After being burnt and deliberately avoiding Bollywood, I happened on two movies recently that gave me some hope.  Neither was brand new so this may seem like old news for some. Not for me though and given the power of the pen and all that, write I will…

Since I have been so Bollywood-critical lately (well-deserved criticism, may I add), I want to take a moment to counter balance that with a bit of appreciation. 

One of these movies was Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, a story based on the life of the Flying Sikh. Biographical, long (not as good as Paan Singh Tomar) but still worth it. Made by the same people who gave us Rang De Basanti, it is watchable especially because of Farhan Akhtar’s screen presence and performance.

The second movie was a sweet jewel by Vishal Bharadwaj, that highly and I mean highly, gifted film maker.  After Maqbool, Omkara, Kaminey and yes, even Saat Khoon Maaf how could he not be considered one?

This was his latest movie from early this year and therefore considered an older film but it’s one that I had not got my hands on until recently.  [You do realize that a few weeks is considered old in Bollywood, these days?]

What fun I had watching “Matru ki Bijli ka Mandola” (yes I had to look up the name of the movie to make sure I got my”ka” and “ki” right)!

And Pankaj Kapur, you absolute darling of an actor! Credit goes to Mr. Bhardwaj for delivering such a smart, satirical comedy and for his smart casting choices as well.

So, yes. For all the gibberish that a Rohit Shetty throws at the populace with a “record-breaking” Chennai Express, there are some gems out there, just waiting to be discovered.

The best part is that gems such as these actually allow you take your brain to the movies with you.

There is hope for Bollywood. What can I say? I’m (still) an optimist.

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