Anil Mehta Movies

Designed as actress Madhuri Dixit's cinematic comeback, director Anil Mehta's upbeat musical tells the story of a theater actress who embarks on the most important decade of her life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A star-crossed love affair has political as well as emotional repercussions in this Bollywood romantic drama. Veer Pratap Singh (Shah Rukh Khan) is an officer and pilot in the Indian Air Force who one day meets a beautiful Pakistani heiress, Zaara Hayaat Khan (Preity Zinta), as she travels to a small Indian village to scatter the ashes of one of her family's loyal servants. Veer has family in the village, and while most Indians show no affection for Pakistanis, his aunt and uncle are willing to take Zaara in for the night. It isn't long before Veer finds himself falling for her; however, Veer learns that Zaara is engaged to another man, Raza (Manoj Bajpai), a cruel and humorless Pakistani. A friend of Zaara contacts Veer and tells him that Zaara wants out of her engagement and has strong feelings for him, but when he comes to her rescue, matters take a turn for the worse and Veer winds up in jail. Twenty years later, Veer is still behind bars, and finds that his case is being given a new trial, but while he has a new chance at freedom, he discovers his lawyer will be going up against a state attorney who has never lost a case. Veer-Zaara was one of the first Indian blockbusters to open in India, the United States, and the United Kingdom at the same time. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Aditya (Vivek Oberoi) and Suhani (Rani Mukherjee) are deeply in love, though when their parents meet to arrange the marriage, questions of class soon begin to bring out the worst in everyone. Running away together to shun their families and begin a new life together, the couple devote themselves to one another entirely and vow to make their relationship work despite their meager surroundings. When reality begins to creep into their fairy-tale romance, will love be enough to bond the couple together through the hard times that lie ahead? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

One of the most expensive films ever to come out of Bollywood, Lagaan tells the tale of the Indian village Champaner, beset by drought and British colonialism in the year 1893. Without a drop of rain in months, the worried villagers of Champaner decide to ask the local authorities for a temporary repeal of their taxes -- the hated lagaan. Led by the heroic Bhuvan (Indian superstar Aamir Khan) they bring their plight to the military governor, Captain Russell (Paul Blackthorne). But the sadistic Russell threatens to raise the lagaan threefold, unless the villagers can beat his men at a game of cricket, in which case he'll lift taxes on the entire province for a period of three years. Bhuvan accepts the challenge, but there's a problem -- no one in Champaner knows how to play cricket. A band of misfits come to the rescue, coached by Russell's soft-hearted sister Elizabeth (Rachel Shelley), and the race is on to be ready in three months' time. An epic reworking of Victory with eye-popping song-and-dance routines, Lagaan was a major cinematic event in India upon its release. ~ Connor McMadden, All Movie Guide

This Indian documentary profiles the life of Mary Evans, one of India's most popular stunt women. Evans, the daughter of a soldier, was born in Perth, Australia during 1910. They moved to India after her father was transferred. Before her big break in films, Evans worked as a circus performer and singer. She became a star by playing the adventurous, tough heroine in "Hunterwali," a Hindu action movie that allowed Evans (who was billed as "Fearless" Nadia) to beat up evil characters and wield a whip. Following that, Evans appeared in at least 40 more action films until her career ended in the late '50s. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide