Bollywood is For Lovers

2024 has come and gone, and before we start to get excited about what movies the new year will bring us, we must first look back at the highs and the lows of Bollywood’s past six months. Show notes: MunjyaBad NewzPhir Aayi Hasseen DillrubaKhel Khel MeinStree 2The Buckingham Murders INTERVAL ("B(h)adass" from CTRL) CTRLJigraDo PattiBhool Bhulaiyaa 3Singham AgainBaby John NEXT TIME: Anil Kapoor's 2000s 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!

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: Hindi Horror HalloweenRam Gopal VarmaBollywood DraftsRaatshaky cam INTERVAL ("Barbie Girl" from Kaun?) Kaun?IttefaqSignpost 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: TezaabAmitabh Bachchan CorporationKhuda GawahBuzkashi (INTERVAL "Sona Sona" from Major Saab) Major SaabSooryavanshamAnimalMohabbateinTravelling in the Love Lane: The Films of Aditya ChopraBollywood 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 PodcastIndia Film Festival of AlbertaGhoomerOur coverage of the 2017 India Film Festival of Alberta, where we saw A Death in the GunjCelluloid ManFilm 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 PalmaFriedkin UncutNetflix and Dil: High and Low - Cinema Marte Dum Tak and The RomanticsNever Sleep Again: The Elm Street LegacyCrystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13thThe Story of Film: An OdysseyWoodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk HorrorAngry 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 ChristmasFighterArticle 370Laapataa LadiesMurder MubarakEpisode 154Crew INTERVAL ("Ghagra" from Crew) Monkey ManAmar Singh ChamkilaEpisode 155Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2Kalki 2898 ADSharmajee Ki BetiKill 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: Bollywood DraftsPreity ZintaSangharshHeaven on Earth INTERVAL ("It's Time to Disco" from Kal Ho Naa Ho) Kal Ho Naa HoAnand Salaam NamasteJaaved JaffreyBaby drop rate 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: HeeramandiTawaifsBe 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: QalaAmadeusHalloween VI: Hell Hath No Fury, Stree and Bulbbul with Matthew StepanicElvisNorah Jones INTERVAL ("Baaja" from Amar Singh Chamkila) Dil-Luminati TourWee Book InnAmar Singh ChamkilaAmar Singh ChamkilaMr. Holland's OpusJodi 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: Our Noirvember playlistTo Those Who Killed MeCall of the VoidDetective Bymokesh Bakshy!"When the Hindu Right Came for Bollywood"Byomkesh BakshiKosuke Kindaichi INTERVAL ("Calcutta Kiss" from Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!) Murder MubarakThe 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: Madhuri MadnessMadhuban Performing ArtsUrja YegAarzooDarkmanDosti Karte NahinMil Jaate HainSt. Andrews INTERVAL ("Kay Sera Sera" from Pukar) Que Sera SeraPukarHai Jaana Hai Jaana 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: International Women’s DayMadhuri MadnessParadise IslandMrityudandShabana AzmiOm PuriPrakash Jha INTERVAL ("Badi Mushkil" from Lajja) LajjaManisha KoiralaAjay 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 SarkarRainbow 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 AwardsNeeyatEpisode 150Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem KahaaniSupplemental Episode 17JawanJaane JaanEpisode 149Khufiya INTERVAL ("Dishoom Dishoom" from The Archies) Thank You for Coming12th FailTiger 3AnimalThis is the only Bullet Machine we respect in these partsThe ArchiesKho 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: Supplemental Episode 8: 60 Questions 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 BalanBobby Jasoos INTERVAL ("Sweety" from Bobby Jasoos) NeeyatAnu Menon 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: NoirvemberNoirvember playlistSujoy GhoshAdventures in the Public Domain: Aladin and Arjun: The Warrior PrinceKahaani INTERVAL ("Jaane Jaan" from Jaane Jaan) Jaane JaanThe Devotion of Suspect XKeigo HigashinoDrishyamAa Jane JaanIntaquam 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: Neighbours trailerTooth Pari: When Love BitesPratim D. GuptaX: 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: Sunny SinghA Bollywood State of Mind: A journey into the world’s biggest cinemaJawan 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: Netflix and Dil: High and Low - Cinema Marte Dum Tak and The RomanticsYaasssh Chopra: Lamhe & Veer-Zaara with Manish MathurZanjeerYash ChopraRajesh KhannaThomas HardyAb Chahe Maa RootheDouglas Sirk INTERVAL ("Ni Main Yaar Manana Ni" from Daag) DeewaarGunga JumnaMother IndiaHong Kong cinemaSlumdog MillionaireBachchan: 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