Words you'll hear me use a lot, and my definitions for them (notice the "my" in that sentence, because a lot of times I tend to give words my own version of the meaning, so bear with me):
Bollywood - the Hindi film industry based in Mumbai, India. Some actors don't particularly like the name Bollywood because they consider it defamatory (B standing for B movies), and also because it defines Hindi movies through Hollywood movies. But I like to think of it as B standing for Bombay and Bollywood being an enchanted forest full of glittery wonders. So I will use Bollywood and not apologise for it.
Tollywood - the Telugu language film industry based in Hyderabad (and more generally Andhra Pradesh). One of the Southie film industries as they are also called, being further down south from Mumbai. Strangely, Telugu and Hindi don't even have the same roots as languages which explains why I still can't understand a word of what they speak without subtitles.
Kollywood - the Tamil language film industry based in Chennai (and more generally Tamil Nadu). The other big Southie film industry. Closer to Tollywood than to Bollywood, but with more crossover in Bollywood in terms of actors, directors, cinematographers, music directors, etc. that are active in both industries (or so I feel from what I've been exposed to...).
Filmi - Again, this is my own meaning for the word: anything that could be described by a long sigh followed by the words "only in the movies". Applies to good and bad stuff, but I tend to use it when a movie gets overly emotional or just expects me to buy some highly unrealistic scenario that not even a movie can justify.
Masala - a mix of stuff (spices originally), which translates for our purposes into films that have a bit of everything without really trying to be much more than entertainment.
Goonda - bad guy, the equivalent of a mafioso, usually a trouble maker, more often than not empowered by his excellent machete using skills.
Rowdie - Pretty sure this is the same as goonda, but I look at it as a milder version of goonda, and I'm ok with calling the hero a rowdie from time to time too, if he's being badass.
Badass - word I first saw used by Leonardo di Caprio many many years ago to describe Martin Scorsese. It has since remained in my head as an expression of ultimate admiration for one's coolness and that is how I use it.
Dishoom dishoom - the sound (or sound effect) used when the actors are throwing punches in a fight. Has been extrapolated to all kinds of fighting, whether it involves punching or not.
Gori - that's me, and all the other white girls out there who love their Bollywood. (I'd like to say all the other non-Desi girls out there, but I'm pretty sure gori has a meaning that involves a fair complexion. Do correct me if I'm wrong though!)
My cheese ratings - I've always liked that rotten tomatoes gives tomatoes instead of ratings. I've also seen people who rate their movies in machetes (example 4 out of 5 machetes for a pretty violent movie) and that is a lot of fun. But since Dolce & Namak are both close to the kitchen and the stomach, not just because of their names but also because they love their food, I feel the best way to express their opinions is to give cheese ratings. Now don't imagine this makes me some food critic or cheese connoisseur. But I do put quite a bit of effort into tasting all kinds of cheeses, and my fridge would probably go on strike if I failed to replenish it with at least two different kinds of cheese at any given time. Besides, let's face it, "cheesiness" is a word that can often be used to describe if not a whole movie, at least parts of it.
Note: This page will be updated as we go along with more terms and possibly even invented words.
1 month ago
