Once Upon a Time in Bollywood

So many films by the same filmmaker are personal favourites that it was an agonising task choosing between them. Mother India or Andaz? Pyaasa, Sahib Bibi... or Mr. & Mrs. 55? Awaara or Shree 420? Devdas or Do Bigha Zamin? Selecting 10 films from a period of 75 years is inherently impossible. But here's a list, in alphabetical order, of landmark movies that have deeply impacted popular Hindi cinema.

- NASREEN MUNNI KABIR

Awaara (1951, B&W)

Raj Kapoor's masterpiece took India, Russia and the Middle East by storm, making him one of the early international stars of Indian cinema. With its many twists and turns, it tells the story of Raj, a roguish and troubled hero who turns to crime. Raj is finally saved by Rita (the wonderful Nargis) and reunited with his estranged father, Judge Raghunath (played by Raj's real-life father, Prithviraj Kapoor). Expertly written by K.A. Abbas, the film centres around the theme of nature versus nurture. M.R. Achrekar's opulent sets, fabulous music and lyrics by Shankar-Jaikishan, Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri make this an enduring pleasure.

Amar Akbar Anthony (1977, Colour)

Manmohan Desai's originality and sense of fun brought the lost-and-found theme alive from Kismet (1943) to his time, and for the years that followed. Amar Akbar Anthony is an utter delight and has everything going for it-national integration, humour, great music, witty dialogue, lively performances, and much unpredictable madness. Importantly, it changed what was expected of the hero-to his many attributes, humour was added as an integral part, and so Amar Akbar Anthony was unwittingly instrumental in phasing out the role of the comedian. In one scene, we see Amitabh Bachchan fighting, in another he has us in splits.

Deewar (1973, Colour)