Hard to know what to expect when walking into a Bollywood film. As I stepped into the theatre featuring Shaandaar, the smell of spices and fried foodstuffs infiltrated my nose. This already establishes a cultural setting, as we pass the usher by flashing our tickets and taking a seat in a large theatre. Before the movie even started, I, for some odd reason, had the preconceived notion that this movie would be terrible and I would not enjoy it. However, this movie caught me by surprise.
Beginning with an animation that could date to roughly 2008, the first scenes set up the backstory. A man adopted a little girl, calling her his princess, and his mother and his wife did not approve of the adoption. In fact, they neglected the little girl since an adolescent. But she escaped through the power of knowledge, reading many books as she suffered from insomnia. In fact, she hadn’t slept at all since the initial scene. The prince charming would most likely rescue this lack of sleeping beauty, as the whole movie played off a fairy tale vibe.
The film engages the viewer, with wacky sounds and random excerpts that catches you off guard. The film caters to both adults, with its word play and insults, and also children, with its goofy tones and added animations. The prince, Jagjinder Joginder “tries to gallantly rescue the kooky “princess” Alia, it turns out he has misjudged the situation and she is only skinny-dipping late at night.” This starts the romance between the two, JJ actually falling for her at first sight.
As the movie progresses, the two become closer while the couple to be wedded, Alia’s sister (no relation) and a wealthy man with 8 pack abs (said enough times to remember). They play on the wealthy man’s weaknesses, which is basically acting like a jerk and disrespecting his soon to be wife.
This real life fairytale extends even towards the psychedelic realm, with the characters actually consuming psilocybin cubensis and cannabis edibles. They touch upon many themes, one predominantly reigning as “be yourself.” They have their little musical numbers, which reminded me of High School Musical, and danced away while singing. While some of the numbers had no particular purpose in adding to the plot, they still entertained me while the movie played out for about 2 and half hours. Totally worth the 5 bucks.

http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/fgxAZZudhZkP5Yk5opy2iN/In-defence-of-Shaandaar.html