With India now granting visa-free entry to Filipinos, interest in the country’s culture is expected to grow, and one way to get acquainted is through its films.
Indian cinema, often associated with heightened drama, has long shared similarities with Filipino movies and teleseryes. Both embrace big emotions and blend love, action, comedy, and music in one story.
Bollywood, home to Hindi-language blockbusters, is the most recognized face of Indian cinema, but it represents only part of a vast industry. Other regional film centers include Tollywood (Telugu), Kollywood (Tamil) and Pollywood (Punjabi), each with its own style, music, and storytelling traditions.
For Filipino audiences unsure where to start, Lionsgate Play is offering a lineup of films that highlight the range of Indian filmmaking.
Akshay Kumar (left) and Katrina Kaif
Welcome is a Bollywood comedy mixing romance, crime, and chaos. Akshay Kumar plays Rajiv, whose uncle wants him to marry someone respectable. Complications arise when he falls for Sanjana (Katrina Kaif), whose brother and best friend are gangsters seeking a husband for her. The film’s misunderstandings and slapstick have made it a comedy classic.
Jab We Met stars Shahid Kapoor as Aditya, a disillusioned businessman who meets Geet (Kareena Kapoor), a spirited Punjabi woman, on a train. After missing their ride, they embark on a road trip that helps Aditya heal and fall in love, only to learn Geet plans to elope with someone else. The film blends musical numbers with moments of joy and heartbreak.
Murmur, a Tamil found-footage horror, follows paranormal YouTubers investigating a haunted forest. They vanish, leaving behind recovered cameras that reveal the sinister truth of their fate. Its raw style heightens the dread.
Golmaal: Fun Unlimited features Ajay Devgn, Tusshar Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, and Sharman Joshi as pranksters expelled from college. Hiding in the home of a blind couple by posing as their grandson, they chase treasure, romance, and cover their lies in a film packed with slapstick and absurd twists.
Eleven, a Tamil-Telugu thriller, centers on ACP Aravindan’s probe into the murders of twins. The case uncovers ties to a school tragedy, with Naveen Chandra delivering a gripping dual role. Tense visuals and layered storytelling drive the suspense to the end.
From comedies to thrillers, Lionsgate Play’s catalog offers Filipino audiences a glimpse of Indian cinema’s diversity. The films are available to stream via PLDT Home, Smart, and Cignal.
