Thanks! So far I think all the Tamil movies I have seen are Mani Ratnam. I may have to branch out at some point ...

Thanks for the kind comments, Filmbuff. :) What can I say about leaving out Rajesh Khanna? I wrote the post off the cuff, without research, and my bias slipped through because of that - he never even crossed my mind as I was writing. Is that oversight even worse than a deliberate snub? I hope not. Had I written the piece for someone else's publication I would have put in a good deal of research. Anyway I did ask for folks to weigh in on what is favorite and defining for them, and so I am very glad that you and Raja both stepped in to fill that gap. I also assure you that I'm not yet done giving chances to Rajesh Khanna. I do love the 1960s and I do love Sharmila Tagore and so there are some Rajesh Khanna movies I will certainly see sooner or later. Who knows - perhaps the more I watch him do what he is most loved for, the more I will come to appreciate him. Just don't make me sit through Anand again. ;)

Thanks Veracious! I seem to be on a bit of Maniratnam Tamil binge - I've just watched Roja (I'm badly backlogged on reviews so who knows when I'll write it up). I think I might like Iruvar despite a male focus; as I said in my review of Kai Po Che, it's never one good movie's fault that too many movies are about the same damn thing. Alaipaythey sounds nice too; I have Saathiya but haven't watched it yet. I also haven't seen either of Raavan/Raavanan, but based upon what I have read (probably mostly from you), were I to watch one I would choose Raavanan. Thank Wikipedia for the Tamil title. :)

Thanks a lot, Ashish. The words in your third paragraph are about the greatest compliment anyone could pay to me. I feel the gaps in my knowledge keenly, though, even if I am adept at concealing them when I write. ;) There are many cultural cues and references I still miss; there are jokes whose humor I can intellectually appreciate but not really feel in my gut. Some comments on my recent review of Kannathil Muthamittal highlight this. I am with respect to the specifics of Tamil culture and language much where I was with respect to North Indian cultures when I first started writing this blog some 6 and a half years ago. Maith's comment on that post points out some uniquely Tamilian details about the family relationships in that movie that I did not fully appreciate. Even with respect to North Indian movies, I can still find myself thinking that I am speaking intelligently about a movie, only to find I've failed to pick up on some key aspect of it. This too is why I want to see JBDY again, with the benefit of much more knowledge than I had the first time I saw it. By the way I admire the movies Shashi Kapoor produced; Junoon and Kalyug are among my favorites. Utsav is on my list of movies to see. I was not familiar with Vijeta before and so I've made a note of it.

Raja, thank you again. :) I think what one grew up with (loosely; including things one experienced as a young adult) has a huge influence on this sort of analysis. It is why (see also Ashish's comment below) there will always be a certain gulf between my own perception of Hindi movies and any desi perception of them. I'm going to stand by my statement that Amitabh sums up the 1970s to a good approximation, with the amendment that of course I mean "sums up the 1970s for me." Because, to beat the dead horse, if there were no Rajesh Khanna, my experience of 1970s cinema would not be radically different. But (again, for me) 1970s cinema without Amitabh is unimaginable.

Thank you, Raja. I hope we can still be friends after I say this, but: I cannot stand Rajesh Khanna. I did not consciously exclude him from this post, but the thought of including him never occurred to me. After his death I rewatched several of his films plus three or so new-to-me ones, and learned how to choose films that he wouldn't ruin for me (mainly, stick to films before 1970). But I will never be a fan, I'm sorry. And coming to his work after the fact, it is all to easy for me to forget how important he was at the time his films were happening. I suppose you could view this post as a kind of alternate-history version of Hindi films, shaped by me. I only grudgingly mentioned one film and actor I do not like, Dilwale dulhaniya le jayenge. I am sure someone else might take issue with my leaving Dilip Kumar out of my discussion of the 50s, too. I plead lack of space and time. ;-)

Apoorva,

Thanks for all of that, Maith. As I was reading your comment I was thinking how few of those social cues I recognize, those things that are especially Tamil. Some 250 Hindi films have taught me a little about North Indian culture so that I respond a lot more to implicit signals (of relationships, of attitudes) than I did in the beginning. Some of that will map to films in other languages, of course, but there are subtleties that will not, and being brand new to Tamil films I appreciate you pointing these out.

I think I said this already, but thanks maxqnz for sending me the film. I really did enjoy it.

Thank you for these excellent comments, Ashish ji, especially for the brief financial history of alternative cinema. I think you and I are in agreement that the multiplex age opens up new audiences for a more diverse array of stories and storytelling modes and that this is an exciting development for cinema. On reflection I think you are right, I should have said more about parallel cinema. I have said so much about it over the years I've been watching Indian films, coming to them as I did via Shabana Azmi. But for whatever reason I focused on mainstream cinema here. I want to answer your specific question: "how could you mention Chashme Buddoor and omit Jaane Bhi Do Yaron, which was the superior comedy?" because I think there is an interesting nugget of cultural difference in here. I like Jaane bhi do yaaro, but I am not sure I fully appreciate it. Much of its brilliance is densely packed in wordplay or cultural cues that just don't translate very well. Add to that, I have only seen it one time; it needs another viewing. Chashme buddoor is simply more accessible to me as an outsider. I think that sums how I neglected JBDY (and I do acknowledge that it was a neglectful omission). I have not seen Bhuvan Shome but this is the second time I have come across it mentioned today, so I'll consider that kismet; I've made a note. :)

Thanks thanks so much, maxqnz. :). Parvarish came THIS close to getting mentioned in the same sentence as Amar Akbar Anthony, but editorial carla decided that one exemplar was enough. It is never easy to choose movies for an overview like this, especially if one wants to say something about each one rather than merely listing. The post was already longer than I expected it would be, and could have been longer still!

Dustedoff, if you like Salman in Andaz Apna Apna, you might actually not hate him too much in HAHK. It's hard for me to say; I understand why people dislike him so intensely, and yet I think he's cute, in spite of myself. And I adore him in HAHK. I rewatched it yesterday, as it happens, and found myself saying "aaaaaaaw!" over and over. With respect to Chak De... I like that movie well enough but for whatever reason (okay, probably because it so revolves around SRK) it doesn't stick as an absolute favorite for me. Also, with respect to it, I am not sure it anchors or represents the decade in the same way that Lagaan did. That said, if someone else highlighted Chak De in a list like this, I would not raise a single objection. It's obviously deserving. Thanks for the 40s recommendations :) I got Kismet from Greta's collection, and will work my way through the other movies there; they are on the list of movies I want to watch immediately!

Hello Krish. Thank you for the comment. I acknowledged in my opening paragraphs that my experience with Indian films was still quite limited - I assure you, I have not ignored Tamil or Bengali films, so much as just not learned about them yet. Do you have any suggestions for good films in these language that are available with English subtitles?

Thank you all. I love all these comments. I love how closely matched these two movies are, how most people adore them both but manage to choose one by the tiniest edge, often for sentimental reasons. I have thought about more candidates for polls like this one, but I don't think there are two movies as perfectly matched as these.

Thank you! I think the importance of identity can't be overstated. Also, it is the nature of all humans that when times are difficult, or resources scarce, we favor people who are "like us" over people who are different in whatever way. It's not just the subcontinent, not just Hindus and Muslims, but a tragic truth of humankind, I think.

That is very cool.

Thanks, Raja. I'm glad to have your comments. :-) Arjun is ancient history and I am more amused by his comments than anything else. He made the mistake of obscuring his legitimate point in personal attacks against me. And I stand by my statement, that being moved by this one story does not preclude my being moved by stories of other people as well.

Banno, two great minds with but a single thought. :)

Dustedoff, I don't dislike Awara as much as Aag, but I definitely found it ponderous and grim. Maybe it is a disadvantage of having seen Shree 420 first, which has so much energy and sparkle and humor. Awara seems so puckered in comparison. One can't shake the feeling that one is being Educated by it. It seems that your memories of Aag are similar to maxqnz's - maybe that is what this movie does in time, recedes into forgettability with just a few highlights here and there that remain.

Abhi, this is a very good point. I admit that I am not always internally consistent about when I go lightly on movies of the past for reflecting their times, and when I do not. I remember having this debate with friends about the more regressive aspects of Jab Jab Phool Khile. Some folks I know despise that movie - with reason! - but I just found myself uncomfortable judging it with the benefit of hindsight. Other movies I will gladly dismiss as against my modern sensibilities, though. I am thinking about why I come down on the side of Aag. Maybe I just can't see it as ever okay, in any era, to present women as empty, blank vessels into which men pour their creative brilliance to create art. Come to think of it, this was precisely my complain about Gaja Gamini, the very last movie I reviewed before this one. It is funny that I didn't make that connection until now!

It's probably just as well that you only remember what you like about it. It is a sign that it's possibly not worth a rewatch. I am not all that sensitive to camera work, I think. I sometimes notice interesting shots but on the whole my perception of camera work tends to blend in with a gestalt or the movie's overall mood. I don't think good cinematography, for me, can sustain me through a movie I otherwise don't like. But it can tremendously enhance a story that I am engaged with.