50 Films That Changed Bollywood, 1995-2015

by Shubhra Gupta

Hindi cinema was trapped in formulaic cliches for lost-and-found themes, sacrificing mothers, brothers on opposite sides of the law, villains lording over their dens, colourful molls, six songs, the use of rape as a plot pivot, and cops who always arrived too late. It hit an all-time low in the 1980s. Then, in 1991, came liberalization, and a wave of openness and aspiration swept across urban India. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was released in 1995 - and Hindi cinema became Bollywood. A new crop of film-makers began to challenge and break away from established rules. Over the next twenty years, a number of Hindi films consistently pushed the envelope in terms of content and technique to create a new kind of cinema. Among other innovations, film-makers came up with ways of crowd funding a film (Ankhon Dekhi), did away with songs if the narrative did not need them (Gangaajal), addressed different sexual preferences (My Brother ... Nikhil) and people with special needs (Black) like no one had ever done before. As film critic with the Indian Express, Shubhra Gupta has stayed the course these twenty years and more and experienced the transition first-hand. In 50 Films That Changed Bollywood, 1995-2015, she looks at the modern classics that have redefined Hindi cinema - from DDLJ and Rangeela to Satya and Dev D to Queen and Bajrangi Bhaijaan. Gupta offers a fascinating glimpse into how these films spoke to their viewers and how the viewers reacted to them - and, ultimately, how they changed us and how we changed them.

352 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 10, 2016

Reviews

[Diptakirti Chaudhuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helicopter-view of the last two decades (1995-2015) of Hindi cinema, when - arguably - the film industry changed and experimented more than it did in the previous eight. Noted critic Shubhra Gupta does a quick sortie over fifty films during this period and explains how/why "they changed the game". She digs out her review of the film she did at the time of the film's release and counterpoints it with a present-day assessment.
Only one crib: 50 is probably too high a number of 'game changers' for only two decades, making some of the entries seem not deserving of their inclusion.

[Geoffwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is pretty much in English but virtually all of the, I assume, puns and jokes are in, I assume, Hindi, so that went over my ignorant head. Some of the reviews are a little plot-recitation heavy and at least one ending is spoiled (altho it's Dil Se, which I assume is akin to spoiling Star Wars or The Crying Game or something).

So not really the best entry level book but I still got a load of recommendations out of it.

[Sumit Banerjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first love of India is cricket. The second is the movies.

This book not just lists out 50 of movies you should watch for maximum entertainment, but those that have made dents in the archaic edifice that is Bollywood, or as our stars like to call it, the 'Hindi Film Industry'.

What is interesting here is that it adds the original reviews of the movies by the same author. and then adds to it explaining how that particular movie changed Bollywood. It not only shows how things have progressed from the day the movie released but also how the author's understanding of the movie and the context it was set in metamorphosed.

And don't worry, this book doesn't just list 50 movies of the two titled decades, it has references to many more while Ms. Gupta explains why the movie should be on the list. You can find them either while leafing through the book, or just go to the Index page at the end.

[Manvith Harikiran · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's fun to read

[Jitendra Kotai · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has quite a lot of information about good films. She could have also added lots of movie trivia for each film instead of her review. Reviews hardly matter for these films.

[Namrata · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are a Bollywood aficionado, then this book is for you! It highlights some of the best films from 1995 to 2015, and what each one added to the ever evolving canvas of the Hindi film industry.

I was captivated by the insights and inside stories shared by Shubhra Gupta, a seasoned columnist and film critic. This book took me back in time and made me revisit the memories of watching and experiencing some of my favourite films.

For more reviews, follow my Instagram! @amodestnarcissusbookshelf

[Jaykumar B · Rating 3 out of 5]

well written with a few typos, and a glaring factual error...

[Divakar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before the advent of these instant reviews as video capsules ( think Anupama Chopra….to the other extreme is KRK with his rants which pass off as a review), viewers used to wait for the review on Friday in Times of India or Indian Express and decide which movie to go and which one to pass. Khalid Mohammad was the resident God of reviews in TOI before he moved to the other side of making movies…slightly less famous but some one who reviewed movies as competently was Shubra Gupta for the Indian Express…her reviews were characterized by balance and were objective and unbiased. Not the one to sit on a high horse and look down on everything mainstream like most critics do….her reviews gave you a reasonable insight into what to expect in the movie and you were rarely disappointed with her reviews and ratings.

So when she picks up 50 movies (one per year) from 1995 to 2015 that changed Bollywood and redefined movie making – I was tempted to read this as it will also serve as a speed-review of the last 20 years which coincided with my peak movie watching. I average some 50-75 Bollywood movies on TV and at least 25 on the big screen even till today every year.

In the 70s and 80s, we were caught in the lost and found formula, 6 songs and 2 item numbers, a climax in a shed with barrels which rolled over, rich boy – poor girl or vice-versa, a rape and its consequences as a pivot for a movie. We endured these movies week after week and before we knew what happened, we all got middle aged. With the opening up of India post 1991, movies also changed. While the stories continued to be the same, the treatment and the narrative style changed. Real stories with real people…which were off the beaten track but not toally abstract and off-beat got main streamed. The large NRI diaspora also became the target audience and a generation of successful directors emerged focusing on heros and heroines whose only pursuit in life was falling in and out of love. Small town India also got main stream – not for the showcasing of poverty and rural oppression but showcasing their dreams and aspirations…While we still have a long way to go, movie watching has become a very enjoyable experience in terms of the sheer diversity. On another note, even the theaters have improved.

Shubra Gupta’s format is very interesting. You first get the original review….written whenever between 1995 to 2015….then there is a post script, written in 2016 why the movie is hatke. The collection of movies is eclectic. From hardcore romances like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and DDLJ, to the bump and grind action movies of Bhai Khan, to the ones made by Anurag Kashyap and Omung Kumar- any movie that moved the needle slightly – makes it to her list. There are no ‘pretensions’ (in terms of arthouse cinema dominating the list) in her choice of movies. Any movie which was interesting, well presented, got viewers hooked and had some breath of fresh air qualifies. ( you have Govinda’s Hero no: 1 qualifying as a movie that changed our perception of film heroes as comedians and Dhoom 2 for the slick presentation)

For me, reading the book was like doing a quick review and recap of all the interesting movies I watched in the last two decades.

A few interesting movies slipped out and you also wonder why some movies got added….I am not going to quibble about the odd omission or addition….

Breezy read and a balanced choice of movies….the kind of book you should read on a long Bangalore – Delhi flight and complete it before you land.