I know there are some of you out there, reading this (I mean, there has to be at least two of you, right?) who are thinking: “alright Gauri, I admit it, I’m curious about Bollywood.  But man those plots are horribly confusing and long-winded, and who has the time to watch all these masala flicks and try to figure out what’s going on?”

Well my dear confused reader, that is why the interwebs has blessed us with The Vigil Idiot.  You can find him on Mumbai Boss, which in and of itself is a great site for discovering all sorts of cool things that I, not living in India, do not get to experience (subtle level of bitterness mildly detected).

The strip is illustrated and written by Sahil Rizwan, and manages to be

a)laugh-in-the-middle-of-your-cubicle-to-bemused-looks-of-concern-from-your-co-workers funny and

b) provide pretty accurate explanations of every plot hole in the latest Bollywood releases.

Which is great if you want to be spared watching Chennai Express (I hear The Lungi Dance is causing quite a stir):

Not so great if you actually sort of liked Jab Tak Hai Jaan (yeah well, I’m a girl, I’m entitled):

On the whole though I think they would be a great introduction to the crazy stories that crop up all the time in Bollywood, and a must read for anyone who is developing any cynicism towards the genre (which must, regrettably, include me, since it is only a matter of time before one’s new found love of Bollywood turns into stale frustration at Salman’s Khan latest attempt to play the unrealistic beefcake cop).

Suffice to say that I am so grateful he only started doing a year or two ago.  Goodness knows what I would think of myself if he had done a comic review of Vivah.