As romantics around the world prepare to celebrate Valentine’s Day, the creators of ‘Indian Matchmaking’ are preparing to write a love letter to Bollywood.
Coming to Netflix on February 14th, the new documentary series explores the history of Bollywood romance films and their impact on Indian identity, with interviews with 35 icons of Hindi cinema from the past 50 years. ‘The Romantics’ discusses Hindi cinema and the role it played in shaping it, with brains like Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Kajol, Madhuri Dixit and Ranbir his Kapoor.
Colorful settings, love songs and beautiful dance numbers have come to define Hindi cinema globally and shaped how the world views Indian culture, the actors said.
Actor Abhishek Bachchan said in the trailer for the series, “The films that come out of India are completely native to our culture. They don’t try to be like anyone else.”
The first question posed to the actors in the trailer was “What do you think of the word ‘Bollywood’?” — is already a deep cut. A Hindi-only medium, the label is full of conversations about exclusivity, colorism, nepotism and the elimination of South India.
“Our films are part of Indians,” Khan said.
The series was helmed by ‘Indian Matchmaking’ creator Smriti Mundhra, who also directed several episodes of Mindy Kaling’s ‘Never Have I Ever’. Mundhra’s new series follows the career of Yash Chopra, a Hindi romance director who pioneered his genre and is credited with launching some of the world’s most celebrated actors.
‘The Romantics’ also features interviews with Indian stars from the Diaspora, like Lily Singh, who explained the impact of Bollywood on her life in the trailer.
“It was the first time I’ve seen Western and Indian cultures merge,” said the comedian.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com.
