Mint Alternative top 50
Underappreciated, non-mainstream indian movies curated by Mint
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- DirectorMrinal SenStarsUtpal DuttSuhasini MulayShekhar ChatterjeeA lonely bureaucrat goes on holiday to a Gujarat village where a young peasant woman helps him see beyond his job and develop a newfound empathy for people.
- DirectorRajinder Singh BediStarsSanjeev KumarRehana SultanShakeela Bano BhopaliTells the story of newly weds Hamid and Salma. They move into a rental flat next door to the local red light district. The flat had been the former home of a well known mujra and qawali singer, Shamshad. Men still come to the door in the hope of seeing Shamshad and do not seem too put out by seeing Salma despite her protestations. The couple struggle to live within the bounds of their own moral code while the earnings of prostitution seem to be flaunted around them. Hamid gets more and more angry and seemingly unable to reconcile his morality with the immorality of the world and at one point beats his wife and then rapes her making her into a 'whore' of his fantasy. The story here bears resemblance to the later 'Ek Chadar Maili Si' by the same director and seems to explore the complex world of women and sexuality as viewed by Indian men: mother, goddess, whore. This film also explores the ethos of prostitution in its reality and as a metaphor for the outside world.
- DirectorBasu BhattacharyaStarsSanjeev KumarTanuja SamarthDinesh ThakurMeeta Sen (Tanuja) and Amar Sen (Sanjeev Kumar) have been married for several years. Due to Amar's hectic work schedule, the couple have not had children, as there was no time for intimacy. Meeta decides to take matters into her own hands, gets rid of the servants, save for Hari (A.K. Hangal), and decides to run the household on her own. This gets the couple to be closer, and eventually they do get intimate. And then Meeta's old flame Shashi Bhushan (Dinesh Thakur) not only re-enters Meeta's life, but also gets employed in the same organization as Amar, throwing their marriage again in jeopardy.
- DirectorM.S. SathyuStarsBalraj SahniA.K. HangalGeeta KakIn post-partition India, a Muslim businessman and his family struggle for their rights in a country which was once their own.
- DirectorAwtar Krishna KaulStarsSudhir DalviRakhee GulzarMadhavi ManjulaSanjay is on a pilgrimage journey to Varanasi and remembers his life in flashbacks.
- DirectorShyam BenegalStarsLalu RamMadan LalBabu DasThe film is derived from a classic folktale, originally narrated by Vijaydan Detha, and interpreted as a folk play by Habib Tanvir. The film charts the tumultuous life of a petty thief, Charandas. While running away from Police he encounters a Guru and makes four vows to him as penance, that he would never eat in a gold plate, never lead a procession that is in his honor, never become a king and never marry a princess, thinking all of them are far out possibilities for him. Later, his guru adds a fifth one - never to tell a lie and sets him off on his life's journey which leads him to a kingdom, where the turn of events make him famous, and eventually he is offered the seat of political power which he has to refuse. Later, the local princess Kelavati gets enchanted by him and proposes to marry him. He refuses to do so according to his vows to his guru. As he is put to death, he illustrates the inherent paradox in human existence, where truthful existence becomes an impossibility, for the truthful and the accidentally truthful, alike.
- DirectorHrishikesh MukherjeeStarsAmitabh BachchanRekhaChhayadeviAlok goes against his father's wishes by choosing music over law studies and leaves the house to pursue his dream. However, his authoritarian father is hell-bent on foiling his efforts.
- DirectorSaeed Akhtar MirzaStarsDilip DhawanAnjali PaigankarShreeram LagooArvind Desai is the only son of a rich businessman who deals in luxury handicraft products. His feelings for his father are mixed. While he hates his dominating nature, he admires his power and lack of scruples.
- DirectorKrishna ShahStarsAmitabh BachchanZeenat AmanDharmendraDirector Shah Krishna compiled this compelling documentary of Indian cinema after spending two years searching through film archives from all over the world. Included are films from the turn of the 20th century through the 1970s to illustrate various schools of filmmaking and the historical progression of the art form.
- DirectorSai ParanjpyeStarsShabana AzmiNaseeruddin ShahSudha ChopraAnirudh Parmar is blind, but he does not let this impairment bind him down. He runs a school for the blind as a Principal. He meets with social worker, Kavita. Kavita is attracted to him, and he slowly also gets attracted to her. When marriage is proposed, both agree to marry each other. Then Anirudh starts having doubts whether this marriage is going to succeed, as he feels he is being patronized, and pittied.
- DirectorPradip KrishenStarsRoshan SethArjun RainaArundhati RoyAnnie struggles to to clear his bachelor's degree with one final hurdle-The Thesis. It's his final attempt to clear it. Can he?
- DirectorKamal SwaroopStarsAnita KanwarGopi DesaiLalit TiwariA carefully constructed nonsense about a teenage boy named Om in a small Indian village.
- DirectorArun KhopkarA documentary that captures the techniques and creations of three prominent artists in India.
- DirectorAnand PatwardhanSince gaining independence in 1947, India has been a secular state. But now, as religious fundamentalism grips much of India's population, the greatest danger to the nation's extremely strained social fabric may come not from Sikh or Muslim separatists, but from Hindu fundamentalists who are appealing to the 83% Hindu majority to redefine India as a Hindu nation.
- DirectorHansal MehtaStarsManoj BajpayeeTabuSaurabh ShuklaBorn in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, Ram Saran Pandey, relocates to Bombay, Maharashtra, to improve his lifestyle, leaving behind his mom and dad, Sudama, with a promise to call them to Bombay when he is well settled. Ram gets employed as a garage mechanic, and this is where he meets with a customer named Kamya Lal, a Journalist, who is impressed by his honesty. She decides to write a number of articles on him, making him immensely popular. She allows him to visit her at all times in her palatial bungalow, giving Ram the impression that she is attracted to him. Then one night, a drunken Ram decides to ask Kamya for her hand in marriage - and this is the night that Ram will be thrust into a world that he has never known before - changing, if not risking his life, forever.
- DirectorRam Gopal VarmaStarsUrmila MatondkarManoj BajpayeeSushant SinghWhile alone in the house, a woman hears news of serial killer on the loose. And then a stranger rings the doorbell...
- DirectorSturla GunnarssonStarsRoshan SethSoni RazdanOm PuriCirca 1971, Gustad Noble lives in a one bedroom hall rented apartment in Byculla, Bombay. He travels to work everyday by Central Railway to Victoria Terminus and walks to Flora Fountain to his place of employment, namely the Central Bank of India. He has three children, Sohrab - who has finished his college studies and is now being admitted, much to his dislike, to Indian Institute of Technology (I.I.T.); while Darius, his second son, and daughter, Roshan, are school-going; his wife, Dilnavaz, looks after the children and the household. Their neighborhood is filthy, people urinate and defecate near the wall which encloses their building. Gustad asks a pavement artist to move near his building, draw pictures of religious Gods and Goddesses depicting the four main religions: Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, and Sikhism. The Artist agrees, and soon the place is transformed into a huge temple where people of all religions come to pay their respects. It is only a handful of people who know that Gustad is involved with a rebel RAW Agent, Major Jimmy Billimoria, who is actively involved with an extremist organization in East Pakistan, Awami League, aiding them financially and with manpower to overcome the Pakistani Government. The question remains what will Gustad's plight be when the news gets out of his involvement in this activity, especially when he receives 10 lakh rupees to be deposited in small installments in his Bank, in the midst of sentiments running high, war being declared between Pakistan and India, emergency blackout conditions and air raid sirens.
- DirectorMira NairStarsNaseeruddin ShahLillete DubeyShefali ShahA stressed father, a bride-to-be with a secret, a smitten event planner, and relatives from around the world create much ado about the preparations for an arranged marriage in India.
- DirectorFareeda MehtaStarsSadiya SiddiquiIrrfan KhanSurekha SikriSultana, a small town prostitute and her pimp Khudabaksh migrate to the metropolis, bringing with them their dreams and meagre belongings. Sultana goes about her bright and artful seductions but somehow misses her targets. Her business collapses. Desperately, Khudabaksh too tries his hand at many jobs but is unsuccessful. Sultana's loneliness and despair get objectified in her desire for a 'salwaar' that she needs to complete her black ensemble for the observance of mourning for Moharram.
- DirectorTigmanshu DhuliaStarsJimmy ShergillHrishitaa BhattIrrfan KhanAniruddh, a law-abiding college student, in love with Niharika, gets caught up in college politics and crime and must fight it out for himself when his friend becomes his foe.
- DirectorSatyajit RayStarsOm PuriSmita PatilMohan AgasheUntouchable shoemender Dukhi comes to the Brahmin's and asks him to arrange his daughter's engagement. The Brahmin belongs to a higher caste. He wants Dukhi to work for him (and for free) before agreeing... A plea against the indian system of castes.
- DirectorGulzarStarsSanjeev KumarSharmila TagoreShabana AzmiNamkeen revolves around Jugni, a folk theatre dancer who lives with her three daughters in a remote village, and how their lives change when a truck driver, begins living with them as a tenant.
- DirectorShyam BenegalStarsVictor BanerjeeNoni GangulyPankaj KapurStory of a poor farmer who suffers under a cunning and cruel landlord, amidst rising Naxalism in the 60s.
- DirectorGovind NihalaniStarsDeepa SahiIla ArunRaju BarotA planned social gathering is held to commemorate Divakar Barve for the award he receive pertaining his contributions to Indian Arts and films. The social event is greeted by some important public personalities of the community all expect Amrit; an activist. But the atmosphere of the event will come to a drastic change upon the arrival of Avinash.
- DirectorKetan MehtaStarsSmita PatilNaseeruddin ShahOm PuriIn colonial India, subedars (tax collectors) went from village to village with soldiers, often demanding more than taxes. A subedar commands Sonbai, a beautiful and confident woman whose husband is away in the city, to sleep with him. She slaps him and flees for safety to a spice factory where women grind chillies into fine powder. The aged factory guard, Abu Mian, locks the door behind her, refusing to open it to the soldiers, to the cowardly village men led by the mayor, and to the subedar himself. The town's teacher, who follows Gandhi, and a few women, led by the mayor's wife, protest ineffectually against this village-approved rape. The stage is set for a final confrontation.
- DirectorRamesh SharmaRomesh SharmaStarsShashi KapoorSharmila TagoreOm PuriWhen a politician is killed, a journalist discovers that a member of parliament had the man assassinated. As his editor digs deeper, the complicity of higher-placed politicians comes to the surface, which leads to riots in one town and an attempt to suppress his story.
- DirectorVidhu Vinod ChopraStarsShabana AzmiAmol PalekarNaseeruddin ShahWhen a starlet is murdered on a film location, a detective arrives to investigate the cast and crew.
- 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.
- DirectorRajat KapoorStarsNaseeruddin ShahShambhavi KaulIrrfan KhanAn urban contemporary film about adultery, murder and betrayal in the film noir style. A simple story to which the director imparts a feeling of unrest and disquiet, catching the city in its various moods. The film breaks generic conventions, notably in the presentation of the private detective through his deglamourised life and his process of discovery of 'who did it'. It is not constructed through his point of view at all. In fact the policeman and the detective, the fact finders, are in the dark about the crime, to the very end.
- 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.
- DirectorAnurag KashyapStarsKay Kay MenonPawan MalhotraAditya SrivastavA film about the investigations following the 1993 serial Bombay bomb blasts, told through the different stories of the people involved --police, conspirators, victims, middlemen.
- DirectorVishal BhardwajStarsPankaj KapurShreya SharmaDeepak DobriyalIn a small village when a little girl's prescious umbrella is stolen, things goes wrong for a greedy tea seller who was very much interested in buying that umbrella from her.
- DirectorDutta MadhusreeStarsVibha ChhibberHarish KhannaOm Prakash
- DirectorShekhar KapurStarsSeema BiswasNirmal PandeyRajesh VivekThe story of the bandit queen Phoolan Devi who was sent to prison in 1983 and got free in 1994.
- DirectorNavdeep SinghStarsAbhay DeolGul PanagRaima SenManorama, wife of an irrigation minister, tasks Satyaveer to find if her husband is cheating. As Satyaveer starts investigating, he gets trapped in a web of lies and must uncover the entire truth.
- DirectorFaiza Ahmad KhanStarsShakeel BharatiFarogh JafriAkram KhanMalegaon, a small town tucked away near the heart of India geographically, is fraught with communal tension and under severe economic depression. To escape the harsh reality of their world, its people seek refuge in the fantastical world of cinema. This passion for cinema has spurred a group of cinema enthusiasts to make their own films-quirky, low budget, socially aware and notoriously funny spoofs of Bollywood films. Their ambition has grown and now they are ready to take on Hollywood and Superman. We follow them on this journey. At times funny, tragic, contemplative. Always warm and engaging. And as the film begins to take shape, through schemes and approaches that are sublimely ingenious, simply bizarre and purely hysterical, we also slowly discover Malegaon itself. A microcosm that embodies and reflects the complexities of modern small town India. Where the modern and the traditional rub shoulders, where extreme poverty and extreme wealth are neighbours, bewildering in its diversity, trapped in self-made destinies, with a spirit that can never be vanquished. The film is a tribute to that spirit, the spirit that enables The Supermen of Malegaon to make Malegaon's Superman.
- DirectorKrishna D.K.Raj NidimoruStarsKunal KemmuBoman IraniSoha Ali KhanA gangster deputes two of his men to recover money from an out of town compulsive gambler.
- DirectorAshim AhluwaliaStarsNawazuddin SiddiquiNiharika SinghAnil GeorgeA Hindi feature film set in the lower depths of Bombay's "C" grade film industry. Miss Lovely follows the devastating story of two brothers who produce sleazy horror films in the mid-1980s.
- DirectorDeepti KakkarFahad MustafaStarsRitu MaheshwariLoha SinghIrfan SolankiIn a city with 15 hour power cuts, hundreds of people risk their lives to steal electricity. With the first female chief of the electricity company vowing to eliminate all illegal connections, the lines are drawn for a battle over electricity.
- DirectorAditya Vikram SenguptaStarsRitwick ChakrabortyBasabdatta ChatterjeeSet in the crumbling environs of Calcutta, Labour of Love is a lyrical unfolding of two ordinary lives suspended in the duress of a spiralling recession.
- DirectorIvan AyrStarsGeetika Vidya OhlyanSaloni BatraVikas ShuklaWhile fighting crimes against women in Delhi, a short-fused policewoman and her level-headed female boss grapple with gender issues in their own lives.
- DirectorShanker RamanStarsAkshay OberoiPankaj TripathiAamir BashirBased on true event this story revolves around kidnapping of Preeto which family has come to know from midnight call. The tales revolves as to how they family will be able to track Preeto..
- DirectorShirley AbrahamAmit MadheshiyaShowmen riding cinema lorries have brought the wonder of the movies to faraway villages in India once every year. Seven decades on, as their cinema projectors crumble and film reels become scarce, their patrons are lured by slick digital technology. A benevolent showman, a shrewd exhibitor and a maverick projector mechanic bear a beautiful burden - to keep the last traveling cinemas of the world running.