The Greatest Bollywood Opening Scenes Ever? | Om Shanti Om, Rang De Basanti, Don & More

[00:00:00] Sujoy Sujoy Sujoy, Shah Rukh Khan ha gaya And that was shocking to me Lekin yeh free meh nahi yae ga Hello and welcome to another episode of Khandaan- A Bollywood Podcast. My name is Amrita and I'm here with my friend Sujoy Hello everyone Sujoy Sujoy Kya dosti hai? Naham hi nahi pata

[00:00:28] That's exactly how my Hindi teacher used to call me Sujoy I used to always correct her like nahi Sujoy Sujoy hai Sujoy hai And he used to call my friend Joydeep Jaideep Why? Erasing our identities He's like no Bengalis allowed Yeah and she was a Bengali Teaching Hindi Yeah And my other friend Asim I'm Asim Mera naam Asim hai Asim

[00:00:58] Anyway, we are here on On that opening note Exactly On that opening note We are going to be talking about opening scenes from Bollywood cinema That is this like our definitive list of like the best opening scenes or is it just like five of the best?

[00:01:16] I think these are five that we've picked there are more hundred percent there are more other ones these are the ones that we want to talk about at the moment I think let's do it this way because this is not a definitive but if you are like if this is rage bait and if you feel really angry you should contribute in the comment section and think and you know it's the internet everybody is like constantly angry. You can't make people happy. Remember that we also have a Patreon so you can join for as little as a dog

[00:01:49] But this is not a dog But this is not free But this is not free But this is not free I'm Shanti Om opening scene Noor ay Hak

[00:02:19] Shammai Ilahi ko Bujha sakta hai koon I mean amazing movie first of all like beginning to the end that movie is just damn amazing Yeah But the first like it's such an interesting cause obviously it's we're in the curse set right like we go back and we see footage of the movie itself and then Shah Rukh imagines himself in it and then he's basically doing a shot for shot of what Rishi used to do Yeah

[00:02:47] So then he comes back to reality and then Farah Khan is next to him Yeah I'm a director so I don't have a hero to be a director Yeah it was just a throwback but also it's like so much fun Yeah You know It literally throws you into that world of yeah we're going into the world of cinema the world of movies and this is what you're you know And once it does that it's also so clever because like you once you come to the end of that scene you have bought into the premise of this film

[00:03:16] So then everything that happens after that you know with him being a character actor like that whole naughty pussy scene What happens with Deepika you buy all of that like there's no point at which you stop and you think well this is ridiculous this would never have happened This is too much like none of that because you've really bought into the premise with that high octane opening Yeah

[00:03:41] I just like a opening sequence which sets the tone of the movie and tells you you know what the movie is going to be about and what you know what the essence is And I don't think there's a more talented director than Farah Khan to do this with her genre of movie making She's not only giving you the tone the comedy but also the themes of the movie that it's going to be about and I just love Farah Khan man And it's like it's a much better like it's one of the best scenes like opening scenes scenes she's done

[00:04:10] Talking about movies that like sort of set up the theme of the movie you know The next movie on our list was Rang De Basanti Yeah, because it starts with Bhagat Singh and His two Ashwakullah Khan and I think Ramprasad Bismil Not Ramprasad Bismil No, no, no, not Ramprasad Bismil What's his name? Well, I'll come to his name in a minute But they're like going

[00:04:39] They're going to the gallows Yeah The British are about to execute them for treason And that sort of like sets up not just the tone of the movie but also why these young people almost a century later would be so passionate about their cause and willing to lay down their lives Yeah, that scene is I did not know what I was signing up for in that movie

[00:05:05] And like it starts with that very sepia toned flashback scene where it's essentially read from the diary of the British General McKinley or I think who happens to be the grandfather of Sue and then it shows Sid as Bhagat Singh and General McKinley walks into the prison cell. He is reading Lenin and he says He is reading Lenin and he says He is reading Lenin and he says

[00:05:34] And then McKinley says, you know, he's sorry that it has to end this way. And Bhagat Singh says, this is not the end. We will be talking a lot more. And they walk in. And the hanging before it happens, it's so such a somber tone, right? It's set very much like a, I don't know, like a countdown happening.

[00:06:01] And all of a sudden you hear the loud blaring of the guitars of A.R. Rahman's music in that. That took me back because when I watched it as a cinema, it was so loud all of a sudden. It was a shock. That opening scene still holds man. So, so good. It was Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru. Sukhdev and Rajguru. Yeah. And also just that like you're starting the movie with that and then you get to contrast that with like a contemporary setting.

[00:06:31] Even that is kind of such a swing, right? In terms of emotions, in terms of filmmaking. Because it's true, we didn't know what the movie was necessarily about, right? And when it starts there and then brings it to, you know, the current times and how it kind of reflects that. It was kind of amazing filmmaking. The next one on our list is sort of like, okay, we need to decide which one is going to stay on our list. One is Dawn and the other is Dawn 2. Both of them Sherlock movies, right?

[00:06:58] Yeah, I'm a Dawn 2 fan. Okay, so then we'll come to you in a minute. Why don't you set up Dawn? Okay, I'll set up the scenes. So this is pretty much the original, this is the retelling of the original because the original Dawn also starts with this when Dawn comes up with delivering a consignment and then he hands over the briefcase and the briefcase, he throws it away and it explodes and then he escapes.

[00:07:26] So to modernize that because I believe those were shot in Mumbai or back in the day. It seemed to be shot on a deserted beach somewhere. Yeah, somewhere. But the new Dawn in 2007 was... No, no, this was shot in Paris. Oh, it was Paris. Yeah, so where Shah Rukh is being introduced as Dawn and then he meets TJ as... Chunky Pandey.

[00:07:54] Chunky Pandey as TJ and there is banter going on. There is some sort of a history between the two and he's... Chunky Pandey's TJ says, I've always liked you Dawn and Dawn says, me too. I've also always liked me. That's such a great Shah Rukh line. And then obviously he, you know, pulls all the tricks and escapes there.

[00:08:19] There's explosions, action scene and all that. And in Dawn 2, he's already the Asian drug kingpin, whatever. But I want Asim to tell me about Dawn 2. Yeah, it's the prison breakout scene, right? No, no, no. In the Thailand water. Oh, right, right, right, right. The arms deal. The arms deal, right, right, right. He's not yet... Yeah, it's just like that he comes in and like...

[00:08:44] I think also when Dawn 2 came out, we'd been waiting for Dawn, right, for a while. So it's kind of that idea of, you know, you're taking those emotions and you're actually seeing it on screen. Where you see Dawn then come and he's got this whole different look and stuff like that. And follows with this amazing action scene. And it's also... Because it was... Then Dawn 2 was new. It was uncharted territory. We didn't know where it would go. We didn't know where Shah Rukh and the story would tell us.

[00:09:11] And it had like so much more titillation where the first one was just like... Either it's going to follow the template or do something different. And I mean, you know my feelings about Dawn so many times I've talked about it. So I think Dawn just... Also just the scale of the action of Dawn 2 was so much bigger. And I think at that time Mission Impossible 4 had come out just before. And I was like watching it and I was like, oh my god, they kind of pulled it off. They've done something on that level. And that just kind of made me proud, you know.

[00:09:40] So that's why I was... If the choice is between those two, I would have gone. So in Dawn 2, the opening scene is... Am I remembering it correctly? Or like when the, you know, like the arms dealers pull their guns on Dawn. And Shah Rukh just looks at them with like disappointment. And he's just like, ugh. This again? Am I remembering that? Yeah, yeah. He says, Where will you get Italian in Bangkok? Or something like that. Yeah.

[00:10:09] He's so casual about it. Like he's done like blasé. I think like Dawn 2 takes it for me as well. Dawn 2. Yeah. Yeah. It's like the whole movie is so good. But yeah, I thought it was the prison sequence initially, which was also... But that's the thing. Like when I think about Dawn 2, I can think of so many iconic scenes and sequences. The prison break. The Priyanka fight. The mask reveal. You know, there's so many elements. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Next on our list is Special 26.

[00:10:38] So for those of you who don't remember, the opening scene is the one where there is a income tax raid going on at a politician's house. Yeah. And it's all like very like, you know, like to the... It's like a tense operation. You see like Anupam Kheer is like this tax man who's just like, you know, like a very sirkari babu. And he gets like... And he hires Jimmy Shergill and...

[00:11:03] He doesn't hire, but he takes Jimmy Shergill and Divya Dutta as his police escort. And they all show up there. And they were like, he gives inspirational speeches to them. Yeah. And it's a kind of like government efficiency that you never see. Yeah. And like they do all of it. And then at the end of it, they realize that... Spoilers. Yeah. They realize that Anupam Kheer and his tax men were all thieves. And it's a wonderful set. Yeah.

[00:11:31] It's such a great setup to a great movie. But you believe like you are going somewhere. And within the first 10 minutes, it's revealed that particular twist. And it came from nowhere, man. It came from nowhere. Because the movie starts with them interviewing people at a CBI interview for like new candidates who want... No, no. That's like later, no? No, no. It begins with that. Oh, yeah.

[00:11:57] So, but it shows Anupam Kheer's like ID card in the title credits. And it's his name on the ID card is Bimal Roy. But then when they do the operation, his name is Shekhar something else. So I was confused. Why would they change their name? But then obviously they are picking up different names for different operations. But yeah, it's very clever. Yeah, no, it's a great scene.

[00:12:26] And also just from a great movie, right? Yeah. So, and again, it's one of those movies that sets the tone that this is something you've never seen before. And in a world that's recognizable to you, but we're going to do something fresh. And I think that's what the whole movie basically did. So, yeah. I think that's definitely one that needs to be on the list. Okay. Before we head to the top one on our list, there's a few honorable mentions, right? So, Asim, you wanted to talk about Munna Bhai MBBS.

[00:12:54] Yeah, the Munna Bhai MBBS scene. And I was like, I was telling Sujab because I'm laughing while I was telling him. It was such a good scene where it's like, because Sanjay Dutt was really into those gunda scenes, roles, right? We'd seen Vastav and all of these where he was very much khalnaik, you know? So, Munna Bhai, we didn't know exactly what it was at that time. So, it was again like a guy is running away and he's being chased by these goons.

[00:13:20] On the one side Arshad Varsi and the other side is Sanjay Dutt where he's like trying to help him. I think he's playing the rickshaw man or something like that, right? And then the twist basically is happening where he runs up and then you understand that Munna Bhai is the one kind of leading the thing. And the one that is kidnapped becomes the one that gets ransomed later on. And again, it's a movie that's setting the world. We are in the world of these gundas, but it's a completely different approach to it, right?

[00:13:50] And this is going to be a comedy. This is not going to be what you expect. And it is a movie that is eventually the Jadu Ki Jappi movie that it then became. But I think the opening scene really sets the tone of that and that's why I wanted to add it. Because by that time, I think we had already seen a lot of gangster movies and like Bhai movies. And Munna Bhai was so completely different set in this same Mumbai universe, but very, very different from anything that we'd seen before.

[00:14:18] But Sujai, you want to talk about Andaz Apna Apna, right? Yes. Yes. So yesterday, when we were researching for the opening scenes that we want to talk about, I'm really sad that this did not make to the final five list, but there is no opening scenes list without mentioning Andaz Apna Apna. I was supposed to just research for it. I ended up watching the first 30 minutes of this movie because that's what happened.

[00:14:44] Yeah, we were talking about it and Sujai was like, I ended up watching 40 minutes of Andaz Apna Apna. I was like, why would you do that? And now I understand why you would do that. Because you can't stop. The first 30 minutes of this movie are just hilarious. Not that the rest of the movie isn't, but like it sets up the dream world of Aamir Khan where he operates. Basically where he's... I didn't even want to put the actresses on the show.

[00:15:12] So for those of you who haven't seen the movie or who don't know what we are talking about, because you didn't go to the theater when Andaz Apna Apna was re-released. But basically this is the imagination of the Aamir Khan character. Which we don't know, right? Which we don't know. So when you just watch it, it's him and Juhi. Juhi the actress. Yes. So this guy is, you know, like in love with Juhi. And like he helps Juhi when her car breaks down or something.

[00:15:41] By giving him a lift on a bicycle. Which was like, oh, it's like a Jojita Uwe Sikander kind of movie. This is what we're watching. And no, it's not. And then Juhi falls in love with him. But Juhi is also acting with Govinda who's like hitting on her all the time. It's like entourage. And Govinda is like playing this like really sleazy version of himself.

[00:16:10] And he's just like constantly like trying to like touch Juhi. And the producer or the director is also shouting Govinda, chipak kei, chipak kei. And I still remember like, you know, like the way that Govinda and Aamir sort of play off each other. Because Aamir. Haila, Govinda, Chamaila, tu kaur. And even a little bit of Shah Rukh dig in there too. Yeah, Shah Rukh Khan ha gaya.

[00:16:38] He says Juhi. Shah Rukh Khan ha gaya. Proving that, you know, like Aamir Singh for Shadow goes back decades. And then finally, you know, like he like, you know, he wakes up and you realize that it was his dream. Yeah. But I don't know where the opening scene ends. Because there is another opening scene with Bhai also, right? With Jagdeep trying to put the thread in the needle. And he's getting twitchy eye.

[00:17:08] And he thinks that his son is up to no good. Which he is not. Yeah. And he's got to cut to Wawa Productions where Mehmood is selling him everything under the sky. And... So, it's such idiots, both of them. Yeah. Filmi malaria, Johnny. He's a very old puppy. He's a very old puppy. He's a very old puppy. He's a very old puppy. He's a very old puppy. Uncle. Yeah.

[00:17:34] And then you see the poster behind Wawa Productions presents, jungle in the jungle. Oh my God. If you want to know what our sense of humor is, this movie's our sense of humor. You have to watch Andazap now. Now. Comment below. Your favorite dialogue from the movie. Okay. Nothing's gonna like... I should have probably kept this for like the last one then. But like, oh well. Jab we met? Yes.

[00:17:58] I mean, it's basically the sequence where, you know, Shahid Kapoor is kind of like... Lost. Lost and like he gets on a train without a ticket. And then suddenly this burst of energy walks through and it's Kareena Kapoor playing Geet. Geet. Geet. I got that messed up last time too. Geet. And then immediately that where she says, let go of my hand. I'm not that pretty, you know. I don't have a good name. And it's Kareena.

[00:18:28] So she is actually. But... And she just does not stop talking for the less of the 10 minutes until like Shahid Kapoor cannot take it. And the editing is so well done in that you can tell that that conversation has been happening for ages. It just goes on. It just moves on from one bit to another. Yeah. And it's just like such a great introduction to what the energy and what kind of person Geet is. Yeah.

[00:18:56] Rarely do you see it for a female character developed this well. Yeah. A lot of times it will be focused on the beauty. Yeah. The hair, the saree, the, you know, the airing or something like that. I'm thinking Kajol in the second part of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Her reintroduction. Right? That's the classical Bollywood heroine. But Geet we had never seen. And we've never seen anything like her. It's been many, many times tried to be emulated. Yeah.

[00:19:26] But it's never been surpassed. I think everyone's tried to play Geet, right? Yeah. And it never really works because now nobody's Kareena. Yeah. Do we also want to talk about Parvirish? Yes. This is a, I don't know, this is a personal favorite of mine because this is like one of those not very celebrated movies. I think let's say what Parvirish is because I have not seen this movie until a year or two ago. And that's basically because Beth and Amrita were always talking to me about it. It's a great movie. But that's, yeah.

[00:19:55] And that was shocking to me because Asuna is a huge Amitabh fan. And I was just like, what do you mean? You haven't seen Parvirish. You have to see Parvirish. Yeah. It's a Manmohan Desai movie. And in the, you know, in the traditional Bollywood masala, you know, lore, this is one of those movies that is so filled with Lost and Found and Baapka Khoon and all of that. There's a villain lair. There's a two person submarine. Baapka Khoon. Baapka Khoon.

[00:20:24] Yeah, exactly that. So the opening scene, like it's a cold open. And, you know, we talk about the greatest movies of India. And this is such an essential like introduction to that sort of language of cinema from that particular era where. So it starts with the cold open of the police, like surrounding the Daku neighborhood. It's Shami Kapoor. Daku neighborhood.

[00:20:54] Chamballo, I guess. Yes. So Shami Kapoor, who is not looking his best. He is in a very tight police uniform. I like that he's holding a karaoke mic. Ah, someone like you. And then he surrounds the Daku mangal who's played by Amjad Khan.

[00:21:19] And in the most filmy way, the Daku has a pregnant wife who is about to, you know, deliver her baby. And the police are going to basically arrest him. They have a chase sequence. The Daku gets arrested after a lot of action. Dushum, dushum. And then the wife of the Daku who delivers the baby basically gives away the baby to the police officer. That is Shami Kapoor.

[00:21:47] And he raises the baby as his own son. So it's the perverish is about, you know, nature versus nurture. And then there are misunderstandings. Amitabh Bachchan versus Amitabh Vinod Khanna. And all the shenanigans after that. Okay. Now let's talk about our number one opening scene, which is not like one opening scene, but it's more of like a theme, right? Like something that we really enjoy. Which is not necessarily seen in more movies lately.

[00:22:17] Yeah. It's a very specific era of time that we are talking about, right? So for example, if you see Hamap Ke Ngakon, the title credits of Hamap Ke Ngakon has that song, like that's the only time that you hear the song Hamap Ke Ngakon. And it's telling a story between these two characters and they're having a conversation. They're literally asking each other, ke Hamap Ke Ngakon. And you'll see the same sort of thought in Dil To Paagal Hai, which released about a

[00:22:46] year later, a year or two later. No, no, quite a bit. Hamap Ke Ngakon came out in 94. Dil To Paagal Hai came out in 99? No, 97 maybe. 96, 97 is when Dil To Paagal. It's that era though. Yeah. It's a similar era. So Dil To Paagal Hai again has that Ek Du Jay Ke Vaasthe, right? Yeah. And it's all the Harry Met Sally thing where like everybody's sort of like sitting around and like talking to each other and everything.

[00:23:15] But also the souls of like Madhuri and Shah Rukh like talking to each other. And I still remember showing this movie to my American friends and they were like, why are they all dressed in white? And I was like, oh, it's their souls speaking to each other. And they were like, what? That is amazing. Like it was a level of like emotionality that you couldn't find in American cinema at that time. They tried it in Interstellar. Sure.

[00:23:45] Through the wormhole. Yeah. Through the bouquet. Yeah. But then it reached its crescendo in Banti or Bubbly. Yeah. Which starts with the Dharak Dharak song. Ye world hai na, world. Isme do tereke rog hai. Yeah. That also just like set up what this movie is about. And you basically started exploring. Again, like it's that sets that tone, right?

[00:24:15] Like you understand immediately what this movie is like. And more than the tone, but it also shows you the energy of these characters and of the movie itself. Like how crescendo it goes, right? Like Rani initially is alone dancing and stuff like that. But at the end, like everybody like is dancing with her in the field. Same with Abhishek. He's like literally has his bag. He's waking up. He's ready to leave.

[00:24:42] He's like on a train later on and like he's dancing in the groove. And I think that's the thing. It's like they started literally small from a small town village to become such big things the Banti and Bubbly. Yeah. And I think that's really where it shows. And I think it's one of like I love a movie starting with a song like this. You know, I just love it. Yeah. And I love the kind of pace and the energy that the Banti and Bubbly song gives us. I really love it. For me, it's Dil Toh Paagal Hai.

[00:25:10] Because straight after the Ek Dooje Ke Waasthe ends, it's Le Gai, Le Gai. And it's such a banging opener. You can't go more hard than that. It's like charisma at her best. And yeah, Shyamak Davor and everything else. Oh my God. Okay. So those were our choices for favorite Bollywood opening sequences. What are yours? We'd really like to know because there's just so many.

[00:25:37] And I'm sure like you have like great options as well. So leave them in a comment below. And maybe we'll make a follow-up video at some point. Yeah. Till then, bye-bye. Bye. Bye. Bye.