One thing that people like us, Americans, need to understand is how big the Bollywood film industry is and that it dominates a huge market throughout the developing and developed world. They are long, colorful, musical spectacles and provide a form of escapism that Hollywood doesn't, as Hollywood caters to a totally different market. Watching Bollywood requires a different sort of mindset. There's a lot of (valid) criticism about the Bollywood's storytelling methods that you'll never get a piece of cinematic art, but that is precisely what Bollywood is not about. It's about stirring up and conveying emotion, lifting spirits, taking your mind off of the real world, and probably giving you a story about a wedding against all odds.
I'm basing this list on films that I have seen of have been exposed to much of the music, which is by no means extensive, so I'm certainly missing some key movies like Sholay and such.
If you want to understand the music, here's a few key words: pyar = love, shaadi = wedding. Listen for those words and you'll basically know all you need to know.
So here are a few places to start.
Om Shanti Om: This is a great place for someone new to Bollywood to start. It was the highest grossing Bollywood film of all time--I don't know if it has been surpassed in the last few years--and it really is a smarter movie than it seems. It is very meta, the first half of the movie (over an hour and a half) is set in the 1970s and reflects upon, spoofs, and pays homage to a great era in cinema. Watching this will give you a sample of where Bollywood has been, and to where it has come once you reach the second half of the film. New Bollywood has a great deal of club-heavy music which is an evolution of traditional music, but to me it lacks all of the romance. Once you've gotten a feel for this genre and have watched and are starting to get an appreciation for where the industry has been and has come, watch Om Shanti Om again and you get the in-jokes and really understand more. You'll also be introduced here to Shahrukh Khan, the icon of cool and one of the most adored men in the world.
Yaadon Ki Baaraat: My personal favorite. This is great 1970s music, kind of psychedelic, written by the great R.D. Burman. Picking up a movie with music by R.D. Burman essentially guarantees good music. This has the benefit of being a good movie in general too, though it does lean heavily on a very tried and true cliche: children separated at birth. But watch it and enjoy the music, and check out the scenes of music performance by the lead male's band. He plays some songs that are from older films, his audience recognizes them and sings along which is exactly what the cinema audience would be encouraged to do. Listen to how beautiful Chura Liya Hai is, and watch the amazing dances in Lekar Hum, my favorite song in the genre.
Caravan: I haven't watched this yet, and it is hard to find but it's really famous for this scene. This is another R.D. Burman classic.
Hare Rama Hare Krishna: This is one that I didn't get all the way through, but it has another iconic song. The long-lost sister (again!) has gone astray and fallen in with some Nepali hippies, and the lyrics are basically saying, "Smoke up and shout the praises every day, the world has done nothing for us and we'll do nothing for the world." You've probably heard this song before.
Pyar Ke Side/Effects: Here's a modern one for you. One thing that Bollywood is very well known for are its "remakes." Watch this one and tell me if it doesn't remind you of High Fidelity. The narrator breaks the fourth wall, both are DJs, instead of top-fives he lists side effects of things like love, engagement, marriage, etc., you'll see. The movie is very nice and fun, and you'll probably enjoy drawing the parallels. I'm told that the Bollywood remake of Oldboy is shot-for-shot. As far as I understand it, all of the "borrowing" is unlicensed.
Padosan: A sweet romantic story about the girl next door (as the title translates). This is really important for the music. You can hear the classical influences so clearly in this movie, the rhythms and beautiful singing are old-fashioned and right at the heart of most all of the songs. Also, watch the conflict resolution at the end and be amazed at its ridiculousness.
Once you have gotten through this and have hopefully found a few more of your own that you'll enjoy, you can delve into Bengali film like Satyajit Ray if you want something a little more cerebral, or Tollywood (Tamil film) if you want an even sillier version of Bollywood. Other -woods to be aware of: Lollywood (Lahore), Dollywood (Dhaka).
If you want to find a few good suppliers in New York City, here's where you should go: Bollywood Instyle (37th Ave between 74th and 75th Streets, a couple of blocks from the train station. Bring him a list of the movies you want and he'll help you if he can. While you're there, go across the street to Rajbhog and get kulfi and Thums Up. For the full experience, let the kulfi melt all over you and Thums Up get warm before you drink it.
The other place to go, a little more out of the way but I think a better bet: Indian DVD King on the corner of Liberty Ave and 117th Street by the last stop on the Ozone Park A Train. Not only did they have in-stock some tough to find things, they have vinyl soundtracks of old movies. Very cool, and very hard to find. I didn't even find any of them in India. The guy who runs the place is pretty cool and can help you find what you want and he'll probably do a better job of recommending you things, if just because the language barrier isn't as tough there.
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