Table Of ContentOEUOflS'
KAGAZKEPHOOL
Stip tsia
FILHFARE
P R E S E N T S
100
GUDDI
B e s t Films
o/all tim e
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Devdas
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There’s something about a 100 that makes us feel euphoric.
The whole country erupts in a hurrah when Sachin Tendulkar
scores his 100th hundred. The reactions are doubly loud when
Salman Khan’s movies cross the 100 crore mark. The party for
Indian cinema turning 100 began in 2012 and continues to ring
in our ears even as a hundred more Indian films are being canned
every month in 2013. Filmfare is celebrating 100 years of Indian
cinema by compiling its list of best films. But the quantum seems
inadequate and in all honesty unfair. In 100 years there have been
so many movies we’ve held close to our hearts. There have been
so many moments on the silver screen when all we could do
was get emotional. But Filmfare has had to overlook many gems
in an effort to put forth a definite 100 films that have stood the
test of time. And we assume shall continue to do so. This isn’t
the list. Believe us, if we had a free hand we’d have compiled a LAGAAN
1000 movie list. Instead, we prefer a hot list that stands for what
is the best of our cinema. Yes no amount of commiserations can
console the runners up who didn’t make the cut. But every single
movie featured in the following list deserves its place at the top
of the marquee. Movie maniacs DEVESH SHARMA and
RACHIT GUPTA take you through a 100 blasts from the past.
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Raja Harishchandra
YEAR: 1913
DIRECTOR: DADASAHEB PHALKE
PRODUCER: DADASAHEB PHALKE
CAST: DATTARAYA DAMODAR DABKE, SALUNKE,
BHALACHANDRA D PHALKE, PG SANE
DID YOU
The ad for the first Indian for such roles. The film was
film read like this: processed in London. It’s said KNOW?
Phalke’s wife, Saraswatibai,
Raja Harishchandra. manually perforated the reels
A performance with 57,000 in the night. Live music was
Harishchandra m$ the
photographs. A picture two used as an accompaniment.
first ever movie camera
miles long. All for only three The film was an instantaneous
bought by an Indian.
annas. Dadasaheb Phalke success. It opened to packed <- Filmmaking as a
was influenced by Raja Ravi houses everywhere. Sadly, only profession was virtually
Varma’s paintings and based an incomplete copy of the film unknown back then.
his film on the travails of king exists today. Harishchandrachi Hence, Phalke advised
Harishchandra, who gave up Factory, a tribute to Phalke his cast and crew to tel l
his kingdom, his wife and made by Paresh Mokashi, is a others that they were
working in the factory of
children to- keep his promise to must see for all cinema history
one 'Harishchandra'.
sage Vishwamitra. Dadasaheb buffs as it gives a fair idea about
couldn’t find women to act the the challenges faced by the man
female parts and eventually who pioneered Indian cinema.
had to settle for young boys
Devdas
YEAR: 1936
DIRECTOR: PRAMATHESH CHANDRA BARUA
PRODUCER: NEW THEATRES
CAST: KL SAIGAL, JAMUNA BARUA,
TR RAJAKUMARI
MUSIC: RC BORAL, PANKAJ MULLICK
If the West has the system. Devdas can’t
classic Romeo And marry his childhood
Juliet, we have sweetheart Paro as
Devdas. The immortal she belongs to a lower
love story written caste. The dejected
by Sarat Chandra lover finds solace in
Chatterjee has seen the arms of a nautph
numerous cinematic girl, Chandramukhi,
interpretations who gets reformed
Alam Ara down the years. The through love. Paro
pioneering one is is married off to a
this Bengali / Hindi wealthy widower and
bilingual directed a distraught Devdas,
YEAR: 1931 by PC Barua. The his health deteriorated
DIRECTOR: ARDESHIR IRANI Hindi version had by excessive alcohol,
PRODUCER: IMPERIAL MOVIE TONE KL Saigal playing finally dies at her
CAST: MASTER VITHAL, ZUBEIDA, JILLO, the doomed lover doorstep. The film
J SUSHILA, PRITHVIRAJ KAPOOR while Barua himself helped Saigal carve his
MUSIC: FEROZSHAH M MISTRI, B IRANI essayed the role in superstardom and its
the Bengali version. influences impacted
A lam Ara, as we know it is our first The story is a critique all the subsequent
/—1 talkie. When it was first released on on the prevalent cast interpretations.
JLMarch 14,1931 at Majestic cinema
in Mumbai, police had to be brought in
to control the crowds. This Ardeshir Irani
film has many firsts to its name. The first
DID YOU
song of Indian cinema, Dil de khuda ke
naam par, was sung by Wazir Mohammed KNOW?
Khan. It was recorded live (Khan played a
i The last known
fakir in the film) as there was no playback
print of this film was
then. This period film was mostly shot at )
destroyed in a fire at
night to avoid modern daytime ambient
sounds. Hence, Alam Ara also started the tIhned iaN,a Ptiounnea,l Ainr c2h0iv0e3s. of 1 1 ^ l
tradition of shooting under studio lights. Director Mehboob r V l 1 i 1
Hidden microphones were used to record Khan was briefly
the voices of the actors. Incidentally, two considered for the male ,
actors connected with the film, Prithviraj lead’s role, which finally
Kapoor and LV Prasad, went on to become went to Master Vithal.
giants in their own right. Both were
awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award
(Kapoor posthumously in 1972 and Prasad
in 1982) for their immense contribution to
Indian cinema.
95
Visit: www.filmfare.com FILMFARE,APRIL 24, 2013
Achhut
Kanya
YEAR: 1936
DIRECTOR: FRANZ OSTEN
PRODUCER: HIMANSHU RAI
CAST: ASHOK KUMAR, DEVIKA RANI
MUSIC: SARASWATI DEVI
If Devdas talked about disparity between
the classes then Achhut Kanya went a
step further and tackled untouchability,
which was a curse during those days
and is still rampant in our social fabric.
Interestingly, Ashok Kumar was cast in the
film because the original actor Nazam-ul-
Hassan tried to elope with the producer’s
wife Devika Rani. Ashok Kumar plays a
Brahmin’s son in love with an untouchable
girl played by Devika Rani. Director Franz
Osten doesn’t shrink away from depicting
the truth of the situation and the film is Kismet
remembered for its intense mob scenes. It’s
also known for its musical score. The song,
Main ban ke chidiya sung by the lead stars
is popular even today. Incidentally, the YEAR: 1943
music was given by Saraswati Devi, one of DIRECTOR: GYAN MUKHERJEE
our pioneering women composers. PRODUCER: BOMBAY TALKIES
CAST: ASHOK KUMAR, MUMTAZ SHANTI,
DID YOU
SHAH NAWAZ
KNOW? MUSIC: ANIL BISWAS
<r Ashok Kumar
This can be is also known for
worked as a laboratory
termed as its nationalistic
assistant in Bombay
Talkies when he. was j Bombay Talkies’ song, Door hato
asked to play the lead in j most successful film ae duniyawalon
the film. and earned for its Hindustan hamara
protagonist Ashok hai. The British
Kismet ran forth* Kumar the tag of the thought lyricist
years at a theatre in superstar. The dye for Pradeep was writing
Kolkata.
the suave, urban hero anti-German and anti-
-> The movie also has
was cast and Ashok Japanese slogans in
the distinction of being
Kumar’s urban chic the middle of World
the first 'double-role'
serves as a model War but the Indians
played by any Indian
actor. to date. The film got its true meaning.
pioneered the lost- By the time the
and-found formula British realised it, it
and the ‘double role’ was too late. Another
formula as well. Also, song, a duet between
the public accepted Ashok Kumar and
that lead characters Amirbai Karnataki,
could be grey-shaded Dheere dheere, is also
as well. The film remembered till date.
96
FILMFARE,APRIL 24, 2013 Visit: www.filmfare.com
N eecha
N agar
YEAR: 1946
DIRECTOR: CHETAN ANAND
PRODUCER: RASHID ANWAR
CAST: KAMINI KAUSHAL,
UMAANAND
MUSIC: RAVI SHANKAR
The film shared the Grand Prix du
Festival International du Film
award at the first ever Cannes
Film Festival held in 1946. The film was
director Chetan Anand’s magnum opus
and brings to light the disparities of the
millions of Indians who have next to
nothing while a few rich enjoy all the
material benefits. In an era which thrived
on escapist musicals, the maverick
director brings out his Marxist leanings
into play to make a grim realistic film, Mahal
which stands tall with the best of Satyajit
Ray or Ritwik Ghatak products. It can
be called the granddaddy of the parallel
film movement that was to follow later. YEAR: 1949
The film is still relevant in the sense that DIRECTOR: KAMAL AMROHI
nothing has changed, there are parallel PRODUCER: ASHOK KUMAR AND SAVAK VACHA
Indias which co-exist - the India of glass CAST: ASHOK KUMAR, MADHUBALA
towers and the India where people don’t KANU ROY, VIJAYALAXMI
have access to clean water are juxtaposed. MUSIC: KHEMCHAND PRAKASH
Kamini Kaushal and sitar maestro Ravi
Shankar are the other two besides Chetan DID YOU Kamal Amrohi’s corner of the recording
to begin their careers with this film. KNOW? classic is home room to the mike
to many firsts kept in the middle.
- it started off the Cinematography
trend for reincarnation by German
thrillers, it turned cinematographer
the 16-year-old Josef Wirsching,
Madhubala into a reminiscent of German
superstar and made expressionist cinema
wife in a prom; Lata Mangeshkar a adds to the film’s
household name. It’s appeal. The film was
A Mahal was said that the name the biggest earner at
of the singers started the Indian box-office
appearing on record that year, its revenue
jackets only after the eclipsed that of Andaz
immense popularity and Barsaat, which
of Lata’s Aayega released the same year.
aanewala. Music The film proved to
Madhumati, Wot) Kaun
Thi and Mera Saava. director Khemchand be another feather in
Prakash brought out Ashok Kumar’s cap,
the echo effect in the who was also one
song by making the of the producers of
singer walk from one the film.
97
Visit: www.filmfare.com FILMFARE,APRIL 24, 2013
Andaz
YEAR: 1949 DID YOU
DlRECTOR: MEHBOOB KHAN KNOW?
PRODUCER: MEHBOOB KHAN
CAST: DILIP KUMAR, RAJ KAPOOR, NARGIS i <- Cameraman
Faredoon Irani was
MUSIC: NAUSHAD
unhappy with Dilip
Kumar’s casting and
This Mehboob Khan venture is the melodrama involving missing allegedly asked, “Who’s
the only film in which Dilip letters and miraculous revelations a bit this monkey?” when
Kumar and Raj Kapoor star cliched today but the audience went j Khan first walked in on
together. Andaz is a sizzling love berserk seeing their favourite stars I the set.
triangle with Nargis and offers a in tandem and the film’s popularity [ At the time of its run
preachy take on the flirtatious nature gave rise to multi-starrer romances. I at the theatre, Andsz
of modern women. The film plays It’s a precursor to the Yash Chopra was considered an ill
omen for the director
up the strength of its heroes. Dilip, formula of having stylised, upper class
and his stars, with
the shy, introvert lover takes to tragic characters falling in love in exotic
j Mehboob losing his
undertones after rejection while Raj, locales. Another highlight of the film
the happy-go-lucky man charms the is music director Naushad effecting
heroine and later lectures her on how a reverse by making Mukesh sing for )ilip Kumar
she shouldn’t be engaging as it leads Dilip Kumar and Mohammed Rafi for
to misunderstandings. We might find Raj Kapoor.
Baiju
Bawra
YEAR: 1952
DIRECTOR: VIJAYBHATT
PRODUCER: PRAKASH PICTURES
CAST: BHARAT BHUSHAN, MEENA KUMARI
MUSIC: NAUSHAD
The myth of Baiju, the underdog singer
who challenged the might of court
singer Tansen has been deified in
cultural history since eons. Director Vijay
Bhatt and composer Naushad decided to
translate the myth to celluloid and the
result is a musical masterpiece. Naushad
convinced Ustad Amir Khan to be part of
the project and thanks to his guidance,
classical based songs like Man tarpat hari
darshan ko aaj, O duniya ke rakhwale
or Mohe bhool gaye saawariya are still
Awara evergreen. Amir Khan and another classical
exponent DV Paluskar have also sung in the
film. Mohammed Rafi demonstrated that he
could sing classical based songs along with
YEAR: 1951 romantic numbers. His versatility remained
DIRECTOR: RAJ KAPOOR unchallenged for close to two decades.
PRODUCER: RAJ KAPOOR Both Meena Kumari, who won the first ever
CAST: PRITHVIRAJ KAPOOR, RAJ KAPOOR, Filmfare Best Actress Award and Bharat
NARGIS, LEELA CHITNIS, KN SINGH Bhushan (who played Baiju) enjoyed instant
MUSIC: SHANKAR JAIKISHAN popularity after the release.
DID YOU
he Russians nature versus nurture.
loved it, the It rails against the KNOW?
Turks loved it, false notion of lineage
the Egyptians loved - that the son of a
it and so did the criminal would have
Europeans. Such was crime running in his
the film’s craze that it veins and vice versa.
was remade in Turkey One can also interpret for which he is cl
as Avaray. The song it as a critique about
Awara hoon is still the class disparity
popular in the former in India. The film
Soviet bloc countries. cut a chord with
Awara is touted as the Nehruvian
a premier Indian socialism that was
product, which found sweeping across the
a global audience. Its country at the time.
lead pair Raj Kapoor Another reason for its
and Nargis achieved evergreen popularity
cult status abroad. is the sizzling
The film, written by chemistry between
leftist writer Khwaja Raj and Nargis, which
Ahmad Abbas, deals owed much to their
with the issue of off-screen romance.
Anarkali
DID YOU
KNOW?
YEAR: 1953
<r The movie got its I DIRECTOR: NANDLALJASWANTLAL
name from a famous ; PRODUCER: FILMISTAN LTD
poem by Rabindranath [ CAST: PRADEEP KUMAR, BINA RAI,
Tagore, called Dui Bigha | NOORJEHAN
Jomi.
MUSIC: C RAMCHANDRA
<- Meena Kumari
makes a special
appearance in Do Bigha I Salim and Anarkali rest up there with
Zamin with the lullaby, ! Laila-Majnu when we talk about
Aaja riaa. Site saw j eternal lovers. Anarkali, starring
some rushes of the film I Bina Rai and Pradeep Kumar is a precursor
and expressed a desire j of sorts to K Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam. Asif
to be part of it. was in the process of making his magnum
opus since the pre-Partition days and its
-> Vasant Prakash
plot was the industry’s worst kept secret.
began work as music
Do Bigha Anarkali was released when Asif s film was
director for Anarkali
still in pre-production. Bina Rai excels in
but died having
the role of the courtesan Anarkali while
recorded just one
Zamin song with Geeta Dutt. Pradeep Kumar brings out the reluctance of
C Ramchandra took a prince in love with a commoner. The film
over as composer and is known for its soundtrack by
insisted not only that C Ramchandra. Yeh zindagi ussi ki hai
YEAR: 1953 all songs be sung by sung by Lata is comparable to Jab pyar
DIRECTOR: BIMAL ROY | Lata Mangeshkar but kiya toh darna kya, such is the quality of
PRODUCER: BIMAL ROY j also that the Geeta Dutt music that the two songs sound as they
| number be removed
CAST: BALRAJ SAHNI, NIRUPA ROY, RATAN belong to one film. The other memorable
I from the film. Although
KUMAR, JAGDEEP, MURAD, NANA PALSIKAR songs are Aaja ab to aaja, Jaag-dard e-ishq
| the Filmistan people
MUSIC: SAUL CHOUDHURY agreed, the song stayed jaag, Zindagi pyarki do char ghadi hoti
in the movie and was hai, sung by Hemant Kumar for a Moghul
Why is Do Balraj Sahni plays the famous Aa jaane prince’s character in a Bengali accent but
Bigha a rickshaw puller. magical nevertheless.
Zamin still He actually hired a
so relevant? Because rickshaw and plied
nothing has really the trade on the streets
changed in the of Kolkata and made
last 60 years. Our friends with other
villages still lack rickshaw pullers to
basic amenities like get the nuances right.
water and electricity, The most poignant
The debt-ridden scene in the film
villagers are still is where Sahni is
caught in the clutches enticed by a man to
of moneylenders, overtake his lover’s
as the recent spate rickshaw. The promise
of suicides in the of reward makes
Vidarbha region him run beyond his
clearly show. All physical capabilities,
this was presciently his degradation to
brought to light 50 an animal becomes
years ago by Bimal complete as he is
Roy, who was inspired reduced to a beast of
by Italian neo-realist burden in the eyes of
cinema, in particular his customer. Roy won
Bicycle Thieves, to the first Filmfare Best
make this phenomenal Director Award for
film. Lead actor his effort.
Boot Polish
YEAR: 1954
DIRECTOR: PRAKASH ARORA
PRODUCER: RAJ KAPOOR
CAST: NAAZ, RATAN KUMAR, DAVID
MUSIC: SHANKAR JAIKISHAN
This Raj Kapoor production won them. Baby Naaz and Master Rattan DID YOU
international acclaim despite stand out as the protagonists while KNOW?
not being directed by him. Raj’s David, who plays the kindly bootlegger
socialist leanings come into full force John Chacha, gives a great performance
in the film. Children’s films weren’t as a street-smart crook and won the
the norm those days and Kapoor took a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award.
gamble by producing a film that looked The film is remembered for its Nanhe
into the plight of homeless children. munne bachche song, as also the
It depicts how the destitute care for classical parody, Lapak jhapak tu aa re
each other despite having nothing at badarwa, sung by Manna Dey. Such
their disposal. It suggests a way of is its impact that this story of children
uplifting orphaned children, in that of a lesser God still brings a lump in
rich childless couples should adopt the throat.
