I saw “Bin Roye” yesterday and it reminded me of why I first fell in love with Hindi films. Mahira Khan was brilliant in carrying the film through all its many ups and downs. I hope they include enough scenes for her in “Raees” for her to showcase what a strong actor she is, much better than Kajal, Katrina, Deepika and Kareena. The story was like KKHH but with more emotional depth and intensity. Soulful but forgettable music moved the drama along. There were beautiful costumes, dances, and the cultural richness of holiday celebrations which brought people of all generations together, especially an Eid that was glittery and magical. Of course, Shah Rukh would have done a much better job than the male lead whose very understated performance reminded me of Arjun Kapoor at his worst. There were English subtitles but surprisingly no previews/teasers of Mahira’s and SRK’s upcoming films or Salman’s. The theater was packed with people of all ages in a festive mood, many in salwar kameez styles with head shawls. The film was shot in Karachi, Dubai, California and (I think) Canada with post production in India. Some of the locations were familiar from MNIK and “Pardes”, with one house I recognized as being not far from my son’s college in Santa Barbara. It brought to mind my favorite movies again with Shah Rukh and wish it were possible to bring back that special glitzy Yash Raj era of films that India seems to have lost over the last few years. It will be interesting to compare Mahira's performance in Bin Roye with her's opposite Shah Rukh in Raees.