Pick 5 for me to watch next!

[Neuilly]

(if this is the wrong spot - sorry!)

I'm relatively new Indian films. I've probably seen only about 25-30. I'm working my way slowly through the personal top 10 lists and all of these look interesting:

Asoka
Swades
Dil Se
Yuva
Pyaasa
Dil Chaata Hai
Abhimaan
Black
Fanaa
Mother India
Pinjar
Fiza
Hum Tum
Saathiya
Lamhe
Pardes
Kisna
Amar Akbar Anthony
Teesri Manzil
Shree 420
Sholay
Company
Bombay
Kashmir Ki Kali
Quyamat Se Quyamat Tak
Parineeta
Seeta Aur Geeta
Page 3
Mughal e Azam
Fire
Main Hoon Na
Paheli
The Jewel Thief
Umroa Jaan (Rekha version)
1947: Earth
Omkara
Iqbal
Raincoat

My next movie will actually be "Rang de Basanti" because I impulsively bought it last week. But after that, which 5 movies would you recommend I see next? (Reasons are appreciated!) If you can't limit it to five or want to do less than 5 that's ok too. There's just such a big selection that it's hard to narrow it down.

[carla]

Wonderful!   I did the same thing a couple of years ago - it was great, I ran a poll and I actually watched about 10 films in the order recommended by the collective mind of the forum.  I am surprised folks don't do it more often.    

Your list includes some of my all time favorite films so I am going to recommend those first for the purely selfish reasons that - I love them!  Those are Sholay, Shree 420, and Jewel Thief.   The first two are not only great and fun and delightful films with fabulous music, they are also important cornerstones in Hindi film, so they are part of a balanced diet of filmi education.    The third is maybe not so Important, but is still a rollicking, stylish, fun ride with some great dance performances by Vyjayantimala and a great soundtrack overall.

There are lots of other great films on your list and I don't think you'll go wrong with any five of them.  However, I'll round out my immediate list of five with two of the newer films on the list - Dil chahta hai and 1947: Earth.  (Not intentionally recommending two Aamir Khan films, it just worked out that way!)  I choose these because they give you very different looks at recent films.  Dil chahta hai, I think, represents the best of modern Hindi cinema, in the way it blends a modern sensibility with traditional elements of Hindi films, and plays with those traditional elements as well.  It's very well crafted and a lot of fun.   1947: Earth is just a very well-wrought film - very sad, though, be warned - that paints an engaging picture of a community torn apart by Partition.  I think it's one of Aamir Khan's best performances ever, as well - he shows, chillingly, how a nice guy can crack and descend under the stresses of the unimaginable horrors of that time. 

As I said, though, you can't go wrong with that list - some you will like better than others, but it's a very strong list to choose from.  Just pick whatever you are in the mood for on a particular day and keep watching. 

[amit]

I'd recommend:

Pinjar
Amar Akbar Anthony
Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak
Johnny Mera Naam (I prefer it to "Jewel Thief")

and after you've got a feel of Bollywood movies, plots, melodrama, "Main Hoon Naa," since it parodies Bollywood.

[prahajess]

This is much harder than it should be. I eliminated the films I didn't love (Dil Se, QSQT etc.) and those I haven't seen yet, except I kept Omkara, b/c if you watch it next week, I will also be watching it for the first time and we can commiserate,  .
Otherwise, I feel compelled to make very small comments.

5. Swades (excellent work by SRK)
6. Yuva (surprisingly excellent work by Abhi, and others)
1. Dil Chaata Hai (all-time fave)
3. Hum Tum (Saif + Rani = I love it!)
2. Main Hoon Na (pure fun)
4. Paheli (beautiful and sweet)
7. The Jewel Thief (strange and fun)
8. Iqbal (I adore Shreyas Talpade. ADORE him. This movie made me very happy. Plus, Naseeruddin Shah = bonus!)
Omkara

[kragey]

If you're looking for prettiness and/or masala fun, I vote for:
Dil Chaata Hai
Amar Akbar Anthony
Paheli
Hum Tum
Seeta Aur Geeta

For more serious matters, I vote:
Black
Pinjar (my second favorite Bollywood flick!)
1947: Earth
Fire (I'm personally attached to this movie, though)
Mother India

For great soundtracks:
Asoka
Dil Se
Main Hoon Na
Mughal-E-Azam
Fanaa

I would NEVER recommend (for a variety of reasons):
Umrao Jaan (2006)
Parineeta

[Andromache]

Aaagh! so hard to decide! But I narrowed it down to the following:

Dil Se
Dil Chaata Hai
Hum Tum
Seeta Aur Geeta
Omkara

[Neuilly]

Thanks for all the responses so far guys! I have notes scribbled all over my movie sheet! And Carla, I should have been smart like you and created a poll. Then again, I like when people have a chance to answer more fully...because really, who doesn't like babbling  about their favorite movies?

[jlhs]

For costumed delight:
Parineeta (wonderful except for the last fifteen minutes, which descend into filmi melodrama--the wrong kind, I mean)
Paheli (slow but gorgeous and one of my all-time faves)

For a classic dose:
Mother India

For artsy stuff:
Omkara (based on Othello, of course, so you know how that'll end)
Dil Se

And to recover your filmi joy (yes, I realize this is one too many):
Dil Chaata Hai

[mbarnum]

Wow, your list is a great one...I will highly recommend DIL CHAATA HAI and TEESRI MANZIL...great examples of each era...PAGE 3 is also a wonderful film which I just watched two weeks ago. It is now among my favorites.

Sadly, there are a lot on your list I have not even yet seen...although I own most of them, already.

[Arwen]

That´s a really good list, basicly I like most all of the films in it!!!

Dil Chahta Hai - In case you like Rang De Basanti, you get your next Aamir fix. The film portrays friendship in a great way, the cast is amazing and you can see Saif in his breakthrough performance after 10 years in career-no man´s land.

Saathiya - Becuase it was one of my first films and is still a favourite. Beside being a realstic, yet cute story, the film has one of the best soundtracks, so definetly a must see.

Sholay - You probably want to see the most famous Bollywood film ever?

Dil Se - Beside the most shocking ending ever you get an unsual story, beautiful cinematography and some of the best song picturizations ever. Modern classic.

Main Hoon Na - A total entertainer with another great soundtrack.

 

 

[red42]

Excellent list of movies.  Very hard to pick just 5!
I would recommend
Sholay - just an absolute classic - it has everything - really - absolutely everything
Seeta aur Geeta - great masala movie, really funny and IMHO one of Hema's best performances (or should that be 2?)
Teesri Manzil - Shammi and Helen - excellent dancing, and great performances
Main Hoon Na - really funny, and SRK of course
Quyamat Se Quyamat Tak - it took me ages to actually get round to watching this, but it quickly became one of my fav's.  It has great performances by Aamir and Juhi, who both look so young and sweet!

But so many on your list are also favourites - Dil Se, Page 3, Jewel Thief.......

[Anamika]

I don't know your taste, but here's what I would recommend - it's six, not five:

1: Sholay - it's a classic and a must-see!
2: Dil Se - for the same reasons as Arwen wrote;
3: 1947: Earth - it's a great film, but be warned: you'll need lots of tissues...
4: Dil Chahta Hai - another must-see, as others already explained (I couldn't say it better);
5: Seeta Aur Geeta - for light and funny classic Masala entertainment
6: Iqbal - a simple but perfect feel-good-film.

The numbers are not my idea of the order to see them. The first three are the more serious ones, no. 4 - 6 are lighter and funnier. Having said that, all of them are Masala films in the way that they will give you an emotional roller-coaster ride.

BTW, that's a great list with many wonderful films, I hope you'll eventually work your way through all of them -  there are hardly any films in it which I would not recommend. (I didn't like Kisna and Lamhe much, and thought Umrao Jaan was quite boring...  )
And I didn't include Abhimaan in my list of recommendations, because I like Mili better. That's another film by Hrishikesh Mukherjee with Amitabh and Jaya. Just in case your list isn't long enough already... 

[Andromache]

Thanks for all the responses so far guys! I have notes scribbled all over my movie sheet! And Carla, I should have been smart like you and created a poll. Then again, I like when people have a chance to answer more fully...because really, who doesn't like babbling  about their favorite movies?

Alright! More elaboration from me:

Dil Se: This one was on my mind for days after I saw it. Very thought provoking, full of symbolism...
Dil Chaata Hai: Good performances from the three leads, lots of humor, great music.
Hum Tum: Sweet, surprisingly effective romantic comedy.
Seeta Aur Geeta: So, so, so fun!
Omkara: One of my favorite modern day Shakespeare updates. Gets bonus points for its cimenatography!

[Darshana]

If you could see only ONE MORE MOVIE in life, I'd say Shree 420

If two - next one - Main Hoon Naa

Then Kaagaz ke Phool I recommend over Pyaasa (if you have not seen it).  Rent the dvd with the wonderful extras, including a documentary about Guru Dutt.

Then Dil Chahta Hai

And Jewel Thief

[Alex In Wonderland]

Swades - Not a lot happens in this movie, but it kept me entertained for 3+ hours and I wanted more at the end. If you're an SRK fan, I would definitely recommend it as it is one of his best performances.
Main Hoon Na - Pure fun and entertainment. Watch this one for a good time.
Fanaa - Can't go wrong with Kajol, Aamir, and a little melodrama.
Omkara - Wonderful performances all around. Plus, I'm a sucker for anything that has to do with Shakespeare, or that has Konkona Sen Sharma.
Dil Se - One of the best soundtracks I've ever heard and fabulous picturizations to go with the songs. That alone is reason enough to see it, in my opinion.

[Cloudbase]

Pinjar
Fiza
Hum Tum
Company
Page 3
Omkara
Iqbal

That would be my recommendation from your list.

Pinjar for its comprehensive story, setting, photography and a career best performance from Manoj Bajpai.
Fiza for its story and superb performance from Karisma Kapoor.
Hum Tum for comedy and chemistry between Rani and Saif. It's a facsimile of When Harry Met Sally, but don't let that put you off.
Company, from a time when Ram Gopa Varma knew how to make films. Great drama surrounding Ajay Devgan and Vivek Oberoi.
Page 3, a thoughtful, sometimes blustery, take on Bollywood stardom.
Omkara's photography is exemplary, and if Saif's performance doesn't move you I'll eat my hat.
Iqbal, a touching story that never gets mawkish or melodramatic.

And dare I suggest additions: Life in a Metro (great direction, great music, Shilps, Kay Kay Menon, Shiney Ahuja, Irffan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Sharman Joshi, all on top form), Malamaal Weekly (hilarious comedy), Chocolate (intriguing story based on The Usual Suspects)... Oh, the endless list!

[Bandu_Dandu]

wow those are some awesome films you have seen! I would happily recommend some equally awesome films...and I dont know your taste so watch at your own risk

1) Andaz Apna Apna - One of the best comedies in Bollywood
2) Satya - Before Company... came Satya
3) Mr India - A very entertaining and complete 'Bollywood' film...a beautiful blend of action, drama, comedy and romance
4) Maine Pyar Kiya - A "typical" Bollywood fairy tale
5) Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda - A homage to Kurosawa's Rashomon by a man called Shyam Benegal who in my opinion happens to be one of the top 3-4 greatest Indian directors!

[dvermaker]

This is hard because you've listed so many of my favorites!

1) Omkara. Amazing. I would recommend this to anyone, whether they like Bollywood or not. It has amazing acting; I can't believe how good Saif was, it was frightening to watch him. The music is good and I liked the fact that the item numbers actually served a purpose, or at least, important plot points happened during those songs. If you have read Othello you'll know how it ends, but that doesn't make it less interesting. It's cool to see how aspects of the play were adapted to Omkara. And if you haven't read Othello, great, because the ending will be a surprise. =)

2) 1947: Earth. Just like watching Saif in Omkara was frightening, watching Aamir in Earth was very unsettling. He was that good. It's a great movie about Partition and about how a decent person can be transformed into someone completely different due to their circumstances.

3) Dil Chahta Hai. It's a very "modern" film. The acting was great (I had no idea Akshaye Khanna was such a good actor) and it's a very cute movie, very funny and also serious at times.

4) Dil Se. This movie defines Bollywood to me. Boy meets girl, boy is infatuated with girl, girl wants nothing to do with him. But with a twist, because the girl is a terrorist. I thought it was a very good movie about obsession/infatuation and terrorism. It doesn't justify the girl's actions but it explains them. The songs are beautifully choreographed as well.

5) Saathiya. It's about two people who spontaneously, romantically get married, and find that marriage isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's so sweet and honest, how it shows the good and bad parts of their relationship.

[Neuilly]

Thank you so much guys, this has been so helpful!! I've completely re-ordered my Netflix queue.

The two on their way to me now are:
Dil Chaata Hai
Omakara

(and I have Vivah at my house...shhh, I didn't put it on the list)


After that will probably be Sholay...but I'm still organizing the list. I keep rereading and then rearranging. You guys make everything sound so good!

I realize now I should have put some Konkana movies on there because I think she's wonderful but I've only seen two of her films (AJ and Iyer). Too many movies, not enough time!

[prahajess]

Check Konkona out in Metro. She is so adorable with Irrfan. Plus, it has Sharman (*faintsfromcuteattack*), so...bonus!

[jlhs]

Omkara is one of my all-time faves, but be sure and watch it first so you can pick yourself out of the doldrums with DCH.  Can't wait to hear what you think of them!

[prahajess]

Oh no, ha ha. I have Omkara in the mail from netflix. I guess I'll save Doctor Who to watch afterwards...or I'll just watch JBJ again. (What is wrong with me? )

[veracious]

This should be a poll! Anyway, my picks are:

Dil Se
Dil Chaata Hai
Hum Tum
Amar Akbar Anthony
Sholay

A lot of other great films on the list but you'll have time to watch those later!

[shalini]

My recommendations are:

Shri 420 - milestone film with a fable-like story masterfully and entertainingly told.
Sholay - iconic film, masterpiece of entertainment
Dil Chaata Hai - an example of "The Lifestyles of the Rich in urban India" done well
Lamhe - the only Yash Chopra film from the last two decades featuring a convincing love story
Teesri Manzil - supremely fun film that encapsulates the best of the fantasy world of 60s Hindi cinema

[corbie]

I agree with most of the listings except for Mother India and Earth 1947. I coulod have gone the rest of my life without seeing these depressing icky movies. I LOVE old Shammi Kapoor films. For some reason, however Dil Se is one of my favorites.