Rangeela

Urmila Matondkar’s effortless oomph as Mili, Aamir Khan being the fun tapori Munna (with or without that yellow jumpsuit), the formulaic-but-cast-in-a-fresh template story, Manish Malhotra’s cool clothes and, of course, A.R. Rahman’s chart-topping music. Rangeela, unlike most Hindi films of the ’90s, has not only aged well but continues to be an integral part of pop culture. Director Ram Gopal Varma set this story of friendship and love and friendship that turns into love in the city of dreams, Mumbai, giving us frames — right at the top is Urmila’s Mili going Tanha tanha atop a motorbike on the beach — that remain etched firmly in memory. Urmila set pulses racing, Aamir aced it (that scene in the restaurant is still comedy gold) and Jackie Shroff chipped in with a silent supporting act. And Rahman, in what was his first Hindi soundtrack, kept the hits coming — Rangeela re to Hai rama, Kya kare kya na kare to Yaaro sun lo zara, Tanha tanha to Pyaar yeh jaane kaisa hai.

very number in Bombay — from the sensual riffs of Humma humma to the pristine innocence of Kehna hi kya — told a story Sourced by the correspondent

Bombay

A.R. Rahman spun music magic once again, this time in a classic directed by his mentor Mani Ratnam. Every number in Bombay — from the sensual riffs of Humma humma to the pristine innocence of Kehna hi kya — told a story. So did Shaila Bano’s (played by Manisha Koirala) tempestuous eyes as she runs into Shekhar’s (Arvind Swami) outstretched arms in Tu hi re. Religious divide to love blossoming against hate and the strife of keeping human relationships alive against the background of petty politics, Bombay told so many stories in one, each of which continues to be relevant, now more than ever. Manisha was ethereally beautiful in every frame while Arvind Swami, once again after Roja, gave us a leading man with both vulnerability and grit.

There’s something about the unbeatable combination of Govinda and Kader Khan, with Karisma Kapoor’s vivaciousness thrown in, that still makes it a time-pass watch Sourced by the correspondent

Coolie No. 1

The remake, starring Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan, releases later this month, but we can already bet that it won’t be anything close to the original, even though it’s helmed by David Dhawan, the man who directed Coolie No. 1 25 years ago. Cast in the mould of a typical David Dhawan paisa-vasool entertainer, much of Coolie No. 1 will make one cringe today, but there’s something about the unbeatable combination of Govinda and Kader Khan, with Karisma Kapoor’s vivaciousness thrown in, that still makes it a time-pass watch. Varun has amazing comic timing, but truth be told, no one does a Govinda better than Govinda himself. Just rewatch Main toh raste se jaa raha tha — garish clothes to cheeky smile — and you will know.

Aamir Khan’s earnestness and Manisha Koirala’s electric presence that gave both heft and heart to Akele Hum Akele Tum Sourced by the correspondent

Akele Hum Akele Tum

There was very little that was original about this Mansoor Khan film, based on the Dustin Hoffman-Meryl Streep ‘marriage story’ classic Kramer vs Kramer (Anu Malik even lifted chunks of George Michael’s Last Christmas for Dil mera churaya kyun), but there was something about Aamir Khan’s earnestness and Manisha Koirala’s electric presence that gave both heft and heart to Akele Hum Akele Tum. The father-son relationship in the film still feels fresh and endearing, and we still can’t resist Aamir’s disarming charm as he went Raja ko rani se pyaar ho gaya.

This reincarnation revenge saga had the Bollywood potboiler staples Sourced by the correspondent

Karan Arjun

Today, its primary recall value hinges on the fact that Karan Arjun is one of the rare films to star Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan together. Directed by Rakesh Roshan, this reincarnation revenge saga had the Bollywood potboiler staples, with SK and SRK playing brothers separated in one life and united in the next. The melodrama, Kajol dancing to Jaati hoon main in that blue dress, Rakhee going, “Mere Karan Arjun aayenge”, and Amrish Puri being the quintessential Bolly baddie... sign us up for a Karan Arjun rewatch any day. And now that the Khans are back to being bhai-bhai, when is that sequel happening?

Scoring more as a human drama than a space film, Apollo 13 made for a hugely engaging watch Sourced by the correspondent

Apollo 13

“Houston, we have a problem.” One of the most famous lines in movie history arrived courtesy this film. There were, however, no problems with Apollo 13, with Ron Howard bringing together a gem of a cast in the form of Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Ed Harris and Gary Sinise to craft a compelling dramatisation of the aborted 1970 Apollo 13 lunar mission. Scoring more as a human drama than a space film, Apollo 13 made for a hugely engaging watch, with Howard going to great lengths to create a technically accurate movie, with NASA providing astronaut and flight-controller training to the cast. Hanks, exemplifying the Everyman hero with a strong moral core stood out, so did James Horner’s rousing musical score.

Mel Gibson is known to make some engaging cinema Sourced by the correspondent

Braveheart

When he isn’t getting into trouble with the law, Mel Gibson is known to make some engaging cinema, in front of the camera and behind it. The 64-year-old actor’s biggest triumph as a director yet has been Braveheart, the 1995 historical which chronicled the unrelenting courage of the Scots (“They may take away our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom”) in the First War of Scottish Independence against King Edward I of England, and which had Gibson himself playing the central role of William Wallace. Though guilty of many a historical inaccuracy and brutally violent in parts, Braveheart was lauded for its epic scale and storytelling, with the film earning praise for its sweeping action, drama and romance. It notched 10 Oscar nominations and won in five categories, including Best Picture and Best Director for Gibson.

The riveting film had Freeman and Pitt partnering to investigate a series of gory murders that used the seven deadly sins as motifs Sourced by the correspondent

Se7en

Twenty five years ago, David Fincher, the master of the psychological thriller, dished out an absolute beauty in the form of Se7en. Boasting an enviable cast of Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey and Gwyneth Paltrow, the riveting film had Freeman and Pitt partnering to investigate a series of gory murders that used the seven deadly sins as motifs. Fincher kept it taut and tense (he described Se7en as a “tiny genre movie, the kind of movie (William) Friedkin might have made after The Exorcist”), with his actors churning out winning performances. So many scenes stand out, with the ‘head-in-the-box’ ending going down as one of the most spine-chilling moments in movie memory.

Toy Story not only marked the feature film directorial debut of John Lasseter, but was also the first wholly computer-animated feature film Sourced by the correspondent

Toy Story

Year 1995 saw the first Toy Story film being released, that has since then spun off three more films and built itself into a franchise. Toy Story not only marked the feature film directorial debut of John Lasseter, but was also the first wholly computer-animated feature film, as well as the first feature film from Pixar. Boasting names like Pete Docter and Joss Whedon, Toy Story gave us the legendary cowboy doll named Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and the astronaut action figure Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), and is a landmark film in animation feature film history, scoring with being both innovative and entertaining.

Babe, a charming film that reeled in the entire family, revolutionised the ‘talking animal movie’ genre Sourced by the correspondent

Babe

Who would have thought that a film with a ‘talking’ pig (that fancies itself as a sheepdog) would squeal its way to a box-office haul of more than $250million worldwide and seven Academy Award nominations? Babe, a charming film that reeled in the entire family, revolutionised the ‘talking animal movie’ genre and proved to be a winner with its innovative, performance-driven computer graphics and animatronics, and also in the fresh manner it delivered a timeless message. Time to sign up for a rewatch!