Although I do love some Bollywood movies (and have a particularly sweet spots for those from Kerala), I can’t say the same about Indian TV-series.
Yes, most of them are very wholesome, promoting traditional values etc. just like k-drama, but there are many that indict social evils.
What I love about them is the mix of genres. A movie can have romance, yes, but also politics, social issues, comedy, thrills and tragedy too, and at the same time be a musical. I just love that, although in later years the musical part has subsided.
An apt example would be Bombay, which is about the strife between Hindus and Muslims and the terrible inter-communal violence in the city - but it’s through a love story. It drives its point forcefully (the music by E. Rahman is wonderful!) but it also entertains at the same time.
Another one is “My Name is Khan”, which was made in 2010 and refers to the September 11th events at the Twin Towers, after which every Muslim automatically became a suspect and was harassed in the US. A beautiful story of a pure soul, an autist-savant, who tours the country to find the president and tell him in person he’s not a terrorist, and win back the woman he loves.
Another one is Dharm, about a Hindu priest adopting an abandoned baby and then discovering the baby is a Muslim.
But there are even more controversial ones, such as “Water”, about Hindu widows who are kicked out from their homes and sent to a center in Varanasi - the young and beautiful ones, including child-brides, facing a terrible fate. That one made a great stir when it was first announced, and had problems completing its filming because of public outrage. But it did complete, and it is an unforgettable film (beautiful music too).
A visually gorgeous movie about a love affair between two people of different classes that gets ruined by social expectations and by the lead’s weak character is “Devdas”, based on a famous 19th century Bengali novel. While a great favourite of mine, “Parineeta”(also taken from a Bengali novel), again has social differences as well as character differences coming between the two lovebirds - but this one ends well.
I mean, Indian movies are so diverse, they can cater to the lowest denominator (like Welcome to Waikiki in Corea), with crude humor, overacting, eye-rolling etc., to the most delicate and artistic.
Sometimes the main theme is loyalty and friendship, and the love story is secondary. I loved Eklavya: The Royal Guard, where an old guard’s loyalty to his king is challenged in the most cruel way, making him question everything he has lived for. It helped that there are outstanding actors in the film.
For me the best Hindi comedy is Munna Bhai M.B.B.S, about a mafia don who poses as a doctor every time that his parents come visit him in the city (they don’t know his real “occupation” and think he’s a doctor). His headquarters get instantly transformed into a small clinic, his henchmen into doctors, nurses and patients. Then at some point he falls in love and decides to go to a real medical school. When a corpse is needed for the anatomy class, he… Okay, I won’t spoil. I laughed so much that I cried. Oh yes, it’s also a musical. If you find it, do watch it.
I could write lots about this subject, but it’s seriously off-topic, so if you are interested we can continue it elsewhere.