Team FC
Shree 420 (1955)
The black umbrella and thick rain was immortalized as love in the song 'Pyaar Hua Ikraar Hua' from this film.
Madhumati (1958)
One of the earliest films to deal with reincarnation, uses shadows effectively in scenes — hiding half of the face in darkness, intermittently blazing light on the other half with lightning strikes.
Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959)
Guru Dutt's collaboration with his cinematographer VK Murthy set in the disillusioning world of movies, gives them every possible excuse to use beams of light, stark silhouettes, harsh backlights, soft facelights, and deep shadows for maximum drama.
Pakeezah (1972)
Pakeezah was shot in part by the German cinematographer and regular collaborator with director Kamal Amrohi, Josef Wirsching.
Mughal-e-Azam (1960)
Cinematographer RD Mathur would spend up to 8 hours to light a single shot, using headlights of trucks and reflectors.
Guide (1965)
The cinematographer of Guide, Fali Mistry, was one of the few who made the transition from black and white to colour effectively. He shot this film in Pathe colour, with the film processed at the Pathe Lab Inc. in New York.
Silsila (1981)
Yash Chopra's films may or may not be your cup of tea, but you've got to love his unfailing commitment to beauty.
India Cabaret (1985)
Shot by Mitch Epstein, the candid gaze of the camera produces little pressure on its subject to perform more than they would otherwise, anyway.
Dil Chahta Hai (2001)
An unusual choice on paper, Farhan Akhtar's iconic buddy flick marked the precise moment the tectonic plates of the urban Hindi film aesthetic indelibly shifted.
Thank you for reading
This difficulty of picturing normal daily-life characters as loveable is what makes Hindi movie love stories magically unrealistic