Top 10 Bollywood Hindi Movies of Shah Rukh Khan

The name "Shahrukh" means "Face Of The King".

Growing up in the nineties was a lot of fun. To us  mail were letters or parcels brought by the postman, T.V was Doordarshan, phone was land-phone with wires, computers' were a small white box, with a black screen where you do visual basics programming and a blue screen where you did Turbo C programming. There was no mobile  phone and internet, no Call Of Duty or Price Of Persia, no Facebook or Twitter. Then to us, Hollywood was Street Hawke and Johnny Sokko And His Flying Robot, and Bollywood to us was Shah Rukh Khan!

He is known as "Badshah Of Bollywood", "King Khan", "SRK", but to me he is the one and only Shahrukh!Please don't get me wrong, I still remember movies like Aashiqui, Ghayal, Saajan, Roja,Khalnayak, Dil etc.The list of good movies and good actors are endless. But in those days we didn't have Google, IMDB and so many Bollywood channels on TV giving their expert opinions. In those days, out thoughts were simple - when we endorsed an actor, we did it whole heatedly. And as the era of Shahrukh Khan dawned, it breathed a new leash of life in Bollywood after the seemingly setting sun of the last Superstar, Amitabh Bachchan. And even now, every year a blockbuster from this actor is a certainty.

Now, to all those who hate ShahRukh Khan, I would say that everyone is entitled to their own opinions.Good and Bad, Right and Wrong are subjective words. But how can we deny that the longest running movie to come out of Bollywood after Sholay is Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. We fans made this a reality, ist it not? I happen to be a Shah Rukh Khan fan, but I am  not a Salman and Amir hater! That is because I love movies, and these three have given us plenty and have been entertaining us for the last twenty years. So for once keep aside the comparisons and look at the list below and let me know what you think of these movies? This list reflects my views, but feel  free to jot down yours in the comments section. 

Notable Omissions: Kal Ho Na Ho, My Name Is Khan, Dil Se, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Dil Toh Pagal Hai and Mohabbatien,


10. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is the love story of Rahul, Anjali and Tina. This is a movie about college romance, friendship, ragging, heartbreaks, separation and the triumph of love. Shahrukh and Kajol, the magical pair were the heart and soul of this movie. But a new girl in the block called Rani Mukherjee was a find indeed, who won  the hearts of millions in her role as the charismatic and sizzling Tina. High school and colleges were in a spell in those days in India, with boys searching for their Anjali or Tina and girls going crazy for their Rahul's! This movie boasted some timeless classics from Jatin-Lalit, brilliantly excuted by Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik and Kumar Sanu.It also had a strong supporting star-cast of Anupam Kher, Farida Jalal, Johnny Lever, Archana Puran Singh and those two unforgettable kids - Sana Saeed and Parzan Dastur. And then there was Salman Khan...!

9. Pardes

A quintessential  Subhash Ghai classic. This is the only movie where Mahima Choudhury felt like an actress of some standard. Her role as Ganga, the beautiful Indian girl living in a conservative Hindu family in a village, was well appreciated. Amrish Puri has been a stalwart in this industry and this movie saw a power packed performance from him as KishoriLal, a successful Indian-American businessman who harbors strong feeling for India, and the deep set culture and values of his motherland, and wants to marry his Americanized son to Ganga. Alok Nath, was subtly great as usual in his classic kanyadan role (no pun intended). This movie also introduced to us Sonu Nigan, in his hard hitting song - "Yeh Dil". Talking of music, Naveen-Shravan produced some brilliant numbers penned by Anand Bakshi. Remeber Kumar Sanu's " Do Dil Mil Rahe Hain" ? But at the end, this is a movie about a romantic and tragic hero. This is a Shahrukh Khan owned movie from start till the end!

8. Devdas

Devdas is a timeless classic novel  written by the legend Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay. It is a tragic love story with three characters that have etched their name in Indian folklore, Devdas, Paro and Chandramukhi. It is a story of unfulfilled love. This novel has been brought on the silver screen numerous times but never in such a grandeur style than this one. A true visual spectacle from the critically acclaimed Director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The story is a masterpice without doubt, the script was great, but the true winner of this movie are it's actors. Every one in every role delivered some superb performance. Notably Kirron Kher as Sumitra Chakraborty - Paro's mother, Smita Jaykar as the naive mother of Devdas, Ananya Khare as Kumud Mukherjee - the evil and conniving sister in law of Devdas, Abha Mukherjee as Dev's Bari Maa, Manoj Joshi as Dwijdas Mukherjee - Dev's father. Madhuri Dixit portrays Chandramukhi, and she was brilliant. I think Paro never looked as gorgeous ever like how Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was in this movie. She owned the character and if ever another Devdas is made, I pity the actress playing Paro as it would be hard to  surpass Aishwarya. To portray the character Devdas is difficult because of the many shades it houses in it and the slow transformation from a educated gentleman of a Zamindar family to a tragic,  hopeless person slowly drinking himself to death for unfulfilled love, is a dark journey which can be undertaken by a selected few actors. That's why it was Dilip Kumar in the past, and in this movie we had Shahrukh Khan as Devdas. Please don't say now, "I...I object"
This movie won five National Awards, ten Filmfare Awards, five IIFA awards and was nominated for Bafta Award for Best Foreign Language Film - 2003. This movie is in number 74 in Empire Magazines 100 Best Films Of World Cinema and  in number 8 in Time Magazine's Top 10 movies of the Millenium.
 
7. Baazigar

It was a time when there was a distinct separation of a hero and villain in Hindi movies. This was a tried and tested Bollywood formula, and every actor seemed happy to abide by this script. And then came Shah Rukh Khan who tore apart the conventional image of a hero and dared to portrait a character who is both the protagonist and the antagonist in this movie Baazigar. This is a thriller by ace director duo Abbas-Mustan and is a remake of the 1991 Hollywood movie - A Kiss Before Dying. There were two debuts in this movie, that of Shilpa Shetty and the iconic Sharukh-Kajol pair that would go on to own the industry for years. It was a chilling performance from Shahrukh and equally strong acting from Kajol. Even when I see this movie today ,I still feel awed.

6. Kabhi Haan Kabhie Na

This movie breaks another tried and tested Bollywood formula where in the end, the hero doesn't get  the girl. You couldn't image that in those days! It is true that Shahrukh Khan has done mostly romantic movies, but in times when actors didn't dare to experiment, Shahrukh dared. This is a very simple movie of three friends, Anna (Suchitra Krishnamoorthi), Chris (Deepak Tijori) and Suneel (Shah Rukh Khan). Chris and Suneel are both in love with Anna and the story revolves around who would ultimately get the girl. So you may think this to be a simple  story of a love triangle. Yes this is a very simple story, that you would embrace whole-heartedly after watching. Shahrukh acting in this movie has been critically acclaimed and this remains one of his most under-rated movies.

5. Raju Bangaya Gentleman

This is the story of Raj Mathur (Sharukh Khan), a young engineering graduate from Darjeeling who travels to Mumbai with lofty ambitions. There he finds friendship, hardship, greed, enticement and love. A classic love story. Juhi Chawla and Shahrukh Khan would go on to deliver many super hit movies together, but this was the start. Notably, Nana Partekar delivers a brilliant performance in his own unique style. A very simple and touching movie and I am sure everyone remembers the song - "Loveria Hua". 

4.  Darr

Let's start with a question first. 

Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Dev Anand, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan - before 1993, did any of the mentioned superstars played the role of  the villain in a movie?

The answer is NO and the reason is that in those days, the superstars believed that playing a negative role  would severely hurt their image and turn away their fan-base.
Shah Rukh Khan stepped in this movie and changed the face of conventional Bollywood heroes, and delivered such a performance that the audiences even forgot the fact that this movie had a powerful actor in Sunny Deol as the lead hero. This movie started the trend of experimenting with roles by commercial superstars.Shahrukh Khan as the obsessed and fanatic lover created a new wave of change in perception of the movie goers and movie makers alike and set new level in terms of acting, while the whole of India was left stammering, "K..K..KK....Kiran...!!!"

3. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

 
Now what do I say about this movie..!!
The longest running Bollywood Hindi movie ever! 
The longest running Indian movie ever - almost nineteen years! 
The best from Shahrukh and Kajol  pair and a true gem in Indian Cinematic history.
The best romantic movie to have ever been made....period!   


2. Chak De! India

This is a brilliant movie in a lot of way. This is the first proper Sports Movie in India. This movie touches many sensitive issues in a very subtle way like the existing ethnic communalism, sexism, regionalism, racism in India. At the same time it delivers a strong note of patriotism and salvation.Another experimental role from Shah Rukh Khan, and a brilliant performance as the disgraced and shunned ex Indian Team hockey player Kabir Khan who takes charge as coach of the neglected and disjoint Indian Women's Hockey team, and through the unfolding journey, finds redemption.Excellent story, brilliant script and an outstanding ensemble cast that brought this movie to life. "Sometimes winning is everything" for the Baazigar!

1. Swades

An NRI NASA scientist travels to his native village in India after his parents died. He sets on a journey to find his nanny and on the way get to know the villagers, how life is in village and the similarities of problems existing in rural India. He vows to uplift the life of the villagers and works hard to bring electricity to the villages. This is the story. 
Striking realism, unconventional and bold movie making, one of the best to have come out Bollywood in recent years. This movie has had a cult following and extensive critical acclaim. An outstanding movie and the best ever of Shah Rukh Khan as an actor. A must watch!
 
 

Top 10 Bollywood Movies of 2013

In 2013,Bollywood had its share of blockbusters and we audience had an entertaining year. The box office was lead by Dhoom 3, followed by Krrish 3 and Chennai Express as the highest earners and in retrospect, the top 3 movies of 2013. But movie is an art form. Success and failure in the movie industry is definitely defined by the earnings, but a movie which won the heart of the audience and critics alike through it's cinematic brilliance is sure to carve out it's own niche irrespective of  it's box office collections. We, the Indian audience have matured over the years and are pretty appreciative of movies which are "different" than the same formulaic commercial stuff laden with superstars and item numbers. Its not that we don't like the Masala movies, it's good time-pass, but we cannot always hail them for their originality, depth in story telling, brilliant acting! Maybe our increasing exposure to Hollywood movies have slowly changed out taste and expectations, and I believe that is for good. There is no shortage of creativity, and there is no shortage of talented people in this industry and the following list would certainly prove that. None of the movies in this list have broken box office records, but these are the ten best Bollywood movies of 2013 according to me. Please feel free to share your views.

10.  Lootera

This is not just a movie but akin to a beautiful painting drawn on a canvas. Vikramaditya Motwane delivers a brilliant movie with impressive story-telling which is ably backed by Mahendra J. Shetty cinematography and critically acclaimed music by Amit Trivedi. Partly based on O. Henry's short story " The Last Leaf ", Lootera is an overwhelming movie well carried through by Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha.


9. Bandook

Bandook is a hard hitting movie with it's view of rural politics in India, the power struggles and the ambitions of men.The best part of this movie is it's realism. The characters in the movie feel real, the dialogs are brilliant, the cinematography is great. The music by Nikhil Kamath is pretty impressive. The song "Mrug Trishna Marusthal ki", which is the last song sung by the legend Jagjeet Singh, is a classic. Yes, this movie has violence and profanity which may not be every one's cup of tea, but so was Gangs Of Wasseypur!


8. Raanjhanaa

Shot in the backdrop of our picturesque Benaras and filled with melodious music of A.R Rehman, Raanjhanaa is more than just a romantic drama. The astounding cinematography by N. Subramanian and Vishal Sinha, by means of by bold usage of color, leads the viewers through the scintillating visual journey of Raanjhanaa. Nice story, nice dialogues and a beautiful script is well supported by the cast of the movie. Dhanush carries the movie with great talent, Abhay Deol is smooth as usual, and Sonam Kappor dared to experiment with this movie, and comes out triumphant.


7. Lakeer Ka Fakeer

Set in the backdrop of the Mumbai Underworld, Lakeer ka Fakeer is a moview about three friends whose biggest crime in life is that they were born in Mumbai's "dark" area. Fakeer (Ajaz Khan) dreams of becoming a taxi driver in Dubai, Chotu Mobile (Javed Hyder) wants to set up his own mobile shop and Sulaiman (Vicky Ahuja) hopes to become a politician. This movie  is not about mafia but about individuals who dream for a better tomorrow.The acting of Javed Hyder and Vicky Ahuja is simply brilliant! This movie is based on real life incidents and Fakeer's character is loosely based on Irfan Chindi, a resident of Nagpada - Mumbai,  who reportedly became a police informer. and was stabbed to death on April 3, 2009. This movie is a must watch!


6. Special 26

I wish to have more of this from Akshay Kumar. We all love good suspense thrillers and this is definitely one of them. Clever script, nice story and great twists, that's what Special 26 is. Manoj Bajpayi and Anupam Kher steals the show with some brilliant acting. This movie is inspired by a real-life heist that took place at jewellery showroom in Mumbai on 19 March 1987.


5. Madras Cafe

  
"I didn't want to make glitzy thriller like Ek Tha Tiger or Agent Vinod, which seem inspired by the James Bond template. I want to show that intelligence officers are ordinary people who live amongst us. It is only that they have to solve issues where national security is at stake,"
 - Soojith Sircar. 
And he did just that and gave us a tense and explosive political espionage thriller in Madras Cafe. Well researched and very realist, this movies deals with the sensitive subjects of the Sri Lankan civil war and Rajiv Gandhi assassination plot. This is a movie that will keep you engaged till the end.
And yes, the cinematography is excellent!


4. Kai Po Che

Based on Chetan Bhagat's "The Three Mistakes of My Life", this is a movie about three friends, about friendship - love and passion as well as the dark side of politics. If you have read the book or not - watch this movie. Director Abhishek Kapoor has delivered an irresistible movie, a must watch for all.


3. Shahid

Produced by Anurag Kashyap, Directed by Hansal Mehta, Shahid is a biographical film based on the life of lawyer and human rights activist Shahid Azmi, who was assassinated in 2010 in Mumbai. This movie is gripping, it feels real and is delivered in a simple manner that would overwhelm you. What makes this biopic a classic is the story, screenplay, direction and powerful acting of the cast lead by RajKumar Rao who is simply brilliant in this movie. Every character in this movie feels so real. Prabhleen Sandhu, K.K Menon and Tigmanshu Dhulia all play their part effortlessly. This is a brilliant movie that everyone should watch.


2. Bhag Milkha Bhag

This movie is a Biopic of one of the legends of Indian Sports, Milkha Singh.
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has delivered in his signature style and led us into a visual journey of the hardships and the eventual triumphs of the legend. The non-linear narrative keeps the audience engrossed , Binod Pradhan's  cinematography is praiseworthy and the music by Shakar-Ehsan-Loy is good. And without any doubt, Farhan Akhtar steals the show!


1. The LunchBox

My thanks to Ritesh Batra for giving us this masterpiece!
This movie is not a visual journey, this movie is a journey through a beautiful story. 
Two strangers and a  muted love story delivered effortlessly by brilliant direction from Ritesh Batra and excellent acting from Irrfan Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Nimrat Kaur. Without a doubt the best movie to have come out India in a long time.