I've recently gotten interested in Indian and Bollywood flims...Moonsoon Wedding has been my first real foray into Indian Cimema, aside from watching AVS on WYBE, which is the station we get it on in my area. Anyway, I was wondering if any one could make any other recomendations for other great Indian flims? I am really eager to know more! Thanks!
I shall call him Squishy, and he shall be mine, and he shall be my Squishy.
Hey theForlornJedi,
Of course all the films recommended here are very good.
But I suggest, if you are not a Hindi speaker I guess there is an Indian silent film called PUSHPAK, that would totally eliminate the need for language. Anyone from any corner of the planet can understand the film.
I do not know if you want more Monsoon Wedding type Bhangra movies or Bollywood movies, so let me warn you this a very different movie from those. It is entertaining in its own inimitible way and has a truly heart-breaking end.
If you think indian cinema is bollywood, you are terribly mistaken.
I will point out some directors. You can get the titles of their movies from imdb.
Sathyajith ray
Rwithik Ghatak
Adoor Gopalakrishnan
T.V. chandran
John Abraham(malayalam director not the hindi actor/model)
Girish kasaravalli
Shyam benegal
Shaji N Karun
Mira Nair
Aparna sen
Buddhadevdas guptha
Ofcourse thier movies are not like the formulaic crap from bollywood.
If cinema is an industry, It should be brought under polution control board...Adoor Gopalakrishnan
If you want to see something that is commercial but still is well written, directed and veers slightly away from traditional bollywood, I'd say go see Lagaan.
Also the classics:
Sholay
Mughal-E-Azam
These films generaly have musical interludes the make sense with the plot.
Carpe Diem!
I am American, and don't know too much about Bollywood so I have bought a lot of Indian movies. Dil Chahta Hai is my favorite, but it's more of a romantic then a comedy. Great non bollywood movies are Raincoat, and Mr and Mrs Iyre. I liked Swades, Parineeta, but as for the rest, which are many.... They were all mediocure at best. Much rather watch an American film. Still on the hunt though. Oh, and Dil Se was decent as well.
shareGo look up the actress Urmila Matondkar on this site
I would reccomend many of her movies
Ek Hasina Thi, Satya, Rangeela, Pinjar, Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Mara...
Others I would recommend would be
Mr and Mrs Iyyer, Lagaan, Chandni Bar, Page 3, Salaam Bombay, Masoom
water.
shareHighly Recommended Movies: Dil Chahta Hai [Probably the best movie ever made]. Lagaan, Rang De Basanti and Satya.
shareHigh quality recent Indian films for me are:
- Dor (2006)
- Bas Ek Pal(2006)
- Dil Chahta Hai (2001)
- Zubeidaa (2001)
- Swades (2004)
- Raincoat (2004)
- Don (2006)
- Dil Se (1998)
- Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)
- Omkara (2006)
- Being Cyrus (2006)
- Rang De Basanti (2006)
- 15 Park Avenue (2006)
- Iqbal (2005)
- Maqbool(2004)
- Meenaxi (2004)
- Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon (2003)
- Jhankaar Beats (2003)
- Mr and Mrs Iyer (2002)
- Lagaan (2001)
before you see any other movies, watch the 'Munnabhai' series.. followed by "Lage Raho munnabhai" the sequel- which is such a hit that it refuses to away from the theatres here.
the others are good , but trust me on this.
Director -Movie (Year)
Aamir Khan -Taare Zameen Par (2007)
Abhishek Kapoor -Rock On (2008)
Ajay Phansekar -Ratra Aarambh
Ajay Phansekar -Encounter The Killing (2002)
Amol Palekar -Kairee (2000)
Amol Palekar -Dhyasparva (2001)
Amol Palekar -Anaahat (2003)
Anurag Basu -Life In A Metro (2007)
Anurag Basu -Gangster A Love Story (2006)
Anurag Kashyap -Black Friday (2004)
Anurag Kashyap -Dev D (2009)
Anurag Kashyap -No Smoking (2007)
Apran Sen -Mr. & Mrs. Iyer (2002)
Ashutosh Gowariker -Lagaan (2001) (Nominated for Oscars)
Ashutosh Gowariker -Swades : We, The People (2004)
Balu Mahendra -Sadma (1983)
Chander Vohra -Khilona (1970)
Deepa Mehta -Earth (1998)
Dhundiraj Govind Phalke -Raja Harishchandra (1913) (India’s First Film)
Dibakar Banerjee -Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006)
Dibakar Banerjee -Oye Lucky Lucky Oye (2008)
E.Nivas -Shool (1999)
Farhan Akhtar -Dil Chahta Hai (2001)
Govind Nihalani -Ardh Satya (1983)
Gulzar -Koshish (1972)
Gulzar -Angoor (1982)
Gulzar -Maachis (1996)
Gulzar -Mere Apne (1971)
Guru Dutt -Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959)
Guru Dutt -Pyaasa (1957)
Hansal Mehta -Chhal (2002)
Hrishikesh Mukherji -Anand (1971)
Hrishikesh Mukherji -Anupama (1966)
Hrishikesh Mukherji -Chupke Chupke (1975)
Hrishikesh Mukherji -Golmaal (1979)
Hrishikesh Mukherji -Namak Haraam (1973)
Hrishikesh Mukherji -Guddi (1971)
Jabbar Patel -Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar (2000)
John Matthew Mathan -Sarfarosh (1999)
Jyoti Swaroop -Padosan (1968)
Kamal Hassan -Hey Ram (2000)
Ketan Mehta -Mirch Masala (1985)
Ketan Mehta -Sardar (1993)
Krishna D.K., Raj Nidimoru -99 (2009)
Kundan Shah -Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983)
Kundan Shah -Kabhi haan Kabhi Naa (1993)
Madhur Bhandarkar -Chandni Bar (2001)
Madhur Bhandarkar -Corporate (2006)
Madhur Bhandarkar -Page 3 (2005)
Madhur Bhandarkar -Traffic Signal (2007)
Madhur Bhandarkar -Satta (2003)
Mahesh Bhatt -Saaransh (1984)
Mahesh Bhatt -Zakhm (1998)
Mahesh Bhatt -Arth (1982)
Mahesh Manjrekar -Nidaan (2000)
Mahesh Manjrekar -Vaastav The Reality (1999)
Makrand Deshpande -Hanan (2004)
Mani Ratnam -Bombay (1995)
Mani Ratnam -Roja (1992)
Mani Ratnam -Guru (2007)
Manish Gupta -The Stoneman Murders (2009)
Manish Jha -Matrubhoomi A Nation Without Women (2003)
Mehboob Khan -Mother India (1957) (Nominated for Oscars)
Mira Nair -Salaam Bombay! (1988) (Nominated for Oscars)
Mukul Anand -Agneepath (1990) (inspired by ‘Scarface’)
N.Chandra -Ankush (1986)
Nagesh Kukunoor -Dor (2006)
Nagesh Kukunoor -Hyderabad Blues (1998)
Nagesh Kukunoor -3 Deewarein (2003)
Nagesh Kukunoor -Iqbal (2005)
Nagesh Kukunoor -Bollywood Calling (2001)
Nana Patekar -Prahaar: The Final Attack (1991)
Nishikant Kamat -Dombivali Fast (2005)
Nishikant Kamat -Mumbai Meri Jaan (2008)
Pradeep Sarkar -Parineeta (2005)
Prakash Arora -Boot Polish (1954)
Priyadarshan -Hera Pheri (2000)
Priyadarshan -Gardish (1993)
Priyadarshan -Muskurahat (1992)
Rajkumar Gupta -Aamir(2008) (inspired by ‘Cavite’)
Rajkumar Hirani -Lagey Raho Munnabhai (2006)
Rajkumar Santoshi -Khakee (2004)
Rajkumar Santoshi -The Legend Of Bhagat Singh (2002)
Rajkumar Santoshi -Damini-Lightning (1993)
Rajkumar Santoshi -Andaz Apna Apna (1994)
Rakesh Omprakash Mehra -Aks (2001)
Rakesh Ompraksh Mehra -Rang De Basanti (2006)
Ram Gopal Varma -Bhoot (2003)
Ram Gopal Varma -Rangeela (1995)
Ram Gopal Varma -Sarkar Part I (2005) (inspired by ‘Godfather’)
Ram Gopal Varma -Sarkar Raj PartII(2008)
Ram Gopal Varma -Satya (1998)
Ram Gopal Varma -Shiva (1989)
Ramgopla Varma -Company (2002)
Rohan Sippy -Bluffmaster(2005)
Saeed Akhtar Mirza -Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro (1989)
Sagar Ballary -Bheja Fry (2007)
Saket Chaudhary -Pyaar Ke Side Effects (2006)
Sanjay Surkar -Chaukat Raja (1991)
Sanjay Surkar -Aaplee Manasa (1993)
Sanjay Khanduri -Ek Chaalis Ki Last Local (2007)
Santosh Sivan -Tahaan (2008)
Satyajit Ray -Mahanagar (1963)
Satyajit Ray -Pather Panchali (1955)
Shashanka Ghosh -Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II (2003)
Shashilal Nair -Angaar (1992)
Shekhar Kapur -Masoom (1983) (Dir. Of Elizabeth)
Shekhar Kapur -Bandit Queen (1994)
Shimit Amin -Chak De India (2007)
Shimit Amin -Ab Tak Chhappan (2004)
Shyam Benegal -Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose The Forgotten Hero (2005)
Shyam Benegal -Kalyug (1981)
Singeetham Srinivasa Rao -Apoorva Sahodarargal (1989)
Singeetham Srinivasa Rao -Pushpak (1988)
Sriram Raghavan -Ek Haseena Thi (2004)
Sriram Raghavan -Johnny Gaddaar (2007)
Subhash Ghai -Taal (1999)
Sudhir Mishra -Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2003)
Tanveer Khan -Deadline Sirf 24 Ghante (2006)
Vijay Anand -Guide (1965)
V. Shantaram -Do Ankhen Barah Haath (1957)
V. Shantaram -Navrang (1959)
V. Shantaram -Pinjra (1972/II)
Vidhu Vinod Chopra -Parinda (1989)
Vidhu Vinod Chopra -1942 A Love Story (1993)
Vipul Amrutlal Shah -Aankhen (2002)
Vishal Bharadwaj -Kaminey (2009)
Vishal Bharadwaj -Omkara (2006)
Vishal Bharadwaj -Makdee (2002)
Vishal Bharadwaj -The Blue Umbrella (2005)
Vishal Bharadwaj -Maqbool (2003)
Yash Chopra -Deewaar (1975)
Yash Chopra -Mashaal (1984)
Yash Chopra -Kabhi Kabhie Love Is Life (1976)
Yash Chopra -Kaala Patthar (1979)
Yash Chopra -Silsila (1981)
Zoya Akhtar -Luck by Chance (2009)
While there are great and other not-so-great suggestions here, be advised that Monsoon Wedding is NOT a bollywood movie. It's made by an Indian-American director and does not have a typical bollywood makeup (even with the odd dance-song number thrown in).
True exceptional Indian cinema is by lesser known art directors like Rituparna Ghosh and masters like Satyajit Ray. Again not bollywood, but great. Pather Panchali is perhaps the finest to come out of the subcontinent in the history of Indian filmmaking.