Movies to see before you die
Bollywood has been home to some of the best movies that have come to
celluloid. Some of the best movies that every movie buff should see
before they die are:
1. Kaagaz ke phool
Kaagaz ke phool was the magnum opus of the legendary Guru Dutt who had
made the movie as an inspiration and ode to his long-term association
with Gyan Mukherjee. This movie is the true epitome of Bollywood and
it is the perfect mirror image of the taboo associated with the
industry
Because the movie was really way ahead of its time it didn’t quite
connect with the audiences of the time and it flopped miserably.
However the film picked up big time and is now considered a cult
classic and one of the greatest movie of all time.
Guru Dutt will always be remembered as India’s greatest actor-director
of all time and the movie is also among the top movies of Bollywood’s
history
2. Mughal-e-azam
Mughal-e-azam was the most expensive movie to be made in Bollywood
considering the time it was made in. it catapulted Madhubala to
legendary status. Dilip Kumar who was already an established star by
the 40s became a superstar with the movie. The movie also starred the
legendary actor Prithviraj Kapoor who was the father of the great
actor-director Raj Kapoor.
The movie was directed by K.Asif and was grand in all the aspects of
the word. The movie made Naushad a known figure in almost all
households. The music of the movie was simply stunning. The dialogues
are epic and gives the movie an authenticity that many movies don’t
get.
It was also one of the first all-time blockbusters of Bollywood and
the movie is generally regarded as the greatest ever made in India
though people consider Sholay as the greatest movie ever.
3. Sholay
Sholay is India’s answer to the western spaghetti which was made
popular by leone and Eastwood. Sholay was the magnum opus that made
Ramesh Sippy one of the most sough after director of the industry.
It had an all-star cast which included the often under-rated Sanjeev
Kumar, the action man or HE-MAN of Bollywood Dharmendra, the legendary
and perhaps India’s greatest actor of all time Amitabh Bachchan. The
show stealer of the movie was Amjad Khan who after initial rejection
was cast as the main antagonist Gabbar singh.
The movie was written by Salim-Javed ( consisting of Salim Khan and
Javed Akhtar) who were by then established as the writers of Masala
movies. The music of the movie was the Backbone and was given by
India’s greatest ever that was Rahul.Dev. Burman also known as
RD.BURMAN or simply R.D or Pancham or Dablu.
Amitabh Bachchan was a rising star back then and the movie made him
the legend that he is today
4. Deewar
Deewar was the movie that made Amitabh Bachchan the legend that we
revere him as today. The movie was directed by Yash Chopra who is
considered as one of India’s greatest director of all time.
In fact the movie was inspired by Mumbai underworld don Haji Mastan
and established Bachchan as the ultimate angry young man of the
industry.
The movie was written by Salim-Javed yet again and had music by R.D.
Burman. The movie was also said to have inspired the academy award
winning director Danny Boyle who calls Deewar as the ultimate gateway
to the Bollywood.
5. Mera Naam Joker
Mera Naam Joker was the movie that should’ve been revered by many but
was derided by most when it hit the cinema halls in the year 1970, the
movie that was the closest to Raj Kapoor’s heart and he had sold his
house and had pawned R.K.Studios for the making of the film.
Considered now as one of the few legendary movies of all time the
movie was derided for being way too long and being a movie which was
higly melodramatic. The movie was genuinely way ahead of it’s time.
The movie had great music by Shankar Jaikishan who had a long term
association with Raj Kapoor along with Hasrat Jaipuri and
Shailendra.
I have no qualms calling it my all time favorite movie
Wordsmith1991 