Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000)

Poor boy Rohit meets rich girl Sonia and sparks fly... tell me, is it love?

The first half of the film is standard Romeo & Juliet romcom stuff, love at first sight and a swift courtship shot down by a disapproving parent. Come the intermission things take a twist though, and the second half kind of gets to do it all again but with more action.

Rakesh Roshan pulls out all the stops for his son's debut, beautifully filmed in exotic locations with all the romance, drama and thrilling action you could hope for in a film that's under 3 hours long. It's a showcase of Hrithik's versatility and charisma, and by god he shines. You kind of have to feel sorry for Amisha Patel, also making her debut - on the one hand she gets to debut in a mega hit, but she's not the one people are talking about when the credits roll.

Hrithik's Uncle Rajesh also makes sure his nephew has ample chance to strut his stuff to some catchy dance numbers, but it's that earworm melody that eventually blossoms into the classic title song that will be remembered the longest.

KAHO NAA... PYAAR HAI (Say It... It's Love) is the film that dragged Bollywood into the 21st Century and forever raised the bar of how hot you had to be to become a leading man. It's easy to forgive the film's flaws (except perhaps the Johnny Lever appearance) when it's so vibrant and full of charm.