to kick off discussion, let’s start with two similar but extremely entertaining Hindi films(Bollywood movies). both films are worth watching and adoring, despite but preferably for their similarities. we’ll take a journey through both stories, taking into consideration, time period, characters, etc. each film has its own lovable quality, making it all the more enjoyable to pick apart and savor. both of these films are Hindi in language(with sprinkles of Punjabi) and rich with Indian culture, thought, food and religion. the best thing about a “Bollywood” film is all these things are wrapped in a 2-3 hr musical draped with rom-com nutty goodness. obviously this will most definitely be a multi-post endeavor, however i hope that it will be fun, thought-provoking and stinking wonderful to dive into these movies i’ve thoroughly enjoyed countless times. and if either, isn’t on any of your lists of great storytelling, great chemistry, all time favorite or classic, then let’s try our best to add one(or both)… IMMEDIATELY!
with very little understanding of Hindi one could garner quickly that “jab”(pronounced job, not jab, therefore has nothing to do with boxing nor rhymes with stab) translates to “when” in English. therefore, this film is basically like every other rom-com on the planet, telling the story of how two people meet, fall in love and try to decide what to do about that love once it occurs.
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge or D.D.L.J.,its lovingly called, of course isn’t as easy to decipher(though the synopsis still stands). for one, I would say, it has a lot to do with the time period and the ideological direction of the director. in short, more English based titles are constructed now than were available in 1995, in addition, more English is spoken in Hindi films today than then, which reflects a change in Indian young adults and moviegoers. basically, the title translates “The Brave Hearted Will Take the Bride.” now i’ve seen “brave” translated as “big” but i like “brave” better. either way, it can signify the same meaning: one has to work to achieve love. which is a concept, i personally adore. [interesting enough this idea is another point of comparison of our two films, but tuck that way for later.]
on the surface its easy to see that these films take place in the same country(India), within the same time span(a few months), on the same mode of transport(train), and the characters are relatively the same age with plenty of the same social mores applying to both couples. the base comparisons go on and on, however one large contrast is the “overall” tone of both films; one is decidedly lighter.
with.subtitles.please. 
Unnichan, I didn’t expect to see Jab We Met in a blog. i watched it earlier this year off Netflix with my cousins. Unless I stream it, I usually do not search blogs/recaps. But I really loved is movie, and rewatched it. I’ve seen only a few Bollywood films, but this one resonated with me.
I haven’t seen DDLJ yet, but I’ll try to find it, and I look forward to the rest of this series.
Please do! I haven’t forgotten about this, and I will be adding a post very soon. DDLJ was my second Hindi film some hundreds of years ago(kekekeke). Please try to find it. It’s wonderful. Jab We Met as I said is very similar just more modern.
WOW, I am so glad to read all your thoughts on ‘Jab We Met’, a movie I love watching again n again. I think Imtiaz was able to give the cliched love story lots of heart and humour.
Unfortunately, DDLJ never appealed to me that way. When I was small, it used to be so big n everybody used to love it. But by the time I got to watching it, for me, it had become a bit stale. The movie has its moments n may be I will enjoy it a bit more if I watch it again. But both these movies are worth comparing.
Read your train post as well. You brought out the symbolism so well and I loved all your thoughts on what the train stood for in JWM. I will never forget Geet’s dialogue the night before her engagement with Anshuman that she feels something is wrong like she is gonna miss a train. Truly lovely!
Btw, Anshuman is a Hindu n Geet is a Punjabi Sikh.
Keep writing ur reviews. Love reading them.
Thank you for reading, commenting, and the encouragement, mimi! And I’m glad you enjoyed my thoughts. You read all three posts? Wow!
I love both films equally; DDLJ for the classic sweeping nature and JWM for the modern rom-com.
I don’t know why I said Anshuman was Muslim but I really didn’t pay too much attention to him or anything cause he was such a creep. I should do a post on him (LOL). With that said, I do plan on at least two more posts. I love to talk about the similarities in the films because JWM is the modern DDLJ. Not the same film but has so many of the same elements that it’s hard to ignore.
Geet’s comment about the train just brought the symbolism to the forefront, making it a meta moment that I loved.
The main characters in the film are such wonderful characters that I could gush about because there’s something great about all of them.
DDLJ may seem like this older film that’s too dramatic but there’s so much heart that builds into more than a drama about romance and ends up being a film about respect.
Thank you again. See you at the next post.