Whenever I happen to be forced to show off my laugh-tastic dance moves after being dragged onto the dance floor by one of my freakishly strong friends, I get ready to bust out my macarena skills with full force. Despite the overwhelming number of Bollywood dance sequences I have taken in over the years, my own skillz still leave much to be desired. But in a world where my favorite film industry uses dance to make true love come to fruition, where does that leave me? It’s time to get to the heart of the matter, and ish is about to get real, because it’s dance-off time.
1. Mohabbatein: True Love vs. Incessant Obsession
After 2+ hours of stalking and creeping, all of the guys in this 2000 movie managed to score one-on-one time with their lady loves in the form of some randomly diverse dance sequences. What will win, true love or incessant obsession? Too bad this movie made the two concepts one and the same. Shame on you, Bollywood.
2. Mujhse Dosti Karoge: Boys vs. Girls + Pigtails
Kareena Kapoor’s Tina takes on Hrithik’s Raj in this boys vs. girls dance-off from 2002 that tried to make pigtails hip again. Negative on that one, Bollywood.
3. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi: Secret, Bizarre Love
*Spoiler Alert*
After playing his wife for a fool for the duration of the entire film, SRK’s Suri finally revealed his secret in this 2008 movie’s epic final dance performance. Was Anushka Sharma’s Taani disgusted by her husband’s impressive duplicity or wowed by his bizarre love? Watch to find out!
4. Dil To Pagal Hai: Spandex circa 1997 & SRK
After recovering from her ankle injury earlier in the film, Karishma Kapoor’s Nisha challenged Madhuri Dixit’s Pooja on the dance floor in this unforgettably cringe-worthy spandex-filled dance-off from 1997. All of this played out in front of the object of their affection, SRK’s Rahul. Of course.
5. Student of the Year: Disco Dance-off Bollywood Style
This 2012 movie’s disco competition proves that dance-offs are still holding strong in Bollywood. Don’t miss Kajol’s split second cameo in this video!
I’m sure I’ve unintentionally neglected to include somebody’s favorite Bollywood dance-off, so share your favorites with us!
Farah Naz Khan is an internal medicine resident at Emory University. After graduating from college in Boston, she returned to her Alabama hometown to attend medical school, and was reunited with the mix of Southern hospitality and South Asian culture that had shaped her childhood. Follow her on Twitter @farah287 or read some of her thoughts at farah287.blogspot.com.
