Main Hoon Na (2004)

Amid a political situation between Pakistan and India, Major Ram Sharma (Shah Rukh Khan) goes back to college for a short academic term, but not before a hilariously entertaining scene that has Dir. Farah Khan become the Bollywood John Woo for a time. In fact, she steals from all over the spectrum—sometimes even shot for shot—but it’s so obvious that it’s surely homage, because there’s no doubt that elsewhere she knows exactly what she’s doing. She crams in a lot of content alongside the action, including comedy (that chase scene!), tragedy, romance and a teacher who looks to be permanently in a Pantene advert, but never once forgets to remind us that the small things in life are some of the most important of all.

3½ sleeveless, knitted pullovers out of 5

Om Shanti Om (2007)

Butt-numbing Bollywood epic that spans a lifetime. It’s a film about film and it’s a film about love. It’s also a film about the love of film. It works best when it exposes the superficiality of cinema, but fails to stay atop the pedestal when it succumbs to the very same thing.
There seems to have been more money spent on makeup for one scene than I have to spend on food in a month.
It gets a little weird halfway through, but stick it out for a great ending.

3 coconuts and wine out of 5