Shah Rukh Khan:
Best Bollywood Movie List
Here’s #6-10 of my recommended list of Shah Rukh Khan movies to watch, in the order I think is most approachable for a Western audience.
Best Shah Rukh Khan Bollywood Movies #6:
Main Hoon Na (shorthand: MHN)
On a completely different plane from Devdas, Main Hoon Na is quite Western in style and a true marsala movie (ie. it has a bit of everything for everyone). It has a background of India-Pakistani tensions with a terrorist sub-plot, but nothing too gory, certainly no worse than your average Hollywood movie (I have a low tolerance for gory stuff). But in the foreground is a purely fun story of a military man who goes undercover (badly) as a student to play bodyguard to his boss’ daughter. The music is great and this movie contains two of my all-time favorite bollywood film songs. The title roughly translates as “I’m here now”.
Best Shah Rukh Khan Bollywood Movies #7:
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (shorthand: DDLJ)
This is the classic I mentioned earlier, in which he stars with Kajol (still probably the most bankable Bollywood pairing), in the longest running Bollywood movie ever. It released in 1995 and still going. Again it’s true love pitted against family opposition and forced arranged marriages. The title translates roughly as “The one with heart will get the bride.”
One of the fun things to do in Mumbai (Bombay) would be to go and see it in the cinema. I haven't done this yet, but will next time I go there, like a Bollywood Pilgrimage! It would probably be best to watch it on DVD first though, so you have the benefit of subtitles. Then even if there's not subtitles in the Mumbai cinema, you'll know what's going on.
Best Shah Rukh Khan Bollywood Movies #8:
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (shorthand: KKHH)
This movie, which roughly translates as “Something’s Happened”, is set in modern times but with high school flashbacks. It’s a story of old friends being reunited years later. But there are obstacles to their developing love story (of course). This one’s great and even though the flashback scenes can be a bit too cheesy, everyone I’ve shown it to, loves it by the end. If you’ve followed the viewing order, you’re probably hooked by now anyway.
Best Shah Rukh Khan Bollywood Movies #9:
Dil Se
This one is a little more confrontational than the others, but it’s definitely worth watching. He plays a radio-reporter who falls in love at first sight with a random girl at a train station. When he sees her again, he is still smitten and becomes more and more intrigued and pursues her relentlessly (think obsessive borderline stalking) to prove his love. He gets waaay more than he’s bargained for, but by then he’s committed himself. It also stars Manisha Koirala and is the debut movie release of Preity Zinta, who plays a supporting character.
Best Shah Rukh Khan Bollywood Movies #10:
Asoka
This one is at the end, not because it isn’t an awesome movie, but just because I’m not so good with gore, and this is a movie about an ancient Indian leader called Asoka (pronouced Ashoka), but there are so many battle scenes that put me off just a bit. It also stars Kareena Kapoor in the only movie I’ve seen her in where she isn’t completely overacting, in fact she’s quite good as a warrior princess, watch out Zena!
Ready for More?
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but will give you a taste of the kinds of roles in which he shines. They’re the ones I’d see first. Enjoy—I know you will.
The only problem is after watching several awesome Bollywood movies, you’ll never be satisfied with a normal 1.5 hour hollywood movie again! Are you up for the challenge?
Watch Shah Rukh Khan Movies now…
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