Amar Akbar Anthony, Deewar, Sholay, other iconic Hindi films to catch up on during lockdown

In the history of cinema which took place in the city of Bombay, the era 1960s had been the most peculiar place. It marked a sense of nationalist anxieties, sovereignty. Their engagement was strongly noted through the places where they travelled, and with fascinating infrastructure

With the arrival and usage of colour, lighter shades cameras, and the invention of Zoom In, Zoom Out (instead of track in, track out) a strong wish to break out of the physical confinement of the studios was noted. Real locations were regularly noted in the frames of the feature films. Here are some of the classical hindi films you can catch up on.

Sholay

Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra Deol starrer, the film has become a cult in the Hindi film industry.  Sholay features a soulful love story, that explores more than one concept with a strong message. Jai and Veeru became an icon for friendship, or what we call in our recent days, 'bromance'. Despite it's commercial nature, certain concepts such as widow remarriage, marriage outside caste/class, lawlessness, civilised societies, were explored with enough depth.

Deewar

Legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan had (by then) already gained the title of the 'Angry Young Man'. Another tale of two brothers, only this time, they shared a consanguine relationship and chose to take different paths. While one chose bungalow, cars, bank account, (basically wealth), the morally conscious brother chose the company of the mother.

Mother India

Another tale of two brothers, only here the mother Nargis gained a prominent role. Much like the mother in Deewar, here we meet a mother who chooses to sacrifice the son who fails to respect the dignity of a woman, (who happens to be the daughter of the family's enemy). Mother India holds a special position in the Hindi cinema, for its offbeat portrayal of a mother, who learns to make the best of judgements, and does not play favourites based on the consanguine relationships she shares with her two sons.

C.I.D.

For a different reason CID will have a separate fanbase in Mumbai. Before the lockdown Mumbaikars have never seen a glimpse of an empty street, especially in the middle of the afternoon. CID takes us to the localities in Bombay. The film adapts a noir style narration as it explores a murder mystery.

Amar Akbar Anthony

Amar Akbar Anthony marked the coming of six stars from the Hindi film industry, Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor, Parveen Babi, Neetu Singh, Shabana Azmi and Nirupa Roy. The film told the tale of three brothers who separated in childhood, were adopted by families of three different faith, Hindu, Muslim and Christian. They grow up and engage themselves in different trades, but life (as it happens in Hindi films) had different plans for them, and their lives get entwined.