Thank you A.R. Rahman....

Since when did Bollywood become so cool?

I mean, seriously, I just watched Slumdog Millionare for the first time tonight, and yes, it was an incredible display of storytelling and cinematography, but let’s get honest people: the best part of that movie was the dance they do during the credits in the train station...that’s right, the Bollywood one.

I will not disclose the company that I was in when I first saw said dance sequence, but let’s just say they weren’t exactly fans…leaving me- the last holdout- to be the only person on the verge of jumping off the couch just so I could start dancing. I don’t know what it was exactly, but something inside of me wanted to jump for joy as soon as the fog machine had cleared away to reveal an entire ensemble of nice-looking people conveniently dressed in dance clothes and neatly aligned in a train station…in these situations, it can only mean one thing is coming: an epic song and dance sequence.

I’m getting the feeling that the reason Bollywood is so cool is because it’s everything American cinema isn’t: bright, epic, and unashamedly tacky. That’s not to say American cinema isn’t tacky- quite a bit of it is- it’s just made better by the fact that Bollywood isn’t afraid to advertise that point if it means box office success.

Ok, not going to lie: I’ve seen one “official” Bollywood film in my life- Bride and Prejudice. Does Slumdog count? What are other Bollywoods I should watch? Oh dear, I think that seeing this movie tonight has opened up an entirely new realm of possibilities…

-Abby