bollywood

The Bollywood Dance Workout With Hemalayaa
$14.99
I have tried this video a few times. The problem I have is that she jumps right into the steps without either an explanation or slowed down version of what she is doing. It says that it is for all experience levels, but as a novice in this type of dance (I have some bellydance under my belt), I didn't feel that it catered to a beginner. I had a difficult time keeping up and would get frustrated because she would change things up so quickly. I'm going to give it another chance because I'm hoping I will be able to get the hang of it, but it was difficult for me to keep up, except for during the cool down.

Bollywood/Hollywood
$14.98
This is the story of an Indian family in Canada. There is the young man (Rahul Khanna) who promised Dad to look after the family after his death. The family is an odd one with a brother who takes video footage of everything happening in the family, a drama queen mother, a grandmother who sets people up and then throws off lines from Shakespeare, a pregnant sister engaged to be married. The grandmother wants the young man to find a good Indian woman as a bride. He doesn't want to but appears to comply so his sister can marry. He finds a girl who will pose as an Indian bride and then finds out she is Indian. I could go on and on and give the plot away.
However this movie is a string of Bollywood stereotypical situations as situations keep arising that typify well-known Indian movies. That was the OK bit for me. But the treatment was offbeat in a way than jarred for me. It has a sort of intellectual smart-aleck feel to it- almost like a group of film students had got together and woven things together. Actors make references to things like 'existential angst', comments are written over various frames with references to titles of Bollywood movies and we have grandma mouthing responses like 'this is the winter of our discontent'. For me it was more an arthouse vanity project than anything I could sit and enjoy.
I did think Rahul Khanna (who was playing it straight and drifting through making reference to the madness around him) was very good. Akshaye Khanna appears as himself for a cameo as the young man's friend saying the young man is like a brother to him (and he is Akshayes' real brother).
A salute to, or even a send up of Bollywood would be fine but it felt self-consciously intellectual and I didn't find the heart I like in Bollywoods.
Now this one really gets a range of responses. I see it won some awards in Canada. When I checked IMDb, it was rating (with almost 1500 votes at about a 6 out of 10 across age-groups - but with quite a few giving it 1 or 2. On Indian sites, it ranges from 'boring, inept, condescending to both Indians and non-Indians' to 'great spoof'! I didn't have any fun with this one- perhaps you will. Not a keeper

Beachcombers! Ethnic Glass Indian Wedding Bridal Bollywood Bangles Belly Dance Bracelets Set Orange & Yellow
$14.99
Real indian glass bangles from Beachcombers! These glass bangles are the same found in India used for weddings, parties and other social events. Now you can add them to your collection and wear them everywhere. Unlike pre-made bangle sets that offer no individuality, we create unique sets exclusive to Beachcombers. Beachcombers! makes sure that you stay ahead of the fashion curve by only offering a limited amount of sets per style. We always pack extras to offset any breakage. As your collection grows you can mix and match sets to make new sets. Wear a few bangles or the whole set. Break up the set and wear on both arms, its up to you. Bangles are hand-made in India and/or Pakistan. Made of glass.

The Essential Guide to Bollywood
$12.95
Subhash K. Jha is one of the most informed and read film critics of Hindi movies, and his work is easily accessible also on line. He shares, I believe, a long time friendship with Amitabh Bachchan who has written the foreword to this nice and useful booklet. Basically this lavishly illustrated guide to Bollywood movies from the 1940's to 2003 is divided into film categories such as drama, comedy, war drama, thrillers, romance, historical, action and parallel cinema. Each movie is a small card with a synopsis, detailed even if brief movie information, but expecially pleasing tidbits of gossip and crossreferences to other movies or contemporary Hindi culture. The real value of this book among the many Bollywood movie guides is the exceptional insight of the Author in the choice of the reviewed movies. Leafing through the text we have the impression that he is actually describing the movies he liked and that he deams important as having influenced modern Indian culture. Bollywood industry has the curious characteristic of making classifications in hits and flops, blockbusters, superhits and hits, etc, but even if these are mentioned at the end of the book, the choice of the 200 Hindi movies is not conditioned by this philosophy.
Very useful if you want to learn something about this colorful and particular film world.
I will definitely try to see all the mentioned movies!