You ranted and raved about how amazing “Slumdog Millionaire” was to your friends. You’ve always admired Aishwarya Rai’s beauty, in fact, you might have even seen “Bride and Prejudice” and gushed over the brilliance of “Monsoon Wedding,” but you’ve been craving more, you’ve got an itch, and you don’t know how to scratch it.  If you’re looking for over the top romance stories, impossible plot lines, hilariously cheesy songs and lines, colorful fashion and an escape from your normal go-to films, you’ve come to the right place. Bollywood is ready and willing to welcome you into its wonderful world where anything, and believe me when I say anything, is possible.

Here are a few facts to remember about Bollywood. In the coming weeks, I will outline more films and explore topics related to the world of Indian cinema.

• Bollywood is a $1.8 billion dollar industry, according to the CII-AT Kearney Study (2007), which presented the future of Indian media and entertainment landscape.
• Here is an interesting chart from Business Week detailing Bollywood vs. Hollywood

• The name “Bollywood” is derived from combining Bombay with Hollywood and has its own entry in the “Oxford English Dictionary.”
• You will most likely never find kissing of any kind in Bollywood films, although this is starting to change as many contemporary films have included passionate scenes to evolve with the entertainment needs of the public.
• Just like their American counterparts of the Coppolas, Arquettes and the Baldwins, Bollywood has an extensive list of “film clans,” most notably the Bachchans, the dozens of Kapoors, the Khan-Roshans and the Choprah-Johar family.
• Many plotlines (especially for some of the cheesiest films) are taken straight from American cinema. Needless to say, plagiarism is rampant in Bollywood.
• Many go to see Bollywood films just to hear their favorite playback singers on the screen.
• Be prepared for spontaneous outbreaks of song and dance, sortof like Musicals on steroids.
• Familiarize yourself with modern Bollywood royalty: Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan, ShahRukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zenta, Rani Mukerji, Priyanka Chopra, Aamir Khan and Bipasha Basu. There are dozens more, but this will do for now.
• Come to the realization that Indian actresses will always have better skin, better hair and better bodies. This stark reality might cause you to go into a slight depression for some time, but don’t worry, you’ll recover.