My all time favorites. Review on Ten Best Hindi Movies

What do I look for in a movie? Well I am not very genre specific, though I detest all those soggy candy floss romances. The movie I like should meet certain characteristics- good characterization, good story and performances. And above all should get me involved emotionally.

There are certain art house movies which just make me go yawn, and certain so called emotional movies which leave me cold with all their screaming and ranting. So here are some of my favorite movies which I love watching again and again. Its by no means an exhaustive list, there are others also, but these are some of my favorites.

1. Anand

This is one of my all time favorites. A heartwarming, sensitive tale of the friendship between Anand( Rajesh Khanna) and Babu Moshai( Amitabh Bachan). The irony of this story lies in the fact that while the cynical,disillusioned Babu Moshai is fated to live, it?s the ever cheerful,optimistic Anand who is fated to die. Hrishida takes a superb look at the relationship with some poignant dialogue and lovely music by Salil Choudhury. Great performances by both Rajesh Khanna and of course AB, make this a classic. And of course the climax still gives me the goose bumps.

1. Sholay

Much has been written about this movie and analyzed. All I can say that this is one hell of an entertainer. Is kahani mein tragedy hai, comedy hai, romance hai aur emotion bhi hai. The opening sequence is just too good. Ramesh Sippy in full form here. But where Sholay scores is in it?s characters. The flirty rogue Veeru, the talkative Basanti, the quite loner Jai, the widow Radha, the stern Thakur and of course the menacing Gabbar Singh.

1. Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander

This is as close one gets to a perfect entertainer in Bollywood. This movie converted me into a life long fan of Aamir Khan. Mansoor Khan brings out a youthful flavor to this movie. And can any one forget that lovely number ?Pehla Nasha? with Pooja Bedi doing a Marilyn Monroe. And the pulsating bike race in the climax. And of course the interactions between the brothers in a very natural way.

1. Satya

Brutal, violent and hard hitting. Ram Gopal Verma one of my favorite directors, takes you straight into the underworld, with a no holds barred look at it. No item numbers, big bang explosions, cars flying into air stuff. No ?Kutte Kamine? dialogues either. Its straight out of reality and the gangster hero in the end is shot down cornered on all sides. And of course the characters again here Bhiku Mhatre, Kallu Mama, Bhau just unforgettable. And yes Manoj Bajpai who delivers a knockout performance here.

1. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro

Two of my all time favorite comedy movies are ?Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron? and ? Gol Maal? with ? Andaz Apna Apna? following behind. But for me JBDY would be my all time favorite. No two thoughts on that. Great performances by Naseer, Om Puri, Pankaj Kapur make this an all time classic. Kundan Shah delivers a brilliant satire on the shady ways of Mumbai?s builder mafia. And yes the climax Mahabharat scene leaves me in splits every time I watch this movie.

1. Border

This movie is my favorite especially since this was India?s first major war movie after a very long time. And being an avid follower of war movies I loved this. J.P.Dutta has done a superb recreation of the Battle of Longewala. There have been comments about the authenticity of the movie and also about commercial elements, but I think J.P.Dutta should be commended as Bollywood had no tradition of war movies. For that many Hollywood war movies are full of glitches themselves and are nothing more than glorified action flicks. Border also had some great performances by Sunny Deol, Akshaye Khanna and (surprise) Sunil Shetty.

1. The Legend of Bhagat Singh

One of the best historicals I have seen. This movie is a very authentic depiction of the life of one of India?s greatest freedom fighters, Bhagat Singh. His disillusionment with Gandhiji, his initiation into the revolutionary world, his denounment in court and his hanging were depicted superbly. Director Raj Kumar Santoshi who had come up with some great movies like Ghayal.Damini, Andaz Apna Apna before, does a great job here. And of course Ajay Devgan comes up with an out of the world performance.

1. Deewar

One of Yash Chopra?s best movies before he went into the chiffon and Swiss romance mode. Tragic and emotionally compelling, this is a movie which hits you fair and square. This was one of the earlier gangster movies, which was inspired by the life of Haji Mastan. Helped by a superb script from Salim Javed, the movie had some great dialogues also.Difficult not to be moved by this all time classic. And of course one of AB?s best performances/

1. Guide

A landmark movie by Vijay Anand which was much ahead of it?s times. The heroine walks out of her marriage, has a live in relationship with the hero and doesn?t hesitate to walk out on the hero, when she finds he has cheated her. In Rosie Vijay Anand has created one of the finest female characters in Bollywood and Waheeda Rehman gives one of the best performances by a heroine in Bollywood history. Dev Anand manages to give a great performance also, disproving that he could do only lover boy roles. And yes those great songs by S.D.Burman.

1. Aandhi

A poignant and sensitive look by Gulzar at the relationship between a wife and husband. Believed to have been inspired by Indira Gandhi,the movie deals with the estrangment between a couple( Sanjeev Kumar, Suchitra Sen) due to the wife?s involvement in politics and the attempts of her ambitious father to use her. Gulzar who dealt with topics like student unions( Mere Apne), terrorism( Maachis) deals with the rough and tumble world of politics here. Great performances by Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen, and lovely music by R.D.Burman make it one of my all time favorites.