Here’s Poonam Saxena’s list of 10 movies to watch that define this era. See how she made her picks
Probably the first of the big Bollywood multi-starrers (there were six major stars in the film), this was also BR Films’s first colour offering. Though it was Yash Chopra’s third film as a director, he broke new ground here. Waqt exuded glamour and style, giving audiences a peek into how wealthy people lived. The story too — of how a family is separated during an earthquake and finally reunited — was absorbing. Hit songs composed by Ravi added to the film’s appeal.
Adapted from RK Narayan’s English novel of the same name, director Vijay Anand’s Guide is memorable for so many reasons. For its highly unusual story, in which the heroine Rosie (Waheeda Rehman) is shown leaving her husband, going off with a tourist guide Raju (Dev Anand), and becoming a popular, highly-sought-after dance star. For the complex characterisation of Raju, who goes from man in love to jilted lover to spiritual guru. For the beautiful dance sequences, in which Rehman shines. For SD Burman’s music, easily one of the greatest soundtracks ever composed for a Hindi film.
This charming film directed by Basu Chatterji was based on a short story by Hindi writer Mannu Bhandari (Yehi Sach Hai). The story of a young research scholar Deepa (Vidya Sinha) torn between her loyal suitor Sanjay (Amol Palekar) and old flame Navin (Dinesh Thakur), it was a sweet ode to Bombay and, refreshingly, gave audiences the woman’s point of view.
One of the best films on Partition, MS Sathyu’s film is dominated by a moving, dignified performance by Balraj Sahni, who plays Salim Mirza, owner of a shoe business in Agra, a man caught in the conflagration of the time. The soul-stirring qawwali Maula Salim Chishti, shot in Fatehpur Sikri, is one of the highlights of the film.
This is arguably the film in which Amitabh Bachchan’s Angry Young Man character hit its peak. Bachchan was electrifying as Vijay, the cool but violent dock worker who goes on to become a ruthless don. His unlawful activities bring him into direct conflict with his upright police-officer brother Ravi (Shashi Kapoor) – there are shades of Dilip Kumar’s 1961 film Gunga Jumna in that. The tipping point for Vijay comes when his beloved mother (Nirupa Roy) has to choose between the brothers, and she chooses the good son (echoing Nargis in Mother India). Yash Chopra directed the tight, engrossing script by Salim-Javed with panache.
This is rightfully regarded as the biggest Hindi film of all time; a perfect entertainer, in which everything fell into place perfectly. The story of Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar), who hires two small-time thugs, Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru (Dharmendra) to take down dreaded dacoit Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan), never grows old. Lines from the film remain in everyday use. No one, not even Sholay director Ramesh Sippy, has ever been able to surpass it.
Probably the most exquisite film ever made about a courtesan, Kamal Amrohi’s Pakeezah is memorable for its beautiful aesthetic, its characters and dialogue, its breathtaking songs composed by Ghulam Mohammed. And of course for Meena Kumari’s performance as the trapped tawaif Sahibjaan, longing for the man she first met on a train, forest officer Salim (Raaj Kumar).
This is the film that made Rajesh Khanna a star overnight. Though the film had leading lady Sharmila Tagore in a meaty role that saw her going from a young girl to a sacrificing old woman, it was Rajesh Khanna who caught the audience’s imagination with his double role of father and son. Shakti Samanta roped in composer SD Burman, whose music score was a superhit too.
Director Manmohan Desai’s finest hour. This is the heart-warming, thoroughly enjoyable tale of three brothers separated as children and raised as Hindu, Christian and Muslim respectively. They are reunited in the end but not before much fun is had by audiences — there’s music, dancing, romance, action and comedy, all blended just right. Plus there’s the sweet, soothing message of harmony and togetherness.
The Hrishikesh Mukherjee film that never fails to move the viewer, no matter how many times they’ve watched it. Terminally ill Anand (Rajesh Khanna) decides to live the remaining days of his life to the full. He becomes close friends with the introverted Dr Bhaskar Banerjee (Amitabh Bachchan), leaving the latter broken-hearted when he dies. Despite the theme, Anand is not a heavy film. You smile, laugh, feel a lump in your throat, and yes, you cry a little too. Mukherjee’s characteristic gentle humanism pervades the film. And both lead actors give finely tuned, pitch-perfect performances.
