Are you looking for some drama in your life? Some escapism from having to stay inside? Some romance? Some insanely ridiculous comedy? Some shots of Shah Rukh Khan’s hair blowing in the wind? Look no further. Over lockdown I have watched a frankly unhealthy amount of Hindi films and here are a couple of my top recommendations from the past few weeks for anyone looking to get into Indian cinema:

1. Amar, Akbar, Anthony.

If you’re a fan of seeing Amitabh Bachchan’s long legs, some ridiculous 70s style and an insanely dramatic plot, look no further. This film follows three brothers who are separated at birth and raised into different religions: Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. With arguably more drama in the first 5 minutes than the entirety of Hum Saath Saath Hain put together, this film had me on the edge of my seat from the start. VERY catchy songs, beautiful mother-son relationships and great 70s outfits given to us by the stunning Parveen Babi.

Most memorable line: Anthony Gonzalves: “A man runs like this only two times in his life, an Olympic race or a police chase.”

2. Munna Bhai M.B.B.S

This film is so ridiculous and heartwarming it almost had me in tears. If you are a fan of goons you must watch this. The plot follows Munna, a notorious goon, who lies to his parents about his career and ends up cheating his way into medical school with the hopes of making them proud of him for once. However, he ends up thriving as a medical student, bringing life back to almost-dead patients and falling in love with the beautiful doctor and daughter of the Dean, Dr. Suman.

Best character: Munna’s goon sidekick Circuit. We all wish we could have a friend like him.

3. English Vinglish

Shoutout to one of my aunties who recommended this to me, what a film! I would 100% recommend this to anyone. SO beautiful and heartwarming, this film follows an entrepreneur and mother who travels to America for her niece’s wedding and takes classes in English. If you loved Queen, you will definitely love this! She forms a beautiful relationship with her classmates and learns a lot about herself, her family and the world. Also the cinematography in this film is just amazing.

Also featuring: surprise appearance from Amitabh Bachchan.

4. Kal Ho Naa Ho

It has been a few months now since I saw this film but WOW, what an incredible one it is. The most incredible songs. So much drama. Shah Rukh Khan’s face. This film tells the story of Naina, a student from New York who falls in love with her neighbour who is terminally ill and tries to set her up with Saif Ali Khan. This film is a classic of the 2000s era and pretty progressive for its time. You will have so much fun watching this I promise.

There are really too many great ones to include, but for now I’ll leave it here. Let us know on our instagram if there’s any that you’d recommend us to watch!