There are some works of life which deeply touch yours. I call movies works of ‘life’, and not merely art, because a video shown on a 70mm screen is the highest and most impactful form of visual story-telling and is capable of eliciting human emotions like no other medium. In the last two decades, there have been some movies which have made me completely forget myself, and have involved me with their characters to the extent that their win is my triumph and their loss is my tragedy. In no particular order, the movies which I can watch whenever they are aired on television are:
- DIL CHAHTA HAI
– Haan main, magar woh, suno toh, tumne toh, lekin main, Akash ke yahaan, hello?!
A spectacular film chronicling the lives of three friends and their personal trials and tribulations with love, all wrapped with a bow of Aamir’s perfection, Saif’s comic timing, and Farhan Akhtar’s excellent direction.
KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI
– Tussi ja rahe ho? Tussi na jaao!
I will NOT mention why I love this movie and have seen it more than a 100 times. We all have our reasons. I SOB IN THE LAST SCENE EVERY TIME.
- CHAK DE! INDIA
– Woh kya hai na, humari hockey team mein chakke nahin hote.
The whole movie is a blissful watch. I still hoot after the McDonalds’ scene.
- JODHA AKBAR
–This is probably the one period film which I can watch twice (and more than that). Its melodious songs (Jashn-e-Bahara, anyone?), cinematography and the brilliant chemistry between the two most beautiful actors in the industry has one swooning over the era which was.
- FANAA
– Phool hoon gulaab ka, chameli ka mat samajhna,
Aashiq hoon aapka, apni saheli ka mat samajhna!
Aamir’s cheeky shayarana andaaz has him winning hearts all over. A required special mention to Kajol’s acting and the wonderful songs, which add an element of purity in the movie.
- RANG DE BASANTI
– Is par bhi na khaule jo, woh khoon nahin woh paani hai,
Jo desh ke kaam na aa saki, bekaar woh jawani hai.
A bold movie, showing the power of youngsters in a state like India – one which probably began the trend of peaceful candle vigils.
- JAB WE MET
– Anshuman, main kehna chahti thi ki – kutte, ullu ke patthe, you b*****d, saale suar ki aulaad … tadpega tu kameene, keede padenge tere upar, kutte ki maut marega, aur marne ke baad humesha humesha ke liye narak ki aag mein jalega teri —–
This is the movie after which I started liking Kareena, and if you didn’t know, the chemistry between the lead pair is surprisingly good considering the fact that they were going through a bitter public break up during the shooting. The movie’s songs and Imtiaz Ali’s direction deserve applause too.
It’s noteworthy to note that no movies of note have caught my eye in the past few years. Sad for you, Indian Film Industry. I understand everyone will have a different list of their all-time favourite Hindi movies of the past twenty years, but you can feel free to annihilate anyone who does not have a list featuring at least one of the above. Delightful watching!
Read: Bachpan with Bollywood
