Bollywood Hero

Bollywood Hero got poor press, reviews pretty much copied each other, and I didn't find them matching what I saw. It's fun. Chris Kattan, OK not a full range actor, but he's slapstick when he's 'on' and we all fall for slapstick, you're going to have to make a huge effort not to laugh at his movie shoot.

The bus trip's very sweet, the romance not all that unbelievable, when people are around each other stereotypes fade, and it could happen. I liked the grandmother thing, the dance lessons were charming. Though uneven, this grandma escaped much of the condescension usual for a senior in a sitcom. A crochety grandma is hackneyed, but a grandma who actually is passing on info that's useful, if not rejected as just comic, that's pretty darned unusual.

But where this production rises to another level is the finale, I first thought it was going to be a throwaway like the Blues Brothers crew singing Jailhouse Rock. You should see this number- it's honest, it's a joy.

If as some comments say, the miniseries is just for Bollywood neophytes, maybe that shouldn't be a condemnation. Bollywood style is as yet not universally accessible, and crossovers have to build on accessibility.

Now come on guys, stop being so hard on this new series.. Its fresh, original and very entertaining.. When I first saw the preview, I dismissed it as being just another satirical look at Bollywood from the Hollywood point of view kinda thing.. But its not. Its better and truly speaking a fresh of breath air..

Chris Kattan does a wonderful job portraying a struggling actor in the United States being stereotyped by his past roles like on SNL and such.. An Indian director, also debuting his first film for the first time, gives Chris Kattan a chance in his movie by being the lead actor in the hopes of globalizing the movie for a larger audience which is not just confined to being in India.

All the supporting actor like Pooja Kumar and Neha Dhupia also do a good job by complementing Chris Kattan's humor and making it seem real..

So for all those people who're undermining this series to be a "Slumdog" wannabe or something. Stop being ignorant and just watch the show. Its fun and very entertaining..

I have really no use for Bollywood films. I've tried to watch a bit on those long trans-Atlantic flights where you get the movies for free, but just couldn't pull off more than a few minutes... call me the uncultured American, if you must. But watching actual Bollywood is about as relevant to this film as watching old kung-fu flicks is to "Kill Bill" - it might enhance your experience, but as long as you know what the genre is about, that'll do.

Chris Kattan does a great job with this, as do all the Indian actors. Hey, just because I don't watch Bollywood doesn't mean I can't appreciate some of the talent it produces. I was fully ready to rate this mini higher on the strength of the first episode, which produced some good full on laugh out loud moments (the scene with Keanu Reeves doing his best interpretation of Keanu Reeves being one of them). Unfortunately, parts two and three pretty quickly turned into your standard rom/com fare, but Kattan proved he had the range to finally do some of the "rom" part in that equation. Long story short: starts strong but finishes a bit cookie-cutter. All in all, worth the watch. 7/10

Former SNL cast member Chris Kattan, plays 'Chris Kattan' an American actor who goes to India to 'prove' to Hollywood he's a misunderstood 'action' film actor.

What ensues over the 3 parts of BOMBAY Hollywood, is a standard boy-meets-girl, girl-loves-boy (but boy doesn't realise it), then boy-loves-girl plot, all set in a film that's part travelogue, part display of India's talent, film culture, styles.

It's a bit creaky, but, for someone like me, who's never been there, it's interesting less for the story, and more for the colourful background.

Julian Sands plays an actor whose Hollywood caché is long past, and has found steady work as a stock 'European' in Bolllywood films.

There are some nice performances by some of India's acting community, and, it's refreshing to NOT see Hollywood's standard 'xerox' talent.

Honestly, it's not great, just, average. The ONLY part I TRULY liked was the end - at which point is the film's 'money shot': eschewing the standard closing credits, is a huge, colorful closing musical production number, featuring the entire cast.

That alone was the only standout for me.

I didn't think I would like it, but once I started watching, I wanted to see the whole thing. Kattan was more multi-dimensional than I expected, and the culture of India was a major player. There's something about India - both gritty and glamorous - that really appeals to me. In that setting, Kattan is our everyman, a Hollywood narcissist with a heart of gold who just needs the reality of India to come around and become an authentic human being. The Indian cast was superb, I guess Keanu Reeves was funny (mocking himself completely), and Kattan's (real?) father was spot on. But Maya Rudolph, in a brief bit as Kattan's friend and father-sitter (back in the States), was brilliant. One bit said it all when she and Kattan were at the bar pre-India, and she was flicking the snacks out of the bowl at a bar because she was "looking for a good one." Perfect. On the whole, I liked it. It was charming and colorful.