

Favourite Scenes: 

1. Opening Scene - Waltz sends a chill down your spine. Hands down one of the best opening scenes in movie history
2. Strudel scene : Waltz meets Shosanna. This scene gave rise to many theories - Did Handa recognize Shosanna or not? 
3. Handa’s multilingual skills stun the Basterds.
4. The massacre at the Tavern - Rookie mistake Mr Fassbender!

Trivia: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Trivia/InglouriousBasterds

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Episode 9: Andhadhun

Release Date: 2018

Bollywood doesn’t often venture into the black comedy thriller genre but the rare times it does, it comes up with gems like Andhadhun. Today we have our second guest on this pod - Vipula, an avid book reader and culture blogger who chronicles her book reviews and travel logs. You can follow her features on Medium https://shadesofwords.medium.com/

Together we three discuss why Andhadhun has the makings of becoming a cult classic, and how it keeps the viewer engaged with every rewatch leading to new questions and leaving us in complete awe. 

The film is co-written and directed by Sriram Raghavan. It stars Tabu, Ayushmann Khurrana, Radhika Apte, and Anil Dhawan. Andhadhun received widespread critical acclaim garnering multiple awards for the creators and the cast. 

Plot Summary:

The film tells the story of a piano player Akash played by Ayushman Khurrana who is faking to be blind to improve his piano skills and plays at the restaurant run by Sophie’s (Radhika Apte) father. A retired actor Pramod (Anil Dhawan) invites him to his place on his wedding anniversary for a private concert for his wife Simi played by Tabu. The visit leads to Akash becoming unwittingly embroiled in the murder and has his life turned upside down. 

IMDB link : Andhadhun

Favourite  scenes: 

1. The piano murder scene - Tabu is glorious here!
2. Simi catches’s Akash’s lie : Both were excellent - like a chess game on song.
3. I’ll See You : Radhika is a delight in this scene

 Interesting Reads:

1. The theories on ‘The Ending’ - This is a great thread on Reddit that encapsulates all
2. Raghavan’s film-making influences and meta references for the love of Bollywood: Read this excellent article on Medium. 

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Episode 8: My Sassy Girl 

Release Date: 2001

In this episode, we head over to South Korea for a film that was released more than two decades ago. ‘My Sassy Girl’ is a romantic comedy film directed by Kwak Jae-yong, starring Jun Ji-hyun and Cha Tae-hyun. 

The film is based on a true story told in a series of blog posts written by Kim Ho-sik, who later adapted them into a fictional novel.

This film became one of the highest-grossing South Korean comedies of all time. It’s said to have sparked an international breakthrough for Korean cinema, and it played a key role in the spread of the Korean Wave.

This is Benny’s all-time favorite romantic film from when he watched it closer to its release date. Minal only watched it in 2020 when she got hit by the K-drama wave during the pandemic. 

Has the movie aged well, and does the comedy and romance still work? You will be surprised that for once the co-hosts have quite differing views on a movie. Tune in to find out why! 

Plot summary

The film tells the story of Gyeon-woo (Cha Tae-hyun), a kind-hearted but naive college student, and the Girl (Jun Ji-hyun), a sassy and unpredictable young woman.The Girl is constantly getting into trouble, and Gyeon-woo is often drawn into her schemes. She is also emotionally volatile, and her mood swings can be extreme. Over time, Gyeon-woo and the Girl realize their deep love for each other overcoming her past trauma. 

IMDB link : My Sassy Girl

Best scenes: 

Mountain Top Scene: Girl Apologises

Letter from The Girl to Gyeon Woo

The Ending scene

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