We often criticize Bollywood for remaking Hollywood or regional films and rarely coming up with original content. But our Hindi cinema isn’t that bad after all. It has given us several cult classics and also some films that were way ahead of its time and are more relevant now. Here’s a list of such 7 films:
Dil Chahta Hai
This coming of age drama was definitely ahead of its time film and that’s the reason it has been labelled as a cult classic. The film beautifully shows the friendships and relationships of three young men in a city-oriented lifestyle.
Kya Kehna
It was very bold of the makers and the actors to make a film on the concept of pregnancy before marriage that is still considered a taboo. The film would be relevant in today’s time when people are at least talking about it.
My Brother Nikhil
This 2005 film starring Juhi Chawla and Sanjay Suri combined AIDS awareness and gender awareness in the best ways. It was made during the time when AIDS awareness was considerably low in India. The film was highly appreciated worldwide and Juhi Chawla won the Zee Best Actress Critic Award for her performance. Unfortunately, it didn’t impress the Indian audience at that time.
Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron
This film was made during a time when the concept of satire didn’t even exist in the Indian minds. It wasn’t an immediate success at the box-office, but as the audience became more mature, the film gained recognition and even after 36 years, the film has a high recall value.
Mera Naam Joker
Raj Kapoor’s film ‘Mera Naam Joker’ had failed at the box-office as the audience just didn’t get what the film was trying to portray. It showed the irony in the life of a circus clown, where he must perform and make others laugh even though he may be shattered within. It is just all of us today who pretend to be just fine but are carrying a huge baggage of sorrows in our hearts!
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani
This film starring Shahrukh Khan and Juhi Chawla holds so much relevance in the current times when media has become most manipulative and corrupted. The film focused on media war being fought in a TV newsroom. It was labelled a disaster back then, but this comedy-drama film was properly not meant for the audience back then.
Fire
This was the first Bollywood film to feature a lesbian relationship. Starring Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das, the film invited violent protests. Had this film released today, it would have surely got a smooth release.