I love Hindi films and that is what has inspired me to learn Hindi. I watch one or two Hindi films almost every week :)
I have been studying Hindi since June and have just joined here to help solidify what I am learning.
I would love to discuss Hindi films if anyone else watches :)
Any other Hindi film addicts?
meezercat
December 26, 2010
Nathan-S
December 27, 2010
Namaste Michelle!
I have only just really started to watch hindi films, and listening to music for that matter! None the less, I enjoy both! Do you have any films that you would suggest?
meezercat
December 28, 2010
Hmmm, well, I don't know what kinds of movies you like. My first one was Kal Ho Naa Ho, and I often recommend it to others...it is VERY melodramatic, but I love it, it's one of my favorites.
Some other good ones: 3 Idiots, Taare Zameen Par, My Name is Khan, Veer-Zaara...
If you tell me what kinds of movies you like to watch, I can maybe give you some better suggestions too.
Nathan-S
December 31, 2010
Thanks! Yeah, I can watch really anything. Of course, some are better than others.
meezercat
December 31, 2010
Well, try some of those - most if not all should be available on Netflix (if you don't have Netflix, it's a great place to rent Hindi films!)
Joe-M
January 2, 2011
Kal Ho Naa Ho is a great film. I actually like most films with Shah Rukh Khan in them ( or so I'm finding out )..
Veer-Zaara is by far one of my favorites of all time, second to Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna ( to which I can relate 100% ).
I agree with you about Netflix. That's where I got hooked...
meezercat
January 3, 2011
Shahrukh Khan is my favorite! Others I like are Abhishek Bachchan, Aamir Khan, and Shahid Kapoor... For actresses I like Rani Mukherjee, Anushka Sharma, and Deepika Padukone.
Can't stand Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, or Katrina Kaif...but I watch their films anyway for Hindi practice ;)
Sorry to hear you can relate to KANK...good film but very sad...
Joe-M
January 4, 2011
Thanks... Yeah, that movie is very sad, but is also very beautiful. I watch that movie over and over...lol
I can watch most of the actors / actresses, but agree, I have my favorites...
Noel-B
January 10, 2011
Yes a bit of of bollywood lover a good ..one jab we met .singh is king, rabne di jodi and two of my favorite Black (AB is brillant in this role ) and swades More recent .Once apon time in Mumbai good sound track.
Joe-M
January 11, 2011
I just watched Saawariya...
I thought it was pretty good.
Mainly Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor, with a bit of Rani Mukerjee in as well. Couple of scenes have Salman Khan, but not for very long.
tuba--1
October 16, 2011
I love Hindi films and that is what has inspired me to learn Hindi. I watch one or two Hindi films almost every week
reywijayanti--
November 2, 2011
I love Hindi film,especially the actor is shah rukh khan.
Joe-M
November 2, 2011
SRK is a great actor. He is also one of my favorites.
It's funny really... I would rather watch my Hindi films than anything coming out of Hollywood these days.
Indiangirl--
November 5, 2011
Well, I just watched Kal Ho Naa Ho part 1 of the movie and....it was great! I love it already. :)
Joe-M
November 5, 2011
Oh man, that was a good movie...
I may have to watch that one again. :-)
Keyatta-B1
March 24, 2012
I am part Indian and my favorite Hindi film is Taare Zameen Par. It is my favorite and it is a sad movie! The boy had dyslexia.
Anjaani--
December 6, 2012
Hi there anyone still watching Hindi movies?
I have been learning hindi since july and i can now follow movies without subtitles
i've just been to see Jab Tak Hai Jaan twice,
i would love to talk about movies with other people learning hindi
dianewanger--
December 21, 2012
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1759480/ peepli live
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0169102/ Lagaan
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0150433/ Earth Fantastic movie and shocking ending
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0240200/ Water same director
I also liked Taare Zameen Par and several others but my netflix is on hold.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0871510/ Chak De India
Another good source to understand something about the hindu religion is to watch the major series on Krishna, Ramayana and Mahabharat on youtube. The production quality is pitifulcompared this day and age, but if you start at the the beginning you will come to a deep understanding of major precepts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QziiWi8ADY
Check for subtitles. When these originally aired the country came to a standstill.
Anjaani--
December 29, 2012
Hi Diane
I have Chak De India on DVD i think it is very good, I used to play hockey myself so i really enjoyed this. I subscribe to Eros entertainment and Spuul, i find these are much better than Netflix.
I will certainly try the series' you suggest
Anjaani
Christopher-K17
January 2, 2013
I'm a huge Indian film fan and have been for the past few years. I started off watching Main Hoon Na, Om Shanti Om, those sorts of big Bollywood films. More recently I've discovered a different side to the cinema which I quite like. Movies like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara are really beautiful. Not big melodramatic musicals (which I absolutely love) like a lot of others films.
If you're looking for the most stereotypical Bollywood film as an experience I would suggest Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. It has played in a cinema in Mumbai for almost 15 years, holding the record for the longest ever run film in cinemas. With over 800 films being made in India its not like there is nothing else to replace it with, its just that great and people keep watching it. It has my two favourite actors of all time, Shahrukh Khan and Kajol.
Anjaani--
January 9, 2013
Hi Christopher,
I've just got back on line after a serious problem with my broadband! (total pain) I love Main Hoon Na, not so keen on Om Shanti Om but like you i am finding more and more facets to Bolllywood movies. I don't know if you're interested in films that deal with issues facing society but Bol is particularly moving and a quite well make film. Rab Ne Banadi Jodi is a fairly typical offering quite a sweet story and SRK on good form but also from a media point of view it has some technically excellent scenes especially for the song Haule Haule.
Natali--10
January 11, 2013
Namaskar
I've seen Jab Tak Hai Jaan recently - and I liked it greatly!
But I'd rather Indian movie addict on the whole, not only Hindi.
Namste
Anjaani--
January 11, 2013
i love Jab Tak Hai Jaan, I saw it twice and the cinema and now i've got the DVD. I have seen other indian movies but am tending to watch mostly Hindi movies to help my studies. i sometimes find it hard to identify when the characters start to speak in other languages like in Jab We Met when they use Punjabi. then i get confused. I like the variety of types of movie but i think SRK is the best, he is a really subtle actor and it is always easy to hear his lines it helps me with the sound and rhythm of spoken Hindi.
Kathleen-C20
January 18, 2013
At first I wanted to learn Hindi to be able to understand filmi song lyrics better. . SRK is my absolute favorite actor; Sukhwinder Singh is my absolute favorite singer. I liked Rab Na Bana Di Jodi because it had both. Mohabbatein is what I'm watching now. I figure out what to watch from IMDB (following actor names and so on), Bollywood sites, and a Nepali exchange student. He keeps telling me that Hindi songs are SO NOT the way to learn how to speak; I'm finding many bad pronunciation habits that are hard to break.
Anjaani--
January 21, 2013
I am finding the same but if you think about it, the same thing happens in english songs words are stretched to fit the music and diction is not really important. do you follow the subtitles Kathleen? because I find the translations are not always literal especially in songs.
Kathleen-C20
January 21, 2013
I know, Anjaani! :) You are exactly right.
For me, the good thing about songs and learning a different language is that some words and phrases are repeated over and over, like zindagi, main hoon, pyaar, aaja. Then I might hear and recognize the words again in another song, movie title, or dialog. Then, when seeing them in a Hindi lesson, somehow I don't feel as overwhelmed.
Just knowing the gist of what the song is about is often all I want. For example, in a video of "Love Mera Hit Hit", I think I've figured out enough without seeing the translated lyrics. On the other hand, I really wanted to understand "Haule Haule," so I visited a few lyrics translation sites (not just lyricsmasti, which I use the most) for different interpretations.
In movies, I first realized how important subtitles are when I watched Tanu Weds Manu. The English subtitles were SO terrible and SO inappropriate that they were hilarious, but they got in the way of the actual dialog and made the film seem worse. When movies are in a language I understand (German) I try to ignore the English subtitles, because I start arguing with the translators and lose track of the story!
I agree with what you say about Shahrukh 100%. For me, Sukhwinder Singh's Hindi songs are similar. His diction is clear, and I've picked up pronunciation differences like "a" versus "aa" and "hai" versus "hain."
I understand that he is Punjabi. That reminds me of the whole issue of regional language differences -- that's for another time! Sorry for the long post.
Anjaani--
January 22, 2013
the first time i realised i was actually understanding what was being said and not just following the subtitles was when the subtitles for a film were 'out of sinc', and were appearing on screen about 30 seconds too late. i remember thinking ' hey they just said that!' after beining annoyed about the mix up I got quite excited so sometimes bad subtitle can give you a boost to learning.
your post was very interesting, i think we are quite alike, i do the same when i am watching French films.
one thing i have discovered is that i can 'flip' between languages sort of like a book in my head. if you think of a word in your first language and then 'flip' through all your other languages can you see the corresponding word in them too. now i am using this technique to help expand my vocabulary in a more structured way.
i hope you read this and respond, it is great 'chatting' with you
Kathleen-C20
January 22, 2013
Yeah, for me, when I first watched a German film and realized I could have done a better job than whoever did the subtitles, I felt I could finally state "I can speak German." In Tanu, the example that stands out was when the wild young woman character said "shit, shit, shit." The subtitle was "Oh my, my, I am very anxious." or something like that. I laughed so hard I missed the rest of that scene. In a translation course I took, the main thing to remember was that exact word-for-word translation was secondary to the translation being APPROPRIATE to the time and place and person, or to the general emotional feeling of poetry and fiction. Okay, I admit that I get way too excited about translations.
Wow, though - I am completely different as far as "language flipping." It's the opposite of orderly in my little brain. One example -- why do I remember the word for "nails" in Spanish but not in German? Et cetera. I really admire you for being able to do that. I can almost feel my brain flopping around when I try.
Hey, today I was doing housework and listening to Desi Radio Mix, and I recognized the word "danyavad" in a song. Yay, a little triumph! If I could do that once a day, I'd be happy.
Guess I'd better go on to my next lesson and get out of my Bollywood frame of mind.
I do enjoy comparing notes with you. ~ kathleen
Anjaani--
January 29, 2013
I have just got a free month on the netflix site and they have uploaded lots more indian films, it is worth looking at if you are able to view films online. (genre: world cinema, sub-genre: bollywood)
Anjaani--
January 29, 2013
hi Kathleen,
I've just watched Wake Up Sid and thought you'd enjoy the subtitle for the last line in the film. the character said 'I love you Sid' and the subtitles read 'Sid I love you' I know it's stupid of me but I just found it hilarious.
Kathleen-C20
February 2, 2013
That is funny! I wonder what they were thinking. Maybe they get paid per line "translated?"
Also: yes, Netflix has lots of Hindi films. I was watching them on the TV through Roku, and when that crashed, through wii. Of course, that also crashed. After that, I haven't watched many Bollyood movies online, because I am not crazy about watching them on my pc, nor my husband's laptop. I have several movies in my Netflix queue, though. Should I see Wake Up Sid?
Anjaani--
February 3, 2013
Wake Up Sid is quite good, fairly typical love story with some quite good songs. I've just finished watching Dangerous Ishq, it is really good, it is set in different eras with the main characters being reborn, so you get lots of different styles of costume. the subtitles were quite good.
Sara-S44
February 9, 2013
'Mohabbatein' a most wonderful film directed by Aditya Chopra, staring Shahrukh Khan!
Chinku-T
March 21, 2013
mai hindi filme nahi dekh sakte kyonki mujhe nahi samaj aati. i dont watch hindi films because it frustrates me when i dont understand whats been said.
muniko
March 28, 2013
Hey I'm definitely a Bollywood movie addict, haven't watched many other movies from India besides that. It definitely got me into learning Hindi, because if you hear the phrases enough you just pick them up.I even started Bollywood dancing for a better excuse XD
Chinku-T
March 31, 2013
yes i can pick up only a little phrases i love hindi songs too.
Anjaani--
April 11, 2013
Hi everyone,
We all have so many different experiences of learning about the language and culture of different countries, but the one thing we all appear to have in common is discovering a passion for one aspect of a culture that acts as a springboard into further study.
I fell in love the the Hindi language after watching bollywood movies for a college media project. Thanks to watching movies and the Rocket Hindi course I can now follow most movies (not political ones!) without the subtitles. You may have read some of my earlier posts on the subject of subtitles!
I have also joined a bollywood dance class and we are doing our first performance at our local community centre this weekend.
Marie-A23
June 24, 2013
I would recommend two really good pakistani films: BOL and Khuda kie lie. Realistic films that take up very important matters and problems.
John-H8
September 20, 2013
Hi All,
I recommend the following movies.
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
Dil To Pagal Hai
Veer-Zaara
Mohabbatein
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
My Name is Khan
Happy learning Hindi through movies.
Namaste
John
Tony-C44
June 28, 2014
I love Hindi (Bollywood) films (my favourites being Billu; Chalo Dilli; Khatta Meetha; Jab we Met; Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and many more).
As far as learning Hindi from them, I think they're useful as a kind familiarisation of the sounds and expressions. Hopefully Rocket will fill in the gaps so I don't have to revert to reading the subtitles - I think they'll be even more enjoyable then :-)
maha266
September 26, 2014
I like Indiana movies too , I have never learned Hindi before, but I find my self able to understand (little) indian people when they speak because of the movies . I have not watch any recently, but I recommend ( English v english ) film that made in indiana and in USA. good one!
Thailea--
December 25, 2014
Has anyone yet seen Aamir Khan's new movie PK? Is it good?
Deven--3 देवन--३
August 18, 2015
I did see PK and I highly recommend it. It was very good. बहुत
अच्छा था!
Gaurav (Rocket Hindi Tutor)
October 18, 2015
It was a good movie.