The unexpected worldwide success of RRR opened up a whole new world of cinema to western movie audiences. The larger than life characters, the bizarre action and the hot mix of melodrama was an exciting combination that had never been seen before. Of course, the success of this film only showed one aspect of the Indian cinema aesthetic. Indian cinema has a long history dating all the way back to the silent film era. To be most important pioneers were inspired from their own rich culture of classical Indian theatre.
These earliest steps initiated the development of regional film industries based entirely on both regional standards and authentic storytelling conventions. Indian cinema has developed its own versions of the major film genres, with fully coherent narrative elements to suit every audience. Making your way through the various localized dimensions of Indian cinema is an amazing treat that will open your eyes to a whole new world of cinema that you never knew existed. So, here are 10 movies to get you started with Indian cinema.
10/10 The Apu Trilogy
The Apu Trilogy is considered one of the best movies ever made. Directed by Satyajit Ray, one of the most influential filmmakers of all time, it was a milestone in the history of Indian cinema. The Apu Trilogy tells the story of a boy’s life, with the first film, Pather Panchalic, exploring the boy’s childhood. The other two movies aparajito and Apur Sansari, follow the boy’s life after the death of his parents, his life in college and his discovery of love. Ray was known for his unparalleled mastery of the cinematic art form, which allowed him to capture the essence of everyday life. Nowhere else is this clearer than in The Apu Trilogy.
9/10 Lagaan
The 2001 movie Lagaan was a monumental achievement in Indian cinema, a three-hour film that explored the British colonial rule of India through a historic sports drama. Despite its narrow focus, it’s crafted on an epic scale, with highly intricate characterizations of each village character and a soundtrack by the legendary AR Rehman bringing the setting to life. Led by Amir Khan as the main character, Lagaan contains the best take on the signature Bollywood melodrama – one that successfully brings the grand spectacle of a staged musical to the stage, as well as the authentic Indian setting to boot.
8/10 Hera Pheric
Although it was a remake of a 1989 Malayalam movie, Hera Pheric started a whole new genre of comedy after introducing the brilliant story to Hindi speaking audiences. Hera Pheric is a quintessential heist comedy, in which a idler trio gets a chance to steal a lot of money by breaking into the business dealings of a dangerous group. However, the end result is a bunch of confusing jokes that entertain with its brilliant mayhem. The film stars Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal as the leading trio, and it is the inimitable character dynamics between these three actors that make this film so memorable.
7/10 Devdas
Devdas marks the pinnacle of the unique Bollywood aesthetic of the early 2000s. Bollywood movies at the time favored grand, beautiful settings, and Devdas is simply the best of these sensibilities. It is based on a 1917 novel of the same name by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, who shares a tragic love story in Indian aristocratic society. With a solid cast consisting of Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit in the lead roles, Devdas is like poetry in motion. Every line of dialogue in the film has a theatrical twist, and each scene is designed to create a striking visual impression.
6/10 Brindavanam
The regional South Indian film industry is known for being highly prolific, with countless films following similar plot patterns and enjoyed equally year after year. But adherence to the foundations of storytelling conventions, carried on by a cultural reverence for all art forms, makes these films more often than not hit the mark. And one movie genre that should never be missed in South Indian cinema is the plethora of action comedies.
The movie from 2010 Brindavanamled by NTR Jr. or RRR fame, follows in a typical South Indian story style – a mysterious young man falls in an obscure village. The village is characterized by generational enmity between two rural aristocratic families, and this young man has a secret purpose to bring peace to the village. This is usually achieved through a lot of double deal and fake identities played for comic effect and a lot of free action scenes. Brindavanam executes this trope better than most, and it’s a totally entertaining watch that will keep you hooked all the time.
5/10 Gangs of Wasseypur
Action movies are the bread and butter of commercial Bollywood productions. Meanwhile, Bollywood filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap got a gritty, grounded take on the action genre ideally suited to reflect the Indian cultural climate. In a manner of speaking, one can consider: Gangs of Wasseypur be the equivalent of Reservoir Dogs. You get the same mundane settings, deafening chatter in everyday speech, and a cast of actors best known for playing real-life characters. Gangs of Wasseypur is a single film that is split into two halves and tells a story of revenge across three different generations.
4/10 Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is a Bollywood version of the eat pray love formula, where the main character is a trio of bachelors, each with their own problems. It takes place during a two-week road trip to Spain, where each of the three childhood friends comes face to face with their deepest fears and experiences a personal transformation. This is an amazing feel-good film, set against beautiful landscapes and supported by the best soundtracks. A number of poetic sequences at key points in the film add a degree of artistry that is generally lacking in Hollywood.
3/10 Bajirao Mastani
The Devdas The era of extravagant aesthetics has morphed into a completely different form in today’s Indian cinema, at the hands of some of the same filmmakers. Bajirao Mastani is a great example of an ongoing trend of historical epics that has swept Indian cinema. It is directed by the famous film maker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the same film maker behind Devdas. Featuring the most sought-after talents of the day such as Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra, the film tells a compelling romance story from the life of Bajira I, an 18th century Marathi minister.
2/10 Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
Karan Johar is another influential filmmaker in the modern Indian cinema landscape. Though best known today as a producer, he started out as a surprisingly gifted screenwriter and director. His early films were characterized by their family themes, a sense of well-being and a mass appeal that endures to this day. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham is considered a modern classic, a highly dramatic narration of years of conflict between father and son in a previously ideal family. The performances of Bollywood icons such as Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan is a memorable part of the film, and the opening monologue is one for the times.
1/10 baahubali
While RRR was the one who made it a global phenomenon, it’s worth recognizing the steps that led to the film’s success. Created by the same spirit behind RRRSS Rajamouli, baahubali is a two-part epic set in an alternate past, where two idealistic princes of a fictional kingdom compete for the throne in a righteous series of tests until one is betrayed by the other. The baahubali movies single-handedly started the Pan-India wave, breaking multiple box office records in India and paving the way for RRRworldwide recognition. So, if you loved RRRyou have to watch baahubali at any cost.