Picture the scene: Matt Damon and George Clooney are perched at a Las Vegas poker table, sipping shaken martinis like James Bond. From across the green felt expanse, a bottle-blonde bombshell sewn into her cocktail dress flashes them an audacious wink, but our two heroes only have eyes for her companion, a suave megalomaniac with a penchant for stacking chips and the odd nuclear weapon. Suddenly, Clooney and Damon leap onto the table and launch into a dance routine that seemingly everyone in the casino knows backwards. Even the nuclear weapon-chasing villain joins in.
How I wish they would cast other action heroes, like Jean Claude Van Damme and Vin Diesel, in films such as this because in Bollywood, they do it all the time.
A hero is apparently not worth the ticket if he can’t kick serious butt and then get jiggy with it at the same time.
Say what you want about this film industry, and it is an acquired taste, it has entertainment sewn up.
Which is why Glow TV’s Sunday movie showcase is such a treat, and doubly so when the films challenge the Western preconception of what Indian cinema is all about.
For the next three Sundays, the thriller genre takes centre stage.
This Sunday, Dus Kahaniyaan weaves 10 stories into a narrative about love, sex, betrayal and the supernatural. The film stars Bollywood bad boy Sanjay Dutt.
On April 20, the big-budget blockbuster Game, starring Abhishek Bachchan and Anupam Kher, is the featured attraction. Lavishly shot in exotic locales like Istanbul and Bangkok, it tells the tale of a billionaire who takes up the search for his missing daughter by luring four people of interest to his island home.
The final piece in this thriller triple threat is Table No 21. Here, a couple win a trip to Fiji, where they agree to take part in a game show.
For a chance to win huge amounts of cash, they are required to answer personal questions and then carry out tasks related to their answers. However, as the game progresses, the tasks become more horrific.
• Tune in to Glow TV on OpenView HD every Sunday at 7.30pm to catch these and other Bollywood movies.
• For thrills of a different sort, you won’t want to miss season four of Kaun Banega Crorepati, India’s answer to the popular quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Hosted with some panache by Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, Kaun Banega Crorepati challenges general knowledge whizzes to go all the way, both at home and in the studio.
While the format is based on the original show, what really sets it apart is Bachchan’s rapport with the contestants, not to mention the Indian proclivity for spectacle and entertainment.
More than 5 million people auditioned to be part of season 4, and the new show also features two new lifelines: Ask the Expert and Double Dip.
• Catch Kaun Banega Crorepati on Friday at 7.30pm.
• Some readers have asked how they can gain access to Glow TV. If you would like a taste of the Glow experience, you can buy an OpenView HD decoder from leading retailers countrywide, such as Dion, Game and Makro. See the Glow website (http://www.glowtv.co.za) for more details.