Five films that moved Bollywood into the mainstream

GURU
Five films that moved Bollywood into the mainstream
Mother Earth (1957) The first Indian film nominated for an Oscar, this is a Russian co-production that flies the flag for socialism in a story of rural debt and the enduring strength of Indian peasant women, themes familiar to Western arthouse audiences from the films of Satyajit Ray. Here they get the Bollywood treatment, with a song catalogue that remains popular.

Sholay (1975) Those in the know say this is the quintessential Bollywood film, as well as one of the industry's biggest hits. It's a kind of western with a storyline borrowed from Kurosawa's Seven Samurai.

Lagaan (2001) Cricket-loving director Ashutosh Gowariker gave heart-throb star Aamir Khan his worst-ever haircut in this roller-coaster Raj story of a challenge match between an Indian village team and their ruthless British rulers. Nominated for an Oscar as Best Foreign Language film, among many other awards.

Devdas (2002) A quantum leap in extravagance and production values, this is the ninth of 10 adaptations of a popular novel of the same name. It is a vast, shimmering family saga of a young man who slides into depression and alcoholism when prevented from marrying his lower-caste childhood sweetheart. Stars Aishwarya Rai as the object of Devdas's frustrated love but Bollywood buffs favour the 1955 version with tragedy king Dilip Kumar.

Guru (2007) Mani Ratnam's last film before Raavan also stars real-life couple Abhishek Bachhan and Aishwarya Rai. It concerns a small-town no-hoper who, desperate to prove himself to his father, is prepared to use any tactic to work his way up the hostile hierarchy of 1950s Bombay to become a textiles tycoon. A timely commentary on India's galloping capitalism.

SOURCE: www.smh.com.au

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