6. Andaz Apna Apna:
Directed by: Rajkumar Santoshi
Language: Hindi
Released: 1994
Rajkumar Santoshi's cult classic comedy of errors 'Andaz Apna Apna' is indeed one of my favourties. The film's story is so irreverant, but so funny at the same time, you just can't forget them. Who can forget Crime Master Gogo, with his classic line "Aankhe nikal ke gotiya khelta hoon", Prem with "ooi maa!" while Amar goes "aai la!", the laugh-out-loud "Oranges?" scene and the all-round mad cap antics of the characters?
This is truly a "thinking" comedy, as it was not made in the un-funny, only slapstick style that Govinda was famous for them. Wait. I won't insult Govinda. He is my God. Will explain my love for him in a later post. So yes, on a boring Saturday afternoon, pop the disc into your DVD player and get ready for laughs, laughs and more laughs!
7. The Killing Fields:
Directed by: Roland Joffé
Language: English
Released: 1984
The Killing Fields, much like Schindler's list and Life is Beautiful, is based on real incidents in Cambodia, and the real life story of the American journalist Sydney Schanberg and the Cambodian one, Dith Pran. The film tells the story of how these two men survive the Khmer Rouge, inspite of being separated at one point of time. Schanberg manages to escape Cambodia, but Pran is stuck there, and is captured by the Khmer Rouge. Years later, Pran escapes and finds himself re-united with Schanberg.
I had no idea of the existence of the Khmer Rouge before I saw this film. It is shot so realistically, that it almost has a documentary feel. Cambodia's lush landscapes lay ruined by explosions and blood. The scene where Pran finds the killing fields, with hundreds of bodies rotting on the land, is truly terrifying. The ending is so emotional, with John Lennon's song "Imagine" playing in the background, you can't help but cry.
8. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro:
Directed by: Kundan Shah
Language: Hindi
Released: 1983
I think this is the only black comedy I've seen on Indian cineme. Irrespective of that, it is also one of the funniest movies ever made in Bollywood. The film looks at corruption in Indian politics, news, and almost everything else, in a twisted, satirical manner. The protagonists - Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Baswani- are average-joes, out-of-work photographers desparate to make money. The land a sting operation job with 'Khabardar' magazine, and fall in to a huge web of corruption and politics. Even the editor of the magazine, whom they considered to be on the side of the truth, turns out to be corrupt. Oh, and there is also a dead body involved!
My favourite scene in the movie is the Draupadi Cheer-Haran one. Satish Shah's deadpan portrayal of Draupadi is just hilarious. The whole scene, in fact, is so funny, that you'd want to see it over and over again! The ending is the best though, where the protagonists, inspite of being the good-guys, land up in jail. The moral of the film, as the title suggests, is Jaane bhi do yaaro!
9. Citizen Kane:
Directed by: Orson Welles
Language: English
Released: 1941
Orson Welles' masterpiece, as I call it, is truly one of the most unusual and interesting movies ever made. It follows the life and death of Charles Foster Kane, of how he began as a steadfast, honest man, and how power corrupted him. The film is unusual in it's style and compostion, and is somewhat mysterious, with the Kane's famous last words --- "Rosebud", the interpretaion
The film is such, that you will either like it, or you wont. I went with the first option, and all the film buffs out there will agree with me!
10. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest:
Directed by: Miloš Forman
Language: English
Released: 1975
The film is an adaptation the novel of the same name, and it stars Jack Nicholson as the protagonist Randle Patrick McMurphy. He portrays a criminal who has been sent to a mental institution due to his apparently deranged behaviour. Among the other inmates in the institution, he seems "normal". Nurse Ratched (played brilliantly by Louise Fletcher) looks after the well-being of the patients, though in their eyes, she is an evil tyrant. There is not much more I can tell you about the film, cause it would spoil it for you.
What's best about the movie is the fact that though Nicholson is the 'hero' of the film, he is not so in the traditional sense of the term. Nurse Ratched is the villian, inspite of the fact she is looking out for the patients. The whole film has a deeper meaning to attach, one you will interpret only after seeing it. This is also the first film to win all five major awards at the Oscars, so it's just another incentive for you to watch the film!
This concludes Part deux of the 10 Films To See Before You Die.
There are so many others which should be in this list, and ones I may have not watched either.
What is your list like?
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