Best of Bollywood..... As the South Asian International Film Festival kicks off in New York City, feed your Bollywood fever with TIME's list of the best Bollywood classics Awaara - 1951 Mother India - 1957 Pyaasa - 1957 Guide - 1965 Ankur - 1974 Sholay - 1975 Bombay - 1995 Deewaar - 1975 Aandhi - 1975 Nayagan - 1987 3 Idiots - 2009 Jodhaa Akbar - 2007 Lagaan - 2001 Kuch Kuch Hota Hai - 1998 Dil Se - 1998 Awaara - 1951 Cast: Prithviraj Kapoor, Raj Kapoor, Nargis Director-star Raj Kapoor was just 26 when he filmed this tale of sons disowned and justice betrayed. The lefty politics made Awaara a hit in the U.S.S.R. So did a sexy beach scene between Kapoor and his co-star (and lover), the Indian screen legend Nargis. I Mother India - 1957 Cast: Nargis, Sunil Dutt Chic, sultry Nargis went prole — brilliantly — as a peasant mother defending her land and family in Mehboob Khan's blockbuster. It's a left-wing Gone With the Wind but grittier and more volcanic. Better songs, too Pyaasa - 1957 Cast: Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Mala Sinha Guru Dutt was Indian film's doomed romantic poet. He plays one here, with gorgeous Waheeda Rehman as his muse-whore, in a movie unmatched for dark tenderness Guide - 1965 Cast: Dev Anand, Waheeda Rehman A tour guide (Anand) has an affair with a married woman (Rehman); later he is mistaken for a holy man and, miraculously, becomes one. Anand's brother Vijay directed this daring tale of worldly passion and spiritual transcendence Ankur - 1974 Cast: Shabana Azmi, Sadhu Meher Shyam Benegal launched New Indian Cinema with his deft story of a man's love for his maid. Waheeda Rehman turned down the part; Shabana Azmi got it (her debut role) and a great star was born. Sholay - 1975 Cast: Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan Pairing Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra was nearly an excess of testosteronic star quality. There's a complex revenge plot and lots of nifty action scenes in Ramesh Sippy's curry western, but its heart lies with the two outlaw heroes. Maybe the burliest male love story ever made. Bombay - 1995 Cast: Manisha Koirala, Arvind Swamy Tamil director Mani Rathnam and composer A.R. Rahman had an India-wide hit with this political parable of a Hindu man and his Muslim bride in the 1993 Bombay riots. By turns sweet and furious, this is superb melodrama. Deewaar - 1975 Aandhi - 1975 Nayagan - 1987 3 Idiots - 2009 Cast: Aamir Khan, Javed Jaffrey, Sharman Joshi, R. Madhavan Years after graduating from engineering school, Farhan (Madhavan) and Raju (Joshi) go off in search of their disappeared best friend and classmate, Rancho (Khan). The trio — the three idiots of the title — give the movie all the elements that make a Bollywood film so great to watch: a heavy dose of comedy, complex father-son relationships and class-defying friendships. Jodhaa Akbar - 2007 Cast: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan This sixteenth-century love story is based on the real-life marriage between the Muslim Mughal emperor Akbar (Roshan) and the Hindu princess Jodhaa (Bachchan, a former Miss World) — a political alliance forged between the emperor and Jodhaa's father. Akbar falls in love with his new bride, but Jodhaa, who hates being used as a pawn, resents him. To capture the grandeur of the Moghul Empire, 80 elephants, 100 horses and 55 camels were used in the film, along with more than a thousand dancers in traditional clothing. The result is a sweeping piece of cinematic history. Lagaan - 2001 Cast: Paul Blackthorne, Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley In a small village under the British Raj, the cruel provincial ruler, captain Andrew Russell (Blackthorne) has imposed a high tax, or lagaan, on all who serve him. As villagers fret over their ability to pay Kuch Kuch Hota Hai - 1998 Cast: Kajol, Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukherjee Rahul (Khan) and tomboy Anjali (Kajol) are students at Xavier College as well as best friends, until transfer student Tina (Mukherjee) arrives to disrupt their relationship. Dil Se - 1998 Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Manisha Koirala, Preity Zinta On the eve of India's 50th anniversary, journalist Amar (Khan) is on his way to interview a terrorist leader for an assignment when he meets the mysterious Meghna (Koirala) while waiting for a train. She is, of course, a terrorist herself, with a mission to assassinate the prime minister, and disappears before Amar can profess his love for her.
Def'ly Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is not that much classic when compared to others - its purely karan's effect :hide:
I think Alaap is a classic. I do not know why I like the film so much, but I think it was the magic of Hrishikesh Mukherjee. This low-key and unpretentious movie was dedicated to the memories of singers like K. L. Saigal and Mukesh. I had watched Alaap for the first time on Doordarshan on the small black-white set that we had years back!! The title card showed that the movie was made in 1977 (which incidentally was my year of birth!). Later, I understood that this movie must have had been a palate-cleansing experience for the movie-goers of that time. That era was dominated by spicy “masala” movies.
I am shocked at Mughal-e-Azam not finding a place in this list!!! This 1960 epic movie re-tells a popular historical story. It is loosely based on an episode in the life of the Mughal prince Salim, who went on to become Emperor Jahangir (1608 AD to 1627 AD). In this lavish production, Prithviraj Kapoor played the role of Akbar and Durga Khote played Jodha Bai, Akbar’s Rajput wife. Dilip Kumar plays Salim who falls in love with Anarkal, the court-dancer. The beautiful Madhubala plays Anarkali. The movie took 9 years and $2 millions to finish at a time when a typical Bollywood movie would cost $20,000 only!
I, too, am shocked to find Mughal- e-Azam absent from this list!!! If Mughal –e –Azam is not a classic, I want to ask the Times selectors about the definition of a “classic movie”! The absence of another film surprises me greatly, namely, Umrao Jaan (the old one). I am surprised to find Kuch Kuch Hota Hain, Dil Se, Aandhi and Deewar instead of movies like Anand, Safar, Kagaz ke Phool, Sahib Bibi Aur Gulam, Do aankhen Bara haat! I am sure, Karan Johar, the director of KKHH, must have had the most pleasant shock of his life when he found his juvenile film in the list of classics.
If 3 Idiots, Guide, Aandhi, Deewar can find place in this list, why cannot Black, Devdas and Hum dil de Chuke Sanam?:hide: The songs of Guide are classics, undoubtedly, but the movie is a disappointment. The place of Guide should go to Teesri Kasam, which is a true classic in every sense of the term. Are the movies like Ek din Achanak and Shatranj-ke – khiladi not better classics than Deewar and Aandhi?:crazy The list indeed is funny and ridiculous. I would advise the Times selectors to define the expression “best classics” for us, before they publish similar lists in the future.:biglaugh