Bollywood Shuffle
When most people think of Bollywood, they think of unbelievably good-looking people, fabulous costumes, and musical numbers. But Bollywood, one of the world’s largest film industries, is more than just song and dance. This series explores recent Indian films that break through traditional notions of genre to present the new faces of India. And there’s still plenty of singing and dancing. Presented in association with the BAM 2003 Next Wave Festival’s Alladeen. All films in Hindi with English subtitles. Programmed by Jake Perlin.

Bhoot (2003) 113min
Fri, Dec 5 at 2, 4:30, 6:50, 9:10pm
Directed by Ram Gopal Varma
With Ajay Devgan, Urmila Matondka
Billed as “the Indian Sixth Sense” or the film that killed a man (unconfirmed reports of a death by fright in a theater in India), Bhoot (Hindi for “Ghost”) is a good, old-fashioned fright-fest with an enormous twist for Bollywood: no songs. A married couple moves into a fashionable new high-rise building, but the wife soon starts seeing things, leading to investigations, ghostly spirits, and murder.

Lagaan (2001) 224min
Sat, Dec 6 at 2, 7pm (with 10 minute intermission)
Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker
With Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh
The first Bollywood film shot on location with sync sound and a dedicated cast, it was one of the most expensive films ever made, and a smashing success. The fate of a small village rests on the outcome of a cricket match between stuck-up British officers and an Indian team led by the hunky Aamir Khan. Gowariker shoots in a leisurely, comfortable style that highlights his characters and turns the final match into a gripping, epic drama.

Asoka (2001) 155min
Sun, Dec 7 at 3, 7pm (with 10 minute intermission)
Directed by Santosh Sivan
With Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor
Loosely based on the real third emperor of the Mauryan dynasty, Asoka is a violent warlord whose love for a princess causes him to renounce his ways and spread the word of Buddha. Sivan delivers a widescreen extravaganza, combining musical numbers and bloody battles in a way that only Bollywood can manage.

Tale of a Naughty Girl (Manda Meyer Upakhyan) (2002) 90min
Fri, Dec 12 at 2, 4:30, 6:50, 9:10pm
Directed by Buddhadev Dasgupta
With Samata Das, Arpan Basar
A poetic exploration of the harsh realities of life, the central story focuses on a prostitute selling her young daughter into servitude, framed with other incidents from the small village. Dasgupta sets the film in 1969 (just as man walks on the moon), and uses metaphors and symbolism freely.

Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum (Sometimes Joy, Sometimes Sorrow) (2001) 209min
Sat, Dec 13 at 2, 7pm (with 10 minute intermission)
Directed by Karen Johar
With Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan
Bollywood’s most expensive film ever made at the time (and since bested by Devdas), Johar’s film is a ravishing feast of stunning cinematography, outrageous choreography, and production values that put Hollywood to shame. The simple story (of a family torn apart by the son’s refusal to marry the girl his father approves of) is offset by generous humor and an irresistible cast.

Koi...Mil Gaya (2002) 171min
Sun, Dec 14 at 3, 7pm (with 10 minute intermission)
Directed by Rakesh Roshan
With Hrithis Roshan, Preity Zinta
Dubbed by the press as “the Bollywood E.T.,” Koi...Mil Gaya is Bollywood’s first venture into science fiction. A researcher’s son grows up alone and ostracized because of his mental retardation, but that’s before the aliens arrive on the scene. The first half of the film concentrates on playful interludes of the young Roshan growing up, while the second introduces the alien ship and a remarkable chance to start life over.

War and Peace (Jang Aur Aman) (2002) 136min
Fri, Dec 19 at 2, 5, 8pm
Directed by Anand Patwardhan
A gripping yet disturbing documentary focusing on the ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan (and their nuclear arsenals). Patwardhan begins his film with the assasination of Gandhi in 1948, and continues through India’s nuclear testing in 1998, even touching on the events of Sept 11. Governments on both sides are implicated, and the film only grows more relevant with each passing day.

Devdas (2001) 181min
Sat, Dec 20 at 2, 7pm (with 10 minute intermission)
Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali
With Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai
Another contender for most expensive Indian movie ever made, and certainly one of the biggest and most sensational, Devdas is the latest film adaptation of Chattopadhye’s 1917 novel about doomed childhood lovers. The sensationally beautiful Aishwarya Rai (playing childhood love Paro) is matched only by the amazingly handsome Shah Rukh Khan – where does Bollywood find these people?

The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002) 155min
Sun, Dec 21 at 3, 7pm (with 10 minute intermission)
Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi
With Ajay Devgan, Sushant Singh
Bollywood veteran Santoshi filmed this bio of Indian revolutionary and martyr Bhagat Singh (one of five films about him in India that year!) The film delivers a mythic depiction of colonial India, and Singh’s decision to lead a violent rebellion against the British is made human by Ajay Devgan’s brilliant performance in the lead role.