Anmol Ahuja
5. Dil to Pagal Hai
‘Dil to Pagal Hai’ won the National Award for Best Film providing wholesome entertainment in 1997, and there is perhaps no other category that could’ve defined this film better. Among its accolades, the film also won numerous Filmfare awards and was the highest grossing Bollywood film that year, both domestically and internationally. Considered among the late Yash Chopra’s many crowning jewels, ‘DTPH’ boasts of an eclectic trio of actors.
Naturally, there is a love triangle involved as well. With a musical score that smashed charts back in 1997, and songs that are still hummable today, ‘Dil to Pagal Hai’ is often credited with transforming the level of Indian choreography in films, resultant of the great director’s vision and Shiamak Dawar’s moves. Apart from that, all of it remains standard Bollywood rom-com, albeit with the Yash Raj touch, and the added edge of electrically choreographed and performed numbers.
4. Border
Perhaps every Indian would even to-day, swear to this movie as the most patriotic film of the decade. The impact this film had when it released during the summer of ‘97 was huge to say the least, running to packed houses since day one and enjoying a long, fruitful run. The film features an ensemble of well-known names; Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff, Sunil Shetty, Akshaye Khanna, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Tabu and Raakheee among others, but you soon realise that Sunny Deol was the only one needed after all. Jokes apart, when seen today, a lot of problems surface with ‘Border’.
Based on the Battle of Longewala during the 1971 war, ‘Border’ is choked with nationalism, and in the process resorts to completely villainising the side across the Border. Apart from that, Sunny Deol’s one-man army act as with all his other films and some convenient cliché’s plague the blockbuster film. But then again, which 90s blockbuster wasn’t plagued by the same? A unanimous shoutout to the music for this film, and especially the lyrics that suitably drive home the anti-war message of the film.
3. Chachi 420
‘Chachi 420’ is bizarre, but funny throughout. It is one of the movies from the 90s that, despite performing profitably at the box office during the time of its release, gained an insanely huge popularity in the domestic TV circuit. I myself remember re-watching it time and again since all the cable providers seemed to be running only David Dhawan flicks or this one in the matinee slot. Bless those days!
Keeping all the 90s nostalgia aside, this was a delightfully funny film, although parts of it may not be completely suitable for younger viewers. Kamal Hassan is excellent in his double role as the struggling father and husband, and as the titular ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’. Not to forget the Puri duo and Paresh Rawal wreaking complete comedic havoc everytime they are on screen together. It’s a feel-good movie throughout, and quintessentially a part of the 90s kids growing up.
2. Mrityudand
Another relatively unheard film among a hoard of blockbuster films. Let’s face it: 90s won’t be a decade remembered for its thematically correct portrayal of women, or any decade before it for that matter, save a few offbeat films. ‘Mrityudand’ gladly falls in the latter category and is unabashedly feministic in a time when the word was far from attaining its modern connotations. Directed by Prakash Jha who has often used his films as a medium for portraying rampant injustice in the Indian state of Bihar, does no different here.
The subject matter is heavy with this one, but Jha treats and structures it in a way not to seem too outwardly an arthouse production, thus maintaining accessibility for a social film with a message relevant even today. Madhuri Dixit and Shabana Azmi come together as an unlikely duo to deliver strong performances, elevating an already punchy film.
1. Gupt: The Hidden Truth
If there is a film that could advocate ‘matter over spectacle’ in mainstream cinema in the 90s, it would be this film. That’s not to say the film is without problems, but most of them (excessive songs, cliché tropes, length etc) were in a way standard trademarks of the decade. Apart from that, ‘Gupt’ remains, even today, one of the better whodunnit murder mysteries to come out from Bollywood. The lousiness in script aside, some parts of it are actually somewhat intelligently written and performed, and the film draws its strengths exactly from that. A lot of people termed it Bobby Deol’s second coming, but for me, it is a Kajol show all the way!
Read More: Bollywood Movies 1998
