2 Best Movies to Watch by Farida Jalal

The concept of a soulmate– the idea that there is someone out there that you’re meant to meet, who’s been made for you to be with, and vice versa– has inspired plenty of romance stories. Dil To Pagal Hai is one such musical centered on the idea. There are some flaws, especially with the love triangle, but the stacked cast, the classic soundtrack, and the elaborate, gorgeous dance numbers are just so enthralling to watch. There’s an interesting thread with the way the two leads’ lives mirror each other even before they meet, as well as the way the film contemplates the decades’ anxieties over crafting the modern woman, which makes Dil To Pagal Hai not perfect, but iconic nonetheless.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Actor: Akshay Kumar, Ameesha Patel, Aruna Irani, Deven Verma, Farida Jalal, Karisma Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Shah Rukh Khan

Director: Yash Chopra

When talking about resistance against colonial powers, nonviolent resistance, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, is oftentimes touted as the most righteous and morally correct path to take. However, most people forget that this violence is done in response to the violence enacted upon them, and that violent resistance has worked alongside the non-violent path, with a serious rationale behind their methods. The Legend of Bhagat Singh remembers one of the Indian revolutionaries that devoted their lives to the cause, though in a different way from Gandhi. The film has some inaccuracies, and it emphasized the romance he might have had with the unmarried woman later known as Bhagat’s widow, but the Legend of Bhagat Singh is an interesting portrait of a revolutionary that needs to be discussed more.

Genre: Crime, Drama, History

Actor: Ajay Devgan, Ajay Devgn, Akhilendra Mishra, Amrita Rao, Bhaswar Chatterjee, D. Santosh, Farida Jalal, Mukesh Tiwari, Raj Babbar, Sitaram Panchal, Sushant Singh, Swaroop Kumar

Director: Rajkumar Santoshi