1970s: Parallel Cinema & Deep Cuts
Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi starred in this 1977 Shyam Benegal film centered on the economic exploitation and weavers' revolt in rural Andhra Pradesh
Manthan
Mithun Chakraborty became an international star following his lead role in this 1982 musical synth-heavy film
Disco Dancer
Released in 1995, this Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol starrer holds the record as the longest-running film in Indian theatrical history
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
The 1975 movie Deewaar features Shashi Kapoor delivering this classic four-word emotional response to Amitabh Bachchan: "Mere paas ____ hai.
MAA
Madhuri Dixit became an overnight sensation dancing to this number-counting song in the 1988 film Tezaab
Ek Do Teen
Amitabh Bachchan’s character in the 1975 classic Deewaar was heavily inspired by this real-life 1970s Mumbai underworld don
Haji Mastan
This 1980 psychological thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy features Amitabh Bachchan playing a blind man seeking revenge for his friend's murder
Barsaat Ki Ek Raat
Before finding immense fame with Rangeela, director Ram Gopal Varma made his massive Hindi cinematic splash with this gritty 1990 college-mafia film
Shiva
Sunny Deol delivered his legendary "Tareekh pe tareekh" monologue in front of a courtroom judge in this 1993 film
Damini
This legendary playback singer recorded the iconic 1982 track "Disco Deewane," which became a chart-topping pop album across South Asia
Nazia Hassan
1970 satirical drama marked the solo directorial debut of Gulzar and was adapted from his own short story Seema
Mere Apne
This 1988 epic action film directed by Mukul S. Anand paired Amitabh Bachchan and Danny Denzongpa in a gritty tale set in the slums of Mumbai, pre-dating Agneepath
Hum
This highly anticipated 1993 multi-starrer action movie directed by Ramesh Sippy became one of the decade's biggest financial disasters despite starring both Amitabh Bachchan and Sridevi
Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja
Nana Patekar delivered his intense "Yeh Musalman ka khoon hai, yeh Hindu ka khoon hai" monologue while bleeding from his hands in this 1994 political drama.
Krantiveer
This 1971 movie track composed by R.D. Burman and sung by Asha Bhosle became the quintessential hippie-anthem of India.
Dum Maro Dum
This actor, who later became famous as a villain, made his cinematic acting debut as the mute friend in Amitabh Bachchan's Zanjeer (1973)
Mac Mohan
1988 Mira Nair film won the Caméra d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and followed the day-to-day survival of street children in Mumbai
Salaam Bombay
This 1994 cult comedy film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi bombed heavily at the box office on release but went on to become an iconic pop-culture phenomenon
Andaz Apna Apna
veteran actor played the villainous "Kancha Cheena" in the original 1990 Agneepath, uttering lines with a slow, chilling whisper
Danny Denzongpa
AR Rahman made his Hindi-dubbed debut with Roja, but this 1995 film was his very first direct, original Hindi-language soundtrack release
Rangeela
1979 political satire film directed by Sai Paranjpye won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and stars Naseeruddin Shah as a blind school principal.
Sparsh
In Govind Nihalani's intense 1983 cop drama Ardh Satya, this veteran theater actor played the menacing, corrupt politician Rama Shetty.
Sadashiv Amrapurkar
This 1998 underworld masterpiece written by Anurag Kashyap and directed by Ram Gopal Varma revolutionized the "Mumbai Noir" genre
Satya
Raaj Kumar delivers the famous line "Jinke ghar sheeshe ke hote hain, woh doosron par patthar nahi pheka karte" in this 1965 film—but it was re-popularized in the 80s in this movie
Muqaddar Ka Sikandar
This 1990 musical romance film composed by Nadeem-Shravan saved the T-Series music label and launched a massive 90s wave of melody-driven soundtracks
Aashiqui