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 Dav…

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…

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…

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…

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 Se…

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 Di…

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 y…

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-Lumina…

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! "Whe…

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" …

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 pol…

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…

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 T…

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:…

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 NE…

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 effectivene…

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 Lov…

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 Pod…

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…

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 Ru…

After bemoaning the state of Bollywood in our last episode, Karan Johar has given us something worth celebrating! Show notes: Thank you Manish Mathur for joining us (and suggesting we record this surprise episode)! Listen to It Pod to Be You Rocky Aur Rani Prem Kii Kahaani NEXT TIME: Netflix and Dil Saas, Bahu Aur Flamingo Find us on Apple Podcasts…

Somehow we are more than halfway through 2023, which means it's time for the midyear review where we discuss 11 Hindi-language films that have come out so far this year. Show notes: Pathaan (Supplemental 14) Almost Pyaar with Dj Mohabbat Shehzada Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar Mrs. Chetterjee vs Norway Bheed INTERVAL ("Bandaa Title Track" from Sirf Ek Ban…

It's been a rough year so far for Bollywood, but luckily there are plenty of new streaming shows that have caught our attention, some might say too many though. That means it's time for another pilot season where we watch the pilot of six shows and choose which one we are going to watch, and review, a whole season of! Show notes: The Streaming Show…

We welcome Canadian musician and playback singer Shashaa Tirupati on to discuss her career in Indian cinema, as well as winning a National Film Award and what it's like to work with A.R. Rahman and other top composers. Show notes: Shashaa Tirupati and her Youtube channel Shashaa's beautiful Tamil interpretation of Bon Iver's "Perth" #BollywoodMonst…

Strap in Lovers, we’re going on an international chase to catch Asia’s biggest criminal mastermind, Don. Show notes: It's not only difficult to catch Don (1978), it's impossible “Bachchan ‘76 - ‘78″ The Making of Don Don: The Chase Begins Again Petronas Towers, as seen in Entrapment Songs: “Yeh Mera Dil,” “Main Hoon Don,” and “Khaike Paan Banaraswa…

We go back to the swinging sixties to get our groove on and maybe solve a murder or two, or ten, if we don’t end up dead ourselves! Show notes: Erin forgets why they wanted to do this episode Ranveer Singh was in a ‘60s pastiche, and it was terrible Ghost World and And Then There Were None Gumnaam Pran is a fashion king Songs: “Hum Kaale Hain To,” …

We go back to the golden age of filmmaking in Bombay with Vikramaditya Motwane’s period drama Jubilee. Show notes: 68th Filmfare Awards Breaking Free: Vikramaditya Motwane’s Udaan, Lootera, and Trapped Jubilee “Jubilee Is a Beautifully Mounted Show About the 1930s but the Women Pioneers Have Been Erased” Next time: 60s murder mysteries Thank you to…

Who better to play actors in Bollywood, than Bollywood actors? We discuss two films that present a very different take on the lifestyles of working screen actors. Show notes: Episode 3: Bollywood on Bollywood Should we redo or “react” to our early episodes? MST3K Khamosh Kaamyaab Super-R/geriatric cinema We were also surprised to find ourselves on …

In our second annual Madhuri Madness we discuss two awards-nominated performances from the early 90s. Show notes: Madhuri Madness 2022: Parinda and Dil and The Fame Game Sadly The Fame Game has been cancelled Saajan “playboy-operator type“ Comparisons to Cyrano de Bergerac Is Sanjay Dutt a convincing romantic lead? Songs: “Bahut Pyar Karte Hain,” “…

We welcome The Romantics director Smriti Mundhra on to discuss her new Netflix docuseries on Yash Raj Films, Bollywood stars' bookshelves, the nepotism question, and whether Befikre will ever find its audience. Show notes: Thank you Smriti Mundhra! Netflix and Dil: High and Low - Cinema Marte Dum Tak and The Romantics NEXT TIME: Madhuri Madness Bol…

We go behind the scenes to learn about the making of some of Hindi cinema’s most famous and infamous films with two new docuseries. Show notes: Thank you Rakesh KT! Cinema Marte Dum Tak Vice Media The Romantics Smriti Mundhra Yash Raj Films NEXT TIME: Madhuri Madness! Bollywood is For Lovers is a member of the Alberta Podcast Network Check out Telu…

Is Shah Rukh Khan here to save Bollywood? A special guest drops by to weigh in on Pathaan! Show notes: Thank you Nim aka MapleBrownie for inviting us out and joining us for this review! “Cinema in northeast Edmonton closed permanently“ via CTV “India’s Right Wing Tried to Scuttle a Film. Fans Helped It Break Records” via the New York Times Mike McC…

Well we are a month into the new year, but before we see if SRK can save Bollywood, we are looking back at the last six months of 2022. Show notes: 2022 Midyear Review Jugjugg Jeeyo Ek Villain Returns Good Luck Jerry (Episode 136) Darlings (Episode 136) Laal Singh Chaddha Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (INTERVAL (“Piya Tu Ab To Aja” from Monica, O My…

We celebrate the work of iconic masala director Manmohan Desai with two of his films, made twenty years apart. Notes: Our episodes on Amar Akbar Anthony and Mard Masala film Manmohan Desai The source that Erin looked at that had different information on Desai than what’s online is Tejaswini Ganti’s Bollywood: a guidebook to popular Hindi cinema 1st…

It’s that time of year where we polish our guns and light up our cigarettes, it’s Noirvember time and we are up to no good with two Ashok Kumar classics. Notes: Apologies for the sound quality, we discovered after recording that we had set up our mic improperly Noirvember and our Noirvember playlist Park Chan-wook isn’t a fan of Noir Film Noir Than…

We return to the mean streets of Delhi with season 2 of Netflix’s Delhi Crime. Show notes: Thank you Veedee24! Delhi Crime Netflix and Dil: Delhi Crime, or These Are Their Stories Dun Dun The year of Shefali Shah Kachcha Baniyan Gang Denotified Tribes Spoiler Zone: 31.17 - 40:12 NEXT TIME: Noirvember Bollywood is For Lovers is a member of the Alber…

It’s October and by now you probably know what that means, it’s time for Hindi Horror Halloween! This year we check out three scary movies that are remakes of popular Hollywood horror films. Notes: It’s Hindi Horror Halloween time! Khooni Murda and Mahakaal Sangharsh Is The Silence of the Lambs actually a feminist workplace drama? Hawa Rakht Dobaar…

We go back to the 1980s to catch up with two testosterone-tastic action films featuring your favourite hero and ours, Amitabh Bachchan. Notes: The Bachchan Series The never-ending search for movies with subtitles We couldn’t find 1986 or 1988 Mard Best horse and best dog Is Amrita Singh into BDSM? Jabisco’s many costume changes Hitchcock’s pure cin…

It’s back to school season, at least for some people, and we are hitting the books with two films about the right to education. Notes: Paani on launchgood.com, donations to Pakistani refugees floods.pk, a list of charities in the region trying to help 67th Filmfare Awards These awards are just copying the BiFL Awards We need to watch Ramprasad Ki T…

We do our best to not feel the wrath of these women scorned as we check out three recent(ish) black comedies with female leads. Also lots of good music recommendations in this one. Notes: Black Comedy That Mel Brooks quote was basically right: “Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.” Pushing The Envelop…

After a four year hiatus, Ranbir Kapoor is back! So we’re going back to look at a couple of his early roles. Notes: Mother India is obviously the Mother of the Year Ranbir Kapoor Method acting and the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute We are discussing method acting in America where Kapoor studied, and not method acting in India like Dilip K…

Strap on your invisibility bracelets Lovers, we’re teaming up to save the day with the one and only Mr. India! Notes: Why doesn’t EPL want to buy Mr. India? Shekhar Kapur Bandit Queen and “The Great Indian Rape Trick” Elizabeth, The Four Feathers, Elizabeth: The Golden Age The novelization of Elizabeth Kapur’s many unrealized projects Mr. India Sal…

It’s time for another midyear review where we discuss 12 of the most notable Hindi-language films released in the past six months. Notes: Looop Lapeta Gehraiyaan Badhaai Do Gangubai Kathiawadi Bachchhan Paandey Jalsa (INTERVAL (“Ami Je Tomar” from Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2) Sharmaji Namkeen Heropanti 2 Thar Jayeshbhai Jordaar Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 Anek Next ti…

We set out on the back country trails with three modern takes on the western genre. Notes: Content Warning: two of these films feature sexual assault as plot points What is a Western? Did they die out? The Emergency The period Hindi Westerns: The Magnificent Two (Sholay) Revisionist Hollywood Westerns, Dark Westerns, Blaxploitation Westerns, the li…

We go for a ride with three films about destructive car accidents and the wreckage they leave behind. Show notes: Did Erin invent a new genre? Class, privilege, and getting away with murder Chappaquiddick Shaitan Gregg Araki Anurag Kashyap’s unreleased Paanch The anti-Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na Matt was thinking of Very Bad Things (INTERVAL (“Hawa Haw…

With the Criterion Channel now streaming the work of Guru Dutt, we discuss the acclaimed director’s most iconic film, Pyaasa. Show notes: We upgraded our mic setup Criterion Channel’s The World of Guru Dutt Past episodes: Dev Anand’s Bombay Noir and Noir ‘58 Mr. Criterion: Do Bigha Zamin and Shree 420 Bollywood doesn’t need Western validation, but …

We dust off our bats and take a swing at the World Cup with two cricket biopics. Show notes: Chess boxing Past sports episodes: 6, 24, 27, & 118 M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story Is Neeraj Pandey on a downward streak? Dhoni really just wants to play soccer Why can’t these films afford decent wigs?! You shouldn’t have to be familiar with the subject matt…

We wrap up Madhuri Madness month with a look at Madhuri Dixit’s foray into streaming TV, the buzzy Netflix family mystery The Fame Game. Show notes: Supplemental Episode 3: Sri Rao's Bollywood Kitchen! The Fame Game Spoiler Zone: 37:06 - 45:00 NEXT TIME: Cricket Biopics Bollywood is For Lovers is a member of the Alberta Podcast Network Check out Th…

March Madness is here, but it isn't basketball we're excited about, it's Madhuri Dixit! Kicking off our series on one of Bollywood's most talented leading ladies, we discuss two early roles. Show notes: March Madness is a US college basketball thing The stans took over our Twitter poll Madhuri Dixit Anil Kapoor’s 80s: Mashaal, Chameli Ki Shaadi, an…

We dive head-first into the buzzy new Netflix show about romantic obsession and small-town power, but is it worth more than an eye-roll? Show notes: Tried and Refused Productions' review Rahul Desai's review at Film Companion Suchin Mehrotra's review at Film Companion NEXT TIME: Madhuri Madness begins! Bollywood is For Lovers is a member of the Alb…