If you're looking for a great date, don't discount Bollywood.

Bollywood movies are tremendous fun. So called for the fusion between U.S. Hollywood culture and Bombay, the old-fashioned name for Mumbai, Bollywood filmi are, at heart and soul, musicals. We're talking masala here.

Singing, dancing, love, comedy, dare devil stunts and just plain good entertainment, Bollywood movies are the perfect mix for making first date impressions.

Bollywood is as much about the singing and dancing as it is the acting. Many Hindu language filmi actors and actresses are great dancers. Not as many are good at the vocal arts. That's why many Bollywood filmi use playback singers – voice artists who sing on pre-recorded soundtracks that the players in the movie dance and lip synch to. One notable exception to this rule in the 1950s was Kishore Kumar. He managed to have a terrific career behind the stage as well as on the screen.

Lately, however, a few Hindi actors have taken to singing their own songs. Still, playback singers are what make Bollywood filmi stand out. Many playback singers draw fans to the movies more so than the actors on the screen and even record albums after making a name for themselves. Their names are often featured prominently in the credits of the movies.

Bollywood dancing is modeled after Indian style dancing such as tawaif, Bhangra, and classic Hindu styles. Modern dance styles blend traditional Indian dance elements with contemporary Western dance moves often portrayed on MTV or Broadway musicals. Many of the traditional dance routines are influenced by Latin or Arabic dance styles and display graceful moves with elegance and style.

While Bollywood filmi production is not on par with that of Western nations such as the U.S and Canada, the entertainment is pure in a way that the advanced industrial nations cannot match. Dialogue is typically Hindi and Urdu and often poetic, the way Western nations used to do it. English is often used in modern filmi that hit the mainstream. But more than the production elements, what sets apart Bollywood movies from other forms of entertainment is the content of the dramatic action itself.

Bollywood filmi usually depict melodramatic and epic qualities with a high value of God, family and self-sacrifice. It is not uncommon to find the male actors in the filmi honor their mothers in special ways. The singing and dancing portray love themes that inflict audiences with emotional tugs of the heart intended to awe and inspire. This is one of the reasons why you should think about a Bollywood musical for your first date.

People love romance, and Bollywood, like its Hollywood counterpart, is full of love and romance. You will leave the screen full of inspiration and cheer, and so will your date. It's a great way to make a first impression that will last. The special effects may be lacking, but give the industry time and it will soon compete with Western filmi in that area, but for now, where other type of movies lack poetry, romance and sheer, raw entertainment, Bollywood succeeds.