Gems on My Oft-repeated Viewing List
iView Author: Satyendra Jha (Pune,India)
Email: satyendrajha30 [at] gmail.com
Gems on My Oft-repeated Viewing List
There are times when we all get tired of watching the recent releases, one after the other, having the same sort of story, treatment, actors, and there is a sense of restlessness for want of something different. Even the new-wave movies, with all their ‘hatke’ treatment leave you with a sense of déjà vu. Besides, with the current lull in the new releases, what with the elections, final exams of the students, the imminent IPL2 and last but not the least, the stand-off between producers and the multiplex-owners regarding the revenue-sharing resulting in no new movies being released from April, there is nothing much to look forward to at present.
Moreover, being a finance guy during March-end season in India is not a very good time to indulge in too many other activities, and the ‘passion-for-cinema’ takes a back-seat, much against one’s desire. It’s on such occasions that we end up searching our stock of DVDs and want to watch an all-time favourite to quench the thirst of the ‘cinephile’ in me. So, here I am, having gone through my stock, and having decided to go through my ‘oft-repeated’ gems all over again, in the course of next few weeks. The choices are completely personal, and at times, even wifey is not necessarily supportive of the options. But then, she has her own list, and she is free to exercise her right of expression.
Andaaz Apna Apna (1994), Rajkumar Santoshi: Perhaps the most liked comedies of all times, this one needs no introduction. Amar-Prem, Teja, Crime Master Gogo, Ram Gopal Bajaj, Raveena-Karishma, everything evokes a distinct image, and makes you smile irrespective of your mood or location. Every time I watch it, I come across some new dialogue or facial expression that I had not noticed before. Buffoonery at its best… except for Karishma, because she irritated.
Golmaal (1979), Hrishikesh Mukherjee: Ramprasad / Laxmanprasad, Bhawani Shankar, Aanewaal Pal…, Amitabh Bachchan sitting desolately looking at Amol Palekar hogging the limelight and the autograph-seekers, Dina Pathak trying to get inside the house through the bathroom-window-sill. Probably the most remembered role of genius Utpal Dutt. Wilful misrepresentation of facts never looked better on screen. Felt I had a personal connection with the movie, since Amol Palekar plays a CA.
Angoor (1982), Gulzar: ‘Comedy of Errors’ got a new meaning, and Shakespeare would definitely have been happy to see the adaptation of his creation. The layered performance of Sanjeev Kumar in two different roles, ably supported by Deven Verma(s), the master touch of Gulzar, and laugh-riot situations throughout the movie makes it one of the most endearing comedies of any generation. Even Yunus Pervez evokes a laugh at will in all his scenes.
Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983), Kundan Shah: Considered by many to be the perfect ‘dark satire’ in the history of Indian cinema, the movie has the magic of evoking mixed feelings about our state of affairs, and takes a satirical look at the bureaucracy, corruption, politics, and news media through the eyes of the two main protagonists, Sudhir & Vinod, played by ravi Baswani and Naseer respectively. The names have relevance of course, as the movie was made on a shoe-string budget, and Sudhir Mishra and Vinod Chopra were the AD who took more trouble than most in getting this movie completed. Hence, the ode. Almost all the scenes are worth a paragraph or two, but my personal favourite is: Thoda Khaao Thoda Phenko…
Padosan (1968), Jyoti Swaroop: Such was the impact of Mahmood, Kishore Kumar & Sunil Dutt in this laugh-riot that most of us can’t even remember, or probably don’t even care to know the name of the director. For a comedy with a musical back-up story, good music was expected, but what we got was gems like Mere Saamne Wali Khidki Mein, Kehna Hai, Ek Chatur Naar and Main Chali Main Chali… Nautanki Mandali was never so endearing, nor the ‘thorn-in-the-flesh’ (Mehmood) so adorable. Unlike the Priyadarshan-treatment, the slapstick comedy had a purpose, and there was a method in madness.
Trishul (1978), Yash Chopra: AB had made a mark for himself as the angry-young-man and was already the ‘Midas’ superstar. Whatever he would touch would turn into gold. People remember him more for Zanzeer, Deewar & Sholay, but for me, one movie that exemplified his seething anger and angry-young-man image was Trishul. A true multi-star cast by any standards, and being pitted against the powerhouse Sanjeev Kumar, Amitabh came into his own as Vijay, and we all wanted to be the antagonist like him. Shanti Constructions, Ambulance, Patta around the neck… what the heck… Haqeeqat Ki Duniya Mein Chaahat Nahin Hai…. Ab Toh Mere Paas Maa Bhi Nahi Hai…
Waqt (1965), Yash Chopra: This movie pioneered the concept of multi-starrers, and paved way for the trend to be adopted by others, mostly by Yash Chopra himself. Balraj Sahni’s towering personality, Raaj Kumar’s crisp dialogues, Sunil Dutt’s confidence, Shashi Kapoor’s innocence, Sadhna’s seductive salwaars, Sharmila’s pristine beauty, Rehman’s scheming machinations and Ae Meri Zohra Zabeen…. It was destined to be super-hit, and it paved way for Manmohan Desai to make a career out of ‘lost-and-found’ formula. I can’t forget two things specifically about this movie. The first is an unintentional comedy (at least for me), when Rehman asks Shashi: Driver, tumne kya dekha? Shashi: sab kuch. Rehman: Tumhari maa beemar hai, tumhe paison ki zaroorat hai. The other one is the eponymous title song, when Mahendra Kapoor says as we listen, Aadmi Ko Chahiye, Waqt Se Dar Kar Rahe, Kya Pata Kab Kis Ghadi, Waqt Ka Badle Mizaaz…
Nayak (1966), Satyajit Ray: If you intend to unwind after a gruelling day, a Satyajit Ray movie is not generally recommended, unless you are watching Goopy Bagha series, or even a Feluda. However, such is the power of Nayak that you just want to follow the 24-hour’s train journey, and get soaked into the socio-psycho-drama unfolding in front of your eyes mainly though the dialogues between the protagonists Uttam Kumar & Sharmila Tagore, or the jump-cut flashbacks of the matinee idol before he became one. Those who haven’t watched it, I strongly recommend it, and those who have, go watch it again, you might have missed some nuances here and there…
Nadiya Ke Paar (1982), Govind Moonis: It would be more fitting to mention that it’s a Rajshree production, hence the name of the director is immaterial; the product is definitely going to be worth the effort. The rustic village setting, the characters referring to themselves as “Hum”, but not sounding arrogant or over-confident like Raaj Kumar, the lilting music by Ravindra Jain, the effervescent Sachin with a ‘gamchha’ on his shoulders, the truthfulness to the Bhojpuri / Awadhi dialect, and honest direction are some of the hallmarks of the simplicity and success of this movie. Besides, it had its own offspring – Hum Aapke Hain Kaun…
The movies mentioned above are an absolute must-see, but I have got some others on the list as well, which time permitting, I should try to catch-up:
Half Ticket: Aake Seedhi Lagi Dil Pe Aisi Katariya, O saawariya…
Hera Pheri: Baburao Ganpatrao Apte, Ae Raju, Yeh Filmi Kaliyaan Khilaana Bad Kar…
Piya Ka Ghar: Consummation of marriage in a one-room house in Mumbai Chawl was never easy…
Gharonda: Ek Akela Iss Shahar Mein… Long Live Gulzar & Bhupinder
Jewel Thief: You know who is the villain, but you will still watch it.. Dil Pukaare – Aa Re Aa Re Aa Re..
Balika Badhu: Bade Acchhe Lagte Hain….
Dil Chahta Hai: One word: CULT. Aamir never looked more convincing while crying…
Bheja Fry: It gave us Vinay Pathak, and revived the long-forgotten ‘Bharat Bhushan’
Khosla Ka Ghosla: Yahaan…Peshaab…Karna…Mana…Hai…. Lo Jee, hum kaunsa yahan peshaab karne aaye hain…
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
nice one jha saab… some of mine:
jhankar beats
company
satya
pyar ke side effects
bruce almighty
the mask
liar liar
waisa bhi hota hai (II)
My list would be :
Khosla ka Ghosla
Andaz Apna Apna
Hera Pheri
Oye Lucky
When Harry Met Sally
Kal Ho na Ho
Swades
Some more gems:
1) SWADES: tremendous repeat viewing ability on this one!!
2) SARFAROSH: Brilliant screenplay, Aamir Khan, Jagjit Singh….need I say more?
3) SATYA: The best gangster film made…..Scorcese would b proud!!!
4) CHOTI SI BAAT: This gem is no choti baat….
5) DAMINI: Santoshi in his element with Sunny paaji….I have watched it umpteen times for the confrontations between Amrisgh Puri and Sunny!! Taali maar stuff…..
6) LAGAAN: No comment…..The name says it all!!!
My Top 10 List:
Jo jeeta wohi seekander
Andaz apna apna
Satya
Ghayal
The Legend of bhagat singh
Black friday
Golmaal (1979)
Aakhiri rasta(Amitabh, Sridevi & Sadashiv)
Kala patthar
Bazaar
thx Magik bhai, Avi & Rajeev K Singh for your contribution to the list of oft-repeated gems. as i hv mentioned in the post, its a completely subjective and personal view and to each his/her own. however, i do like the suggestions, and yes, i feel i missed out on JJWS. will include it in my list.
Satyen, would be a long list, but love watching some of the oldie classics. Here are some favorites which i watched umpteen times
English
The Shawshank Redemption
Raiders of Lost Ark
ET
Its a Mad,Mad,Mad World( Dhamaal was a copy of this)
The Great Race
The Italian Job(1969)
Guns of Navaronne
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
Batman, Batman Begins, Spiderman Series, Ironman-Am a sucker for superhero flicks.
Any Bond movie, though i love those starring Sean Connery.
The Untouchables
Heat-Killer Combo of Pacino and De Niro
Ronin
Face Off- John Travolta is kick ass
Con Air- Real kick ass characters
satyen comming to my Hindi movies list, eternal favs
Trishul
Anand
Sholay
Satte Pe Satta- Daaru Peene Se Live kharab ho jaata hai
Deewar
Namak Halaal
AAA
JJWS
Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahin-One of the few rom coms i liked.
Sarfarosh
Lagaan
Chak De India
Lakshya
Satya
Vaastav
Hera Pheri
Hungama(Priyan’s)
Legend of Bhagat Singh
Amar Akbar Antony
Like most of Govinda’s comedies, favs being Dulhe Raja and Bade Miya, Chote Miyan
Biwi O Biwi-One of my fav Sanjeev Kumar comedies, real laugh riot
Don-Like the 1978 version more, though i felt FA did a good job with the 2006 one also.
Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro-Eternal fav
And more to come
Jha- here is my hindi list-
Andaz Apna Apna- Crime master Gogo rocks
)
Golmaal- Pele- Black Pearl ke baare mein tumhara
kya khayal hai?
Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron- thoda khao,thoda phenko
Angoor
Sholay
Satte Pe Satta- Chain kuli ki main kuli ki chain
The Great Gambler- Do lafzon ki hai dil ki kahani
Don ( Big B Version)
Amar Akbar Antony- My name is Antony Gonsalves
Dil To Pagal Hai ( yeah I can still watch it
DDLJ
Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa- Deewna dil deewana
Anand- zindagi kaisi yeh paheli hai
Namak Halaal- english is a phunny language
Dulhe Raja- nanga nahayega kya aur nichodega kya
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan- kisi disco mein jaaye
Hera Pheri
Hungama
Chak De India
Trishul
Kaala Patthar
Aks
Chashme Baddur
Golmal(OLD)
Abhimaan
Dostana(OLD)
Deewar(OLD)
Satte pe Satta (abe saand, uth…)
Andaz Apna Apna
Angoor (Ashok ko Urdu mein kya kehte hai?)
Nishabd
People have more or less the same movies on these oft-repeated lists!! However, anyone heard of a movie called Praan Jaaye par shaan na jaaye? Anyone demented enough to watch Gunda numerous times? Or ‘Style’? Give it a try folks. :P
sandeep, ratnakar, sethu, satya, tejas: thx guys. as ratnakar says, the list can be very long, and many names wud b repeating themselves.
some of the names i wud put in my list (in hindi): sarfarosh, chashme-baddur, kabhi haan kabhi naa, anand, namak haraam, biwi-o-biwi
@ ratnakar: i loved the english names suggested by u. my eternal favs:
eternal sunshine of the spotless mind
face-off
pulp fiction
raging bull
one flew over the cuckoo’s nest
sound of music
shawshank redemption
Harry Potter series
Italian Job (both versions)
Any Bond movie (including octopussy)
Yaar Tejas, ur stirring a hornet’s nest here. I have my own list of demented guilty pleasure movies which i must have watched umpteen times,
I have watched Jaani Dushman Ek Anokhi Torture 20 times take that now,He,he.
Some more demented guilty pleasure movies of mine.
Most of AB’s movies from 80’s and 90’s. I have not yet dared to venture near RGV’s Aag, once was enough. But have seen Lal Badshaah, Kohraam, Mard umpteen times.
Some others
Doodh Ka Karz- Jackie Shroff with a Naag Bhaiyya
Koyla- SRK play acting dumb.
Most of Akki’s movies during the 90’s.
Kill Bill vol. 1&2
Khatta Meetha (how cud i forget this one…?)
Here all the good comedies of Hindi cinema has been mentioned except Chupke Chupke. It seems nobody here likes to watch Chupke Chupke repeatedly. :P
@ Jahanpanah- Chupke Chupke is on my list too.Dunno how I missed it out.Thanx for reminding.
Jahanpanah: Sirjee, stupid of me to even dare to miss out Chupke Chupke. Sethu, sorry bhai. Chupke Chupke is an absolute gem. AB trying to push his glasses back on the bridge of his nose rocked. So did Keshto. Pila de Pila de Pila de, EK GLASS JULAAB…heehaiy
No problem Satyendra sir, hota hai and I am much younger to you (I think) so sirjee kehkar sharminda na karein.
@ jahanpanah: PFC pe koi chhota-bada nahin hai bhai… sab baraabar ke bhaagidaar hain… thy showed chupke ckhupke on saturday on some channel, and i watched it over other available choices, though i hv the DVD.
the fun in watching any old classic with ads is undescribable in itself.
another of my “cult” movis on tht list is Run Lola Run. Might do a write-up on it soon.