The early 2000s were a strange time for the Hindi film industry. Single screens were dying, the multiplex was being born, and Bollywood was throwing everything at the wall to see what stuck — from diaspora weepies to erotic thrillers to the first whispers of "good cinema." On this episode, we dig into the films, the famous runs, and the actors who made it big (and the ones who spectacularly didn't).
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Why this episode is in two parts
01:31 Bollywood's permanent state of crisis
02:50 The early 2000s as a "beta test"
04:36 The death of the single screen
06:22 Did audiences take more chances back then?
07:35 The big three: Gadar, Lagaan & K3G
10:11 First multiplex film vs first diaspora film
12:44 Shah Rukh goes global
15:40 Aamir Khan picks his lane
18:32 Ranking the three Khans
20:32 Salman's wilderness years
29:21 Saif Ali Khan finds his footing
32:01 Akshay Kumar's comedy pivot
37:07 Hrithik, Koi Mil Gaya & the curse of Jadoo
39:35 The actresses' era: Rani Mukerji
44:09 Preity, Kareena & Aishwarya
48:17 Erotic thrillers, Parineeta & what's next
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