Best 5 Bollywood Movies for People Who've Never Seen a Bollywood Movie
79
Disclaimer: All the opinions expressed are solely mine and by no means are these the only 5 best bollywood movies of all time.
Ok having said that let me now start with the list of 5 Best movies for some one who hasn't ever seen a bollywood movie.
These are some of my favorite movies:
1) Sholay
2) Angoor
3) Maine Pyar Kiya
4) Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
5) Lagaan
Sholay(which means "flames" in hindi) is one of those Indian movies which went on to break all records during its time. In fact in Mumbai's Minerva theatre it was shown continuosly for 5 years which is a record till date not broken by any other movie. Now you might ask me what makes this movie to be one of my all time favorites? The answer to that lies in the story, the great acting by all(Amjad Khan, Sanjeev Kumar, Amitabh Bachan, Dharmendra, Hema malini, Jaya Bhaduri (Bachan), Asrani, Jagdeep and others) and the Direction by Ramesh Sippy. If one likes a great story, action, comedy, songs, dialogues or simply great acting then this movie has it. This is a movie that has to be cherished and hopefully not tried to be repeated (which was tried with no success).
The next movie on my list is Angoor (which means "grapes" in hindi) is one of the funniest movies one can ever see. In fact we had the video cassette and saw it so many times that the tape got worn out. This movie was based on Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors. This movie is about two twins who get separated at birth then meet up after they are adults and the confusion (oops the fun) begins. The great actor Sanjeev Kumar's double role(who is a master) and the great comedian Deven Verma double role(who is a servant) produce one of their finest comical acting ever seen.
Then comes Maine Pyar Kiya (which means "I fell in love" in hindi) is one of those movies which I really enjoyed watching again and again. Both the new actors like Salman Khan and Bhagyashree did a fantastic job. Besides them the supporting cast of Lakshmikant Berde (great comedy as the hero's friend), Reema Lagoo (as a wonderful mother of the hero), Alok Nath (as the girl's father) and others. Their is a freshness and innocence about this movie that really touches the heart. The rich-poor divide and love overcoming all barriers eventually makes this movie a great movie.
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (which means "something just happens" in hindi) is one of those which I liked a lot. Shah Rukh Khan(SRK) the hero of the movie started out with negative roles in movies like Darr and Baazigar but his incredible acting skills launched him to become one of the best bollywood actors in recent times(He is known as the Bollywood Badshah(emperor) which for a long time after Amitabh Bachan nobody lay a claim to). Besides the hero (SRK) who did a great job the leading heroine Kajol also did some fantastic acting. Kajol in the first half of the movie acts like the Tomboy and the second half of the movie acts like the demure traditional girl. Besides them Rani Mukherjee was launched in this movie and she just lit up the stage with her screen presence. Salman Khan also did a cameo role in this movie. Their are lots of twists and turns before the usual predictable ending takes place.
Lagaan (which means "land tax" in Hindi) is one of those movies set in the victorian period of the British Raj. This movie was even nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. It takes the game of cricket and where the result determines whether the peasants have to pay their land tax or exempted from it. Aamir khan who plays as the main hero did a fantastic job. Gracy singh as the heroine did a good job and one of the songs in which she danced was one of the most graceful choreography of folk dances that was ever seen. Besides that their have been couple of foreign actors like Rachel Shelley(who teaches and encourages the peasant) and as her brother Paul Blackthorne also performed very well. It has a feel good factor and a very well made movie.
Finally I would like to say that it is a very difficult task to pick out just a few best movies among the galaxy of movies released by bollywood. I would like to thank KerryG for asking me to compile this hub. She has an open mind to know and appreciate films made in Bollywood. Please also do check out her hubs about upcoming talents in Hollywood like Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki.
Thank you for going through my hub. Hope you participate in the poll and check out these videos.
Do you like Bollywood Movies?
See results without votingSholay: Amjad Khan (Great Dialogues)
Angoor: Movie Intro
Maine Pyar Kiya- Antakshari (songs medley)
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai: College ragging scene
Lagaan: Folk Song&Dance
PrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
Comments
SweetiePie- WOW!! That was a quick response. Yeah these are some of the 5 best movies I liked. But surely you should check them out if you get a chance. Some movies have strong dialogue based content which if you have Engish sub titles then you can appreciate better. Hope you check out the videos.
CW nice movies you have selected, mine is all time favourite Sholay i think that kind of movie never going to come again. Thanks!!!
hi CW, i must admit i have never seen a Bollywood movie before. The closest I can think of is The Mistress of Spices - which does not even qualify as a Bollywood production! LOL I'm crazy over Aishwarya Rai! Thanks for the list and now at least I know where to begin! :D
Jyuva- You are right Sholay should never again be tried to be remade. Ram gopal verma tried and did a pathetic job (yuck!! I couldn't even complete watching that movie). It is a great movie and if you have your personal top 5 then feel free to share it.
Cris- Well some of these movies are made for bollywood actors/actresses to get a foothold in western movies. Those movies aren't as successful in India (I don't know if it was successful in the west or not). She is a beautiful woman and I am sure like you many guys drool over her. You should check out and maybe you might actually like a bollywood movie.
Thanks guys for stopping by and commenting.
I think it's really hard to decide what are the movies that can sit on Top-5, but yours is a good attempt.
Yes, Sholay's remake was a bad idea, however I watched the movie(dubbed in tamil) simply because I was curious about Amitabh in Amzad Khan's role.
CW, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is my fav & like you I'm crazy about SRK & Kajol and ofcourse Hritik(drool)LOL.Yes, I know I'm not behaving my age!..lol.i love Hindi movies,but I always watch it at home with English subtitles as I cant understand a word of hindi..maybe..just nahin & khya& a few words like that..lol
yes, i think i'll take your suggestion! :D i love movies in general, specially the good ones! thanks for sharing your top picks :D
Weblog- If you have a personal top 5 then please do let me know. So did you like the tamil version? Amitabh is a great actor and hopefully he provided a saving grace for the movie.
Thanks for commenting.
Laila- Didn't you know woman stop growing after 16 (we are for ever sweet sixteen)..LOL
Hindi movies if one watches the whole movies then one does understand it. I hope you do follow the dialogues especially kadar khan dialogues are really good. Even I like Hrithik and it was tough to exclude Kaho Na Pyar Hai. He dances like a dream (Ek Pal ka jeena) but then it is too western and similar to hollywood movies. I love this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQnsMy-1gFw
Cris- Yes I do hope you check out some of these movies and most of them are even free in google videos and youtube. Thanks for coming back again.
In the video Kuch Kuch Hota Hai it sounds like they are going back between English and another language. Am I wrong? I was just curious because I understand some parts and not others.
Hi CW, an eclectic range of choices. Thank you.
I believe that you're about to return to your family imminently and hope you have a wonderful time. I don't know whether you've yet visited Britain or the Continent, but hope you do before you settle.(Be it in India or State-side)
Love and kisses for the holiday season;
TOF
SweetiePie- It is about a girl who relocated to Bombay from London. She is getting ragged in the college by the hero to sing a song in Hindi. He mocks her saying what if she is the Principal daughter and a principal who can't teach his own daughter Hindi (and also Indian culture) then what will he teach us. The girl ends up singing a Hindi devotional song. The whole dialogue is in part English and Hindi. It is pretty common to use English widely with local language in India in colleges. Glad you found the time to go through the videos. Hope you like these videos.
Personal top 5...nothing like that, I haven't explored much about bollywood movies. Most of them I had been watching are tamil versions(dubbing, not remake) for better understanding as I don't know the language hindi.
My favourites are Rangeela and Hum Aapke Hain Koun, I watched the latter in hindi itself. Both of them were big musical hits. I'm not so familiar with the movies in your list, heard of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and have watched few scenes of Sholay in tv.
As you asked about Big B in Aag(Agni in tamil) - Yes, his acting was wonderful and I should say that Mohan lol was also at his best in that movie.
Maniratnam is my favourite, many of his movies are either remade or dubbed in hindi and some were bilingual production in hindi, tamil at once.
TOF- That is true I will be heading out for family reunion. I love traveling and I hope I get to travel to places in Europe. I also want to visit Australia/NZ let see what life has in store for me. Coming to the movies it was tough to shortlist and came out with this list. The first one is a serious dialogue which if some one understands Hindi is really a great one. Hope you like the songs/dances. Thanks for stopping by. I wish you and your family also Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
CW,I sort of always felt that many women stopped growing after 16,anyway thanks for confirming it.LOL.I am crazy about Hritik's dances and movies,I have all his dances in my ipod!See I proved that I'm still 16..lol.thanks for the utube dance.I do have it !I just loved him and his dances in Dhoom2. Only for Hrithik's movies I go to the theatre with my north indian friends to watch ,as they will be translating it for me!
Countrywomen, thanks for continuing my Bollywood education! With your help, I'll be an expert on Bollywood some day! Thanks for sharing this, with great pics and clips.
Your pal
Weblog- Both of those are great movies. I liked rangeela more for the comedy of Aamir khan( especially the restaurant scene). Mohanlal and Mamooty are also great actors I enjoy a lot watching their movies in malayalam. Glad you like AB in that movie. Maniratnam is one of the finest directors and I think I have seen almost all his movies. I also like Illayaraja's music. One of my favorite songs in tamil is Ninu kori varnam.
Laila- In dhoom2 the first step were he moves his legs sideways is amazing(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3vNKSL__wI). You are right (we are just as young as we think we are). Their you go proving me that both of us are on the same team (under 17 club). In south I liked Prabhu Deva's dance but he doesn't look as great as Hrithik does. I hope you keep watching and keep staying in the under 17 club...LOL
Christoph- What can a student teach a English Professor? I guess you took a break from your English class. I hope you enjoy bollywood songs/dances during the break before you rejoin your class room of Scientific English Students.
Thanks everyone for coming and enriching this hub with your comments.
I do like the videos countrywomen. I just wish our movie channels played more Bollywood movies, which surprises me they do not because we have a large Indian population. I guess I will have to rent these.
SweetiePie- Well our cable comcast does have some bollywood stuff but it is really too expensive for everyone to go for it. Dish/DirectTV have more economical options for Bollywood/Hindi Channels. Actually their are many sites which have free movies/youtube/google videos are also their. I will send you an email with the relevant info. Unless it is a new movie usually one doesn't have to rent. But I am not sure if online all of them have English sub titles though.
Country women, great selection of films. You should post this hub in our thread as this was requested there.
Hi, did you forget Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge of your Sharukh
I havent seen the movie "Angoor" till now - How could i have missed it
Shinu- Well I do like that movie too. I just had to shortlist just 5(not fair)...LOL
Yes I will do that and maybe bring more traffic to this hub..hehe
Angoor whole movie is even available on Youtube in parts. It is one of the funniest movies ever made. Thanks King John for coming and commenting.
Here my list of movies Sholay Lagaan DDLJ Koi Mil gaya Satya from Ram Gopa Verma, he is one of my favourite director and Dil Chahata Hai
I have not watched much Hindi movies not understanding the language but the few i watched i simply love Faaharna and Chori Chori Chupkae Chupkae. The former thriller right till the end with a bit of romance and the latter a guarenteed tear jerker. Of course i didnt cry. Not me. I liked your movie hub Miss CW. really enjoyed it. It was very HOT!!!
Hi country women, great selection of movies. i have seen all of them except angoor. Now this saturday i will go for this....Anyway Thanks for the hub.....
Jyuva- Even DDLJ and Koi Mil Gaya are my favorites too. Dil Chahta Hai is another cool movie. I don't like too much gangster violence movies and found satya ok. Except for Rangeela others I am not so impressed with RGV. Thanks for that list.
Ashwin- In suspense thrillers I like Gupt a lot. Yes I do love tear jerker movies but enjoy suspense and comedy more. Hope you get a chance to see great hindi movies when the English sub titles are available. Glad you find this "hot" (or are you sitting on some hot seat?)
Sandhya- Angoor is a great movie and hope you do watch it. Even youtube has all the parts. Let me know your top 5 favorites too.
Thanks everyone for stopping by and commenting. I am simply overwhelmed by this response in such a short span of time since I published this. You guys really made the effort worth it.
Thank you so much for answering my request, CW, and for the shout-out too! As you know, I have seen Lagaan, but had never heard of the others and will definitely keep an eye out for them. They sound very interesting, and I bet Netflix will have them with subtitles.
Kerry- Their are many more movies and I will let you know if you want to watch some more after this first round. I am sure Netflix will have most of them. If not then let me know I will send you some links. I also hope some people who aren't aware like me about Jensen and Jared get to know of them. I am glad you like this hub. I just did it in a hurry to meet the deadline set by myself (i can't seem to get done anything with it)...LOL
Hi Countrywomen, I've never seen these movies before. It will be an interesting thing to watch. Hmmm...I just have to scout for a copy of this shows then. :-)
Ripplemaker- Salamat for coming. I hope you do watch some of them. They are even available in youtube and google videos. If you really want to watch then I can send the links and you don't have to scout so hard...LOL. Paalam.
How can you forget ..
HUM AAPKE HAIN KAUN?
Hubber2009- Well I like that movie too. I guess those were the first 5 that came to my mind. But it would be interesting to know what your top 5 movies would be? Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
That would be a big help if you send me the links LOL I dont have so much time on the net countrywomen :-) Email it to me please? Thanks! :-)
Ripplemaker- I will email the links and salamat for commenting. Paalam.
Hi CW, I should say that nobody can beat Prabhudeva (not atleast an Indian can) in every aspect like his grace, style, ease and whatever we don't know about dance and left to mention. Prabhudeva won national award for his choreography that he had done for Hrithik's movie, if I'm right the movie's name was Lakshwa. Needless to say Hrithik has great respect to P.Deva which once even made him bow to the award winning dance master's feet in some filmy occasion.
I think there are two things that just can show Hrithik in better way, 1) his appearance 2) his age (considering Prabhudeva is 40+ now). I'm a great fan of Hrithik's dance, but I'd never want such a comparison. Don't get me wrong, I just had to say that because I like Prabhu Deva forever.
(Sorry for the short-cut, and going off-topic now...but just wanted to remind you about my inbox still waiting!!!)
Weblog- The movie that you are talking about is Lakshya (which means aim in hindi). Yes I totally agree with you and the Gentleman song "Chiki Buku Chiki Buku raile" is one my favorite dance number of all time. Btw when ever you compare some one then we do it against the best to know relatively how good you are. Hence Hrithik being a good dancer I compared him to the best dancer in India (i.e., Prabhu Deva).
And if I have to compare Prabhu Deva to some one then it would be Michael Jackson who is one of the all time greatest dancers. I believe by comparing someone it is not to belittle someone but to appreciate the greatness of some one relatively. I also feel if he had the looks of Hrithik Roshan then sky would have been the limit to his popularity and success which even now is sky high.
I apologize if anything I have said has hurt your feelings. I don't intentionally mean to offend anyone but if unknowingly I did then please excuse me.
P.S: I usually don't feel comfortable in offline communication. Hope you understand.
I'm not offended. Thanks for the clarification and I won't disturb you still you feel(or realise that) like communicating offline with me is fine.
Do you get tamil Channels there? If yes and if there is Vijay TV, try to watch a dance based reality show named 'Ungalil Yaar Adutha Prabhu Deva' - it's a nice show that is all about in search of Next Prabhu Deva!!!
Weblog- We get tamil channels but for that we need a dish network. I have comcast cable which doesn't have tamil channels. But I do watch many programs online (since I have svideo cable connect laptop to my TV to watch in bigger screen). I will look out for this show. Thanks for informing me.
Great Hub, I have seen only one out of the five, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai which was great entertainment. I just realized how much I missed watching Hindi Movies, which was a staple while growing up in Sri Lanka during the early '70s. Note to myself, I must rent the others on this list in the new year.
Sandre- Their are many websites also which show some of these movies free besides youtube and google videos. Thanks for stopping by.
Very Nice hub Countrywomen
we here in Egypt are very passionate and crazy about Bollywood Movies
anyway thanks.
Thanks for the article! I've watched a few Bollywood movies (including Lagaan), but not many. I'll try and follow up on your suggestions. :-)
Looking at some of your hubs, while you have good substance, I've been noticing lots of mechanical errors - spelling, punctuation, stuff like that. I understand that English isn't your first language, but I think it'd really help the articles if you could maybe scan them a bit more for typos before posting.
Thanks again for the great articles!
AllyChevaller- Thanks for going through my hubs. Yes some of my hubs I just write it at the spur of the moment like this hub which was prompted by Kerry's request which I completed as soon as I got the request without doing much thorough checks like I should do. Btw can you also point them out to me or email me anything is ok as I would love to receive those corrections. Thanks again for the wonderful suggestion. Looking forward to more feedback from you.
I have seen all 5 movies, it's a great and unforgatable movies.
you should have included
aradhana,
kalapathar
motherindia
I've seen 3 films out of this list. They are all time best movies.
great Bollywood movie. thanks for share.
SweetiePie says:
11 months ago
I like the few Bollywood movies I have seen, so I will definitely check out the recommends on your list.