7 Bollywood Movies for Indian Wedding Inspiration

Are you getting a bit bogged down with all the wedding planning?  Feeling like you’re losing your momentum a bit?

Well, settle in with your favorite tub of ice cream and your comfiest pjs because we are about to roll out all our favorite Bollywood and Indian movies that are perfect for wedding inspiration.

1.Band Baaja Baaraat (U.S. Title: Wedding Planners)

By Yash Raj Films
Starring: Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh
Director: Maneesh Sharma

First and foremost, if you’re losing your wedding-planning touch, BBB is the movie for you – it’s all about planning weddings.  This multi-award winning film tells the story of the partnership between Bittoo Sharma, a perpetual slacker, and Shruti Kakkar, a bright young college graduate who dreams of opening her own wedding planning company.

It is a great source of wedding inspiration with its series of kitschy street weddings, its catchy Bollywood beats (after you watch this movie you’re going to having “Ainvayi Ainvayi” playing at your reception, there’s no way around it), and its triumphant modern romance.

2. Monsoon Wedding

Starring: Naseeruddin Shah and Vasundhara Das
Director: Mira Nair

Monsoon Wedding made waves in the West when it came out.  It centers around the process of arranging a wedding in India and plays out the themes of love vs. arranged matches, modern vs. traditional, and family against everything through a series of different love stories.  I highly recommend this movie – nothing else I’ve seen will leave you so elated and dejected at the same time.

It is a story of love in all its different forms set against the backdrop of New Delhi in the monsoon season, and there’s nothing better than that. Besides, who doesn’t feel all wedding inspired with the concluding credits with Aaj Mere Jee Karda?

3. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

By Yash Raj Films
Starring: Shahrukh Khan and Anushka Sharma
Director: Aditya Chopra

Surinder Sahni (Shahrukh Khan), a 40 year-old office drone who has never married finds himself suddenly bringing home his new bride Taani (Anushka Sharma), a young vivacious and now heart-broken girl.  In order to improve their relationship and remain close to her he disguises himself with a hip alter-ego and attends her dance classes without her realizing.

This is a movie about unconventional relationships and the love behind our sometimes misguided motivations.  Added plus: every song in this movie is adorable and reception-worthy.

4. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ)

By Yash Raj Films

Starring: Kajol and Shahrukh Khan

Director: Aditya Chopra

This is the movie that cemented Kajol and SRK as the most perfect Bollywood couple ever.  In all honesty I didn’t realize they weren’t actually married until I was about 15.    DDLJ is such a classic and even though you know exactly how it ends it still takes you on an emotional roller-coaster.  It’s chock full of mushy love songs in fields of yellow flowers, towel-dancing and mirror-serenades, and, of course, Kajol’s headstrong girl-power.  Seriously, don’t mess.  This is the slumber-party movie to end all slumber-party movies.

Oh, and did I mention they have the mehndi dance song ever? Mehandi Laga Ke Rakhna. Ohh yes.

5. Aisha

(sorry, couldn’t find one with English subs – so you just gotta trust me on this one)

By Anil Kapoor Films
Director: Rajshree Ojha
Starring: Sonam Kapoor and Abhay Deol

You got the Jane Austen Blues?  No more pretty English period-pieces to cuddle up to?  Never mind that, have you seen Abhay Deol in a salwar?  Girl (or boy), you are about to forget all about Mr. Darcy.  Aisha is a Hindi retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma.  Aisha dedicates herself to matching up her friends while desisting from falling in love herself.  All that is about to change of course (it’s what I like to call the Abhay Deol-effect).

6. Veer-Zaara

By Yash Raj Films
Starring: Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta
Director: Yash Chopra

For all you multicultural couples out there – ever feel like yours is a forbidden love?  Then this is the movie for you.  Veer is an Indian air force officer, and Zaara is the beautiful Pakistani girl he rescues.  As he tries to get her home, the two fall in love all the while knowing that they can never truly be together.

This is equally a movie about the relationship between Pakistan and India as it is about the epic love story that unfurls between Veer and Zaara.  I won’t tell you how it ends, but watch it for the beautiful dresses and striking landscapes (and gorgeous SRK, of course).

7. Bride and Prejudice

Starring: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Martin Henderson (with cameos by Ashanti and Naveen Andrews)
Director: Gurinder Chadha

Hindi movies not your thing? I got you.  Check out this fusion (completely in English) retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice with the gorgeous Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.  It’s a little silly and a little intelligent and definitely fun.  It’s all about insane families, expectations, and second impressions – basically like every love story ever.

 

Weddings are hard work, but sometimes the right movie can remind you of why you’re doing all that planning in the first place.  Happy watching!