Six Bollywood Movies That Made A Difference To Me

Deewar (1975)

“Tum log mujhe dhoond rahe ho, aur main tumhara yahan inteezar kar raha hun.” With these very words, a tall, lanky, shy man with a mesmerizing baritone voice, declared the arrival of the eponymous Angry Young Man. In 1975, Deewar was everything un-Bollywood. The ‘hero’ was a decidedly grey character which was rather unusual and the drama was not just intense; it affected you in a way that was so powerful that it shook you to the very core. Though the character of Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan) seems quite unattainable, the movie per se has much that everyone can relate to at some level, even in today’s times. Best remembered for its dialogues and interplay of relationships, Deewar solidified the importance of script writers. It also reaffirmed the fact that movie making is essentially the art of telling a story well. This saga of greed, rebellion, revenge, angst, love, morals, right and wrong is like a vintage wine - the experience only gets better with time.

Trivia: The film was remade in both Tamil (as Thee) and Telugu (as Magadu), both starring regional superstars Rajnikanth and N.T. Rama Rao, respectively.

Sholay (1975)

What can be said about this movie that has not been said a zillion times before? Maybe the fact that it is, almost certainly, the only movie that 3 generations of your family has liked with equal devotion and fervour. Or the fact that Basanti, Veeru, Mausi, Jai, Thakur, Ramlal, Dhanno and hell, even Gabbar, feel more like family than a lot of your relatives. Or that it has made communicating with people so much easier and fun! The question associated with Sholay is never – have you seen it? The question always is – how many times have you seen it? Anything less than 5 is, of course, a sacrilege! This longest running movie in the history of Indian cinema redefines the word legendary. With unforgettable dialogues, brilliant acting, well-etched characters, tight story, great screenplay, good songs and a haunting background score, Sholay is a heady concoction that we can never have enough of!

Trivia: The name of the character Gabbar Singh came from a story that Salim Khan had heard from his policeman father about a real-life bandit called, yes, Gabbar!

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaroan (1983)

Sometimes all it takes to make a classic is a crazy story, bunch of theater veterans, an innovative screenplay, a first time director and loads of masti! At one level, JBDY is a simple circumstantial comedy about two dreamy youngsters (Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Baswani) being in the wrong place at the wrong time. At another level, it is a satire on the corrupt bureaucratic system of that time. Whatever it is, it sure is one of the best comedies to ever grace the Indian screen. The pandemonium created by the characters Tarneja, Mishra, Chopra, Ahuja and gang was a laugh riot from the word go. Amongst its many famous scenes, the Mahabharta sequence is simply the most talked about and well known. Literally every dialogue in that sequence is a separate joke in itself and has since then become part of the common parlance. It’s been 25 years since its release but the magic still continues.

Trivia: Anita Kanwar dubbed for the character played by Bhakti Bharve - the editor of Khabardaar magazine.

Andaaz Apna Apna (1994)

AAA could very well be the most referred movie in college canteens, hostel lobbies, boozing sessions and campus reunions. This cinematic gem is, quite literally, a bag full of rib tickling jokes. The magic of the foolhardy, yet endearing lead duo - Amar (played with characteristic panache by Aamir Khan) and Prem (Salman Khan playing the adorable male version of a dumb blonde) – is such that no one has escaped unaffected. Some of the most memorable scenes of the movie include – Amar and his father fantasizing about a Bangles shop, Prem trying to propose to Raveena (Raveena Tandon) in between frequent jaunts to the loo, Prem laughing like a madcap outside the restaurant after discovering who the real Raveena Bajaj is, Amar explaining a game of football with the sherbet glasses, all the scenes involving crime master Gogo and of course, the climax! Ironically, this movie performed poorly at the box office but strong word of mouth has made it a classic over the years. Talk about divine cinematic justice.

Trivia: AAA reportedly took over 3 years to complete because of constant clashes between Aamir and Salman, who interestingly, are good friends now.

Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995)

Romance has always been the heart and soul of Bollywood. Trends come and go but filmdom’s romance with romance has never fizzled. So, when the son of the king of romantic movies decided to debut as a director, no one was surprised that the central theme of the movie would be a love story. What actually took everyone by surprise was the freshness and treatment of the movie which would go on to become one the biggest box office hits of all time. The story of a couple who fall in love with each other inspite of themselves and then decide to win over the girl’s family instead of running away, found many many fans. With a sizzling on-screen chemistry, the lead pair of Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan made it all look effortless and spontaneous. The impact of DDLJ was such that husbands keeping a fast along with their wives on Karvachauth became quite fashionable. And why not? Afterall, bade bade deshoan mein aisi choti choti baatein hoti rehti hain!

Trivia: The movie’s title was suggested by Kiron Kher, who is a good friend of the Chopra’s.

Dil Chahta Hai (2001)

Ever since its release, the antics of Akash (Aamir Khan), Sameer (Saif Ali Khan) and Sid (Akshaye Khanna) in DCH have caught the imagination of many young hearts. Farhan Akhtar’s directorial debut broke many stereotypes and was not apologetic about being elitist, urbane and self-indulgent. In fact, it epitomized what every 20-something was and wanted to be. The movie was a celebration of youth, of what it is to be young in today’s time and how friendship really is a big deal. In an industry where screen Gods and Goddesses never age, it’s interesting how the dynamics of youth were never captured in such a heartfelt and genuine manner before. What really sets this movie apart and makes it a classic is that it is so easy to identify with. So be it Sameer’s latest heartbreak, Akash’s never-ending pranks, Sid’s depth or Shalini’s dilemma, it is all oh-so-familiar. Of course, the icing on the cake was that it is a genuinely funny movie, which in the drama heavy world of Bollywood is a rarity.

Trivia: Out of the three main roles, Saif Ali Khan was the only one who was the first choice for his role (Sameer).