Unconventional Hindi Cinema (1991 - 2011).
This list has films which are made in Hindi or made in English and has India connection, of the last two decades (1991 - 2011).
These films are not a regular "Bollywood Masala" for which the Hindi Film Industry is usually known for. There films are unique in their own way. So have a look and explore India. And, yes this is my take and you are free to disagree and let me know how you feel.
Enjoy!
These films are not a regular "Bollywood Masala" for which the Hindi Film Industry is usually known for. There films are unique in their own way. So have a look and explore India. And, yes this is my take and you are free to disagree and let me know how you feel.
Enjoy!
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- DirectorYash ChopraStarsAnil KapoorSrideviAnupam KherYash Chopra's most cherished film with soul stirring music is a story of moments - moments of passion, of ecstasy and of life changing love.
- DirectorSubhankar GhoshNana PatekarStarsNana PatekarDimple KapadiaGautam JoglekarPrahaar is the story of Major Chauhan, a tough and stern soldier, trained to destroy the enemy. He can see the enemy on our borders but is unaware of the invisible enemy within ourselves. When one of Major's Commandos - Peter D'Souza is killed, he is shown the harsh reality revolving around us, the enemy is within ourselves. The battlefield changes and Major Chavan makes his final attack on the enemy within this crumbling society.
- DirectorMani RatnamStarsArvind SwamyMadhooPankaj KapurA woman from a village in Tamil Nadu marries a sophisticated city dweller and moves with him to Kashmir, where all is rosy - until he gets kidnapped by militants.
- DirectorPriyadarshanStarsJackie ShroffAmrish PuriDimple KapadiaA soon-to-be police officer takes a path of crime after his father gets attacked by hoodlums.
- DirectorKalpana LajmiStarsRakhee GulzarDimple KapadiaRaj BabbarIn a small village in Rajasthan, India, a woman named Shanichari was born - so named, as shortly after her birth her father died; & her mother, Peewli, ran away with a rich lover, the owner of a drama company, abandoning her. When Shanichari grew up she was married to a male named Ganju who lived with his ailing mother. Shanichari gave birth to a boy and named him Budhwa. The local Landlord, Ram Avtar's son, Lakhsman Singh, would like Shanichari to live with him as his mistress, but she must first abandon her husband and son, which she is unable to do. Her ailing mother-in-law passes away - Shanicharni is unable to weep; Years later, Ganju gets killed after consuming holy water from a temple - Shanichari is unable to weep; When Budhwa get's married to a local prostitute, Mungri, who becomes pregnant, and then subsequently aborts the child - Shanichari is unable to weep; When Budhwa runs away from home, never to be seen again - Shanichari is unable to weep. Then a woman named Bhikni enters her life - she is called Rudaali - one who accepts money in turn for loud laments, weeping, & beating of the chest when a rich man passes away for a small fee, some milk, oil, and flour. Bhikni would like Shanichari to also be a Rudaali, but Shanichari eyes are always dry. When Bhikni is called for a day in another town, it is then Shanichari receives word that Ram Avtar is no more and she is called to be a Rudaali. Knowing fully well that she cannot shed tears, Shanichari does attend the funeral - and it is here that she will receive the news that may bring real tears to her eyes.
- DirectorIsmail MerchantStarsShashi KapoorShabana AzmiOm PuriA poet of Urdu fame is struggling with his legacy while an aspiring poet and historian comes to document him like never before and in return becomes custodian of the great poets last verses.
- DirectorShekhar KapurStarsSeema BiswasNirmal PandeyRajesh VivekThe story of the bandit queen Phoolan Devi who was sent to prison in 1983 and got free in 1994.
- DirectorMani RatnamStarsArvind SwamyManisha KoiralaNassarA Hindu man and a Muslim woman fall in love in a small village and move to Mumbai, where they have two children. However, growing religious tensions and erupting riots threaten to tear the family apart.
- DirectorSudhir MishraStarsMurad AliTarun Kumar ChatterjeeTara DeshpandeRamanbhai is the criminal don of Bombay, and most criminal activities are linked indirectly to him. He has a rival in Vilas Pandey, who is furious with Ramanbhai, and wants to get a larger part of his share from the wealth generated by crime. Ramanbhai's attempts to woo a woman, Pooja, are met with oppostion from Pooja's boyfriend, Aditya, and this results in Aditya, Pooja, Malika, and Rajesh running for their lives, as they know Ramanbhai will leave no stone unturned in order to hunt Aditya down, and make him pay for daring to oppose the underworld king.
- DirectorShyam BenegalStarsRajit KapoorPallavi JoshiKeith StevensonMohandas Karamchand Gandhi was invited to South Africa in 1893 to settle a case for a wealthy Indian settled there. He expected to return in a few months but instead got involved in the freedom movement and eventually stayed for 21 years.
- DirectorDeepa MehtaStarsShabana AzmiNandita DasKarishma JhalaniTwo women who are abandoned by their husbands find love and solace in each other.
- DirectorGulzarStarsOm PuriTabuChandrachur SinghA realistic, hard-hitting portrayal of terrorism and youth in the Punjab after the 1984 riots.
- DirectorPriyadarshanStarsAnil KapoorTabuPooja BatraAfter completing his studies in London, England, Shakti Thakur returns home to India in a small town where his family resides. Accompanying him is his leggy girlfriend, Anita, who he is in love with and wants to marry, much to the disapproval of his family. After a few days, Shakti starts to feel that nothing much has changed in this part of India and longs to return, as he is unable to bear the animosity between the townspeople, in general, and in particular between his Zamindar dad, Raja Thakur, and rival Zamindar Birju, none other than Raja's crippled brother. When Anita leaves the town to meet her parents elsewhere in India, Shakti too wants to follow her, but his plans change suddenly when his father passes away, and the region is ravaged by unprecedented natural calamities. Following the funeral he decides to stay on to look after the family estate and business temporarily, and that is when he meets local town belle, Gehna, who has given her heart to him years ago, hopes to marry him, with approval from his very own family. Anita returns to find that nothing is the same anymore, and that her role may be reduced to that of a mistress, she must now make a choice to either return back home, or fight and win back Shakti's love.
- DirectorDeepa MehtaStarsAamir KhanNandita DasRahul KhannaIt's 1947 and the borderlines between India and Pakistan are being drawn. A young girl witnesses tragedy as her ayah (nanny) is caught between the love of two men and the rising tide of political and religious violence.
- DirectorMahesh BhattStarsAjay DevgnPooja BhattNagarjuna AkkineniAmidst religious riots, a son deals with his mother's life-threatening injuries, and her last request.
- DirectorMani RatnamStarsShah Rukh KhanManisha KoiralaPreity G ZintaA radio broadcaster's intense attraction to a mysterious woman opens the door to a tidal wave of powerful emotions and desires.
- DirectorGovind NihalaniStarsJaya BachchanAnupam KherSeema BiswasDibyanath Chatterji, his bank-employed wife, Sujata, and only child, a son, Brati, live a middle-class existence in Calcutta, West Bengal, India, circa early 1970s. Sujata is a quiet, devout Hindu, religious, and compassionate woman, and Brati has finished his school and is now attending college. His parents are proud of him, and keep track of his progress. Then their world is shattered during the early hours, when they are informed by the police that Brati has been killed. Dibyanath and Sujata go to identify Brati's body, mourn, lament inconsolably. They know now that their lives will never be the same again - for by the police they will be called the mother and father corpse No. 1084. Sujata struggles to understand Brati's passing, meets his friends one by one, comes to know that Brati had a girlfriend, Nandini Mitra, and that's when she finds out that Brati was part of a rebel group often referred to as "Naxalbari", a militant leftist group. As she delves deeper and deeper into Brati's former life, she begins to understand her son's struggle, and decides to continue to further this. What Sujata does not know is her and Dibyanath's lives are in danger, and they well turn up dead and end up as numbered corpses in a police morgue.
- DirectorRam Gopal VarmaStarsJ.D. ChakravarthiManoj BajpayeeUrmila MatondkarAn innocent man is embroiled in underworld after being falsely charged and sets out to punish the perpetrators who subjected his life to misery.
- DirectorNagesh KukunoorStarsNagesh KukunoorRajshri NairVikram InamdarThe protagonist of Hyderabad Blues is Varun, played by the director, Nagesh Kukunoor. The movie revolves around his visit home after 12 years in the USA and his resulting culture shock.
- DirectorPamela RooksStarsMohan AgasheNirmal PandeyRajit KapoorSeen from the eyes of Hukum Chand the District Magistrate it is an account of the turmoil faced by the inhabitants of village Mano Majra in Punjab on the Indo-Pak border during the period of partition after India attained independence.
- DirectorJohn Mathew MatthanStarsAamir KhanNaseeruddin ShahSonali BendreAfter his brother is killed and father severely injured by terrorists, a young med student quits his studies to join the Indian Police Service to wipe out the terrorists.
- DirectorNagesh KukunoorStarsRohan DeyJayant KripalaniNandita DasThe movie chronicles the arrival of a (Hindu) student to a strict all-boys Christian boarding school in India and his assimilation into the school. The change is quite dramatic to the protagonist and there are a lot of events that would look extremely abusive to the viewer.
- DirectorMahesh ManjrekarStarsSanjay DuttNamrata ShirodkarReema LagooConsequences force an innocent man to get involved in crime after making an error.
- DirectorDev BenegalStarsRahul BoseLaila RouassShivaji SatamA search for a lost street girl amid exposés of modern sexual behavior in Bombay and a water Mafia in the city, this is a real 'split wide open' of the Indian glamour capital.
- DirectorGovind NihalaniStarsAjay DevgnTabuAmrish PuriA man's (Ajay Devgan) loyalty to his underworld friend (Rahul Bose) interferes with his relationship with a dancer (Tabu) who hates violence.