Several colleagues have recently commented that they have begun noticing the increasing number of Bollywood films on Netflix.
If you are new to Indian cinema, here are five Hindi films now in rotation on the streaming service that you should put on your watch list this summer. These films feature India's top stars in stories that fans around the world continue to celebrate.
1. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India
Release Date: 15 June 2001
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Music by: A. R. Rahman
Producers: Aamir Khan, Mansoor Khan
Description: Epic sports-drama. In 1890s India, an arrogant British commander challenges the harshly taxed residents of Champaner to a high-stakes cricket match.
Why I Love This Film: Besides introducing you to the basics of the game of cricket, the film features an ensemble cast of flawed characters who must unite and fight for their rights under oppressive circumstances. This film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 74th Academy Awards (2002), becoming the third Indian film to be nominated in the category after Mother India (1957), and Salaam Bombay! (1988).
2. Swades: We the People
English Translation: "Native Land"
Release Date: 17 December 2004
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Music by: A. R. Rahman
Producers: Ashutosh Gowariker, Ronnie Screwvala
Description: Drama. An Americanized NASA scientist (Shah Rukh Khan) returns to his native India on a business trip and searches for the nanny who helped raise him.
Why I Love This Film: Filmed in part at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, this film provides a bridge between the life of a middle-class worker in America and the lives of people living in rural India. As our NASA scientist learns to embrace his heritage while sharing his knowledge, we are brought along for the ride - and enriched through the journey.
3. Taare Zameen Par
English Title: "Like Stars on Earth"
Release Date: 21 December 2007
Director and Producer: Aamir Khan
Written by: Amole Gupte
Music by: Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy
Description: Drama. When 8-year-old daydreamer Ishaan is sent to boarding school, an unconventional art teacher Nikumbh (Aamir Khan) tries to help the imaginative student discover his true self.
Why I Love This Film: Nikumbh is the teacher you wish you had or strive to be. While much of the film focuses on the challenges faced by Ishaan, Nikumbh's patience and perseverance with his student pays off.
4. Special 26
Release Date: 8 February 2013
Written and Directed by: Neeraj Pandey
Music by: M. M. Kreem, Surinder Sodhi
Producers: Shital Bhatia, Kumar Mangat
Description: Heist drama. Based on the famous and unsolved 1987 Mumbai Opera House heist. Posing as government officials, con artists (Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher) execute a heist in the form of a raid on a prominent jeweler.
Why I Love This Film: This cat-and-mouse thriller is full of twists and turns that keep you guessing - and entertained - until the very end.
5. Happy New Year
Release Date: 24 October 2014
Director: Farah Khan
Written by: Mayur Puri
Music by: Vishal Shekhar, Dr. Zeus, Manj Musik, John Stewart Eduri
Producers: Karuna Badwal, Gauri Khan
Description: Musical heist comedy-drama. A revenge-seeking diamond thief (Shah Rukh Khan) gathers a ragtag crew (Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Boman Irani, Vivaan Shah) to infiltrate a Dubai hotel hosting a dance contest. But they first have to learn how to dance.
Why I Love This Film: Nearly a year in the making, this film brings together some of Bollywood's top stars for an amusing take on the ensemble cast heist film that doesn't take itself too seriously. Particularly notable is the "Kung Fu Fighting" scene on the rooftop of a Dubai skyscraper. If you want a film that puts a smile on your face, this is the movie for you.
The following playlist features trailers for each of these films.
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