My brother downloads Indian movies all the time. We watch them when they come out in cinemas here, or whenever we can get legitimate copies on DVD, but most of the times without seeing the final product buying an Indian movie without having seen it is a sure-fire way to waste your money. The problem is that the quality of Hindi film is extremely variable, and the reviews don’t really mean much. A “hit” movie could be a complete waste of time and a “flop” could be excellent. Even directors can make gems or garbage depending on the circumstances.
Perhaps it’s because they’re musical, but Indian movies are often didactic and over-done to Shakespearean proportions. Also, because they’re often so long, movies are often “two-parts”, where the two parts may as well be completely separate movies. The first part may be a waste of time, but the second part may be excellent, or a movie may have an excellent setup which ends up leading nowhere. Worst are the pretend “sophisticated” movies, or thrillers, or other movies which are really just re-done western movies with Indian settings.
To find a good Indian movie which is beautifully put together as well as having great characters and storyline is a difficult ask. To find a movie which touches you is near impossible. The last Indian movie worth it’s time was Dor. You still know well in advance how the story’s going to proceed, but it’s done extremely well. Khamoshi is brilliant purely due to Nana Patekar. In fact, Nana Patekar is so good, he completely eclipsed the fact that the movie contained Salmaan Khan, who is practically the Van Damme of Indian cinema.
If a movie as good as the ones I’ve mentioned comes about once a year would make it a good year for Indian cinema. This year’s masterpiece is definitely Chatri Chor (Umbrella Thief), or it’s english name “Blue Umbrella”. In fact, I’d put it as the best of the best. The storyline is so simple, the characters so well put together and so well acted (for the most part) I cannot fault it. The more I think about it the more brilliantly well put together the movie seems. It will appeal to everyone, bar none. Watch it, or else you suck. When it comes out on DVD, I’ll be getting it.