Top 10 Best Hindi Films of all time

It was exactly 100 years ago on 3rd May 1913, when Dadasaheb Phalke, now remembered as the Father of Indian Cinema, released his momentous feature film Raja Harishchandra, marking the beginning of the largest film industry in the world. Through these years, Indian Cinema has en-captured the hearts of million and created a niche for itself surpassing all boundaries of religion and culture. It has made millions of people laugh and cry along as it continues to create magic and enthrall the viewers with its unique and unparalleled identity. Thousands of ladies swoon over the charm of its heroes and its heroines have claimed the hearts of many a men. Little kids grow up to know each of its evergreen dialogues by heart, and even the oldest of the population still hums to its evergreen tunes. Such is the power with which Indian cinema has captivated the hearts of young and old alike for the last ten decades and continues to do so still. Through these 100 years Indian cinema has reflected the changing process of culture and thought, touching upon a plethora of topics even as it continues to entertain and touch the hearts of millions. Truly, India Cinema stands as an epitome of success in the entertainment industry, even as India proudly celebrates this phenomenon which is only growing on to achieve newer heights and touch greater milestones. On the occasion of this epic celebration, here is a list of the top 10 Hindi films Indian cinema has witnessed. 10. Taare Zameen Par (2007) Taare Zameen Par follows the life of eight year old Ishaan suffering from Dyslexia whose energetic and hyperactive imagination and vivid thoughts set him apart from the other “normal” children of his age. Without trying to understand him, and in order to ‘straighten him up’ and improve his poor academic performance he is sent to a boarding school against his wishes, where his new arts teacher (Aamir Khan) helps him to overcome his disability. The movie went on to receive numerous awards including the Filmfare Best Film Award and a National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare. It was also India’s official entry for the 2009 Academy Awards for the category of Best Foreign Film. The movie was reissued by the name Like Stars on Earth for Disney’s international DVD in 2010 which marked the first purchase of distribution rights for an Indian film by a global company. 9. Mera Naam Joker (1970) Mera Naam Joker is the story of Raju, tracing his journey from his childhood to the day of his last performance. Raju, considered the best circus clown ever, is attracted towards the world of the circus right since his childhood. The film is divided into three part each showing his love and heartbreak towards a female protagonist. In the end, Raju is shown performing for the very last time where he invites all the three ladies he was in love with to watch his final act. Raju is always seen carrying a clown doll belonging to his father who died in an accident while performing. Raju gifts his beloved doll to the woman every time he falls in love, only to have it come back to him, which stands as a metaphor for his kind, loving and simple heart. Mera Naam Joker depicts the irony of a clown who must make his audience laugh at the cost of his own tears, because after all, the show must go on. Despite putting 6 years in the making of the film, Raj Kapoor had to face the losses it suffered in the box office. Nevertheless, the film was critically acclaimed and bagged 5 Filmfare Awards. 8. Do Bhiga Zameen (1953) Do Bhiga Zameen revolves around a farmer Shambu Mahato and his family living in a small village plagued by drought and famine, following his conflict with the local zamindar Harnam Singh who wants to construct a mill on his meager two Bhigas of land which is the only means of livelihood for him and his family. It shows his struggle and failure to arrange for the money in order to payback his debt and win back his land. The movie ends as he watches the factory being constructed on his land and is stopped by the security guard from taking a handful of dirt from his own land. The movie was acclaimed for its social theme and is considered a trendsetter since it paved the way for other directors to come up and make parallel films. It won 2 Filmfare Awards for Best Movie and Best Director and was the first Indian film to win the International Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2005, Indiatimes Movies ranked it amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films. 7. Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995) The evergreen classic Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, popularly known as DDLJ epitomizes the classic Yash Raj romantic Film. It follows the story of Raj and Simran, a young couple who meet while on a European vacation and fall in love. It relates how the boy tries to win over the hearts of the girl’s conservative parents so that she can marry him rather than the boy that her strict and orthodox father has chosen for her. Shot in the rich setting of India, London, and Switzerland, the film went on to become one of the biggest hit of all time. It won 10 Filmfare Awards, the most ever at that time, as well as the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. It was also ranked amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films by Indiatimes as well as in the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list along with the only other Indian film Mother India. It was declared an all-time blockbuster and remains the longest-running film in the history of Indian cinema breaking the record of Sholay for most consecutive weeks run in any theatre. It is still playing at the Maratha Mandir theatre in Mumbai, completing 900 weeks on 11 January 2013. 6. Lagaan (2001) Lagaan is an epic sports film set in the Victorian period of India’s colonial British Raj. It follows the lives of the peasants of the small and barren village Champaner, who are oppressed by the high taxes levied on them by Captain Russel, the commanding officer of the Champaner cantonment despite severe drought suffered by the village. In an attempt to persuade the British officers to reduce the taxes, a wager is offered: If their village team succeeds in beating the British team in a game of cricket, their taxes for three years would be cancelled. Accepting this wager, the villagers now face the dilemma of learning this alien game and beating the British at their own forte, that will change their destiny. The brownie point for this film was its topic: the nation’s biggest obsession – Cricket. It received a lot of critical acclaim and won several national and international awards including nine Filmfare Awards and seven National Film Awards. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 2010, it was ranked No. 55 in The 100 Best Films of World Cinema by Empire magazine and was also listed in Time magazine’s special The All-TIME 25 Best Sports Movies, in 2011. 5. Deewar (1975) Deewar relates the story of two brothers Vijay and Ravi who are left to struggle to survive on the streets of Mumbai, after being disgraced and humiliated in public over the supposed misdeeds of their father by the management of his firm. While the older brother Vijay grows up to be a rich smuggler, the younger Ravi grows up to be a police inspector. What follows is a conflict between family ties duties and morals. Deewar was established as a ground-breaking work and earned Amitabh Bachchan his angry young man tag. It is still remembered for its great dialogue deliveries. It received 7 Filmfare Award including one for the Best Movie. It was also included in Indiatimes’ list of Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films. 4. Guide (1965) Guide is based on the critically acclaimed novel The Guide by R. K. Narayan, and is considered one of the masterpieces of the Indian film industry. It narrates the story of Raju, a guide who falls in love with Rosie, a woman married to Marco, the archaeologist who has hired Raju as a guide. In an effort to help Rosie out of her unhappy life and marriage, Raju helps her to pursue her passion of singing dancing and make a career out of it. Gradually, as she becomes wealthy star, Raju spirals down the world of drinking and gambling which leads to a fall out between them. In an act of jealousy, he forges Rosie’s signature and is arrested. After his release, he embarks on a different road. The movie was selected as India’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 38th Academy Awards. It won one National Film Award and 7 Filmfare Awards. It was remade into a U.S. version produced by Tad Danielewski. The film was also screened at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. It was listed at Number Five of the Best Bollywood Classics by Time Magazine. 3. Mother India (1957) Mother India is the story of Radha, a village house wife married in a family plagued with poverty and hardships. In a freak accident, her husband Shamu loses his arms. Humiliated by his handicap, he leaves his wife to fend alone for the family including their sons. In spite of their poverty, she tries her best to raise her sons, two of who die in the ensuing storm and floods. Building the village and a life from scratch again, one of her son grows up to be a bandit. Never deviating from her idealism, Her hands she shoots and kills her own son at last, with unshaking hands for the greater good. The film was the first to be nominated for the Academy Award For Best Foreign Language Film. It went on to win numerous other awards for its director and the lead actress Nargis, including 2 National Film Awards. 2. Sholay (1975) This film created a new milestone in the history of Indian cinema and is referred to as the greatest movie ever made in Bollywood. It follows the story of two criminals Jai and Veeru, who are hired by a retired and handicapped police officer Thakur Baldev Singh to capture the fearsome and ruthless dacoit Gabbar Singh. Sholay released to a very moderate response. Its popularity soon built up through word-of-mouth, soon making it a box office hit. It ran for more than 5 years at a stretch in a theatre in Mumbai to celebrate a record of 60 golden jubilees. It was the first film to introduce stereophonic sound and to use the 70mm format. It was declared as the Film of the Millennium by BBC India in 1999 and topped the Top 10 Indian Film poll by British Film Institute in 2002. It was included in the Best of Bollywood list of 2010 by the Time Magazine and also received a special award of the Best Film of 50 Years at the 50th Filmfare Awards in 2005. The music and dialogues of the film were a smashing hit and are still sung and recited by the people all over India. The characters of Jai, Veeru, Thakur, Gabbar, Basanti and even her horse Dhanno are immortalized in the mind of people even now. 1. Mughal-e-Azam (1960) Regarded as one of the masterpieces of Indian Cinema, the story of the movie revolves around the Mughal prince Salim who falls in love with the court dancer Anarkali. Their is love disapproved by his father emperor Akbar who forces them to part. Salim, rebelling against the king leads to a war in which he is defeated and sentenced to death. His life is spared in exchange of Anarkali’s, which is later spared by the king because of her mother’s favour to him in the past. It went on to win several accolades including one National Film Award and 3 Filmfare Awards. The film was re-released in a color version in 2004 making it the first full length film in history to be tinged with color for re-release in theaters. The song ‘Jab pyar kiya to darna kya’ is still considered to be one of the epic love songs in Indian Cinema.

Murtaza Rangwala

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