1. Films

I've provided the links and summary from IMDB (International Movie DataBase), because it seems to be complete in terms of touching every film. However, in many cases, some other site has better/more complete information about a specific film. So use this as a start point.

Amal (2007) Directed by Richie Mehta. With Rupinder Nagra, Naseeruddin Shah, Seema Biswas, Koel Purie. Autorickshaw driver Amal is content with the small, but vital, role he serves - driving customers around New Delhi as quickly and safely as possible...
The plot is classic caste or Confucian: People in low places are happiest there. No need to share the wealth. It could have been written by The Economist. Nevertheless, a well-done story.
The best part was the the bar scene with the old man singing a ballad. According to the writeup, Dr. Shiva sang the playback. It was riveting.
Vanaja (2006) Directed by Rajnesh Domalpalli. With Mamatha Bhukya, Urmila Dammannagari, Ramachandriah Marikanti, Krishnamma Gundimalla. Vanaja, the 15 year old daughter of a financially troubled fisherman goes to work in the local landlady's house in hopes of learning Kuchipudi dance...
Poor girl goes to live with local landowner to learn folk dance. Landowner's son rapes her; she gets pregnant. Son's mother finds out and sympathizes. Nevertheless, she is disgraced and must leave.
Disconcerting ending: The girl and her buddy ride off on an elephant.
Milan (1967) Directed by Adurthi Subba Rao. With Sunil Dutt, Nutan, Jamuna, Pran. On the banks of the holy River Ganga, Gopi, a ferryman conducts an unconsummated romance with Radha...
My first introduction to sati. Makes calendar-girl Mira more understandable.
Malgudi Days (TV Series 1987–) Directed by Shankar Nag. With Jayashree B., Deven Bhojani, Girish Karnad, Vaishali Kasaravalli.
Feels like Andy Griffith and Mayberry. Sleepy town with people going about being people. Every once in a while an elephant wanders down the street, like a mongrel dog in Mayberry.
Monsoon Wedding (2001) Directed by Mira Nair. With Naseeruddin Shah, Lillete Dubey, Shefali Shetty, Vijay Raaz. A stressed father, a bride-to-be with a secret, a smitten event planner, and relatives from around the world create much ado about the preparations for an arranged marriage in India.
An early film for me. Introduction to
- Monsoon rains (though I now understand they are often done with firehoses)
- Colorful clothing. Where I live, camo, T-shirts, and blue jeans are haute couture.
- Arranged weddings. In movie after movie this is a key ingredient -- it works, or it doesn't but few escape it.
Earth (1998) Directed by Deepa Mehta. With Maia Sethna, Nandita Das, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Babby Singh. It's 1947 and the borderlines between India and Pakistan are being drawn. A young girl bears witnesses to tragedy as her ayah is caught between the love of two men and the rising tide of political and religious violence.
Water (2005) Directed by Deepa Mehta. With Lisa Ray, John Abraham, Seema Biswas, Sarala. The film examines the plight of a group of widows forced into poverty at a temple in the holy city of Varanasi. It focuses on a relationship between one of the widows, who wants to escape the social restrictions imposed on widows, and a man who is from the highest caste and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi.
It is just plain insane to have a culture that
- Glorfies human sexuality, complete with temple paintings, Kama Sutra, and Tantric yoga
- Breeds beautiful women in various skin tones, explicitly targeting moon face, hemispherical breasts, 3 belly folds, and enough hips and thighs to make a sari swing.
- And then treats women like crap, forcing them to live as slaves, or to commit suicide.
Contrast with a northern European pagan earth-goddess or warrior princess. She'd kill any man who tried to make her a slave. If she shared her bed and body with a man, it would be on her own terms, and because she wanted him.
Aag (1948) Directed by Raj Kapoor. With Nargis, Kamini Kaushal, Nigar Sultana, Kamal Kapoor. Kewal (Raj Kapoor) reluctantly accepts his father (Kamal Kapoor)'s demands to continue the family tradition by studying law and become a successful lawyer just like him...
Another cultural meme: Boys may play, but men must take on the family duties and specifically the family career.
Agni Natchathiram (1988) Directed by Mani Ratnam. With Karthik, Prabhu, Vijayakumar, Amala. Entrusted with the task of chairing an inquiry commission involving an influential politician, alcoholic Vishwanath must attempt to deal with issues that he has with in personal life...
Chak De India! (2007) Directed by Shimit Amin. With Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Malvade, Tanya Abrol, Chitrashi Rawat. The story of a hockey player who returns to the game as a coach of a women's hockey team.
The key is at the beginning when Coach (Khan) asks the players where they are from. They answer their home states. The right answer is "India". In a US film about a football team, it would be the whites and the blacks trying to make peace. Or the rich and the poor, or the jews and the catholics, ... Given India's history, this is at least as big an issue as being called a damn Yankee in Alabama.
Biraj Bahu (1954) Directed by Bimal Roy. With Kamini Kaushal, Abhi Bhattacharya, Shakuntala, Pran. Nilambhar Chakravorty belongs to a poor family, and lives in a joint family with his married brother...
A cultural meme of extended famalies, living in too close proximity, getting on each other's nerves. In US culture, you just move further West. Or as Daniel Boone said it "If you can see the smoke from your neighbor's cabin, it is time to move".
Before the Rains (2007) Directed by Santosh Sivan. With Linus Roache, Rahul Bose, Nandita Das, Jennifer Ehle. A English spice baron settles in South India during the waning years of the Raj.
Lusty, wet, and wrong on so many levels. Folks from the Briish Isles didn't stand a chance emotionally. Unfortunately, they had guns.
Bombay to Goa (1972)
Bus ride with cast of misfits. Seems to be a Tollywood rendition of Honymoon Bus. Produciton quality on par with Hope/Crosby/Lamar "Road to..." films.
Benazir (1964) Anwar lives with his brother, Nawab, the Nawab's wife, and their child, in a wealthy upper class neighborhood. Anwar is in love with Shahida, and would like to marry her. The Nawab has a mistress named Benazir, who he goes to see on a regular basis. Shauket, a friend of the family, tells Nawab that Anwar is also seeing Benazir whenever the Nawab is not around. Nawab is shocked at this, but he witnesses Benazir herself in Anwar's arms, and is enraged. The question remains, if Anwar is in love with Shahida, why he is having an affair with his brother's mistress?
Yet another northern/Persian movie with first son as life's lottery winner, and everyone else subservient.
Chingaari (2006) Directed by Kalpana Lajmi. With Sushmita Sen, Mithun Chakraborty, Anuj Sawhney, Ila Arun. In the village of Rangpur, District of Badlapur, India, lives Narainda, who has been the Postmaster for the last over 35 years...
Young postmaster meets and likes women of the local brothel, which is aligned to the local temple. He tries to treat them decently. The head priest (despite using the women), rains hellfire down on the postmaster. The most headstrong of the prostitutes "gets her Kali on" and wipes out the priest.
In Pacific Northwest culture, a she bear protecting her cubs is considered the most ferocious force on earth (and duly respected by 1000 lb Brown Bear boars). That is the flavor of Kali. When the meek stand up and fight back.
Page 3 (2005) Directed by Madhur Bhandarkar. With Konkona Sen Sharma, Atul Kulkarni, Sandhya Mridul, Tara Sharma. "Page 3" takes a behind-the-scenes look at A-list celebrity lifestyles through the eyes of a female entertainment journalist...
She tries to do serious journalism, but falls back to the entertainment beat. Howver, she is now wiser to the ways of the world, and sees the corruption under the glitz and photoflashes.
An introduction to India's corruption problems.
Corporate (2006) Directed by Madhur Bhandarkar. With Bipasha Basu, Kay Kay Menon, Raj Babbar, Rajat Kapoor. Two corporate giants compete in order to recklessly maximize their respective profits.
Yet more corruption.
The Holy Year (1935) Directed by Rajaram Vankudre Shantaram. With Bal Gandharva, Ratnaprabha, K. Narayan Kale, Master Chhotu. This saint film is about Sant Eknath (1533-99), a major Marathi poet, author of the Eknathi Bhagvata and numerous abhangas evoking folk poetry...
Old enough to be useful for archeology. An introduction to the "inter-dining" issue, and to the "my language is holier than yours" issue. What a mess.
Dil Bole Hadippa! (2009) Directed by Anurag Singh. With Shahid Kapoor, Rani Mukerji, Anupam Kher, Dalip Tahil. A feisty cricket-expert Punjabi girl enters the men's cricket team to play in the Cricket World Cup. However, she is in a predicament when she falls for her handsome cricket coach.
Women can be tough and fiesty, as long as they are also sexy and vulnerable. Compare to the US film on the Women's baseball league ( A_League_of_Their_Own)
I fell in love with Rani Mukerjee (Verra). She is from a film family, but I haven't seen her in other films.
The traveling circus had a mechanical "Ferris wheel" that was similar to some in very old films.
Also an introduction to cricket. I still don't get it.
The Great Indian Butterfly (2007) Directed by Sarthak Dasgupta. With Aamir Bashir, Sandhya Mridul, Koel Purie, Barry John. While on vacation, a bickering couple attempt to locate a rare butterfly.
Love, life, and reality are right here, wherever you are. The funniest part was the couple swearing fluently in English, and the subtitles giving a very bland translation. Can't remember a specific, but the flavor was "You fucking idiot.." -> "Your actions bother me".
Haathi Mere Saathi (1971) Directed by M.A. Thirumugham. With Rajesh Khanna, Tanuja, David Abraham, Sujit Kumar. Orphaned Raju, in the company of four elephants, has to perform with them at street corners, in order to keep alive...
This has a very Tamil/Kerala feel. In US this would be an "Old Yeller" or "Black Beauty" animal film. Seeing elephants as indoor house pets is a revelation.
Gaja Gamini (2000) Directed by M.F. Hussain. With Madhuri Dixit, Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Shilpa Shirodkar. Gaja Gamini, the embodiment of the Indian spirit, inspires artists of all kinds, interacts with and influences the West, and exists through the ages.
I saw complaints that this film was too abstract. Hey, try Bergman's "Seventh Seal". I found it worked quite well. It was an explositon of pure color. It provided a demonstration of the origin of the women's "elephant walk". It captured a few idioms:
- Daughter of a guru, living in a hut, sought by civilized men.
- Lover going out at night, with risk of snake bite.
Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa (1998) Directed by Govind Nihalani. With Jaya Bhaduri, Anupam Kher, Seema Biswas, Milind Gunaji. Dibyanath Chatterji, his bank-employed wife, Sujata, and only child, a son, Brati, live a middle-class existence in Calcutta...
India is a mess of corruption. Young idalists try to fight back,and are murdered. Their (until now very proper) families thereby learn the realities of politics. Rather like families of Vietname War resisters discovering that the war wasn't quite the perfect story it was portrayed.
Jodhaa Akbar (2008) Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. With Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Poonam Sinha. A sixteenth century love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a great Mughal emperor, Akbar, and a Rajput princess, Jodha.
A lush "costumer". The idea is that Akbar intends to be king to all his subjects, and thus must understand and emphathize with them in all their complexity. The wife is a foil for learning Hindi culture -- though "Ash" Aishwarya is gloriously beautiful in the role.
Jab We Met (2007) Directed by Imtiaz Ali. With Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Tarun Arora, Dara Singh. A depressed wealthy businessman finds his life changing after he meets a spunky and care-free young woman.
Well actually, she is not carefree -- she has cares, but just tackles them with naive gusto. Kareena's mile-a-minute-mouth is the star of the show.
The Journey (2004)
Directed by Ligy J. Pullappally. With Suhasini V. Nair, Shrruiti Menon, K.P.A.C. Lalitha, Valsala Menon. In Sancharram, Kiran is mortified by her growing lesbian desire for the effervescent Delilah, in an idyllic Indian village where arranged marriage is the only acceptable form of coupling.
The film was done to convince lesbians to not commit suicide due to social pressure. A serious problem in India. Another side effect of "women are men's toys".
The Duo (1997) Directed by Mani Ratnam. With Mohanlal, Prakash Raj, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Gautami. Mani Rathnam's take on the real-life rivalry between M.G. Ramachandran and Karunanidhi
Tamil politics: A poet/screenwriter and a movie star/hero. Puts flesh on history texts I've been reading. An early role for Ash, as a naughty Jazz dancer with heart of gold.
Khoya Khoya Chand Circa 1960s Lucknow-based author Zafar Ali Naqvi, who has issues with his father and his four wives, including the 4th one who lusts after him, re-locates to Bombay, starts writing for ...
1950's period piece. Has the flavor of the Great Gatsby. A starlet acts, dances, and sexes her way into the film business. The writer/director is self-destructive.
Kranti (1981) Directed by Manoj Kumar. With Dilip Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Hema Malini. This is the story of India's Freedom Struggle between the years of 1825 and 1875.
It is a really poorly done movie, almost camp. Yet the topic is dear to the hearts of Indians. Kind of like US "Gone with the Wind" - big, sprawling, heart wrenching, somewhat historical.
Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007) Six newly-married, diverse, honeymooning couples face marital bliss and discord, finding out more about themselves, their significant others and life in this happy-go-lucky, quirky drama.
This got mixed review....but I thought it was one of the best films I've seen from India. Quirky and fun-loving and enough truth to hurt.
Padatik (1973) Directed by Mrinal Sen. With Dhritiman Chatterjee, Simi Garewal, Pravas Sarkar, Bijon Bhattacharya.
A confusing, jarring, "realist" film of Bengal uprisings. Has the flavor of "Closely Watched Trains" - people going about their lives in the midst of chaos.
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) Directed by Karan Johar. With Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukerji, Farida Jalal. During their college years, Anjali was in love with her best-friend Rahul, but he had eyes only for Tina. Years later, Rahul and the now-deceased Tina's eight-year-old daughter attempts to reunite her father and Anjali
It sounds trite but it works.
Kannathil Muthamittal (2002) Directed by Mani Ratnam. With Madhavan, Simran, Prakash Raj, Nandita Das. Dhileepan and Shyama are Tamil-speaking residents of Mankulam, Sri Lanka, who get married with the blessings of their respective families...
War-torn Sri Lanka. Refugees. Tracking lost relatives. Making families out of scraps. Puts a human face on the vaguely reported (in western press) "Tamil Tiger" story. Nandita Das is of course breathtaking.
Mr. and Mrs. 55 (1955) Directed by Guru Dutt. With Madhubala, Guru Dutt, Lalita Pawar, Johnny Walker. A young, naive heiress, in custody of a martinet and flamingly feminist aunt is forced into a marriage...
Has an "Our Man Godfrey" flavor. Geeta Dutt sings playback. Watched this because it was referenced in Honeymoon Travels. Johnny Walker gets to play a full role.
Ocean of an Old Man (2008) Directed by Rajesh Shera. With Tom Alter, Akash, Jamie Alter, Anju. After a devastating Tsunami, a school-teacher struggles with the loss of his family and students.
Watched hoping to learn more about Andaman Islands. Mostly about death and loss.
Neal and Nikki (2005) Directed by Arjun Sablok. With Uday Chopra, Tanisha, Abhishek Bachchan, Richa Pallod. The film, as its name implies, centres on Gurneal Ahluwalia and Nikkita Bakshi (Uday Chopra and Tanisha).
Set in British Columbia (which is a lot closer to me than it is to India). Nominally about Neal, about to marry a buxom western woman. But he meets and falls for a more traditional Indian girl.
The thesis is that Indian men are overwhelmed (moth to flames) by the big boobs and lusty attitudes of North American women. But if they have a chance they will recover their senses and marry a good girl. On the other hand, a good Indian girl can learn a thing or two about loosening up from those same buxom beauties -- who turn out to be nice girls too.
I don't know if this reflects actual Indian male preferences, or if it is just the screenwriters/director/producer fantasies. Assuming the former, it is kind of funny seeing the story from that side. I grew up with girls/women from northern European gene pools -- German, Swedish, English. Buxom was the norm. And the 1960's "make love not war" generation made for a lot of lusty adventures for all parties, male and female. You want full-on fleshy/lusty, try Polynesia.
Perhaps I should see Indian women with small boobs, big hips, and shy/coy manners as "exotic". But I'll stick with my Swedish wife for now.
A River Called Titash (1973) Directed by Ritwik Ghatak. With Rosy Samad, Fakrul Hasan Bairagi, Narain Chakraborty, Banani Choudhury.
Based on Adwita Malla Burman's book about poor Bengali fishing communities. Has a documentary/anthropology flavor (which may of course be totally fake.) Tragic, struggling. Once again, terrible for women.
Road to Sangam (2010) Directed by Amit Rai. With Paresh Rawal, Om Puri, Pavan Malhotra, Javed Sheikh. Amidst bomb explosions, fake arrests, police brutality and protests, a determined mechanic attempts to repair an antique truck to transport the last remains of Mahatma Gandhi in modern day India.
You have to know some Indian history to get the story. Read Misra's text. An eternal struggle to get Hindu and Moslem communities to trust one another.
Shabri (2011) Directed by Lalit Marathe. With Isha Koppikar, Raj Arjun, Manish Wadhwa, Pradeep Singh Rawat. An impoverished woman faces off against gangsters as well as the police after her brother is killed
There is a genre of ganster films, where a woman has no choices left, and turns rogue. Since she has nothing to lose, she is ruthless. If she happens to also be smart and a bit lucky, she ends up being a gang boss.
There is also a flavor of saddistic corruption in the police ranks. In fact, corruption permeates Indian film (and apparently real life).
Jhansi Ki Rani (1956) Directed by Sohrab Modi. With Mehtab, Sohrab Modi, Mubarak, Ulhas.
"Tiger and the Flame". Big "costumer epic leading up to 1857 revolution. Considered historically accurate re the Rani.
Thillana Mohanambal (1968)
Directed by A.P. Nagarajan. With Shivaji Ganesan, Padmini, Manorama, Balaiya. A classical bharathanatyam dancer and a nathaswaram player fall in love against the wishes of her family.This...
Tollywood treatment of highly skilled drummer and dancer who compete and the fall in love.
Umrao Jaan (1981) Directed by Muzaffar Ali. With Rekha, Farooq Shaikh, Naseeruddin Shah, Raj Babbar. In Faizabad, British India, Daroga Dilawar is sentenced to several years in prison after Amiran's dad testifies against him...
"Good girl" is abducted and sold to brothel. She learns the arts of a courtesan, and is widely sought. Tries to get back to her home and family.
The Warrior (2001) Directed by Asif Kapadia. With Irrfan Khan, Puru Chibber, Aino Annuddin, Manoj Mishra. In feudal India, a warrior (Khan) who renounces his role as the longitme enforcer to a local lord becomes the prey in a murderous hunt through the Himalayan mountains.
Sort of a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western. The most interesting part to me was that the climate/landscape in the Himalyas was the first part of India that looked habitable to me. Mountains, rushing streams, not many people.
Throw of the Dice (1929) Directed by Franz Osten. With Seeta Devi, Himansu Rai, Charu Roy, Modhu Bose. Two rival kings addicted to gambling, Ranjit (Roy) and the evil Sohan (Rai), also vie for the same woman...
This fits the classical age of princes, courtesans, and gambling.
Wounded (2007) Directed by Krishna Mishra. With Kanhaiya, Seema Parihar. Wounded - The Bandit Queen, is a true story based on and performed by Seema Parihar looking back on her life as a real Bandit...
Once again, a woman with no options goes rogue and makes a success of it. Rather pitiful.
Deewaar (1975) Directed by Yash Chopra. With Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Neetu Singh, Nirupa Roy. As a youth, Vijay struggles as a dockworker. Eventually, he becomes a leading figure of the underworld, while younger brother, Ravi, is an educated, upright policeman. But in the end, it all comes down to, who does mother love more?
Another gangster film, with good people going bad. The fight scenes are just ridiculous. Import some Hong Kong Kung Fu stunt directors.
Andaz (1949) Directed by Mehboob Khan. With Nargis, Dilip Kumar, V.H. Desai, Cuckoo. Nina is the rich and spoiled daughter of a rich businessman. One day while horse-riding she loses control of her horse and is rescued by a young man named Dilip...
As one review says:
Uses a woman, Nargis, as a pivotal figure to highlight the division and tension between independent, capitalist modern India and the tug of feudal and family values. The denouement is when all the problems in the plot are laid squarely at the feet of the 'modern' woman. She should have retained family values and stayed within confines and not become a temptress! Written by Ravi Sandhu
Rang De Basanti (2006) Directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. With Aamir Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Siddharth, Sharman Joshi. A young woman from England comes to India to make a documentary about her grandfather's diary which was written in the 1920s about the Indian Independence with five young men.
Gen-X'ers party until they are pushed into becoming revolutionaries, following the lines of their ancestors. All in the name of responding to overwhelming corruption.
3 Idiots (2009) Directed by Rajkumar Hirani. With Aamir Khan, Madhavan, Mona Singh, Kareena Kapoor. Two friends are searching for their long lost companion. They revisit their college days and recall the memories of their friend who inspired them to think differently.
Think intense academic competition in the face of a world of nepotism.
Mullum Malarum (1978) Directed by J. Mahendran. With Sarath Babu, Jayalakshmi, Rajnikanth, Shobha. A boorish villager butts heads with a newly appointed engineer from the city.
It is really more about village life faced with externally-inflicted cultural change. The "boorish" villager is a local hero, trying to do the right thing as the culture changes under his feet.
Waqt (1965)
Directed by Yash Chopra. With Sunil Dutt, Sadhana, Raaj Kumar, Shashi Kapoor. Members of a family are separated in a natural disaster. Several years down the line, they aren't united but their lives are strangely interconnected.
Author's message is something like "fate can be cruel, but good people keep on stuggling to do right."

Creator: Harry George
Updated/Created: 2017-09-20

Table of Contents

1. Films