BEST MOVIES FROM BOLLYWOOD          

3 Idiots(2009)

3 IDIOTS (2009)

Rancho: "Pursue excellence, and success will follow, pants down."

                         

Don’t let the title mislead you – yes the film is about 3 people, but idiots stands for ‘I’ll do it on my terms’. With a wicked twist at the end, it charts the journey of three engineering students with a perfect balance of pathos and gags. Told in retrospect, it features constant clashes with their college dean and concludes with the three friends meeting up as adults.

Bobby(1973)

BOBBY (1973)

Nima: "I’m too old to marry you but I can certainly be your lover."

 

Although Bobby doesn’t exactly cover new ground (two lovers who aren’t allowed to be together), it has some amazing secondary characters, such as the predatory Nima. Giving an insight into the debauched 70’s party scene, it’s also a snapshot of what it must’ve been like to be a teenager in Bombay. And, considering lead actress Dimple Kapadia turned into such an iconic sexpot later on, it’s very interesting to see her play the innocent in one of her early roles.

Coolie(1983)

COOLIE (1983)

Iqbal: "We carry the load of the world."

Amitabh Bachchan was considered such a huge star, that when he got critically injured during a scene in Coolie, there’s a section in the film that actually announces it. Treading familiar ground with the typical lecherous villain, a mother and son united and the fight between good and evil, it offers an insight into the hard life of a railway coolie. Amitabh deftly flicks between drama and comedy – the scene where he tries to make omelette according to a recipe on the radio, which keeps flicking over to a yoga program is a classic. We’ll overlook the irony that nowadays he probably hires a coolie when travelling by train.

Deewar(1975)

DEEWAR (1975)

Vijay: "I have a bungalow, car, money, what do you have?"
Ravi: "I have a mother."

One of the few films to portray an Indian woman as something other than just a mother or pious wife, Parveen Babi’s smoking, drinking Anita was riveting. The tale of two brothers – one good, one bad – might be predictable, but you end up feeling really sorry for Amitabh Bachchan’s off-the-rails Vijay. He tries to pull out from the gangster world, but once you’re in, it’s not that easy to leave…

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jyaenge(1995)

DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE (1975)

Simran Singh: "I’m sorry. I said a bit too much in anger."
Raj Malhotra: "It’s all right, Senorita. In big countries, such small things keep happening."

Believe it or not, but DDLJ (as it’s known amongst fans) has been playing in Mumbai for almost 800 weeks. A rom-com that uses the famous Bollywood plot device of forbidden love, it unites playboy Raj (Shah Rukh Khan) with Simran (Kajol), who are banned from seeing each other by her father. The scene where Shah Rukh unbuttons his shirt was particularly tricky for director Aditya Chopra, as Kajol couldn’t stop guffawing. Still, great onscreen chemistry.