Perhaps because they could sense that 2018 has been largely a hellscape, Bollywood decided to bless us with not one but two wildly romantic superstar weddings this winter! First up were longtime sweethearts Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone on November 14 & 15 and next were Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas on December 1. The internet’s gone wild for the fashion, the photography, everything—especially since these social savvy stars have been doling out details of their nups like shots in the VIP section. If you’re still not drunk enough on their love, here are five splashy Bollywood films to keep the party going!
Dil Dhadakne Do!
Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra play a brother and sister navigating their parents’ anniversary and their own romantic entanglements in this rollicking dysfunctional family dramedy set aboard a cruise ship. Perfectly capturing the boisterous nature of a huge desi clan and all the politics and puzzles therein, this movie is both hilarious and heartwarming. It veers off the rails a little toward the end but that, too, feels authentic. Whether it’s a wedding or an anniversary, family shindigs are never perfect…but always memorable!
Bajirao Mastani
This sweeping historical epic, a melodramatic and vaguely adulterous love story loosely based on real historical figures, has the distinction of actually starring Ranveer, Priyanka, and Deepika! (It’s only ‘vaguely’ adulterous because having several wives was common at the time.) Also, spoiler alert, there’s no HEA. The visuals are stunning, though—from lush sets to opulent costumes to the ridiculously charismatic and beautiful cast. It’s all so breathtaking to look at that you’ll end up forgiving a lot of the story missteps.
Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela
A Romeo-Juliet adaptation set amidst rival Indian mob families, Ram-Leela is blazing hot. Basically every time Ram (Ranveer) and Leela (Deepika) look at each other, your screen melts a little. If you’ve ever seen infamous GIFs like “Ranveer’s hip thrusts,” and “oiled-up Ranveer struts towards the camera” cross your social media timeline, they hail from this movie! The color palette of the film is exquisite and eye-catching, the story is over-the-top…and you’ll want to run to Ranveer and Deepika’s Instagrams immediately after to comfort yourself with the knowledge that, at least in real life, everything ends up okay for the pair.
Band Baaja Baaraat
If you’re wondering just what goes into planning a big desi wedding like NickYanka’s or DeepVeer’s, Ranveer has you covered in his critically acclaimed debut film! He and actress Anushka Sharma play young and hungry wedding planners who fall in love while launching their Delhi-based business. A funny, heartfelt, and sexy friends-to-lovers tale, it’s one of my favorite Bollywood movies.
Om Shanti Om
Featuring reincarnation, vengeful ghosts, and a ton of industry in-jokes and Easter eggs, this epic saga set in both the 1970s and the present was Deepika’s Hindi-language debut. It’s a credit to her as an actress that she killed it (in more ways than one!) amidst so much wonderfully bonkers stuff—and while working across from Shah Rukh Khan, the undisputed king of Bollywood. And, much like with Bajirao Mastani, the costumes and set pieces in this film are amazing. It’s a feast for the eyes—and you’ll get a few earworms, too!
Tikka Chance on Me, a new novella by Sueikha Synder, out now!
He’s the bad-boy biker. She’s the good girl working in her family’s Indian restaurant. On the surface, nothing about Trucker Carrigan and Pinky Grover’s instant, incendiary, attraction makes sense. But when they peel away the layers and the assumptions–and their clothes–everything falls into place. The need. The want. The light. The laughter. They have more in common than they ever could’ve guessed. Is it enough? They won’t know until they take a chance on each other–and on love.
