The predilection of Indian masses really astonishes me. I have seen them accepting some nonsensical movies with open arms and also casting off a few good ones more often than not. Maybe our audience still hasn?t developed a taste for a realistic, different or a philosophical kind of cinema, which doesn?t portray the fantasyland of the Karan Johars and Suraj Barjatayas! I?d be listing five such movies here, which didn?t get the approbation they deserved.
1. Mera Naam Joker
One of the best movies made in Bollywood. I won?t mind calling it legendry. Movie closely looks at the life of a clown (being excellently enacted by Raj Kapoor). A clown has to smile even when he is gloomy from inside, even when people laugh at him and call him names, even when his mother dies & he is crying then also he is a laughing stock for the audience! A clown will never ever be taken seriously. His whole life is like a joke for the others. His feelings don?t have any value.
2. Lamhe
Does age difference matter in true love? Many of you would be inclined to say no but is our society really comfortable with this idea, the answer to this again would be no! And what if the age difference is really gargantuan? Is it necessary that the guy always have to be elder than the girl? Is it okay to fall in love with the children of your love interest? This Yash Chopra movie has beautifully answered some of these complex questions of life. But sadly, this whole concept was a bit too much to digest for our hypocrite Indian society! Salutations to Anil Kapoor and Sridevi for an exceedingly glinting display of acting!
3. Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayee
One of the very few Mahesh Bhatt movies, which didn?t thrive. One of the most artistic love stories I have seen in Indian cinema. No guys, this isn?t your Kuch Kuch Hota Hai or DDLJ! It?s set in more of a realistic and down-to-earth milieu rather than a wonderland. Discarded by the masses because this movie showed the darker shades of unfathomable love rather than the elements of puppy love (Red roses, Valentines day, heart shaped balloons etc). Do you have the guts to love your beloved in the same way if she isn?t mentally as sound as she was before? Will you choose to face the problems and keep her with you or will you take the easy way out of sending her to an asylum? What will you do if the whole planet turns against you and tries their level best to take your beloved away from you? If even all this isn?t too heavy for you than the sad ending certainly will do the job!
4. Aks
I wasn?t surprised one bit when this movie failed to impress the majority! After all, the masses still aren?t matured enough for a psychological thriller like this one. The movie has more of dark and negative vibes than positive and bright ones, which caused its downfall (we shouldn?t forget how much our public loves movies like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun). But I feel the beauty of the movie lied in its dark vibes! They create an atmosphere of that murky supernatural world full of malevolence and inexplicable happenings. Good performances by Amitabh Bachchan, Nandita Das, Raveen Tandon and an excellent one by Manoj Bajpai!
5. Agnivarsha
A treat for the lovers of meaningful cinema! A period film set in the times of Mahabharat. Shows the calamity of a village, which hasn?t seen rainfall for years. A Mahayagya is organized to please the rain God. Will their efforts prove to be fruitful? Will it rain? Other than these basic questions, the characters, their lives and the happenings related with them are certainly very classy & intriguing if not more! Fine performances by Jackie Shroff, Milind Soman, Raveen Tandon, Sonali Kulkarni, Nagarjun, Prabhudeva and others!
The list doesn?t end here. These are just five of the innumerable good movies, which our Indian spectators failed to understand!
© Tanmay Singh, 2004