Entertainment Talk

Skipping the songs in Hindi films means you missed the film

Friends from abroad often tell me they fast-forward the songs in Bollywood films. I understand why. But in a lot of classic Hindi cinema the songs do real narrative work: time jumps, a romance developing over months, a character saying what they cannot say in dialogue.

Take the songs out of something like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and the film is noticeably thinner. It is closer to a musical than to a Western drama with a soundtrack.

Newer films use fewer full song sequences and more background tracks, which is a separate debate. But if you are watching the older ones, try not skipping once.