Bollywood is For Lovers

Hindi Horror Halloween turns 10! And for this landmark entry in our longest running series, we're going back to the beginning and giving horror auteur Ram Gopal Varma another chance... to scare us! Show notes: This our tenth Hindi Horror Halloween! We still know nothing about Ram Gopal Varma Bollywood Drafts Erin thinks Matt just remembers that David Cronenberg made a film with Marilyn Chambers Raat Sam Raimi's shaky cam How this movie redefined Bollywood horror INTERVAL ("Barbie Girl" from Kaun?) Kaun? The horror of being home alone Manoj Bajpayee just wants a sandwich and to watch TV Ittefaq and Signpost to Murder NEXT TIME: We are taking a break, see you in December! Find us on Apple Podcasts! and Stitcher! and audioBoom! and iHeartRadio! and Spotify! and Google Podcasts! and Saavn! and Hubhopper! Thank you to Becca Dalke for the artwork! Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook!

We continue the tricky journey of following Amitabh Bachchan's career through its most treacherous stretch: the '90s. Show notes: Thank you DT24x Time for a Tezaab rewatch? The Big B recap Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Begun, the Dadscension has Khuda Gawah Buzkashi, the national sport of Afghanistan Why did Badshah Khan actually go to jail? Amitabh Bachchan's School for Gifted Youngsters (INTERVAL "Sona Sona" from Major Saab) Major Saab Rushed ending Medical beards Matt considers joining the Indian Army after a decade of propaganda Sooryavansham A passing of the torch ... to himself Justice for Karishma The Good Animal? The danger in looking at a career from outside Mohabbatein was discussed in episode 32, "Travelling in the Love Lane: The Films of Aditya Chopra" Check out Bollywood Drafts! NEXT TIME: Hindi Horror Halloween X Find us on Apple Podcasts! and Stitcher! and audioBoom! and iHeartRadio! and Spotify! and Google Podcasts! and Saavn! and Hubhopper! Thank you to Becca Dalke for the artwork! Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! #AmitabhBachchan, #KhudaGawah, #MajorSaab, #Sooryavansham, #AjayDevgn, #AnupamKher, #Sridevi

Alongside Nim (@MapleBrownie), we discussed the opening night event of the tenth annual India Film Festival of Alberta, as well as a workshop put on by film archivist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. Show notes: Bollywood Drafts Podcast India Film Festival of Alberta Ghoomer Our coverage of the 2017 India Film Festival of Alberta, where we saw A Death in the Gunj Celluloid Man Film Heritage Foundation NEXT TIME: Nineties Bachchan, we swear Find us on Apple Podcasts! and Stitcher! and audioBoom! and iHeartRadio! and Spotify! and Google Podcasts! and Saavn! and Hubhopper! Thank you to Becca Dalke for the artwork! Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! #IndiaFilmFestivalofAlberta, #Ghoomer, #ShabanaAzmi, #SaiyamiKher, #VikrantMassey, #R.Balki, #ShivendraSinghDungarpur, #Bollywood, #HindiCinema

We checked out the latest talking heads documentary about Bollywood cinema, Namrata Rao's Angry Young Men. Did we learn anything? Show notes: De Palma Friedkin Uncut Netflix and Dil: High and Low - Cinema Marte Dum Tak and The Romantics Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th The Story of Film: An Odyssey Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror Angry Young Men NEXT TIME: Nineties Bachchan Find us on Apple Podcasts! and Stitcher! and audioBoom! and iHeartRadio! and Spotify! and Google Podcasts! and Saavn! and Hubhopper! Thank you to Becca Dalke for the artwork! Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! #AngryYoungMen, #SalimJaved, #SalimKhan, #JavedAkhtar, #AmazonPrimeVideo, #AmazonPrimeVideoIndia, #NamrataRao, #SalmanKhan, #FarhanAkhtar, #ZoyaAkhtar

It's midyear review time! We check in on the first six months of the year and all of the Bollywood (and Bollywood-adjacent) movies that made it in front of our eyeballs. Show notes: Merry Christmas Fighter Article 370 Laapataa Ladies Murder Mubarak (Episode 154) Crew INTERVAL ("Ghagra" from Crew) Monkey Man Amar Singh Chamkila (Episode 155) Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2 Kalki 2898 AD Sharmajee Ki Beti Kill NEXT TIME: it's a surprise! Our sponsor this episode is #BollywoodMonsterMashup, the LARGEST South Asian festival in Canada and features FREE performances by international Bollywood stars, food, shopping, dance performances, a laser show and more! The whole family can enjoy this monstrous event with FREE entry, FREE parking and FREE family activities. Come dance, sing and feast with us at this one-of-a-kind production taking place at Mississauga Celebration Square! Check out BollywoodMonsterMashup.com for more info! Find us on Apple Podcasts! and Stitcher! and audioBoom! and iHeartRadio! and Spotify! and Google Podcasts! Thank you to Becca Dalke for the artwork! Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! #MerryChristmas, #Fighter, #Article370, #LaapataaLadies, #MurderMubarak, #Crew, #MonkeyMan, #AmarSinghChamkila, #LoveSexAurDhokha2, #LSD2, #Kalki2898AD, #SharmajeeKiBeti, #Kill, #HindiCinema, #Bollywood, #Bollywood2024

We travel back to the mid-2000s with one of Bollywood's most fearless actresses, Preity Zinta. Show notes: The Stanley Cup finals are on (we lost) Bollywood Drafts Preity Zinta (has not made an impression on Matt) We would really like to see Sangharsh Heaven on Earth (and its gorgeous poster) Erin's thesis on Preity Zinta INTERVAL ("It's Time to Disco" from Kal Ho Naa Ho) Kal Ho Naa Ho Toronto plays New York The film's approach to homosexual jokes Anand comparisons Erin hates "movie diseases" Mid-2000s fashion Salaam Namaste Siddharth Anand really pivots  Jaaved Jaffrey's Crocodile Dundee  Baby drop rate  NO, FART ZONE  Too much pro-life propaganda NEXT TIME: TBD Find us on Apple Podcasts! and Stitcher! and audioBoom! and iHeartRadio! and Spotify! and Google Podcasts! Thank you to Becca Dalke for the artwork! Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! #PreityZinta, #KalHoNaaHo, #NikhilAdvani, #KaranJohar, #ShahRukhKhan, #SaifAliKhan, #JayaBachchan, #SushmaSeth, #SanjayKapoor, #SalaamNamaste, #ArshadWarsi, #JaavedJaffery, #AbhishekBachchan, #SiddharthAnand, #Bollywood, #HindiCinema

We travel back to the opulence of 1940s Lahore with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's lush Netflix period drama Heeramandi. Show notes: Heeramandi Tawaifs Be Kind Rewind - Sofia Coppola and the Godfather Part III Disaster Next time: Preity Zinta Find us on Apple Podcasts! and Stitcher! and audioBoom! and iHeartRadio! and Spotify! and Google Podcasts! Thank you to Becca Dalke for the artwork! Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! #Heeramandi, #SanjayLeelaBhansali, #ManishaKoirala, #SonakshiSinha, #AditiRaoHydari, #RichaChadha, #SharminSegal, #SanjeedaSheikh, #TahaShahBadusha, #Netflix, #Bollywood, #HindiCinema

We are belting our hearts out with two Netflix features on the turbulent lives of popular singers.  Show notes: Straight-to-streaming films are legit now Qala Comparison to Amadeus Halloween VI: Hell Hath No Fury, Stree and Bulbbul with Matthew Stepanic Elvis and Norah Jones Style over substance INTERVAL ("Baaja" from Amar Singh Chamkila) Dil-Luminati Tour Wee Book Inn Amar Singh Chamkila Amar Singh Chamkila Comparisons to western hip hop The Mr. Holland's Opus problem Jodi The use of archival images NEXT TIME: Heeramandi Find us on Apple Podcasts! and Stitcher! and audioBoom! and iHeartRadio! and Spotify! and Google Podcasts! Thank you to Becca Dalke for the artwork! Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! #Qala, #AnvitaDutt, #TriptiDimri, #SwastikaMukherjee, #BabilKhan, #AmitSial, #SameerKochar, #AbhishekBanerjee, #AmarSinghChamkila, #ImtiazAli, #DiljitDosanjh, #ParineetiChopra, #NishaBano, #RahulMittra, #Netflix, #HindiCinema, #Bollywood

We are polishing our magnifying glasses and donning our deerstalkers, because once again, murder is afoot!  Show notes: We just love murder mysteries! Our Noirvember playlist To Those Who Killed Me and Call of the Void, the mystery books Matt has edited You can't have too few or too many characters in a murder mystery Detective Bymokesh Bakshy! "When the Hindu Right Came for Bollywood" Byomkesh Bakshi Comparisons to other famous fictional detectives Kosuke Kindaichi 1940s setting The music and the violence go too hard INTERVAL ("Calcutta Kiss" from Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!) Murder Mubarak Is Sanjay Kapoor one of our guys? "In a movie about rich people you can't kill the help" Karisma Kapoor's first film in 12 years Fantasy casting The Thin Man NEXT TIME: Singer Movies Find us on Apple Podcasts! and Stitcher! and audioBoom! and iHeartRadio! and Spotify! and Google Podcasts! Thank you to Becca Dalke for the artwork! Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! #DetectiveByomkeshBakshy!, #ByomkeshBakshi, #DibakarBanerjee, #SushantSinghRajput, #AnandTiwari, #NeerajKabi, #SwastikaMukherjee, #MeiyangChang, #MurderMubarak, #HomiAdajania, #PankajTripathi, #SaraAliKhan, #VijayVarma, #KarismaKapoor, #DimpleKapadia, #SanjayKapoor, #Bollywood, #HindiCinema

To wrap up Madhuri Madness 2024 we're joined by our good friend Rashmeet to discuss two action films in which our beloved heroine finds herself at the centre of a deadly love triangle.  Show notes: Welcome Rashmeet! Madhuri Madness Madhuban Performing Arts and Urja Yeg Aarzoo Gaslight, Girlboss, Gatekeep Obsession gazebo Darkman "Dosti Karte Nahin" and "Mil Jaate Hain" St. Andrews INTERVAL ("Kay Sera Sera" from Pukar) "Que Sera Sera" Pukar "Hai Jaana Hai Jaana"  Are we Rajkumar Santoshi fans? Torturing Anil Kapoor Madhuri Dixit's emotional range and appeal NEXT TIME: Detective movies Find us on Apple Podcasts! and Stitcher! and audioBoom! and iHeartRadio! and Spotify! and Google Podcasts! Thank you to Becca Dalke for the artwork! Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! #MadhuriDixit, #Aarzoo, #LawrenceD'Souza, #AkshayKumar, #SaifAliKhan, #PareshRawal, #AmrishPuri, #Pukar, #RajkumarSantoshi, #AnilKapoor, #ManrataShirodkar, #OmPuri, #Danny Denzongpa, #PrabhuDeva, #LataMangeshkar, #Bollywood, #HindiCinema

To celebrate International Women's Day, we are kicking off Madhuri Madness 2024 with two feminist consciousness raising ensemble dramas. Show notes: Happy International Women’s Day Madhuri Madness  Every film industry is patriarchal (except Paradise Island) Hollywood vs Bollywood women’s pictures Mrityudand Shabana Azmi and Om Puri Prakash Jha’s political filmmaking INTERVAL ("Badi Mushkil" from Lajja) Lajja A real multi-starrer Manisha Koirala learns about feminism Tonally inconsistent Ajay Devgn's whip sword NEXT TIME: MD & SRK Find us on Apple Podcasts! and Stitcher! and audioBoom! and iHeartRadio! and Spotify! and Google Podcasts! Thank you to Becca Dalke for the artwork! Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! #MadhuriDixit, #Mrityudand, #PrakashJha, #ShabanaAzmi, #OmPuri, #ShilpaShirodkar, #MohanJoshi, #MohanAgashe, #HarishPatel, #Lajja, #RajkumarSantoshi, #ManishaKoirala, #Rekha, #MahimaChaudhary, #JackieShroff, #AnilKapoor, #AjayDevgn, #JohnnyLever, #InternationalWomen'sDay, #Bollywood, #Feminism, #FeminisminFilm, #HindiCinema

We welcome filmmaker Jaydeep Sarkar, series director and executive producer of Rainbow Rishta, a new docuseries available now on Amazon Prime. Show notes: Jaydeep Sarkar Rainbow Rishta NEXT TIME: Madhuri Madness  Find us on Apple Podcasts! and Stitcher! and audioBoom! and iHeartRadio! and Spotify! and Google Podcasts! and Saavn! and Hubhopper!  Thank you to Becca Dalke for the artwork!  Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! #Bollywood, #JaydeepSarkar, #HindiCinema, #HindiTV, #IndianTV, #Docuseries, #Documentary, #AmazonPrime, #LGBTQ+, #LGBTQ+India

Somehow we made it through 2023, which certainly was a year in Bollywood. Did Tiger 3 hit the jackpot? Did we soldier through Jawan? Find out now! Show notes: The 69th Annual Filmfare Awards (nice) Neeyat (Episode 150) Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (Supplemental Episode 17) Jawan Jaane Jaan (Episode 149) Khufiya INTERVAL ("Dishoom Dishoom" from The Archies) Thank You for Coming 12th Fail Tiger 3 Animal This is the only Bullet Machine we respect in these parts The Archies Kho Gaye Hum Kahan NEXT TIME: Surprise Netflix and Dil! Find us on Apple Podcasts! and Stitcher! and audioBoom! and iHeartRadio! and Spotify! and Google Podcasts! Thank you to Becca Dalke for the artwork! Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! #Bollywood, #2023Bollywood, #HindiCinema, #Neeyat, #RockyAurRaniKiPremKahaani, #Jawan, #JaaneJaan, #Khufiya, #ThankYouforComing, #12thFail, #Animal, #TheArchies, #KhoGayeHumKahan

It's hard for us to believe, but we've reached two million downloads! To celebrate, we wanted to look back at the evolution of the show and apologize for everything we have gotten wrong over the past eight and a half years. Show notes: Thank you to all of our listeners near and far for lending us your ears two million times! Supplemental Episode 8: 60 Questions (which was to celebrate 100 episodes, not one million listens) NEXT TIME: 2023 year end wrap up Find us on Apple Podcasts! and Stitcher! and audioBoom! and iHeartRadio! and Spotify! and Google Podcasts! and Saavn! and Hubhopper! Thank you to Becca Dalke for the artwork! Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook!

We are on the case with Bollywood's leading actress, the incomparable Vidya Balan, will we solve it before she does? Listen to find out! Show notes: Vidya Balan Star power and acting prowess Bobby Jasoos Feminist themes Many spinning plates INTERVAL ("Sweety" from Bobby Jasoos) Neeyat Character actor cast Anu Menon Split diopter and split screen NEXT TIME: 2 million Find us on Apple Podcasts! and Stitcher! and audioBoom! and iHeartRadio! and Spotify! and Google Podcasts! Thank you to Becca Dalke for the artwork! Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! #VidyaBalan, #BobbyJasoos, #SamarShaikh, #AliFazal, #ArjanBajwa, #KiranKumar, #RajendraGupta, #SupriyaPathak, #TanviAzmi, #Neeyat, #AnuMenon, #RamKapoor, #RahulBose, #DipannitaSharma, #NeerajKabi, #AmritaPuri, #ShashankArora, #PrajaktaKoli, #ShefaliShah, #Bollywood, #HindiCinema, #DetectiveMovies

To celebrate Noirvember this year, we delve into the catalogue of Sujoy Ghosh with the (not exactly noir) thrillers Kahaani and this year's Netflix release Jaane Jaan.  Show notes: Noirvember and our Noirvember playlist Sujoy Ghosh Adventures in the Public Domain: Aladin and Arjun: The Warrior Prince Kahaani Kolkata as asphalt jungle The effectiveness of a pregnant detective INTERVAL ("Jaane Jaan" from Jaane Jaan) Jaane Jaan The Devotion of Suspect X and Keigo Higashino Comparisons to Drishyam "Aa Jane Jaan" from Intaquam The Kalimpong atmosphere  NEXT TIME: Detective Balan Find us on Apple Podcasts! and Stitcher! and audioBoom! and iHeartRadio! and Spotify! and Google Podcasts! Thank you to Becca Dalke for the artwork! Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! #Noirvember, #FilmNoir, #NeoNoir, #SujoyGhosh, #Kahaani, #VidyaBalan, #NawazuddinSiddiqui, #SaswataChatterjee, #ParambrataChatterjee, #IndraneilSengupta, #JaaneJaan, #KareenaKapoor, #KareenaKapoorKhan, #JaideepAhlawat, #VijayVarma, #TheDevotionofSuspectX, #SuspectX, #KeigoHigashino, #Bollywood, #HindiCinema

Happy (belated) Halloween Lovers! We may be late but our tradition of exploring all things spooky that Hindi cinema has to offer lives on! This year we are sinking our teeth into Netflix's romantic horror-comedy Tooth Pari. Show notes: This episode is quite late as we were our of the country and Erin got sick Neighbours trailer Tooth Pari: When Love Bites Pratim D. Gupta and X: Past Is Present NEXT TIME: Noirvember Find us on Apple Podcasts! and Stitcher! and audioBoom! and iHeartRadio! and Spotify! and Google Podcasts! and Saavn! and Hubhopper! Thank you to Becca Dalke for the artwork! Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! #ToothPari, #ToothPari:WhenLoveBites, #PratimD.Gupta, #AnishRailkar, #TanyaManiktala, #ShantanuMaheshwari, #Revathi, #TillotamaShome, #SikandarKher, #SaswataChatterjee, #AdilHussain, #HindiHorror, #NetflixIndia, #Bollywood

We welcome writer Sunny Singh to the show to discuss her fascinating new book A Bollywood State of Mind! Show notes: Thank you Sunny Singh for joining us! A Bollywood State of Mind: A journey into the world’s biggest cinema Heads up, we discuss some spoilers for Jawan if you haven't seen it yet NEXT TIME: Hindi Horror Halloween Find us on Apple Podcasts! and Stitcher! and audioBoom! and iHeartRadio! and Spotify! and Google Podcasts! and Saavn! and Hubhopper! Thank you to Becca Dalke for the artwork! Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! #Bollywood, #HindiCinema, #SunnySingh, #ABollywoodStateofMind, #ShahRukhKhan, #AmitabhBachchan, #FootnotePress, #IndianCinema, #FilmTheory

We return to the career of Yash Chopra with two iconic mid-70s blockbusters: one, the first film to carry the YRF name and the other, maybe the most influential Bollywood film ever made. Show notes: Past Yash Chopra films we have discussed: Netflix and Dil: High and Low - Cinema Marte Dum Tak and The Romantics and Yaasssh Chopra: Lamhe & Veer-Zaara with Manish Mathur Zanjeer and the Angry Young Man Yash Chopra Rajesh Khanna Thomas Hardy and the cad awareness book "Ab Chahe Maa Roothe" Comparisons to Douglas Sirk INTERVAL ("Ni Main Yaar Manana Ni" from Daag) Deewaar Gunga Jumna and Mother India Matt is the evil brother Influences on Hong Kong cinema and Slumdog Millionaire What can we bring to a conversation about this film? Bachchan: Back to the Beginning NEXT TIME: Hindi Horror Halloween Find us on Apple Podcasts! and Stitcher! and audioBoom! and iHeartRadio! and Spotify! and Google Podcasts! Thank you to Becca Dalke for the artwork! Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! #YashChopra, #AmitabhBachchan, #RajeshKhanna, #Rakhee, #RakheeGulzar, #SharmilaTagore, #PremChopra, #ManmohanKrishna, #Iftekhar, #Daag, #Deewar, #SalimKhan, #JavedAkhtar, #SalimJaved, #ShashiKapoor, #NeetuSingh, #ParveenBabi, #NirupaRoy, #MadanPuri, #Bollywood, #HindiCinema

We go to the lawless deserts in Homi Adajania's blood-soaked Hotstar crime drama, Saas, Bahu Aur Flamingo, to find out who Dimple Kapadia will choose as her successor, and see if they will even make it out alive to enjoy their inheritance. Show notes: Saas, Bahu Aur Flamingo Homi Adajania We Want To Be Dimple Kapadia’s Friend: Bobby, Saagar, and Rudaali Netflix and Dil: Forget it, BiFL. It’s Mirzapur Next time: Deewaar Find us on Apple Podcasts! and Stitcher! and audioBoom! and iHeartRadio! and Spotify! and Google Podcasts! Thank you to Becca Dalke for the artwork! Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! #Hotstar, #Bollywood, #HindiCinema, #SaasBahuAurFlamingo, #HomiAdajania, #DimpleKapadia, #IshaTalwar,#AngiraDhar, #RadhikaMadan, #VarunMitra, #AshishVerma, #UditArora, #JimitTrivedi, #MonicaDogra, #DeepakDobriyal, #NaseeruddinShah