Khandaan- A Bollywood Podcast

In Episode 16 of the Khandaan Podcast, we continue with our new limited edition format: this time, a buy-one-get-one-MUFT! MUFT! MUFT! film called Karan Arjun (1995). Starring Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan, this film has penetrated deep into desi pop culture – spawning satirical skits, comedic shorts, and memes galore with its extremely quotable quotes, outsize characters, and a type of masala filmmaking that is both antiquated and sorely missed today (by us, if no one else). This Rakesh Roshan film co-stars Kajol, Mamta Kulkarni, Amrish Puri, Rakhee Gulzar, Ashok Saraf, Johnny Lever, Ranjit, and other well-known and well-beloved actors. This week our Top Bro, Beth of BethLovesBollywood is back – revealing herself to be a first-time viewer in our shocking revelation of the week. We also discuss the brand-new release Dhadak and the many controversies it spawned, sparking some lively discussion. Here is an article and a video that caught our attention. We then look at some underwhelming new trailers for films we probably won’t watch. Subscribers are reminded that Khandaan is currently accepting nominations for our special run. Please send your suggestions for movies of the Khans that you feel we must watch to [email protected]. Note: The Khandaan podcast is an interactive experience! Please click here to vote for the next movie you think we should feature. For episode 17, we have Salman Khan’s early era.

In Episode 15 of the Khandaan Podcast, we switch up our format for a special series: over the next few episodes, we will discuss movies nominated by our audience as their all-time favorites. We begin with 1992’s Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander. Starring Aamir Khan, this was the second film made by cousins Aamir and Mansoor Khan, co-starring Ayesha Jhulka, Dipak Tijori, Pooja Bedi, and the always reliable Khulbhushan Kharbanda among others. We are joined this week by The Guardian’s Mike McCahill, who was watching this movie for the very first time whereas Asim, Sujoy and Amrita grew up with this film and its soundtrack as a constant in their younger lives. This movie is also rich in Bollywood trivia, some of which might be found here in the reunion staged by Anupama Chopra and Rajeev Masand (yes, this is the same video that almost drove Amrita mad.) We also discuss the brand-new release Sanju, the whitewash special directed by Raju Hirani starring an eerily excellent Ranbir Kapoor, who rebounds in style from a couple of years of less-than-successful films. Co-starring Sonam Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Manisha Koirala, Karishma Tanna, Anushka Sharma, and Dia Mirza, this movie should have been a knockout but sadly isn’t. Lastly, we look at Sacred Games, the first Indian original commissioned by Netflix. Starring Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead, ably supported by a large cast of pitch perfect actors (including Kubra Sait, Radhika Apte, Neeraj Kabi, Jitendra Joshi and others), it’s based on the Vikram Chandra novel and adapted to screen by Varun Grover, Smita Singh (not Bansal as Amrita says in the podcast, sorry), and Vasant Nath. Co-directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap, this series sparked quite a bit of conversation. Subscribers are reminded that Khandaan is currently accepting nominations for our special run. Please send your suggestions for movies of the Khans that you feel we must watch to [email protected]. Note: The Khandaan podcast is an interactive experience! Please click here to vote for the next movie you think we should feature. For episode 16, we have Shah Rukh Khan’s early era.

Episode 14 of the Khandaan Podcast brings you 1996’s Khamoshi the Musical which stars Salman Khan, Manisha Koirala, Nana Patekar, Seema Biswas, and a very lovely Helen. However, Asim, Sujoy and Amrita begin the podcast with a raucous discussion of Salman’s latest blockbuster, (the widely and justifiably reviled) Race 3. A bro-laden movie so terrible, it drives Salman-lover Asim into enraged incoherence while Sujoy and Amrita try not to die laughing. Please excuse the f-bombs in this family-friendly podcast. Tired out from all the emotion, we examine Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s debut feature: a sensitive depiction of a tragedy-magnet family. Featuring several themes Bhansali would go on to explore with better budgets, Khamoshi nevertheless manages to retain some of its charm at this long distance of 24 years. The songs have withstood the test of time and the performances are better than any of us expected. Amrita, however, maintains her irrational dislike of Manisha. Subscribers are reminded that Khandaan is currently accepting nominations for our special run, which begins with our next episode, #15. Please send your suggestions for movies of the Khans that you feel we must watch to [email protected]. Note: The Khandaan podcast is an interactive experience! Please click here to vote for the next movie you think we should feature. For episode 15, we have Aamir Khan’s early era.

Welcome to Episode 13 (gulp!) of the Khandaan Podcast where we discuss 2011’s Don 2, starring Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani, Lara Dutta, and Kunal Kapoor. In this podcast, we talk about the consistently high production values of Excel Entertainment that allow it to make movies that don’t age as badly as other Bollywood product. However, how far can technical excellence take you when the writing is merely ho-hum? This episode left Asim, Sujoy and Amrita with more questions than answers – will Farhan ever make another movie? Were PC and SRK destroying Bharatiya Sanskriti during this film? How hot is Lara Dutta? Etc. We also discuss the blockbuster new release "Veere di Wedding" and the amazing response it has received from male reviewers who are massively upset with its brand of female power. We also look at the many controversies that emerged from this film, including Swara Bhaskar’s infamous statement about Pakistan. A few words are also spared for "Bhavesh Joshi", a movie that dared but couldn’t bear (any fruit at the box office). Asim looks forward to your outraged responses to this podcast! He would also like to remind you that Khandaan is currently accepting nominations for our special run, which begins with episode 15. Send us your listener choices at [email protected] Note: The Khandaan podcast is an interactive experience! Please click here to vote for the next movie you think we should feature.

Welcome to Episode 12 of the Khandaan Podcast! This week we’re discussing 2006’s Jaan-e-Mann, starring Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, and Preity Zinta. While JEM has gained a bit of a cult following in the years since its release, it was a disastrous flop when it came out. An uneasy marriage between troubling Bollywood stereotypes and a whimsical ode to classic Hollywood musicals, JEM is by turns fantastic and repulsive. Asim, Sujoy and Amrita have plenty to discuss when it comes to the themes of the film, its reception, the stars, the makers and its place in Bollywood history. Meanwhile, we discuss a few housekeeping items of interest to our loyal listeners and discuss a few current events such as the reactions to the Race 3 trailer, Salman Khan’s increasingly visible disinterest in song-and-dance routines, and a trio of remarkable interviews: one in which Madhuri Dixit can barely hide her disdain for Rajeev Masand; and two in which Anupama Chopra skillfully drew out Madhuri and Bobby Deol, who dominated the chatter cycle this week with a highly emotional response. Don’t miss the amazing gifs by Sujoy on our Upodcast Twitter feed! We also recommend this fun Madhuri interview by AIB! Don’t forget to send your screenshots and requests to [email protected]. Note: The Khandaan podcast is an interactive experience! Please click below to vote for the next movie you think we should feature. https://www.opinionstage.com/polls/2505071

Welcome to Episode 11 of the Khandaan Podcast and 1999’s Hum Saath Saath Hain, Sooraj Barjatya’s follow-up to his game-changing Bollywood classic, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun... Starring Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Tabu, Sonali Bendre, and Mohnish Behl alongside the regular Rajshri cast of Reema Lagoo as Maa, Alok Nath as Babuji, Shakti Kapoor as lower income (Muslim) dost, and other assorted stereotypes, this film was the biggest hit of the year when it came out. Together, the reunited trio of Asim, Sujoy and Amrita investigate whether it has held up or indeed, if there is anything to hold up at all. A remake of the Ramayana, this movie isn’t short on homilies on the ideal family – and it is an orgy of patriarchy upheld by traditional gender roles interrupted by mediocre songs laboriously staged for minutes on end. Others have brilliantly lampooned the cultural aspects of this film already, so we kept our discussion to the film itself. HSSH provides many a LOL, none of them intentional. It is not a film we would recommend to anyone, not even budding Salman Khan fans. Our audience might disagree – and we read out a few responses from our listeners on why they chose this movie. The three of us also discuss exciting trailers for upcoming movies (Bhavesh Joshi, Veere di Wedding, and the Madhuri Dixit-starrer Bucket List) and defend Sujoy’s honor on the internet. Note: The Khandaan podcast is an interactive experience! Please click here to vote for the next movie you think we should feature.

Welcome to Episode 10 of the Khandaan Podcast, where we come at last to the one movie we’ve constantly been quoting – 1994’s Andaz Apna Apna. Starring the rare movie combination of Aamir Khan and Salman Khan, this Khantastic film was a big flop when it came out but has attained cult status since then as seen in our poll where it beat out the most commercially successful film of 1994, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun…? Costarring Karishma Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, and Paresh Rawal in key roles, this Rajkumar Santoshi film offers a veritable who’s who of character actors who elevate the sketches that make this movie a classic. If you can make it past Asim, Sujoy and Amrita crying with laughter as they struggle to describe what they liked about this film, you might find old memories awakened. However, is this a movie we can recommend to newbies and non-native speakers? Join us as we discuss weighty issues such as effectively translating comedy, self-referential comedy in Bollywood, Aamir Khan’s undercooked comedic chops, and whether we had the same tastes as children as we do now. Note: The Khandaan podcast is an interactive experience! Please click here to vote for the next movie you think we should feature. Do subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes! Our awesome theme song was created by mash up king Dj Shai Guy! Follow him on Bombay Funkadelic Facebook page or twitter so you can attend his unforgettable Bollywood parties all around the UK as well as his awesome mash up mixes that are regularly featured on BBC Asia.

Welcome to Episode 9 of the Khandaan Podcast, where we turn our eagle eyes toward Kal Ho Na Ho (2003), starring Shah Rukh Khan at the height of his stardom. Commonly believed to be a remake of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s weepie Anand (1971), starring Rajesh Khanna at the height of his stardom, KHNH is a souped-up melodrama best remembered nostalgically than rewatched in the present according to podcast consensus. This week we are joined by guest host and writer/journalist Anisha Jhaveri as Sujoy continues to chase success as influencer to the sundar, susheel, and thodi special. Asim, Amrita and Anisha initially approached KHNH with eagerness, especially since it beat out Tere Naam, an excruciating Salman Khan remake of an excruciating South Indian film, but their joy soon turned to ashes as they were forced to confront that their nostalgia was misplaced and this movie was basically a sporadically funny, racist, homophobic mess with extremely unfortunate costume design. We recommend you read Molly Ringwald’s excellent essay on dealing with problematic faves in retrospect after listening to this episode. Episode 9 also includes a short discussion of the short-lived Salman Khan sentencing saga and Asim’s inability to properly understand the visual appeal of SRK walking around aimlessly while dressed in white linen. Note: The Khandaan podcast is an interactive experience! Please click below to vote for the next movie you think we should feature.

Episode 8 of the Khandaan Podcast features Chandramukhi (1993), starring Sridevi as a celestial being and Salman Khan as her child lover. An uncomfortable mish-mash of Tom Hanks’ Big by way of Telugu blockbuster Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari, starring Chiranjeevi and Sridevi, this little viewed film was a disaster at the box office – surprising none of us. This week we are joined by guest host Tanvi from the MovieWalaPod in the absence of Sujoy, who is off launching a new career as Instagram model. Asim, Amrita and Tanvi all agreed that this was hands down the worst movie they have had to watch for a podcast, featuring: graphic child abuse, a pedophiliac alien, ALL the bad guys, and incredibly shoddy production values. We also discuss other movies that released the same year, notably Darr, and Asim requested an anthropology lesson regarding the finer techniques of dancing for Shiva, thereby exposing Tanvi and Amrita as Bad Indians. Thanks, Asim. For a more appreciative review of Chandramukhi’s nonexistent charms, we recommend Beth Watkins’ much more patient article. In the meantime, Asim would like you to know this is not Chand ka Tukda, the other Sridevi-Salman starrer with much better music. Note: The Khandaan podcast is an interactive experience! Please click here to vote for the next movie you think we should feature.

Episode 7 of the Khandaan Podcast finds co-hosts Asim, Sujoy and Amrita reunited to discuss Paheli (2005), starring Shahrukh Khan in a double role, Rani Mukherjee and a whole host of cameos from Juhi Chawla to Amitabh Bachchan. This Red Chillies Entertainment film was directed by Amol Palekar, the everyman of yesteryears’ parallel Hindi cinema, and was even India’s official entry to the Oscars for its year. Based on a short story about a bride and the ghost who loves her, Paheli made a lot of right noises about women’s empowerment and the right to choose. More than a decade on, we examine how those messages hold up. Sujoy declares Paheli the best film we have watched on this podcast thus far, while many of our listeners call it their favorite film, but Asim and Amrita play spoilsport. We also take a moment to discuss the passing of cinema legend Sridevi and the recent Bollywood release, the rather controversial hit Sonu ke Titu ki Sweety. Note: The Khandaan podcast is an interactive experience! Please click below to vote for the next movie you think we should feature.

Episode 6 of the Khandaan Podcast finds co-hosts Sujoy and Amrita joined by top friend Beth from BethlovesBollywood discussing our listener's 2012 pick Talaash starring Aamir Khan, Rani Mukherjee and Kareena Kapoor. The thriller was directed by Reema Kagti whose long awaited follow up is the Akshay Kumar starrer Gold of which we also discuss the trailer. Our next episode is about 2005 so head over to our site to vote for which Khan movie we should review!

Episode 5 of the Khandaan Podcast finds co-hosts Asim, Sujoy, and Amrita discussing the first film voted to screen by their audience – 2001’s Salman Khan-starrer, Chori Chori Chupke Chupke (CCCC). First, however, we make a short foray into current cinema with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s extremely controversial Padmaavat, starring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, and Ranveer […]

Asim, Sujoy, and Amrita, co-hosts of the Khandaan podcast, wrap up their re-watch of the Khan-debuts with Deewana. This 1992 blockbuster is the movie we chose as Shahrukh Khan’s debut feature despite his earlier appearance as a supporting character in the artsy In Which Annie Gives It To Those Ones (1989) and his official debut […]

Asim, Sujoy, and Amrita, co-hosts of the Khandaan podcast, continue their Khan-journey with Maine Pyaar Kiya (MPK). This 1989 blockbuster romance is the movie we chose as Salman Khan’s debut feature despite his earlier ill-starred appearance as a supporting character in the Rekha-starrer Biwi Ho To Aisi (1988). (To read more about that experience as […]

Asim, Sujoy, and Amrita, co-hosts of the Khandaan podcast, begin their foray into all things Khan-related with Qayamat se Qayamat Tak (QSQT). Almost a relic of another era, this 1988 romance is the movie we chose as Aamir Khan’s debut feature despite his earlier appearances as a child star as well as his lead performance […]

Can one really overstate the Khan effect on Bollywood these past 25 years? Asim, Sujoy, and Amrita, co-hosts of the Khandaan podcast, don’t think so. The movies of Aamir, Salman, and Shahrukh are significant threads forming the rich cinematic tapestry that adorns the background of the lives of generations of South Asians – we sang […]