100 Essential Indian Films

Starred review from October 29, 2018
Media academic Dasgupta (Digital Queer Cultures in India) and documentarian Datta (Shyam Benegal) have lovingly assembled an impressive list of 100 Indian films worth seeking out. Of course there are Bollywood smashes such as Lagann (2001) and Sholay (1975), but the duo’s picks span all genres. They cherry-pick the best of the best, showcasing terrific movies throughout Indian film history. Sweet romantic comedies such as 1965’s Guide and 2013’s The Lunchbox, the 2016 wrestling biopic Dangal, the gritty 2012 Gangs of Wasseypur, and 1975’s vigilante thriller Deewaar, as well as meatier work like 1964’s Charulata (from Bengali auteur Satyajit Ray), are just some of the remarkable movies waiting to be discovered. Dasgupta and Datta give plenty of room to the backstory, plot, and impact of these films, making for an insightful and informative book that never feels rushed. Westerners whose perception of the Indian film industry begins and ends with splashy Bollywood musicals are in for a delightful surprise here, as this is an outstanding survey of a wildly inventive and frequently fascinating area of world film.