Everyone should go see a Bollywood movie once in their lives.

If you’ve got an entire day to kill.

Artesia, the home of Los Angeles’s Little India, is about an hour south, in traffic.

Unfortunately, Artesia is just your typical, bland township. Except the strip malls are filled with Indian businesses rather than TGIF’s. Oh sorry, there are those too.

And the air literally smells like Indian spices, it’s a trip! (just not a trip to India)

I’m kind of disappointed that travelling to these concentrated ethnic pockets aren’t more like walking around the streets of New Delhi or Bangkok. I don’t know why they can’t just make these neighborhoods more like cheesy movie sets. Much more fun for us tourists.

They should take a note from America’s Chinatowns. THEY have it right, no stereotype missed.

The lobby of the Bollywood theater is just like your typical cineplex. The temperature of which, just slightyl cooler than the surface of the sun .

(Wait, they DID bring a part of New Delhi to LA!)

And the concession stand served Indian snacks, like Samosas. Very cool.

We didn’t really know anything about the film selections available to us, so we just pointed and clicked and ended up seeing a buddy road trip comedy…..

…which was 3 hours long!

It was so long, they stopped the film halfway through, displaying the words “INTERMISSION” on the screen.

A much needed bathroom break had been granted. This is when I realized I was the only non-Indian in the theater.

I was disappointed when there weren’t any random, obligatory song and dance numbers but, then again, they were not at ALL necessary to the plot.

Then, 2 hours into the movie, my wish was granted when one of the characters broke out into song at a very opportune time. In the back seat of a car, on a road trip through the Spanish desert.

I knew something was up as his face lit up and the music grew more intense.

He’s either going to sing…or crap his pants.

Then, came the over the top musical number where these three masculine men are bouncing around with some flamenco dancers and I was like, “This is what I came for. This is Bollywood”.

Except I didn’t just think it, I serenaded the audience as I shimmied and bobbed out of the theater, to the non-existant beat.

Dinner at Tava was exceptional. Really creative and delicious Indian dishes in a slightly upscale setting.

I loved everything I devoured, especially the fish featured at the top and the decadent, deadly chocolate samosas below!

My Bollywood day was complete!