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The Pleasant Surprise that was Saala Khadoos

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Having never seen a Bollywood movie before, I had only some preconceived notions of what a Bollywood movie would be like. The two options, Saala Khadoos and Airlift, posed two completely different sides of the spectrum for Bollywood movies. Airlift would feature an action packed political story, while Saala Khadoos would follow a young female boxer. Since the preview for Saala Khadoos looked like a typical Bollywood film with plenty of song, dance, and theatrics, I voted to watch Airlift to try to steer away from the typical. However, after watching Saala Khadoos I was pleasantly surprised.

I did not expect much as I walked into the FunAsiA movie theatre. The place did not feel as vibrant and exciting as the movie proved to be but rather felt much more like an older theatre. Luckily, all this was made up when I had my first bite of the glorious food that was the somosa. Not only was the somosa good, it was a great snack to have while watching a movie! It was definitely worth missing the first couple of minutes of the movie.

I walked into the movie and immediately was immersed into a new culture. The lack of popcorn smells and the inability to understand anything that was being said was very daunting at first, but Saala Khadoos made my first Bollywood film a very enjoyable experience. The movie exceeded what I thought it would be like. Madhi, the films main character that is pursuing a boxing career to be able to support her impoverished family, was the strong, independent female lead that I did not expect. As the movie progressed, it was clear to see Madhi’s development from a rebellious girl, to an understanding person that recognizes the politics behind such sports. It very exciting to see how a masculinized society was able to produce and make a movie centered around the strength of a woman. However, it should be noted that much of the movie was also depicting the strong power men hold as the male trainer held all power over Madhi, Madhi’s father took all the money to use as he wished, and the council behind the boxing sport was made up of entirely males. The gender dichotomy was very interesting to see in this movie and definitely worthwhile.

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Probably the strangest thing about the movie, however, was the romance that was written in. Madhi, being a teenager, falls in love with Adi a full grown man probably in his late 30’s early 40’s. This is not something typical I see often, and was put off by it at the end when it was hinted that they may have ended up together. Unrelated to the movie, but still strange to me, was the inclusion of an intermission. Not only did it leave me hanging just as it was getting very involved, it also began the second segment of the movie with previews for other movies that had me confused for a bit. Not typical, but nice to have a restroom break without having to miss the movie!

Overall, this movie is a great starting point for the introduciton to Bollywood films. There is just enough song and dance with a mixture of gender clashes, comedy, and certain political issues that can arise in sports. I am more than happy with this being my first Bollywood film.

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