Apr 25, 2015 01:16 PM
13155 Views
"Pyaasa"
The best bollywood movie ever made has to be Guru Dutt's Pyaasa. It is the story of one man’s search for compassion in the cold cynicism of post-independence Indian society. Vijay is an unpublished poet, dismissed by his own family and scorned by socialites and his colleagues. After befriending a pro who shelters him, Vijay is believed dead and his poetry “posthumously” lionized. He becomes an overnight sensation, mourned by fans across the country, and the true Vijay is labeled an imposter. India entered its golden age of filmmaking in the 1950s when its long-awaited freedom from England and the hopes of a new government created a social tinderbox of great expectations and disillusionment. Pioneering the technique of utilizing song lyrics as direct extensions of the film’s dialogue, Guru Dutt as the writer-producer-director-star paints a stirring portrait of the commodification of humanity.
"Anand"
This cult movie directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee proved Rajesh Khanna’s acting mettle. The film was a story of a lively person suffering with a fatal disease, who passes every single moment cheerfully and bringsbrings a smile on everybody's face. Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan played their roles to such perfection that brought tears in almost every eye when the movie ended.
"Sholay"
This is one of the most successful movies in the history of Indian cinema. With Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri and Amjad Khan in the lead roles, Sholay broke every box-office record and still is fresh and entertaining. The impact of the movie was such that every single character of the movie is remembered till date. And for the first time in the history of Indian cinema, people loved the legendary villain Gabbar Singh played by debutante Amjad Khan.
"Masoom"
A cinematic gem from Shekhar Kapur, Masoom, touched every heart, kudos to Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, and Jugal Hansraj(as a child artist) in principal roles. The film is one of the most acclaimed ones from that time and is the winner of many awards for its actors as well as for the people responsible for its timeless music- Gulzar(lyrics, screenplay, and dialogues), and R D Burman(music director). Shekhar Kapoor also won tremendous appreciation for his able handling of a sensitive subject in his debut directorial effort.
"Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge"
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge gave another superstar to the Indian cinema by the name of Shah Rukh Khan. The film once again brought back the era of love stories and introduced Indian audiences to the scenic beauty of Europe and desi land. After smashing many records at the box office, the film became the longest running film in Indian theatres after Sholay.
"Lagaan"
Lagaan was based on the story of a village that united against the British rule to play cricket and achieve freedom from paying tax. One of the movies that re-introduced Indian cinema to the west, it was also voted in the top five films for the Oscars. However, the film failed to win the Oscar Award, reason being its long duration, but made a huge impact over the audience from west. Lagaan also established Aamir Khan amongst the most versatile actors of Bollywood.
"Maqbool"
An Indian adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Film was directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and starring Pankaj Kapoor, Irfan Khan, Tabu and Masumeh Makhija. Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri played supporting role as well. Film was praised by critics all over the world and gave recognition to Vishal Bharadwaj on International platform. Film was a cult classic and had memorable performance by all leading actors. Maqbool is listed in top 10 Bollywood Movies of all time for its tight script, a perfect adaptation of Macbeth, classic and extra ordinary direction and superb acting.
"Satya"
Satya, a 1998 crime film directed by Ram Gopal Varma, was written by Anurag Kashyap and Saurabh Shukla. It starred JD Chakravarthy, Manoj Bajpai, Urmila Matondkar and Shefali Shah. The film tells the story of Satya, an immigrant who comes to Mumbai seeking his fortune but instead gets sucked into the Mumbai underworld. Satya became a surprise hit at the box office grossing INR 15.5 crore, becoming the 10th highest grossing Indian film of 1998. The film went on to win six Filmfare Awards, including the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie, four Star Screen Awards and Bollywood Movie Award – Best Director.
"Parinda"
Time and again, the facts prove it: criminals and gangsters are uneducated, brutish and stupid. But they dream and they hope. That’s why they gamble on the big break. Actors generally don’t like playing stupid. So movie gangsters often flatter the real breed.
This film is about a similar breed of Hindi cinema gangsters Kishen and Anna Seth and their gamble on Karan. The story, written by Nana Patekar and Ishraq-Suja and directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, recreated the shabby look of downtown Mumbai and the innocence of Kishen, with loving care. We see the faith, the relationship between the gangster and the law-keeper, the rapture of illicit wealth, and the gradual disintegration of loyalties and pacts.
"Andaaz Apna Apna"
Andaaz Apna Apna is a spoof comedy directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. Its a story of two conmen competing for the hand of a heiress get drawn into love - and into trying to save her from an evil criminal. I'm listing this movie not because its one among the ten greatest hindi movies of all times but because its the best movie of its genre. Period.
