Watchable Indian Films
Nothing much to say...as the title suggests these are possibly the only watchable Indian films(in order of personal preference). Pity at the meager amount.[This doesn't include documentaries and short films]
[Note: I'm not an registered member of IMDB so contact me by email at: A@gmail.com where A=themathgurufilmbuff(Sorry, but this is to stop spammers)]
[Note: I'm not an registered member of IMDB so contact me by email at: A@gmail.com where A=themathgurufilmbuff(Sorry, but this is to stop spammers)]
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- DirectorSatyajit RayStarsKanu BannerjeeKaruna BannerjeeSubir BanerjeeImpoverished priest Harihar Ray, dreaming of a better life for himself and his family, leaves his rural Bengal village in search of work.The first Indian film to get foreign recognition. Kudos to Ray. Simply Path-breaking!!!
- DirectorRitwik GhatakStarsAjit BanerjeeKali BannerjeeGangapada BasuRamu,eldest son a family of migrants to Calcutta,is a fresh graduate searching for a job like many others in post-Partition Calcutta.Ray admitted that, had Nagarik released before Pather Panchali(in fact it would have if Ritwik didn't face censorship problems) it would have been dubbed as the single most important Indian film at international level.
- DirectorRitwik GhatakStarsTripti MitraShaonli MitraSugata BurmanIn this quest narrative that makes the Odyssey look like a trip to the mall, four men, each peculiar in his own way, embark on a quest to reason with the estranged wife of the protagonist.A dead-serious film, highly underrated, which single-handedly sums up the total political scenario of the 70's(PS. I'm not a communist)
- DirectorAmit MitraSombhu MitraStarsPradeep KumarSumitra DeviSmriti BiswasAn innocent guy who has arrived from a village to Kolkata gets himself involved into trouble in search of water after he gets thirsty in the middle of the night.
- DirectorHomi WadiaStarsFearless NadiaSharifaGulshanPreceded by a legend describing its heroine as a 'Brave Indian girl who sacrificed royal luxuries to the cause of her people and her country', the story opens with a prologue showing Krishnavati and her infant son being thrown out of the house in a thunderstorm by the wicked Prime Minister Ranamal who also killed her brother. 20 years later the now adult son, Jaswant, is hit by a royal motor car and given a bag of gold in compensation. His refusal of the gift attracts the admiration of Princess Madhuri. When the nasty Ranamal, who wants to marry her, imprisons her father the king, she becomes the masked Hunterwali, 'protector of the poor and punisher of evildoers', and performer of stunts like jumping over a moving cartand fighting 20 soldiers at once. She steals Jaswant's prize horse, Punjab, but returns it later. Jaswant chances upon a nude Hunterwali bathing in the river and after a long duel captures her and takes her to Ranamal to claim his reward.First film of this type in Indian cinema. As always, the first and the best...
- DirectorBimal RoyStarsDilip KumarVyjayanthimalaJohnny WalkerA young man takes shelter in a mansion when a landslide blocks his route to the railway station. Then, he finds the mansion familiar and soon learns about the story of his previous birth.This film is so high in this list only because of the master touch of Ritwik (The first person to incorporated the aesthetics of after-life in cinematic medium...preceeded its Hollywood version, The Reincarnation of Peter Proud[1975]) by 17 odd years!!!
- DirectorSatyajit RayStarsPinaki SenguptaSmaran GhosalKamala AdhikariFollowing his father's death, a boy leaves home to study in Calcutta, while his mother must face a life alone.Sequel to Pather Panchali...criticized for Ray's incapability to utter the word "Mukti" at the end of the film. Apur Sansar, the last of the trilogy is quite inferior to the first two and doesn't feature in the list
- DirectorKhwaja Ahmad AbbasStarsRashid AhmedHameed ButtUsha DuttaThe story of a family in Bengala, who is forced to abandoned their land and his journey to CalcutáMarks the success of IPTA...
- DirectorRitwik GhatakStarsSupriya ChoudhuryAbanish BanerjeeAnil ChatterjeeA highly critical look at the role of "progressive" art and artists in a changing society.Marks the breakage of IPTA...
- DirectorUday ShankarStarsUday ShankarAmala ShankarLakshmi KantaKalpana is a dramatic dance fantasy, about the story of a young dancer and his dream of setting up a dance academy.Highly experimental; good use of dissonances and cinematic photography
- DirectorRitwik GhatakStarsKali BannerjeeGangapada BasuSatindra BhattacharyaBimal is a taxi-driver in a small town. His taxi is his only companion and, although very battered, it is the apple of Bimal's eye. The film shows the love of taxi driver Bimal and his pathetic vehicle Jagaddal.The first film in the list with a universal message preceeding other Hollywood car movies(none up to the level of Ajantrik) by more than 25 years!!
- DirectorHemen GuptaStarsBalraj SahniBaby SonuUsha KiranA poor Afghani leaves his family behind to earn a living as a dried fruit vendor in India. Profoundly homesick, he befriends a young girl who reminds him of his own daughter. Meanwhile, the locals are distrustful of all foreigners.Rabindranath, Tapan Sinha and Cchobi Biswas is enough for a world-class film
- DirectorSatyajit RayStarsChhabi BiswasGangapada BasuPadmadeviDepicts the end days of a decadent zamindar (landlord) in Bengal, and his efforts to uphold his family prestige even when faced with economic adversity.Another Ray classic with a universal message. Cf. The Magnificent Ambersons
- DirectorRitwik GhatakStarsMadhavi MukherjeeBijon BhattacharyaAbhi BhattacharyaA man (Abhi Bhattacharya) opposes the love between his sister and the orphan (Satindra Bhattacharya) they adopted years earlier.
- DirectorHrishikesh MukherjeeStarsRajesh KhannaAmitabh BachchanSumita SanyalThe story of a terminally ill man who wishes to live life to the fullest before the inevitable occurs, as told by his best friend.
- DirectorRitwik GhatakStarsSupriya ChoudhuryAnil ChatterjeeGyanesh MukherjeeA selfless young woman (Supriya Choudhury) sacrifices her own happiness for her unappreciative family.
- DirectorSatyajit RayStarsAnil ChatterjeeMadhavi MukherjeeJaya BachchanLife at home changes when a house-wife from a middle-class, conservative family in Calcutta gets a job as a saleswoman.thematically similar to Meghe Dhaka Tara
[IMDB has wrong wrong pictures of Mahanagar...authorities please fix it] - DirectorRaj KapoorStarsRaj KapoorManoj KumarSimi GarewalRaju is a joker, a clown. It is what he is and what he always shall be. As his life story unfolds in three chapters, from his school days to the circus to the streets, he must always make people laugh and be happy, no matter how unhappy he is within. Along the way, Raju loves and loses, but must always keep a smile on his face because, in the words of his circus manager, "The show must go on." Over six years in the making, "Mera Naam Joker" is Raj Kapoor's semi-autobiographical story of the life, love, and philosophy of an entertainer.
- DirectorMrinal SenStarsUtpal DuttSuhasini MulayShekhar ChatterjeeA lonely bureaucrat goes on holiday to a Gujarat village where a young peasant woman helps him see beyond his job and develop a newfound empathy for people.
- DirectorMehboob KhanStarsNargisSunil DuttRajendra Kumar TuliIn this melodrama, a poverty-stricken woman raises her sons through many trials and tribulations. But no matter the struggles, she always sticks to her own moral code.Lost to Fellini's Nights of Cabiria by a single vote in the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. Fair call...an unrealistic unnecessarily melodramatic film must give way for one of the pioneers of cinema
- DirectorGuru DuttStarsGuru DuttWaheeda RehmanMala SinhaVijay, a talented but indigent poet, struggles for love and recognition in this selfish world.A Guru Dutt classic
- DirectorMani KaulStarsGurdeep SinghGarimaSavita BajajA woman waits for her truck driver husband, everyday, with his daily bread. Her concern for their dying relationship and her sister grows fast as she starts to doubt his loyalty.
- DirectorBimal RoyStarsNutanSunil DuttShashikala JawalkarA high caste Brahmin household adopts an orphaned lower caste girl, but when a young man from their caste wishes to marry her without knowing her lineage, caste differences flare up again.
- DirectorSatyajit RayStarsDhritiman ChatterjeeAsgar AliArabinda BanerjeeA young college graduate is struggling to find a job. He lives in a flat with his younger, employed sister, revolutionary brother and widowed mother. The strain of the situation ultimately causes him to hallucinate.A film with no plot whatsoever can only be so good with the master's touch
- DirectorSatyajit RayStarsSharmila TagoreBarun ChandaParomita ChowdhuryChatterji is an ambitious and self-made young man who becomes the director of the company he works for.
- DirectorSatyajit RayStarsSharmila TagoreKaberi BoseSimi GarewalA group of Calcutta city slickers, including the well-off Asim (Soumitra Chatterjee), the meek Sanjoy (Subhendu Chatterjee) and the brutish Hari (Samit Bhanja), head out for a weekend in the wilderness.
- DirectorBimal RoyStarsAshok KumarNutanDharmendraDuring the British Raj of the 1930s, a prison-doctor falls in love with a convict who eventually reveals the story of her past and her connection to a freedom fighter.A woman-centric film something very much absent from Indian cinema today
- DirectorBimal RoyStarsBalraj SahniNirupa RoyRatan KumarIn the hope of earning enough money to pay off his debts and save his land, a poor farmer becomes a rickshaw puller in Calcutta and faces many difficulties.
- DirectorGuru DuttStarsWaheeda RehmanGuru DuttKumari NaazSuresh Sinha, a famous director, discovers star potential in Shanti, a woman he stumbled into one rainy evening, and casts her as the lead in a film. In a twist of fate, Shanti becomes a superstar and Suresh faces a decline in his career.
- DirectorAdoor GopalakrishnanStarsJalajaKaramana Janardanan NairRajam K. NairThe protagonist is trapped within himself and is unable to comprehend the changes taking place around him.True and possibly only specimen of Adoor's real art
- DirectorSatyajit RayStarsTulsi ChakrabortyKali BannerjeeRani BalaAn underpaid middle-aged clerk finds a 'parash pathar', a stone that changes iron to gold on touch.Only film where Tulsi, an actor of great potential, has a substantial role. To me Tulsi Chakroborty is the Thanasis Veggos of India"
- DirectorShakti SamantaStarsRajesh KhannaAsha ParekhPrem ChopraA runaway bride promises her dying widowed friend that she will assume her identity and look after her infant child.If hero-worship is a cult in India, nothing can be near Rajesh Khanna...also not to mention the seraphic songs in the movie
- DirectorChetan AnandStarsRafiq AnwarUma AnandKamini KaushalThe film takes an expressionist look at the gulf between the rich and poor in society. The film centers on wealthy, capacious landlord Sarkar (Rafi Peer) who lives in a palatial estate high on a mountain, while the poor toil and starve in the valley below. The villagers of 'Neecha Nagar' harbor hate for Sarkar, and their hatred is fueled even more by the fact that Sarkar plans to direct all the sewage into the village to make way for his housing project. The villagers protest this move with their head, Balraj (Rafiq Anwar) leading a movement against Sarkar's plan. Sarkar's daughter Maya (Uma Anand) joins the movement against her father and falls in love with Balraj. With the sewage flowing through the village, epidemic starts to spread, threatening the villagers' lives. Can the poor people of 'Neecha Nagar' survive the greed and wickedness of the rich? Can Sarkar and his malicious ways be put to an end?It could have been with Pather Panchali and Nagarik, but the melodrama created the difference
- DirectorMrinal SenStarsGyanesh MukherjeeMadhavi MukherjeeHemangini DeviThe story set in the late 1930s in a remote village in Bengal, immediately before World War II. It portrays how poverty, famine, unemployment kills humanity.
- DirectorShyam BenegalStarsShabana AzmiSadhu MeherAnant NagBelonging to a lower caste, Lakshmi and her deaf-mute husband Kishtayya serve the landlord's son, Surya. When Surya's young wife finds out about his affair with Lakshmi, they all find themselves at crossroads.
- DirectorSatyajit RayStarsSanjeev KumarSaeed JaffreyShabana AzmiIn 1856, two obsessed noblemen ignore everything while playing chess and fail to notice British rule extending into their Indian province.Only historical satire in India till date
- DirectorShyam BenegalStarsSmita PatilAnant NagNaseeruddin ShahA girl learns music from her courtesan grandmother and breaks into the burgeoning show business industry of 1930s Bombay, which eventually leads to decades of superstardom as well as romantic entanglements.
- DirectorMrinal SenStarsKaruna BannerjeeShekhar ChatterjeeRanjit MallickRanjit cannot get a middle-class job just because he cannot get hold of a suit.
- DirectorMrinal SenStarsMadhavi MukherjeeGita SenBinota RoyAn angry young man on trial in 1971,a rainstorm in a slum in 1933,a lower-middle-class family during the 1943 famine,teenage smugglers in 1953 and a middle-class group in a posh hotel in 1971.Could have been with Jukti, Takko aar Gappo in terms of content but essence preceeds existence, Mr. Sen...
- DirectorMrinal SenStarsDhritiman ChatterjeeSimi GarewalPravas SarkarA political activist escapes the prison van and is sheltered in a posh apartment owned by a sensitive young woman.Completes the Calcutta trilogy of Mrinal Sen(Interview, C71 and Padatik) Also I found Mrigaya very similar to these, so it doen't feature here.
- DirectorChidananda Das GuptaA simple narrative by Chidananda Dasgupta showing his definition of nonintellectual aesthetics
- DirectorM.S. SathyuStarsBalraj SahniA.K. HangalGeeta KakIn post-partition India, a Muslim businessman and his family struggle for their rights in a country which was once their own.
- DirectorJohn AbrahamStarsKunhulakshmi AmmaNilambur BalanHarinarayanThe story revolves around the incidents following the death of a young Naxalite, upon whose death his friends travel to the village where his mother lives to inform her of the death of her only son.
- DirectorRitwik GhatakStarsParam Bhattaraka LahiriPadmadeviGyanesh MukherjeeA misbehaving boy who runs away from his village and goes to Calcutta.Cf. Photikchand, Kitaab, Home Alone, etc.
- DirectorKumar ShahaniStarsAditiIqbalnath KaulAnil PandyaTaran, the daughter of a wealthy landlord, finds herself on the horns of a dilemma when she has to choose between being with her lover and protecting her father's public image.
- DirectorJohn AbrahamStarsS. GopalKrishnarajSri LalithaA donkey strays into a village dominated by the upper caste Brahmins.
- DirectorMani KaulStarsKana RamRaisa PadamseeHardanFilm is Based on Duvidha by Vijayadan Detha, it's about merchant's son, whose relationship with his young bride, Lachhi is thwarted by his work and a ghost who falls in love with her, resulting in the ghost soon impersonating the husband.
- DirectorGirish KasaravalliStarsNarayan BhattRamaswamy IyengarJanganathA young Brahmin Vedic school student, who is from an aristocratic family, befriends his school master's daughter who is a pregnant widow. The boy tries but fails in concealing his friend's pregnancy. The widow has an abortion forced on her, has the eponymous ritual performed on her and is excommunicated. The student returns home as his school shuts down.The next films are radically different from what we have seen so far. They are 'smart' films (smart+art). They are critically acclaimed for the 'treatment of the subject matter', not the subject matter itself. They lack archetypes, lack the emotion, seem anemic after some point of time. The question lies is, Is the greatest art smart? David, a true specimen of sculpture is not smart...its simply art.
- DirectorSarah GavronStarsTannishtha ChatterjeeSatish KaushikChristopher SimpsonIn 1980s London, Nazneem, a young Bangladeshi woman, feels her soul is quietly dying in her arranged marriage, until the day hot-headed Karim comes knocking at her door.Not 'Indian' actually
- DirectorAparna SenStarsRahul BoseChigusa TakakuRaima SenPen pals decide to get married and carry on a long-term relationship.Cf. Mary and Max(2009)
- DirectorQaushiq MukherjeeStarsAnubrata BasuJoyraj BhattacharyaRituparna SenAfter Nihilistic rapper Gandu steals from his mother's lover, he embarks on a drug-fueled rampage with a rickshaw puller in this abstract film.Pratidwandi and Salo(Pasolini) seems to have inspired Q.
- DirectorDev BenegalStarsAbhay DeolSatish KaushikTannishtha ChatterjeeA young man's journey across the mythic Indian landscape becomes a life-changing odyssey.
- DirectorAnup SinghStarsShiboprosad MukherjeeShami KaiserSupriya ChoudhuryA man and a woman crossing the India-Bangladesh border reflect on their love and on the events leading to the 1947 Partition of Bengal.
- DirectorParesh MokashiStarsNandu MadhavVibhawari DeshpandeAtharva KarveIn 1913 India's cinema industry is born from Dadasaheb Phalke's efforts to make Raja Harishchandra (1913), India's first feature-length B&W silent film.
- DirectorAnusha RizviMahmood FarooquiStarsOnkar Das ManikpuriRaghubir YadavShalini VatsaAn impoverished farmer's threat to end his life invites attention from politicians and media.Cf. Invitation to a Suicide (2004)
- DirectorOnirStarsJuhi ChawlaRahul BoseRadhika ApteFour traumatic and life-changing stories in various parts of modern secular India.More mature treatment of the subject matter than My Brother Nikhil, thus features here unlike the latter
- DirectorRituparno GhoshStarsAmitabh BachchanPreity G ZintaArjun RampalAn aging Shakespearean actor takes on one of the bard's most challenging roles. Based on Utpal Dutt's play "Aajker Shahjahan".Only non-crap film of Ghosh. Bacchan has shown what a powerhouse of acting he is. Though I'm not happy with the rest of the cast
- DirectorMira NairStarsKal PennIrrfan KhanTabuAmerican-born Gogol, the son of Indian immigrants, wants to fit in among his fellow New Yorkers, despite his family's unwillingness to let go of their traditional ways.
- DirectorSatyajit RayStarsUtpal DuttDipankar DeyMamata ShankarA well-off family is paid an unexpected, and rather unwanted, visit by a man claiming to be the woman's long-lost uncle. The initial suspicion with which they greet the man slowly dissolves as he regales them with stories of his travels.Ideologically very different from other Ray films. For the first and the last time in a Ray film, emotion precedes intellect and intelligence.
- DirectorGovind NihalaniStarsDeepa SahiIla ArunRaju BarotA planned social gathering is held to commemorate Divakar Barve for the award he receive pertaining his contributions to Indian Arts and films. The social event is greeted by some important public personalities of the community all expect Amrit; an activist. But the atmosphere of the event will come to a drastic change upon the arrival of Avinash.
- DirectorSingeetam Srinivasa RaoStarsKamal HaasanAmala AkkineniTinnu AnandAn unemployed graduate who coincidentally encounters a rich unconscious man, and takes over his lifestyle by keeping him a prisoner. However, he is in for a twist as a contract killer is after him, assuming him to be the affluent man.
- DirectorKetan MehtaV. MenonStarsNaseeruddin ShahSanjana KapoorDeepa SahiHiralal, a rickshaw driver, falls in love with a starlet, Roopa. He follows her to Bombay with the intention of marrying her. But her family forces her to reject him and concentrate on her career.
- DirectorIsmail MerchantStarsShashi KapoorShabana AzmiOm PuriA poet of Urdu fame is struggling with his legacy while an aspiring poet and historian comes to document him like never before and in return becomes custodian of the great poets last verses.
- DirectorRam Gopal VarmaStarsJ.D. ChakravarthiManoj BajpayeeUrmila MatondkarAn innocent man is embroiled in underworld after being falsely charged and sets out to punish the perpetrators who subjected his life to misery.This one and the next shows that "Mumbai noir" is the genre genre that 'Bombay' seems to have invented.
- DirectorShimit AminStarsNana PatekarRevathiYashpal SharmaAn honest encounter specialist's life begins to change with the arrival of a new police commissioner who has ties with a local don.
- DirectorMira NairStarsNaseeruddin ShahLillete DubeyShefali ShahA stressed father, a bride-to-be with a secret, a smitten event planner, and relatives from around the world create much ado about the preparations for an arranged marriage in India.
- DirectorRahul BoseStarsRehaan EngineerKoel PurieRahul BoseA hair stylist who can read the minds of those whose hair he cuts decides to act on his gathered information.
- DirectorAparna SenStarsRahul BoseKonkona Sen SharmaBhisham SahniDuring a bus journey, a devout Hindu Brahmin woman protects a Muslim man when communal rioting breaks out.I find this better than Firaaq...a more high-rated riot film
- DirectorBuddhadev DasguptaStarsMithun ChakrabortyRahul BoseSameera ReddyA man struggles with his memories of his powerful father.Only film of Dasgupta that actually feels like a feature film.
- DirectorDibakar BanerjeePravin E. BirjeStarsAnupam KherBoman IraniParvin DabasA Delhi-based retired middle-class man tries half-heartedly to get his land back from a swindling property dealer with the help of his sons and their friends.Dibakar, please make U-rated films, you're only good in those
- DirectorPiyush JhaStarsOm PuriSophie DahlManoj PahwaLondon-based Crystal Chaurasia convinces the International Film Commission to authorize a documentary on Bollywood's yesteryear mega-actor, Karan Kumar. She travels with her photographer Jeremy to Mumbai and not only gets to meet the legendary actor but also his publicity-shy son Rahul and his alcoholic, reclusive former-actress wife Mandira. It is here Crystal will be drawn into continuing her documentary in London where she will witness the making of Karan's next movie 'Dhak Dhak' in which he decides to not only produce and direct but also hilariously play the role of a college student.