BEST INDIAN MOVIES

MOTHER INDIA

Mother Indiare is a 1957 Hindi film epic.

Produced and Directed by Mehboob Khan.

Written by Mehboob Khan, Wajahat Mirza, S. Ali Raza (dialogue). Music by Naushad,

Cinematography Faredoon A. Irani, Editing by Shamsudin Kadri. Studio Mehboob Production,

Release date(s) 25 October 1957, Running time 172 minutes

PLOT

The film, a melodrama, is a remake of Mehboob Khan's earlier film, Aurat (1940). It is the

story of a poverty-stricken village woman named Radha who, amid many other trials and

tribulations, struggles to raise her sons and survive against an evil money-lender. Despite her

hardship, she sets a goddess-like moral example of what it means to be an Indian woman, yet

kills her own criminal son at the end for the greater moral good. She represents India as a nation

in the aftermath of independence.

About the Film

The film ranks among the all-time Indian box office hits and has been described as "an all-

time Indian blockbuster" and "perhaps India's most revered film".

Mother India belongs to a small collection of films, including Kismet (1943), Mughal-e-

Azam (1960), Sholay (1975) and Hum Aapke Hain Koun...!(1994) which continue to be

watched daily throughout India and are considered to be definitive Hindi cultural film

classics.

The film was India's first submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language

Film in 1958 and was chosen as one of the five nominations for the category.

PYAASA

Pyaasa (English: The Thirsty) is a 1957 Indian film.

Produced and Directed by Guru Dutt.

Written by Abrar Alvi

PLOT The film tells the story of struggling poet, Vijay (Guru Dutt), trying to make his works

known in post-independence India and a prostitute with a heart of gold, eventually helps

him get his poems published. The music was composed by S.D. Burman.

HIS WORKS

With the commercial success of thrillers like Baazi, Jaal, Aar Paar and C.I.D. as well as

comedies like Mr. & Mrs. '55, Guru Dutt and his studio were financially secure and

established.

From 1957, he could now make movies he really wanted to make, including Pyaasa.

HIS WORKS

In 2002, Pyaasa was ranked at #160 on the Sight & Sound critics' and directors'

poll of all-time greatest films.

 In 2005, Pyaasa was rated as one of the 100 best films of all time by Time

Magazine, which called it "the soulfully romantic of the lot." 

Indiatimes Movies ranks the movie amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films.

On the occasion of Valentines Day 2011 Time magazine has declared it as one of the

top 10 romantic movies of all time.

ALAM ARA

Alam Ara (English: The Light of the World) is a first Indian sound film

in 1931 film

Directed by  Ardeshir Irani.

Written by Joseph David

Munshi Zaheer (Urdu)

Irani recognized the importance that sound would have on the cinema, and raced to

complete Alam Ara before several other contemporary sound films.

Alam Ara debuted at the Majestic Cinema in Mumbai (then Bombay) on March 14, 1931. 

The first Indian talkie was so popular that "police aid had to be summoned to control the

crowds.”

Newspaper advertisement for Alam Ara, 1931

AIM OF IRANI

The film is a love story between a prince and a gypsy girl, based on a Parsi play. The

story centers on an imaginary, historical royal family in the kingdom of Kumarpur.

The main characters are the king and his two warring wives Dilbahar and Navbahar.

Their rivalry escalates when a fakir predicts that Navbahar will bear the king's heir.

Dilbahar, in revenge, attempts to have an affair with the kingdom's chief minister Adil.

The affair goes sour and a vengeful Dilbahar imprisons him and exiles his daughter,

Alam Ara (Zubeida).

In exile, Alam Ara is brought up by Gypsies. Upon returning to the palace at Kumarpur,

Alam Ara meets and falls in love with the charming young prince (Master Vithal). In

the end, Adil is released, Dilbahar is punished and the lovers marry

PLOT

In 2003, this film got the National Film Archive of India Award

in Pune, which destroyed the last surviving prints of several

classics such as Raja Harishchandra and Achhut Kanya. 

This film is no longer available in its original format.

AWARD

Alam Ara still

SHREE 420

Shree 420 (English : Mr. 420, also transliterated as Shri 420) is a

1955 Bollywood film

Directed, produced by and starring by Raj Kapoor.

Written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and V.P.Sathe

FILM CENTERS

The film centers on Raj, a poor, but educated orphan who comes to Bombay with dreams of

success. Kapoor's character is heavily influenced by Charlie Chaplin's "little tramp", much like

Kapoor's character in his 1951 Awaara.

The film is a collaboration between director/producer Kapoor and writer 

Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, with music composed by the team of Shankar Jaikishan. The song "

Mera Joota Hai Japani" ('My shoes are Japanese'), became hugely popular and a patriotic

symbol of the newly independent India.

PLOT

Shree 420 is the tale of a country boy, Raj (Raj Kapoor), from Allahabad, who travels to the big

city, Bombay, by walking, to earn a living. He falls in love with the poor but virtuous Vidya (

Nargis), but is soon seduced by the riches of a freewheeling and unethical lifestyle presented to

him by an unscrupulous and dishonest businessman, Seth Sonachand Dharmaanand (Nemo) and

the sultry temptress Maya (Nadira).

He eventually becomes a confidence trickster, or "420," who even cheats in card gambling. Vidya

tried hard to make Raj a good man but fails.

Meanwhile, Sonachand comes up with another scheme to exploit poor people, whereby he

promises permanent homes to them at just Rs.100. The scheme pays off, as people start hoarding

money for a home, even at the cost of other important things.

Vidya's contempt for Raj increases even more. Raj becomes wealthy, but soon realizes that he paid

a very high price for it. When Raj discovers that Sonachand has no plans to fulfill his promises, he

decides to make wrongs right.

Raj takes all the bond papers of the people's homes & tries to flee Sonachand's home, only to be

caught by Sonachand & his cronies. In a scuffle that occurs, Sonachand shoots Raj dead. When

people hear the shooting, they come & see Raj dead.

Sonachand tells police that Raj was trying to flee after stealing money from his safe, hence

Sonachand shot him.

Upon this, the "dead" Raj springs back to life & using pure logic, proves Sonachand's guilt.

Sonachand & his partner's are arrested, while Vidya happily forgives Raj.

The film ends with Raj telling that 'yeh 420 nahi; Shree 420 hain'("These are not just con men,

they are con men in garb of respected con men").

Do Bigha Zamin

Do Bigha Zamin (meaning "two acres of land") is a Hindi film in 1953

Directed by Bengali film

Director Bimal Roy and

starring Balraj Sahni and Nirupa Roy

About The Film

• The film is known for its socialist theme, and is an important film in the

early parallel cinema of India and is rightly considered a trend setter.

• Bigha is measure of land area but is not same as acre though

translating the title as such serves the purpose.

• Inspired by Italian neo-realistic cinema, Bimal Roy made Do Bigha

Zameen after watching, Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Thieves (1948).  

AWARDS• Like most of movies by Bimal Roy, art and commercial cinema are

merged to create a movie that is still looked upon as a benchmark

and paved way for future cinema makers in the Indian neo-realist

movement and the Indian New Wave, which began in the 1950s.

• It was the first film to win the Filmfare Best MovieAward and the first

Indian film to win the International Prize at the Cannes Film

Festival. 

• In 2005, Indiatimes Movies ranked the movie amongst the Top 25

Must See Bollywood Films.

PLOT

• The story revolves around a farmer Shambu Mahato (Balraj Sahni),

who lives with his wife Parvati `Paro’ (Nirupa Roy) and son Kanhaiya

(Rattan Kumar) in a small village that has been hit badly by a

famine. In the hope of earning enough money to pay off his debts

and save his land, a poor farmer becomes a rickshaw puller in the

Calcutta and faces many difficulties. The film ends as Shambu and

his family walks away from their land.

Pather Panchali

Pather Panchali (English: Song of the Little Road) is a 1955 

Bengali drama film.

 Written and Directed by Satyajit Ray 

Produced by the Government of the Indian state of  West Bengal.

About the Film

Based on Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay's Bengali 1929 novel of the same name,

the film was the directorial debut of Ray.

The first film of The Apu Trilogy, it depicts the childhood of the protagonist Apu in

the rural countryside of Bengal in the 1920s.

Though the film had a shoestring budget of Rs. 1,50,000 (US$3000), featured

mostly amateur actors, and was made by an inexperienced crew, Pather

Panchali was a critical and popular success.

Influenced by Italian neorealism, Satyajit Ray developed his own style of lyrical

realism in this film.

Award

The first movie from independent India to attract major international critical

attention, Pather Panchali won "Best Human Document" at the 

1956 Cannes Film Festival, establishing Satyajit Ray as a major international 

filmmaker. 

Pather Panchali is today considered one of the greatest films ever made.

THE APU TRILOGY

Directed, Produced and Screenplay by Satyajit Ray

Starring Kanu Banerjee and Karuna Banerjee

ABOUT THE FILM

• The Apu Trilogy is a trilogy consisting of three Bengali films directed by Satyajit Ray: Pather

Panchali (Song of the Little Road), Aparajito (The Unvanquished) and Apur Sansar (The World of

Apu).

• The films — completed 1955-1959 — were based on two Bengali novels written

by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay: Pather Panchali (1929) and Aparajito (1932).

• The original music for the trilogy was composed by Ravi Shankar.

• Produced on a shoestring budget of Rs. 1.5 lakh ($3000) using an amateur cast and crew, the

trilogy was a milestone in Indian cinema and remains one of the finest examples of Parallel

Cinema.

AWARDS

• The three films went on to win many national and international awards, including

three National Film Awards and seven awards from the Cannes, Berlin and Venice Film

Festivals.

• They are today frequently listed among the greatest films of all time and considered one of

the greatest film trilogies ever made.

PLOT

• The films are a "coming of age" narrative in the vein of a bildungsroman, describing the

childhood, education and early maturity of a young Bengali named Apu Roy in the early part

of the 20th century.

• The first film Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road) is about Apu's early experiences in

rural Bengal, as the son of a poor but high caste family. His father Harihar, a Brahmin, has

difficulty in supporting his family. After the death of Apu's sister, Durga, the family moves to

the holy city of Benares.

• In the second film Aparajito (The Unvanquished), the family's finances are still precarious.

After his father dies there, Apu and his mother Sarbajaya come back to a village in Bengal.

Despite incessant poverty, Apu manages to get formal schooling and turns out to be a

brilliant student.

• The growing Apu comes into conflict with his mother. Later, when his mother dies too, he

has to learn to live alone.

• In the third film Apur Sansar (The World of Apu), attempting to become a writer, Apu

accidentally finds himself pressured to marry a girl who has rejected her mentally ill

bridegroom.

• Their blossoming marriage ends in her death in childbirth, after which the despairing Apu

abandons his child, but eventually returns to accept his responsibilities.

MAYABAZAR

Mayabazar (Telugu: మాయాబజార్) is a folklore Telugu Cinema.

Produced by B.Nagi Reddy andAlur Chakrapani.

Directed by kadri Venkata Reddy.

ABOUT THE FILM It was also made in Tamil (released a month later), and the Telugu version was later

dubbed in Kannada. The story, dialogues, and song lyrics were written by Pingali

Nagendra Rao..

It was directed by the Telugu director K. V. Reddy. Mayabazar is considered one of the

enduring classics of Indian Cinema. 

The music delivered by Saluri Rajeswara Rao (uncredited) and Ghantasala has been

extremely popular.

The film stars Gummadi Venkateswara Rao as Balarama, NTR as Krishna, ANR as

Abhimanyu, S. V. Ranga Rao as Ghatothkacha, and Savitri as Sasirekha.

Each and every artist induced life into the characters they played and the movie

ultimately became iconic. A digitally remastered colour version was released in 2010.

Background

The film is based on a folk tale called "Sasirekha Parinayam" popular in Andhra

Pradesh, based on the Mahabharata but not present in it.

In the initial days of beginning of this project once it was decided to name the

movie as "Sasi Rekha Parinayam".

But at a later time it was finalised as "Mayabazaar".

THE PLOT During the Pandavas' Agnyatavasa (period of exile), Arjuna sends his

wife Subhadra and their son Abhimanyu to Dwaraka to stay with her

brothers,Krishna (N.T.Rama Rao)and Balarama (Gummadi Venkateswara Rao).

Sasirekha (Savitri), Balarama's daughter and Abhimanyu (Akkineni) have been in love

with each other from their childhood. Their families had agreed to get them married

when they were children.

However, Balarama's wife refuses to honour that commitment as the Pandavas no

longer have their kingdoms and are in exile.

Balarama decides to conduct Sasirekha's marriage with Lakshmana Kumara (Relangi

Venkata Ramaiah) who is son of his favourite disciple, Duryodhana (Mukkamala).

Krishna advises Subhadra to approachGhatotkacha (S.V.Ranga Rao).

Initially Ghatotkacha assumes them to be intruders in his forest and attacks them, but

later apologizes once he realizes who they are.

He goes to Dwaraka along with his retinue. Using his magical powers he assumes the

form of Sasirekha (Ghatotkacha becomes Maya Sasi Rekha) and goes about wrecking

her marriage with Lakshmana Kumara, while the real Sasirekha is married to

Abhimanyu.

Parallelly, to break the marriage of Maya Sasi Rekha with Lakshmana kumara,

Ghatotkacha's follower's (Ramana Reddy- Played a magician role) enter the

Bridegroom's guest house (Vididi griha) and draws hilarious comedy to the audience

with Balaiah and Allu Rama Lingaiah.

This a must watch movie for the Telugu people in terms of the Story, Performance of the

artists, Music and especially the special effects by a foreign camera man (in 1950's).

Elippathayam

Elippathayam (Translation: The Rat Trap) is an Malayalam Film 

Written and Directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan

About the Film It is critically considered by many to be one of the most

outstanding piece in Adoor Gopalakrishnan's filmography.

This film documents the feudal life in Kerala at its twilight. The

protagonist is trapped within himself and is unable to

comprehend the changes taking place around him.

The film won the British Film Institute award for Most Original

and Imaginative film shown at the National Film Theatre in 1982.

The film was shown at a number of film festivals around the

world, including the 1982 Cannes Film Festival.

Plot The film is trying to explore the question, what is being? It is an incisive

examination of what constitutes an individual. In close scrutiny, a person

is made out of his actions and interactions. It is always a give and take.

Unni is the head of a feudal Nair family, unable to cope with the changing

social conditions leading to the decline of the feudal system in Kerala.

Unni, it is always takes and no gives, while for his sister Rajamma it is

always gives and no taking.

While his elder sister Janamma fights for her own family share from

the feudal spoils, his younger sister Rajamma obediently serves him

like a slave, and finally collapses under the strain. Sridevi the

rebellious youngest sister walks away from the family rejecting the

old system. Confronted with adverse conditions, Unni withdraws like

a rat into a dark hole.

THE END