Sep 10
A well rounded quiz about Bollywood – the Indian Hindi Cinema. Enjoy:
Aishvarya and Madhuri in Devdas
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Bollywood Quiz I:Know your Bollywood?:A Bollywood quiz about old movies of yesteryears!
Bollywood Quiz – Kishore Kumar, the legend : A fan of Kishore Kumar? – Test your knowledge about this great singer!
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Best English Movies based on India or with Indian Themes
There are so many English movies that come out of India every year. Some equally beautiful movies based on Indian culture originate from other parts of the globe. Here are 20 best stand-outs:
1 Gandhi (1982): This Internationally acclaimed movie needs no introduction. The film stars Ben Kingsley as Gandhi, a brilliant actor by any measure. Amongst much recognition home and abroad, the film won the Academy Award for Best Picture, winning eight Academy Awards in total.
2. City of Joy (1992): The social drama is based on the life of a farmer who moves to Kolkata with his family and finds out that life is nothing but simple in the city. Patrick Swayze, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi and Art Malik lead the brilliant cast. This is one of best movies that use talents from India and Hollywood.
3. Monsoon Wedding (2001): Directed by Mira Nair, this is romance, comedy and drama – all together – depicting the lives of NRIs and the NRI weddings. An extravagant Punjabi wedding and the family traditions are beautifully depicted throughout this movie. Naseeruddin Shah’s acting is solid once more, and plays a father who is organizing an enormous, chaotic, and very expensive wedding that involves NRI families and joint families coming together from different parts of the world.
4. A Passage to India (1984): This classic is one of the most memorable English film based on the Indo-British relationship and their impacts on the day-to-day life during English Rule in India. Written and directed by David Lean, the screenplay is based on the 1924 novel by E.M. Forster. The acting, the direction and the beautifully landscaped scenes equally contribute to this masterpiece. The film has won various awards included Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. The brilliant acting comes from Judy Davis, Victor Banerjee, Peggy Ashcroft and James Fox in the key roles.
5.Being Cyrus (2006): This is one of the best Indian films in English. It is a psychological drama revolving around a dysfunctional family. The brilliant acting is led by Naseeruddin Shah and Dimple Kapadia; the well told story is narrated by none other but Saif Ali Khan in the role of Cyrus Mistry.
6. Bride and Prejudice (2004): This is a Bollywood style adaptation of the novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen. It is filmed primarily in English, with some Hindi and Punjabi dialogue. The lead cast of Aishwarya Rai, Martin Henderson, Nadira Babbar, Anupam Kher and Naveen Andrews plays well in the desi adaptation of an old classic story from west. The wedding and party scenes, the complicated feelings of love, the dance numbers and culture depiction….are all nicely integrated
7. East is East (1999): This is a very comic and funny movie with a dark side of an NRI story based out of England. Om Puri delivers one of the best acting of a conflicted father with double standards. Married to a white woman, the father forces his kids to live the traditional and strict desi lifestyle. The children, born and grown up in UK, see themselves as British and reject their father’s rules on dress, food, religion and arranged marriage.
8. Bend it like Beckham (2002): Starring Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley, the title comes from the soccer player David Beckham’s skill at scoring from free kicks by “bending” (curving) the ball past a wall of defenders. It is a beautiful depiction of a Punjabi family’s life in England. The film explores the lives of Indians abroad and how NRIs ‘bend’ the social and traditional rules to adapt to the local culture. It has a lively music, with a touch of folk genre.
9. Parzania (2007): Translated – Heaven and hell on earth, this is an Indian drama film catering to the extreme human emotions. It is a terrific story of the struggles of a family after they lose their 10 year old son during the racial riot. The film featured Naseeruddin Shah and Sarika in the lead roles. This low budget drama has lovely acting and beautiful direction. Read the rest of this entry »
Samita Patil was still alive, Dilip Kumar still in action, the Big B showed no signs of grey hair, Naseeruddin Shah was in his prime, Pran was still the bad guy to beat…..you got the idea…
Choosing top 20 movies from 80s is almost an impossible task. Should you go with the mega hits from mega stars like Big B and Dilip Kumar, or should you go with the artistic movies supported by Naseeruddin Shah, Samita Patil, Shabana Azmi…? The list below is not perfect by any means, but a good mix of the both styles. Depending on your tastes, likes and dislikes, the choice may vary, but here are my top 20 movies from 80s, arranged in a chronological order, by the year of movie-release date:
1. Aakrosh (1980): This is an acclaimed art film. The star power comes from all around brilliant acting of Naseeruddin Shah, Samita Patil, Om Puri and Amrish Puri. The movie is a satire on the corruption in the Indian judicial system, and power abuse of the rich against the poor.
2. Qurbani (1980): A very entertaining family movie, also known for an ensemble of super-stars, excellent music and many ever-green songs. The film stars Feroz Khan, Vinod Khanna, Zeenat Aman, Amjad Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Aruna Irani, Amrish Puri and Kader Khan.
3. Sparsh (1980): Not a movie for uplifting atmosphere, but if you are looking for a movie with realistic acting, this is the one for you. It stars Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi playing the characters of a blind principal and a teacher in a School of the Blind.
4. Kranti (1981): “Bolo Kranti, Kab Aayegi Krant?” This movie about India’s freedom fight is among the most popular films of the 80s. Produced and directed by Manoj Kumar, it stars Manoj Kumar along with a mega cast of Dilip Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Hema Malini, Shatrughan Sinha, Parveen Babi, Sarika, Prem Chopra, Madan Puri and Paintlal.
5. Lawaaris (1981): This is a super-hit movie of the 80s – a story of an orphan in search for his parents – with twists and turns. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Amjad Khan, Zeenat Aman and Raakhee Gulzar. Read the rest of this entry »
