100 years of Indian Cinema (Part 1)

After downloading and watching Sholay, I feel that I should write about my favorite Hindi movies of all time.. so here are a list and brief of my favorite movies of Hindi cinema. These all movies are best in their own regards, so I cannot rank them as numero uno or like that. Nonetheless, these are the best movies that I have seen.

Starting with the oldest one: Guide (year 1965)
Starring Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman.
Based on a novel with the same name by R. K. Narayan (creator of Malgudy Days).
Music:  SD Burman.
Directed by Vijay Anand (Goldy).


Trivia: The movie was filmed in English and Hindi. Initially, Chetan Anand was supposed to direct the Hindi version, parallel to the English. But both the directors had plenty of differences in their visions and directions. Hence, shooting of Hindi version was delayed by Dev sa'ab, and l ater on it was directed by Vijay Anand. And I must say, it was a wise decision by Dev sa'ab to give direction to Goldy. Chetan Anand would have made this film a classic art movie, with good treatment but no entertainment. Goldy made it perfect and to me, it is the best Indian movie so far!

This movie was controversial, as R. K. Narayan was not happy with the "hero" Raju-guide, who was a villain in his original story. Of course, Dev Anand has to do some commercialization to suite the audience.


The story is of a guide and a married lady who fall in love with each other. The lady, Rosie (Waheeda) belongs to an outcast family, so her husband, an archaeologist and quite older than her, does not treat her well. Her life is like a golden cage.

When she meets Raju guide and roams around the town, she feels liberated. In her ecstasy, she sings a song as Hindi Cinema tradition. But this song is great in its own rights. Shailendra's words, SD's Music and Lata's talent has given this song a classy touch. Besides, picturization, choreography, on screen performance everything adds to the touch. Every word and scene of the song express the emotions of a soul who was imprisoned for centuries and got a chance to escape! "Aaj fir jine ke tamnna hai, aaj fir marne ka irada hai!" is undoubtedly a masterpiece of Indian Musical Cinema.
May be because of these moments of freedom or Raju guide, she gets the valor to fight her husband for injustice he had been doing against her. After a bitter quarrel, she leaves her husband and goes away with Raju guide. Raju brings a married woman to his village.

This village is a pure imagination of R.K. Narayana. He always had this Malgudi in his mind. Sadly, he did not like the on screen Malgudi (the village had a different name in the movie). The closest on screen replica of Malgudi was the famous serial Malgudi Days of the director Shankar Nag.

Raju’s mother, his best friend, his neighbors and all other villagers did not accept this new friend of Raju (it was 1960’s India). Raju decides that it is better to leave the village than to leave Rosie. They move to a city.

There, Raju’s marketing skills and Rosie’s dancing talents gave the duo fame and money. Indian Cinema keep on getting marvelous songs during these hours of movie, as the ego of the two start colliding. In this hour, Rosie’s husband returns with some documents for Rosie to sign. Raju forged the signature and lose trust of his love, Rosie. Due to this forgery, he was sent to jail but not before we get a master piece by SD. A song, classic two-in-one, by Lata and Rafi. Two-in-one because the tune and rhythm of the songs are similar yet it is almost impossible for the first time listener to find the similarity. “Mo se chal kiye jaye” and “Kya se kya ho gaya” are the twins yet poles a part in the way they are composed! Just AMAZING! Hats off to the all four maestros of Indian Music, SD, Shailendra, Lata and Rafi.


After losing his mother, friends and village for Rosie, now Raju has lost Rosie also. Subsequently, after serving his term in jail, Raju decides to go away from every one. He halts at a village temple. Here, circumstances turn him to a perceived holy man by the villagers. He helps them with welfare of the village. The final twist comes when the entire nation is hit by drought and famine. The villagers took him to be the savior of all and he was forced to “faith-fast”. Villagers feel that with his fasting, Gods would get happy and rain will come. Raju, who is educated, does not believe in such thing. But the unending devotion of villagers makes him continue his fasting. The news of his fasting spreads across the nation and people from all walks of life come to see him, which includes his mother, his best friend and Rosie as well.
Soon starts the battle of good and evil inside Raju Guide. The evil tells him to run away from fasting and killing himself by hunger, while the good tells him not to break the trust of villagers. The battle is an evidence of Vijay Anand’s mastery as a director. The fight between two selves of Raju guide, one dressed in saffron and other in western, is fierce. The arguments, the threats, the expressions, the lighting, and camera work everything of these conversations is just superb. The last words of the good, “na sukh hai, na dukh… na din hai na duniya, na insan na bhagwan… sirf mai hu, mai.. mai.. mai..” ends the dilemma of the soul and the life of Raju guide.

He dies. Did he die in vain or the rain falls? See the movie to get the answer.