5 Bollywood Movies to Travel to India from home

Bollywood’s cinema has managed to captivate fans, not only in its country of creation, India, but also throughout the world. I include myself in the list of conquered, I have many films that I like, but in order not to make a huge list I have decided to bring you five films with which I was able to travel to India again (but this time from home), and even visit places to the ones we didn’t go on our trip. Advantage: several of them are on Neftlix.

Travel to India from your sofa 🙂 

Before we start: I have to say something in advance, so that you are not going to be surprised. There is a very famous Bollywood actor named Shah Rukh Khan, and yes, I am his fan so it will come as no surprise that he appears in several movies on this list 🙂

How did I start watching Bollywood movies?

It was almost a fluke. I was on a plane, on those 10 hour flights. And I wasn’t sleepy, but I also had no idea what movie to put on. In that, I see that one of the passengers in the front was watching a movie, it caught my attention, he was watching Happy New Year with SRK (Shah Rukh Khan). I only saw some scenes and I was already curious to see it so I looked for it and saw it 😀 and yes I liked it. After that, on every flight I watched some Bollywood movies. And when I had Netflix, it was even more 😀 I had a whole catalog at my disposal, and that’s where it comes from. And I have to admit, these films make me travel to India while being at home and make me want to physically revisit the country.

Note: it’s probably obvious but I have to say, all images (except the first one of Raees which I took in Jaipur), all other images are not my property and I borrowed them for illustrative purposes, that is why they are on low resolution 🙂 .

Having said this here we go:

Raaes

Released in 2017, this film transports us to the Gujarat region. Starring Shah Rukh Khan and Mahira Khan. It is about the life of a mobster, named Raees, the story begins when he is a child and is seen how little by little he is introduced into the underworld. In this film we can see the large colorful trucks that transport goods, the duels of kites, Muslim wedding ceremonies and more. Of course, being a film related to the mafia, bullets and blows are not lacking.

Synopsis

A man who runs an illegal alcohol empire in Gujarat, builds a crime empire and becomes the most powerful man.

This movie can be seen on Netflix.

The first photo was taken by me in Jaipur, at that time Raees just hit theaters. The problem is that it did not occur to me to go watch it, since at that time I was not such a fan of him, or Bollywood cinema. I had to watch it on a plane, later.

Dilwale

In English: Passion of the heart. We are going to travel to India, from the sofa in the comfort of your home, with this film released in 2016, in which we will visit Goa. Featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, another Bollywood superstar. The story is very telenovelesque, basically the protagonists belong to families that hate each other and circumstances separate them. And when they see each other again, all the part of the “present” of the film happens in Goa, their brothers will do everything possible to bring them together again. In this film, we can see Catholic churches and saints, remembering that the Catholic religion is very present in Goa.

In this film, drama scenes are mixed with comic passages, which makes the film go by very quickly.

Synopsis

It tells the story of two young people who fall in love despite the fact that their families are historically at odds. Raj and Meera have to deal with the conflict between their respective families, as well as the consequences of the ruthless violence between them. They will show if their love is strong enough to overcome that barrier.

This movie is available on Netflix.

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham

In English: Sometimes happiness, sometimes sadness. Released in 2001, it takes us at certain times to the Chandni Chowk area in Delhi. Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor. This story tells us about what the traditional family structure is like in India.

Synopsis

Years after his father disinherited his adoptive brother for marrying a woman of lower social class, a young man undertakes a great mission: to reunite his family.

Throughout the film, various religious aspects of Hinduism are also seen, such as the celebration of Diwali, prayers in the morning, sweets and blessings that are given between family members. Despite not sharing many of the customs that exist in that country, the story manages to move feelings the movie lasts 3 and a half hours, but really, they fly by. And at the end you come out learning a lot about various customs of the Hindu families in India.

You can find this movie on Netflix.

Chennai Express

In English: A journey of love. Released in 2013 this film stars Deepika Padukone and Shah Rukh Khan. It is a love story with touches of comedy and although, as a story, it is not one of my SRK favorites, the landscapes of the Tamil Nadu region throughout the film are very beautiful, they show temples, towns and ceremonies. It makes us travel to South India from home (and this region I have not visited in person yet).

Synopsis

Rahul Mithaiwala (Shah Rukh Khan) is an orphan bachelor living in Bombay. Raised by his grandparents since the age of eight, Rahul’s grandfather (Lekh Tandon) owns a chain of confectionery stores. Before his grandfather’s centennial celebration, two of Rahul’s friends invite him to accompany them on vacation to Goa. Rahul’s grandfather dies on the eve of the celebration. His grandmother tells Rahul that his grandfather wanted his ashes to be divided into two parts to be dumped into the Ganges and Rameswaram rivers. She asks Rahul to take the ashes to Rameswaram and scatter them. Reluctantly, he accepts her request, but is also eager to attend the Goa trip. There he mistakenly takes a train that leads him to meet the love of his life.

This movie can be found on Netflix 🙂

Toilet

Released in 2017, the story takes place in rural Uttar Pradesh. Starring Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar, they show an aspect that many of us take as obvious, having a toilet at home. In the film, we see the shock: what would happen if you live in a new house and there is nowhere to go to the bathroom. As we watch scenes from rural Uttar Pradesh, we continue as the protagonist has to fight many obstacles to try to achieve his goal.

Something that for many of us is something that is unthinkable not to have: A TOILET.

Synopsis

A newly married man tries to get a toilet in his remote village in eastern India, despite this breaking with the tradition of his village, because his wife left him when she discovered the first day that they have no toilets.

This movie is now on Netflix.

Conclusion

I have many other favorite movies, but I wanted to start with these five, since in addition to the stories they show different places in India to which you can return, if you have already been there or visit now in these times when we cannot move from the sofa (almost). They are perfect for traveling to India from home.

So, grab your soda and popcorn and voilà 😉 you’re done.