Dead Poets Society
Peter Weir
The film is a tribute to the teaching profession. Robin Williams as English teacher John Keating in an aristocratic boys prep school inspires his students to change their lives of conformity through his teaching of poetry and literature. The students are slowly drawn towards Keating. Falsely accused of abetting a pupil's suicide, Keating is expelled from the school. In what is probably the film's most touching scene, the students, climb onto their desks to salute their former teacher, defiant of the angry headmaster's orders to sit down. Seeing that his efforts have not been wasted, a visibly touched Keating thanks the boys, and walks out of the school for good.
Sholay
Ramesh Sippy
Though there were a number of films on the revenge / cop-bandits theme made earlier, Sholay was in a different league. What set it apart, though, was the characterisation. Partners in crime and out of it — Dharmendra, is the happy-go-lucky Veeru in contrast to Amitabh's cynical, sometimes dour Jai. The romance angle was again portrayed in starkly different shades — Veeru's comic antics to win the affections of the feisty Basanthi (Hema Malini) and Jai's silent, passion for the widow Radha (Jaya Bhaduri). Sholay also boasted of other top stars of the time such as Sanjeev Kumar, Asrani, Jagdeep, but it was new comer Amjad Khan who shot to fame as the bandit Gabbar Singh.
Silence of the Lambs
Jonathan Demme
A promising young FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is assigned the task of interviewing a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic murderer Hannibal Lecter (Antony Hopkins), in order to find a clue to apprehend serial killer “Buffalo Bill”. With Lecter's help, Clarice tracks down Buffalo Bill and saves the abducted daughter of a U.S. Senator. The film won five Oscars.
Rainman
Barry Levinson
This is the story of a self-centered shallow young man (Charlie Babbitt ) who discovers that his deceased father has left a trust fund to an institution for the mentally challenged. He then makes contact with a brother he never knew he had — Raymond, an autistic savant, and in the process, learns some valuable lessons of life. Dustin Hoffman, excelled as the autistic savant Raymond and won an Oscar for Best Actor but it was Tom Cruise who endeared himself to the audience.
Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro
Kundan Shah
This 1983 film was a spoof on corruption and the political system. Laced with dark humour, the film is a non-stop laugh riot. Two out-of-work photographers, unexpectedly stumble on a clue which has the potential to implicate a ruthless builder, Tarneja, in the murder of Municipal Commissioner D'Mello. A scheming, go-getter editor of a tabloid see an opportunity at a chance to instant fame. From here on, begins a race, where everyone involved in the murder and otherwise, try to get their hands on D'mello's corpse and in the end Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Baswani, the two photographers, are implicated and sent to prison. Nearly thirty years later, the film remains as entertaining as ever.
Those that nearly made it
Casablanca: Michael Curtiz
The Great Escape: John Sturges
Mr. and Mrs. Iyer: Aparna Sen
Sagarika Melkote is Operations Manager with a software company based in Hyderabad.
