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The Ba***ds of Bollywood - review


One of the joys of Netflix is that it gives you easy access to world cinema. As such I've been able to enjoy Bollywood and South Asian films. The latest one of those is in fact a series.
The Ba***ds of Bollywood is a satirical action comedy lampooning, you've guessed it, the Indian film industry. It is a fast-paced roller-coaster of a romp (sometimes even too fast, in the slightly manic way that seems characteristic of that cinema) that mixes genres to very entertaining results.
Though that largely passed me by, the secondary cast includes big names of Bollywood playing themselves (sometimes/always(?) with a musical soundbite referencing their most famous work announcing their appearance). Even Shah Rukh Khan is in there!*
There could have been more big dancing set pieces (there is only a half-hearted attempt at one) and the soundtrack was a little too Europeanised for my taste (having spent time photographing in south Asian clubs, I have developed some preferences). But these are only minor gripes.
The show is knowing, clever and funny, thrilling, visually eye-catching (I'm not just talking about the boys!) and sometimes moving too. It runs the whole gamut of cinematic emotions. There is even a twist at end (even if the penny drops just before the reveal).

Well worth a visit. * his presence may or may not have something to do with the fact that he is the father of the director...
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