Sometime back, me and my friend were talking about the differences that set Hollywood and Bollywood apart. Of course there are the elaborate dances and musicals that give Bollywood its charm, but the acting is the key essence that makes all the difference. For example, when you watch a Hollywood movie, you’ll notice that the actors display this mysterious sense of emotion that leaves the audience to interpret their actual feelings. Bollywood, on the other hand, will make the emotions very clear not only by dialogue, but also by the incredible facial expressions.
Going off of this, I was thinking about the different characters and scenes I have resonated with in some of my favorite Bollywood movies. Before I knew it, I was listing the life of every college student. If you’re not familiar with Bollywood movies, I hope these scenarios accompanied by some of my favorite Bollywood gifs resonate with you and hopefully make you want to check out some of the great productions by the industry.
1. It’s your first day back on campus after a long summer and you finally feel like yourself again.
Movie: Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham (BTW totally recommend. It’s a classic. I haven’t met a single Bollywood fanatic that hasn’t sat through this four-hour movie.)
2. Speaking of, what is college without your BFFs? They’re the ones that are there for you through the good outfit days AND the bad hair days.
Movie: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na (Two college best friends with personal problems at home confide in each other and fall in love.)
3. Those beginning days of the semester where everyone decides to dress nice before their time and energy is ripped to shreds.
Movie: Student of the Year (A college full of students compete to win the holy grail title of ‘student of the year’ by participating in various academic, athletic and arts competitions.)
4. If you go to an athletics heavy school, game day is what you’ve been looking forward to since last year.
Movie: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (Another classic. A girl falls in love with her best friend at college, but he loves the hot girl in school. Story of everyone’s life.)
5. Then the first exam week hits and you call your mom crying about your grades.
Movie: Devdas (Guy comes back from studying in London in hopes of marrying his childhood best friend. They’re not allowed to wed as by their caste differences.)
6. You noticed how I said mom? It’s because all of your friends are too busy spending time with their boyfriends/girlfriends. What does a ‘single’ person have to do to get some attention around here?
Movie: Dear Zindagi (Girl facing psychological baggage from her childhood struggles with her adult romantic life.)
7. But you know what makes things better? When your crush walks by…
Movie: Om Shanti Om (Two souls connect in another life to avenge the man that set them apart in their past life.)
I’m going to end it there because I can go on and on. If you found any of these plots even slightly entertaining, you should definitely take time to watch some of them. You won’t regret it because Bollywood always leaves you wanting more!