MUST SEE - WORTH WATCHING - SKIP - CLASSICS
Sholay (1975) Sholay is one of the most beloved Bollywood films ever and among the highest-grossing Indian films of all time. It was the first “Curry Western"—the Indian version of the Spaghetti Western. Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jai (
Amitabh Bachchan) are best friends and partners in crime. They're petty thieves, accomplished at gunslinging and fisticuffs, but good-natured, lovable rogues.
(more)
Mother India (1957) Pick a superlative and it probably applies to Mother India, the mother of all Hindi classics. It's a simple enough story, one of horrific hardship, about a paragon of Hindu womanhood—a wife and mother who represents both the divine female and the country of India
. Its message is that India's strength lies in its adherence to rural culture and moral values and that women are the keepers of tradition.
(more)
Dil Se (1998) Directed by Mani Ratnam, one of India's top filmmakers, Dil Se is his third film dealing with love relationships underscored by terrorism. His trilogy is a prime example of Indian cinema's ability and willingness to depict religious and political fanaticism unflinchingly and intimately—but without sympathy—a tricky balance that Hollywood wouldn’t dare attempt. (more)
Kabhi Kabhie (1976) Say what you will about filmmaker Yash Chopra—Bollywood's evergreen romantic—but over the course of his long career as a director and producer, he hasn't flinched from exploring difficult matters of the heart—and few relationship issues are more challenging than emotional infidelity, the subject of his Kabhi Kabhie. Its complicated topic has insidiously far-reaching effects.
(more)
Silsila (1981) Silsila ranks with Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage (1973) and Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives (1992) as the most uncomfortable, absorbing depictions of marital infidelity ever made. But Silsila goes a titillating step further than the other two—the husband, wife, and mistress in the film were also husband, wife, and mistress in real-life, and everyone concerned knew about the affair. (more)
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) Ah, guilty pleasures—filmmaker Karan Johar is the master of them. KKHH, as it came to be called, was the first of several Johar films, also known by acronyms, that sucked in audiences, often despite themselves, with gobs of sappy love. The film reunited popular onscreen couple
Shahrukh Khan and
Kajol, who had created a sensation with their previous pairing in
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.
(more)
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is the longest-running Indian film in history—it released in 1995 and it’s been continuously playing in theaters ever since. The title has an old-fashioned ring to it—it means “The Brave-Hearted Will Take the Bride”—but it’s about reconciling the past with the future. (more)
Chachi 420 (1998) As one of many Bollywood remakes of Hollywood films, Chachi 420 is a charming desi adaptation of the Robin Williams movie, Mrs. Doubtfire (1993). While Williams brought his own special talent to the role of a divorced man who cross-dresses as a nanny to be close to his kids kept away by a court order, director Kamal Hassan's Bollywood version is arguably much better that the original. (more)
Aur Pyar Ho Gaya (1997) Even beauty queens can have bad hair days—and bad makeup and bad wardrobe days—as evidenced in this film. Aishwarya Rai won the Miss World title in 1994 and made her entry into the cinematic world in 1997 with the Tamil film, Iruvar. Later that year, Aur Pyar Ho Gaya released, giving the future Mrs. Bachchan a typical Bollywood masala entrance. (more)
Yaarana (1981) How far would you go to help your closest friend? Real-life best friends Amitabh Bachchan and Amjad Khan starred in this sweet movie that shows the extent of a relationship between fictional best friends. Bachchan plays a country bumpkin to a T. Khan as a good guy for a change (he usually played villains) is a delight. The music by Rajesh Roshan is a highlight of the film.
(more)
Barsaat (1949) Actor
Raj Kapoor started his own production company, R.K. Films, in 1948, and Barsaat was the studio’s second film and its first success. The movie poster for Barsaat—which shows Kapoor holding his famous leading lady Nargis in his arms—became the iconic image of the studio. Barsaat exemplifies Kapoor's filmmaking in its focus on social barriers to love and its sexualized portrayal of women. (more)
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s second directorial venture is as full of color and glamour as his first film Khamoshi: The Musical (1996) is devoid of both. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) stars Salman Khan as Sameer and Aishwarya Rai as Nandini, and both did some of their finest work ever—perhaps not surprisingly, since the film was made at the height of their much-publicized love affair. (more)
Mughal-E-Azam (1960) Mughal-E-Azam is a history-making Indian film about some of the most fascinating figures in Indian history: the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great, who ruled India in the 16th century, his eldest son Salim, and Salim’s lover Anarkali. The legend of Anarkali is a beloved tale in India, and in this film version, Dilip Kumar’s smoldering Salim and Madhubala’s enamored Anarkali burn up the screen.
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Pyaasa (1957) Guru Dutt—an Indian actor, director, and producer from the golden age of Hindi cinema in the 1950s—was a matinee idol who became one of the greatest filmmakers in history. He’s revered in his home country and has a huge cult following among film buffs around the world. His masterpiece Pyaasa was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 best films of all time. (more)
Lamhe (1991) D
irector Yash Chopra cast actress Sridevi, the leading lady from his 1989 blockbuster hit, Chandni, in his follow-up picture, Lamhe. Unfortunately, try as he did to capitalize on the success of the latter, the former fizzled at the box office. Lamhe, also starring
Anil Kapoor, became one of the few unpopular movies to win the Filmfare Best Film Award.
Today, however, it
is a cult classic. (more)
Chandni (1989) Directed by the master of romance himself, Chandni is one of Yash Chopra’s signature films. It was the movie that helped Bollywood re-center itself after a decade of films heavy on violence and light on everything else, including good music. Chandni made love stories popular again, and the music—certainly one of the strongest features of the movie—is still enjoyed today. (more)
Gol Maal (1979) “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive”—wise words by Sir Walter Scott—and the theme of Gol Maal, directed by Bollywood legend Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Ram Prasad Sharma (Amol Palekar) decides to play it straight at a job interview, so the happy-go-lucky youth turns into one serious guy, who oils his hair to a fine sheen and pretends to be clueless about sports. (more)
MUST SEE - WORTH WATCHING - SKIP - CLASSICS
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