Hum Tum

Another Bollywood comedy with Saif as the guy who's afraid to settle down and Rani as the refined, somewhat serious, sweetheart?

Bring it on!!

Yes, Hum Tum follows the somewhat played out formula of boy-meets-girl, with some songs thrown in, in typical Bollywood rom-com fashion. But you know what? I could watch ten more movies like this, and they could all star Saif and Rani in typecast roles, and I wouldn't complain! Maybe it's because I'm new to Bollywood territory, but for me their romantic comedies have Hollywood beat.

Hum Tum is no exception. While it wasn't one of my favorites, it was definitely enjoyable enough. Saif Ali Khan is super-easy to laugh at, and Rani is her usual classy self. The two of them breathe new life into the old phrase "opposites attract", and I enjoyed their pairing in Hum Tum.



Our friend Abhishek Bachchan makes a baby-faced appearance in the movie...and this marks the third time I've seen him and Rani "married" onscreen. Not that I mind. I'm just saying. Although, I suppose, in Bollywood-land, that's nothing remarkable.

The songs in Hum Tum weren't too impressive in my book (except for the catchy title song--that one was really pretty), especially the one Rani "sings" right before her wedding. I'm usually a huge fan of Ms. Mukerjee's facial expressions, but she made some pretty dreadful ones in this scene!

There were some really funny moments in the film, but in a very subtle way. I guess that's what I love about Saif's comedy style. I find myself laughing out loud at the littlest things, such as his goofy smiles that appear at just the right time, or his whiny complaining when things go wrong. Rani's elegant demeanor bounced well off of this, especially in the scenes where Rhea can't stand Karan. You actually believe that she hates him, and her annoyance seems relevant as they are worlds apart.



I did appreciate Hum Tum for not dwelling on Rhea's status as a widow. I can't recall that ever being a factor in Karan's decision to be with her.

I consider Hum Tum to be a romantic comedy anyone can enjoy. Because it's light and funny, rarely obnoxious or over-the-top, I could probably show this to any of my non-Bollywood watching friends. If you haven't seen it, you may want to give it a try.

Text © Copyright 2008 Nida Nazir

Dil Chata Hai

Just when I thought I couldn't love Bollywood any more than I already do, my friends at Jaman recommend a movie like Dil Chata Hai to remind me that I ain't seen nothing yet.




Dil Chata Hai is a rare story about three male friends and their personal journey into a little thing called love. It's not too sappy or melodramatic,but it has has its touching moments. There's just enough romance for the chick flick lover in you, but the real heart of the movie lies in the changing relationship between the three friends played by Aamir Khan, Akshaye Khanna, and Saif Ali Khan.

These guys have an onscreen chemistry that I haven't seen between three men in a long time(I'm thinking since Three Men and A Baby. Quite a different film, but...humor me). Their personalities are each so different and balance the story out to perfection.

Aamir Khan as Aakash dazzles me with his talent once again, but I'm sure that's no surprise to those of you who grew up watching his films. Saif Ali Khan as Sameer continues to make me laugh by his voice, facial expressions, and body language alone. But it was Akshaye Khanna(who has the cutest chin ever)as Sid, the artist with a heart of gold who falls for a divorced woman with a drinking problem, who really caught me off guard. I had no idea Bollywood had it in her to come up with a story like this, but give me more! Being a single mother(and half Pakistani herself, a culture where this is seriously frowned upon), it always bothers me that women are labeled so harshly once divorced or widowed, and I loved that Sid was man enough to stand up against the ridicules and jokes from his own best friend because he just didn't care what people would think. How many men would do that?

The feud that situation created between Aakash and Sid is also brought to a moving end when Aakash admits he was wrong and Sid forgives him wholeheartedly. I'm embarrassed to think back to some of the friendships I had, particularly when I was a teenager, that ended on a stupid argument which I had too much pride to repair. I'm glad Aakash grew up and realized that was not going to happen to him, and happy that Sid didn't let things change their friendship after that. Just another beautiful touch to an already perfect film!

I have to mention Dimple Kapadia as Tara(Sid's love interest). She's amazing. Simply amazing. I won't say anymore, but if you see the movie, I won't have to.

Wow. When I come across a movie like this, it reminds me why I write about Bollywood in the first place!

Text (c) Nida Nazir, 2008 Bitten By Bollywood

Kal Ho Naa Ho

I am soo glad I found Kal Ho Naa Ho. And Shahrukh Khan, if you ever read this, I love you. You almost lost me for a minute there...you did a couple things in the first half of this movie that made me second guess my feelings...but by the intermission you won me over (once again), and now I am forever yours!





As for the movie? I didn't think I was going to like it. It seemed like just another love story (I practically live for love stories, especially ones starring Shahrukh Khan, but I wasn't completely sold on him at the time I bought Kal Ho Naa Ho).

As soon as the first song came on, "Pretty Woman", I had a sinking feeling that I had made a mistake purchasing this film(I know Bollywood can be a bit nutty at times, but please, WHO thought it would be a good idea to have Shahrukh Khan pretend to rap?).


Who would have thought I would fall head over heels in love with this movie, showing it to all my Bollywood-watching friends(who all loved it just as much, I might add)?

Like I said, I had already seen a few Shahrukh Khan films and knew the over-the-top romantic he could be, but wasn't a fan of that yet...so for the story to be woven in such a way where his character wanted to love but couldn't really had me longing for him to go into the romantic persona I knew he was capable of, at least for Naina's sake. Take for instance the scene where Aman(SRK) reads from Rohit's diary to Naina, even though there are no words written on the pages. Brilliant!


Kal Ho Naa Ho is heartbreaking, hilarious, romantic and just plain fun...The chemistry between the three lead actors, most of the songs, and the storyline had me laughing and crying, sometimes all at once.


This was my first experience with Saif Ali Khan. I found myself falling for him when Naina did, thinking if I couldn't see her with Aman, I was happy she had found a guy like Saif's Rohit...So sweet and funny, just a lovable character...









The friendship between Aman and Rohit was just as beautiful as the love Aman felt for Naina from afar...and the Kantaben jokes were really funny! All in all, the three of them worked so well together...They even made a song called "It's a Time To Disco" look semi-cool(Who thinks of the English names? Just wondering...)


Speaking of songs, I love all of them except for "Pretty Woman"(which I've softened to over time)...And I could just kiss Karan Johar for giving Rani and Kajol cameos in "Maahi Ve"(But I won't, Shahrukh, I won't)...

Text (c) 2007 Nida Nazir Bitten By Bollywood

Salaam Namaste

Saif Ali Khan is officially one of my favorite funny guys.

I found this movie browsing around on the Internet and decided to buy it since it paired Saif with Preity Zinta, a duo I thought worked well together in Kal Ho Naa Ho. And Salaam Namaste did not disappoint! Its so much fun--I recommend it for anyone who loves romantic comedies!
As I stated earlier, Saif and Preity bounce well off one another. Most of the great moments in this movie are when they are onscreen together,whether they are playing around or arguing, and there are plenty of them!
These two even have a steamy kissing scene(whooooooo),a rarity for Bollywood. But they pull it off effortlessly, and even look like they really enjoy it(its wayyy hotter than Aishwayra Rai and Hrithik Roshan's kiss in Dhoom 2! There are some weird cameos thrown in for comedy and some of them work and others don't(Ahem,cough,Abhishek Bachchan).

I can't tell you how much I love the song "My Dil Goes Mmmm"....sigh, makes me want to fall in love myself...


Can anybody tell me why Ambar's boss has a white dot on his forehead? Just wondering.

There is just one point I was a bit disturbed by:That Saif's character Nick had such a problem keeping his hands off Preity's Ambar, yet when she ended up pregnant we are lead to conclude that he spent about five months being a jerk to her and ignoring her with such ease!
It kind of bugged me that he wasn't punished just a bit more for that behavior during her entire pregnancy.

Kudos to the writers for brilliantly depicting a harsh reality of relationships --Its good in the beginning(it always is), but loses its sparkle rather quickly if there is no real commitment by both people.

Text (c) 2007 Nida Nazir Bitten By Bollywood