Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001)

IMDb plot summary: After marrying a poor woman, rich Rahul is disowned by his father and moves to London to build a new life. Years later, his now-grown younger brother Rohan embarks on a mission to bring Rahul back home and reunite the family.

Directed by Karan Johar. Stars Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, and Shah Rukh Khan.

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham is a Bollywood film about a family who exiles their oldest son for marrying outside of the father’s will. A decade later, the younger son sets out to try to reunite them all. One of the things I often really enjoy about Bollywood films is their willingness to tell giant sprawling stories across generations, and that really pays off here. There's a great swooping narrative demonstrating all the actions from the past shaping the present. That sense of generational tension gives the story emotional weight, even when it veers into melodrama. The musical numbers are also excellent -- colorful, energetic, fully worth stopping the story to focus on every time. It's a great balance of spectacle and heart, and the ending is truly satisfying. One I can see myself coming back to.

How it entered my Flickchart:

🎥 Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001)

📊 Ranked #1258/4061 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 71

beat Hotel Rwanda (#2028 → #2030)

lost to Targets (#1012 → #1005)

beat The Tragedy of Macbeth (#1520 → #1493)

beat The Pianist (#1266 → #1484)

lost to Spellbound (#1138 → #1135)

beat Nine to Five (#1201 → #1386)

lost to Good Will Hunting (#1169 → #773)

beat If Beale Street Could Talk (#1185 → #1535)

beat VeggieTales: Josh and the Big Wall (#1177 → #1783)

beat Ghostbusters II (#1173 → #1211)

beat Hoodwinked! (#1171 → #1259)

lost to South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (#1170 → #1147)