147 thoughts on “My Movie To-Do List: Let Me Know If I Missed Something! And Click the Links to See What I Have Already Covered!”

1. Oo I (or my husband, rather, who is a second-gen Chennai-born Malayali, and who LOVED your Manichitrathazhu post. Nayakan was his fave movie and he was like “she might like that one, suggest it!”) have a few Tamil ones in mind:

   Mozhi
   Vinnaithandi Varuvaya (and its simultaneously released Telugu version Ye Maya Chesave)
   Mouna Ragam
   Anjali
   Thalapathi (v Mahabharata inspired – Mammooty’s character is Duryodhana and Rajni’s character is Karna)
   Anbe Sivam (Kamal Hassan and Madhavan!)
   Moondram Pirai (Sadma in Hindi)

   These are the ones I remember.
   In Malayalam if you wind up liking Ramji Rao Speaking you could also check out its sequal “Mannar Matthai Speaking”…not as good but good enough.

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   • Oh, I’ve heard of Anjali! It’s another sad one, right? Why does Mani Ratnam want to make us cry all the time?

     And then Sadma is the super super sad/frustrating/bittersweet one with brain damage? I was just thinking about it with the way the middle story in Premam resolved.

     And speaking of things that make me tear up, Karna! He is my favorite character in the Mahabharata. Any chance they decided to go off book and give him a happy ending in Thalapathi?

     And I will add all of these to the list above, the post will be updated in a second.

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     • Some good telugu movies:

       Vedam

       Gamyam

       Swarnakamalam

       Swatimutyam

       Sirivennela

       Sagarasangamam

       Happy watching 🙂

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       • Thanks! I will add them all to the list!

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2. Sniff yes, both are sad 😥 BTW trivia. The little actress playing the titular character in Anjali (Shyamalee) is the younger sister IRL of the lead actress in Alaipayuthey (Shalini Ajith – in fact Shalini started off as one of the cutest child artistes ever to grace Malayalam cinema. She’s YEARS older than me but I still can’t shake off that old habit of calling her Baby Shalini. Same with Shymalee, who is actually my age).

   Thalapathi ends happily for Rajni, not for Mammootty 😦

   Omg this list looks so exciting xD

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   • So long as Ranji-Karna has a nice ending, I don’t care what happens to Mammootty-Duryodhana, so maybe I will bump that up on the list. I should really do the same thing I did for Malayalam and just see what movies my library has available in Tamil and Telugu and go from there. I am pretty sure they have both A Kiss on the Cheek and Anjali. And fingers crossed, also Eega!

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3. Also also, Thalapathy is a modern story – they’re not actually Duryodhana and Karna, just that the two are analogies for that relationship. Kinda like the Arjun Subhadra thing in Vanaprastham. I didn’t make that clear, sorry!

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   • Oh, that’s what I figured! But even in the modern re-tellings, poor Karna usually ends up doomed. Which is one of many reasons that I have never watched Raajneeti.

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4. in malayalam list rajamma@yahoo and pullipuliyum aatinkuttikalum are poor movies(avoid it) .. lawpoint and 100 days of love are just average ones..other malayalam movies are good movies but still i think you are missing the great ones especially from directors like k g george,bharathan,hariharan etc…. in tamil a peck on the cheek is really beautiful film…boys isnt really a light movie….most of the tamil films are from manirathnam…you are already familiar with him i guess…try to watch movies from other local tamil directors too

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   • Thanks for the heads up about Boys! Do you have any titles you would recommend from KG George, Bharathan, or Hariharan? (It’s easier for me to search for titles than directors)

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5. yes i will comment a big list of my favourite malayalam movies here soon….4 movies in this list are by padmarajan(thoovanathumbikal,namukkupaarkkan munthiri thoppukal,innale,njan gandharvan)…he is a great story teller

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   • Thanks! I’m looking for Thoovanathumbikal now, but I am having a really hard time finding it with subtitles (even if I try to order from India, it’s only available on VCD). Hopefully one of the others by the saem director will be easier to find.

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6. Watch the malayalam classics – Manichitrathazhu, Thoovanathumbikal, Devasuram, In Harihar Nagar, Yodha, Gandhinagar 2nd Street. All very good and relied purely on storytelling for impact.

   Please don’t watch Ayalum Njanum Thammil or Rajamma@Yahoo. Also Celluloid will not make you cry. It’s a touching story and anyone is sure to enjoy it. Watch Pathemaari as well!

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   • Yay! I already watched Manichitrathazhu! And I am working on Thoovanathumbikal now (it is very hard to track down the subtitles).

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7. As I have mentioned before Rajamma@yahoo is horrible and is tolerable only because of Anushree.I somehow couldn’t warm up to the protagonist in Thoovanathumbikal.He’s in love with two women and can’t make up his mind and keep dillydallying.I can’t stand indecisive people.The women however are strong and one of them wants him to make up his mind(No, she won’t marry him to save him from temptation of the other woman) and the other one lets him go willingly.She doesn’t mourn him eternally either.She marries someone else and moves forward in life.Thus our hero does not have to make a decision after all.

   Ayalum Njanum thammil is not a lighthearted movie at all.The movie skips back and forth throughout the hero’s life -his lighthearted med school days, the mentor who shapes his perspective about life,his struggles with the management of the corporate hospital where profit is the only motive.We get to see him from the pov of his colleagues and friends.The script writers are the same team from Traffic.One of them is a doctor.So he knows what he’s writing about when it comes to the medical stuff.But our hero can’t move forward in his personal life.He’s a one-woman man and is still stuck-up on hier.His struggles with the hospital management go fruitless.But in the end he still stands by his ideals and finds his place in life.This is more about a character study in contrast to Traffic which is action packed.

   Since you love Karna, you must be glad that Prithviraj is going to make an epic extravaganza about Karna.Dalapathy has Amrish Puri to recommend it as well.I would like to recommend Abhiyum Naanum (Me and Abhi) a lighthearted tale of an overprotective small town man and his relationship with his daughter.Eloping is fine and dandy when it’s done by you but it’s something else when you think about it in context with your daughter.There was some talk about remaking it in Hindi with Aamir but it came down to nothing.Pity!

   Bharathan movies had bold themes(for that era).Plus he usually casted his super talented wife KPAC Lalitha in most of them.Amaram has Mammotty as a poor fisherman whose dreams are all centered on his daugher.Devaragam is pretty popular with Aravind Swamy and Sreedevi about lovers parting and reuniting. Oru Minnaminunginte Nurunguvettam has a retired couple adopting an adult girl.Venkalam is about a community who practises polyandry.Of course his Tamil Thevar magan has been remade in Hindi as Virasat starring Anil Kapoor.

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8. add akashadoothu too. its really nice movie but this will make you cry

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9. Pingback: Thoovanathumbikal: I Learned So Much From This Movie! – dontcallitbollywood

10. Another recommendation for your Malayalam movie list. Sat and Pepper, the one and only Malayalam movie for foodies in Kerala.The romance of an older couple is juxtaposed with that of a younger couple and of course everything is secondary to food.Food or rather the aroma brings back memories and vice versa.

    A couple of corrections.Laljose (Classmates) is the director of Ayalum Njanum Thammil. Aparan is about two people who happen to look alike and the fragility of one’s identity comes into question.

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    • Updated! And thanks for another more recent rec. I am getting so frustrated trying to find these older Malayalam films! Plenty of them are on youtube, but without subtitles, and there aren’t even subtitle files available for them like I tried with Thoovanthumbikil.

      But Salt and Pepper is in Google Play, all easy-peasy.

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11. you can watch Ennu ninte moideen. it is a good moive (a true love story). it is available with subtitles

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    • On the list! Thanks!

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12. Adding to your Malayalam list:

    Ozhimuri (re: the matrilineal culture of Travancore Nairs)
    http://einthusan.com/movies/watch.php?malayalammoviesonline=Ozhimuri&lang=malayalam&id=1361

    Aramana Veedum Anjoorekkarrum (pure fun with Jayaram and Shobana)

    Sukhamo Devi (this is my fav 80s campus film. After Premam and Classmates, it’s interesting to trace their ancestors)

    Mazhayethum Munpe (Mammootty! Shobana!)

    Bhaskar the Rascal (dumb but progressive)
    http://einthusan.com/movies/watch.php?malayalammoviesonline=Bhaskar+The+Rascal&lang=malayalam&id=3182

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    • Thank you! Especially for the links, there are so many movies on my list that are just impossible to find. These are moving to the top, just by virtue of being able to stream them with subtitles!

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      • I don’t if you are familiar with einthusan.com, but it pretty much has all of the latest releases for the past few years with subtitles and it’s legal. I looked for some off your list 🙂

        Pranchiyettan and the Saint http://einthusan.com/movies/watch.php?malayalammoviesonline=Pranchiyettan+%26+the+Saint&lang=malayalam&id=2144

        Sapthamashree Thaskarahahttp://einthusan.com/movies/watch.php?malayalammoviesonline=Sapthamashree+Thaskaraha&lang=malayalam&id=3176

        Annayum Rasoolum http://einthusan.com/movies/watch.php?malayalammoviesonline=Annayum+Rasoolum&lang=malayalam&id=1839

        How Old Are You http://einthusan.com/movies/watch.php?malayalammoviesonline=How+Old+Are+You&lang=malayalam&id=2474

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        • Thank you! The links make it so much easier!

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13. bhaskar the rascal??!!! Even though i am a die hard mammooka fan it was a torturing experience for me…

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    • It was recommended to me, so it goes on the list. I’ll watching anything that is suggested (unless it gets an over-whelming number of people saying I shouldn’t bother, like the @yahoo movie).

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      • Bhaskar the Rascal is one of the worst Mamootty movie out there

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        • Okay, so many people have told me not to bother with that one, and the original recommendation was pretty half-hearted, so I have officially removed it from the list!

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14. well i heard rajnikanth is planning to remake it in tamil …and it was a box office success …so some people liked it eventhough it was a tiring watch for me…go on ..

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15. ennu ninte moideen

    http://abcmalayalam.me/2015/ennu-ninte-moideen/

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16. new movie Charlie

    http://abcmalayalam.me/2015/charlie/

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17. Hahaha I might be the only Hindi/Punjabi commentator? I think and know you may have watched some of these already – but my brain isn’t working.

    Hindi
    – Chupke Chupke
    – Hera Pheri (there is an old version and a new version – different stories)
    – Andaz Apna Apna
    – Special 26
    – Waqt (there is an old version and a new version – different stories)
    – Aaina (I hated the end – you’ll know why if you watch it)
    – Virasat
    – Baby
    – Holiday
    – OMG – Oh My God
    – Aitraaz
    – Sangharsh
    – Dushman
    – Maqbool
    – Omkara
    – Maachis
    – Rocket Singh – Salesman of the Year
    – Astitva
    – Namastey London
    – Patiala House 😛
    – Kehta Hai Dil Baar Baar (I don’t think many liked this one)
    – Hulchul
    – Hungama
    – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
    – Filmistan
    – Chup Chup Ke
    – Kuch to Gadbad Hai
    – Matrubhoomi (dystopia)
    – Kahani
    – Dev D (remake of Devdas but set in today’s backdrop so more ‘realistic’)
    – Lunchbox
    – Chillar Party
    – Black and White
    – Rang De Basanti
    – Singh is King
    – Saheb Biwi Gangster
    – A Wednesday
    – Kisaan (possibly the only one where I thought Sohail did any acting)

    Punjabi (most are on youtube or dailymotion (on legit channels). Ardaas might not yet be because it’s new)
    – Ardaas
    – Angrej
    – Punjab 1984
    – Jatt and Juliet (I liked the first one better than the second one – but many like the second one better -> Jatt and Juliet 2)
    – Carry on Jatta (remake of Kuch to Gadbad Hai)
    – Yaar Anmulle (better than what I expected it to be – Arya Babbar was a pain to watch though)
    – Shaheed Udham Singh
    – Mahaul Theek Hai (the romance bits are of the forward variety – watch for Jaspal bhatti and Vivek Shauq etc parts)
    – Jihne Mera Dil Lutteya
    – Munde UK De (and don’t watch the sequel or whatever it is)
    – Dharti
    – Tera Mera Ki Rishta

    However, you seem to have an extensive Tamil list so I doubt you will get time to watch any of these anyway lol. Anyway, I think I’ll watch some of the movies I recommended now. Gotta clean the entire place – woe is me.

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    • Thanks! I’ve seen almost all of the Hindi ones already, so it’s just a matter of finding the time to write about them!

      Oh! And I already did a thing on Dushman! Comparing it with Dilwale.

      Dilwale and Dushman: Spoilers Go Boom!! Do Not Read if you have not seen!

      I also discussed Chup Chup Ke a bit in my review of Punjabi house.

      Weekend in Kerala!

      Also, what’s wrong with the end of Aaina? He picks the right sister, right?

      SPOILERS

      I haven’t seen it in a few years, I remember there is some sort of weird bluff with Amrita, but then he ends up with Juhi.

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      • Yeah I thought so – but since I hadnt seen them mentioned and I try not to check reviews of movies I havent seen (Dilwale and Fan lol).

        Aaina he picks the right sister yes – but omg the whole scene between Juhi and Amrita near the end – it just rubbed me the wrong way.

        But I will read your Dushman and Dilwale one because I will never be watching Diwale lol. Thanks!

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18. Did I read somewhere that you hadn’t yet seen Lootera so far.It’s so good. As you may already know it’s an adaptation of O.Henry’s Last Leaf(well the final bit anyway).Sonakshi Sinha deserved a national award for this one.And the director deserves an award for making livewire Ranvir Singh give such a subdued performance.

    I’ll second E’s recommendation on

    Rocket Singh – Salesman of the Year (same director as Chak de)
    Chillar Party (Children’s film produced by Salman.Nothing like his usual Masala offerings.But the fun factor is high)
    OMG – Oh My God (Akshay as Sri Krishna and Paresh Rawal as the cynical man who files a suit on him.Pretty good satire)

    Hulchul,Hungama and Chup Chup Ke are Priyadarshan’s Hindi remakes of the Malayalam movies Godfather, Poochakkoru Mookkuthi and Punjabi House respectively.They’re all comedies but nothing exceptional.

    Humraaz (2002) Nerdy millionaire Bobby Deol is entrapped by heartless Akshaye Khanna and Amisha Patel.
    Jhankaar Beats (2003) R.D Burman ‘Nuff said.
    No Problem and Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya only for Sushmita Sen’s amazing comic skills.
    Yahaan(2005) -Sweet love story set in Kashmir between Indian soldier played by Jimmy Shergill and a Kashmiri played by Minissha Lambe.
    Ahista Ahista -Abhay Deol and Soha Ali Khan.AD plays a person who earns money by arranging weddings at the Register Office for eloping couples.
    Khosla ka Ghosla -A sweet comedy with Anupam Kher.Reminds me of old Hrishikesh Mukherjee movies.
    Taxi No: 9211 What happens when the irresistable force meets the immovable object? John Abraham and Nana Patekar plays two stubborn individuals.Happy ending guaranteed.

    And finally a Malayalam movie recommendation Parinayam (Wedding) (1994). A teenaged Brahmin widow in the early 20th century on a ritualistic trial for adultery to make her admit her lover’s name.And who leads the trial? You guessed it.Thilakan of course.

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    • I’m biased for Paresh Rawal comedies 😛

      I’ll back up Humraaz (spoiler!!), Jhankaar Beats, Yahaan, Ahista Ahista, Khosla Ka Ghosla.

      Oooo also, Bajatey Raho is great too – probably one of the few Tushhar Kapoor movies he’s acted in.

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      • Oh thanks for reminding me about Bajtey Raho,E.Definitely needs to be seen.Along with Chalo Dilli from the same director.Hoity-toity banker Lara Dutta’s expression on finding a cockroach in her food at the Dabha is priceless.And speaking about Tushar he gives a decent performance as a naive artist in Love U.Mr.Kalakaar! It is produced by the Barjatyas but is not their usual saccharine sweet fare.I loved how Amrita Rao was giving him lessons in Management and Life( Can I have your,sandwich?) Very different from the typical Barjatya eye candy heroines.

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    • That’s right, still haven’t seen Lootera! Although the director is apparently making the Stan Lee superhero movie, so I should probably watch it before that comes out.

      And Hulchul is one of my favorite movies! But I don’t know if I would enjoy the original, because most of the reason I like it is the cast.

      Jhankaar Beats I really liked too, but I haven’t watched it in years. I may need a rewatch before I write about it.

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      • Don’t forget to bring a pack a box of tissues if you’re going to watch Lootera.You’re going to need them:) Don’t bother to watch the original Malayali movies if you’ve already seen the remakes in Hindi.Priyadarshan has pretty much done a scene by scene copy.Thalavattom (another tragedy) has been remade in Hindi as Kyon Ki with Salman.

        As for the Malayalam movies I didn’t enjoy Aramana Veedum Anjoorekkarrum,Bhaskar the Rascal and Kalyanaraman.Slapstick and nothing more.Ozhimuri is an antiquated divorce procedure among the matrilineal Nair community of Kerala.It’s very interesting multi-generational drama with the timeline flipping here and there.It doesn’t help that the father and the son are played by the same actor.But make no mistake, the women rule the roost here.

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19. Datablue – since you seem to know a lot about movies down South, would you know what popular Telugu movie – about a decade old, has two words
    N….. N….. And they’re two long words. Romantic comedy from memory, and it was very popular.
    I think it’s Telugu.
    The actors were young and I think there was a wedding happening in the movie.

    I know that’s not much to go on but I really want to know! Hahaha

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    • Would love to help you E.But unfortunately I don’t watch Telugu or Kannada movies.My expertise lies with Malayalam movies.As for Tamil, I watch only the movies recommended by friends.

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    • The film you are looking for is Nuvvostante Nenoddantana starring Trisha and Siddharth, directed by Prabhu Deva.

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      • Ooo, Trisha and Siddharth! I like both those people! I am adding it to my list!

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      • Sorry, small typo in the title. It should be “Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana”

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20. ‘Katha nayakan’ in your malayalam list is most probably Kathapurushan ,a national award winning film by legendary Adoor gopalakrishnan…or ‘Kathavasheshan’ a good critically acclaimed film by another great director..Kathanayakan is a family fun movie..nothing great about it and i dont believe any one is gonna suggest that to you…also ‘namukupaarkan’ and ‘munthirithoppukal’ are not two films..its ‘namukkuparkan munthirithoppukal’ a padmarajan film..problem is there is a recent film titled namukkuparkkan ..a flop movie and shouldnt waste time on that

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    • Thanks! I’ll make those corrections.

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21. So, netflix has one tamil movie and I finally watched it.

    OK Kanmani. Or, Oh Kandhal Kanmani. You need to watch it. It was so cute! And so refreshing! Google tells me they’re making a hindi remake, of course – but I dont know if Aditya Kapoor and Shradha can do justice. Especially Aditya…I’m going to hunt down all the other movies of Dulquer Salmaan. He’s so yummy in this movie!

    It’s a romance genre movie.

    Also – your search button isn’t there anymore 😦 However, I do like the layout now – easier to navigate!

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22. My bad – I didnt see OK Kanmani in your Tamil list. But just saw it now in your “I’ve already seen these movies”.

    Sorry!

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    • I did see OK Kanmani, but I really need to watch it again! It was super cute, and I love love love the soundtrack.

      I was thinking about putting up a review, or maybe a full summary, around the time the remake is about to come out. So people have an idea of what it was like originally.

      I keep fiddling a little with the layout, it’s like painting my apartment but less messy!

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23. You should certainly have a look at a hindi movie Gunda (1998).The movie is soo bad it is good. The movie have a cult following in bollywood .If ever there was an award for the most worthless acting ever and most idiotic dialogues ever, ‘Gunda’ would win it hands down.

    Most of the dialogues follow a poetic manner and they are really messed up and by saying messed up i really mean it.

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    • Thanks! I’ll add it to my list and keep it in mind for next time I fee like watching something stupid!

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24. Another Malayalam movie i would recommend is Elippathayam ( Rat-Trap) which was directed by adoor gopalakrishnan . Silence is a huge trope in the movie, with large swathes of silence in dialogue.The film revolves around a middle-aged man Unni and his three sisters; and their struggle to let go of Kerala’s feudal system of life.The dress worn by the sisters also have a significance.

    You should also venture into the south korean movie industry.Some korean movie that i would suggest are
    Memories of murder, Oldboy , Montage , The Good The Bad The Weird ,] Attack The Gas Station(1999) etc.

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    • Elipathayam is available on youtube with english subtitiles.
      here is the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23sVNdMAPrs

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    • South Korean stuff is a little hardcore for me. I can handle violence, but not that kind of lingering pain thing. Although I am tempted to watch OldBoy just so I can see Zinda.

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25. Here are some more Malayalam movie recommendations.None of them are exceptional but you can always see them on a rainy Sunday afternoon when you have nothing else to do.

    Pattam Pole with Dulquer Salman.Simple straight forward love story.Since the director is a cinematographer, the visuals are stunning.Now that the monsoon season has officially started in Kerala, check out the song Mazhaye (Rain).
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XvFjKX1Fqc

    Ormayundo Ee Mukham with Vineeth Sreenivasan and Namitha.Beta hero and a strong independent heroine.It’s essentially 50 First Dates packaged a little differently.Solid movie with decent performances especially since the hero’s grandma is Laxmi (from Hulchul) who’s strongly pro love-marriage in this one.

    Neelathaamara : Lal Jose’s remake of a 70s Malayalam movie about a spoiled young man having an affair with the servant girl.Of course he marries a rich girl who discovers the affair.Both the heroines are awesome and respect each other but the hero is totally unlikable.

    Diamond Necklace.Another Lal Jose movie with Fahad Fasil as a spoiled profligate young doctor working in Gulf who manages to mess up the life of 3 young women.Contrast it with Pathemari and Arabikadha.

    Loudspeaker.Unlikely friendship between Mammotty, an uneducated villager who’s donating an organ and the organ receiver who is a Non-resident Indian living in an upscale apartment complex.

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    • Thanks! And they are all added!

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26. Here’s another movie about amnesia.In Baharon Ki Manzil Nanda (Meena Kumari) faints during her daughter’s engagement ceremony.When she wakes up she doesn’t remember her husband or daughter or in fact the past 16 years.She claims that she’s Radha, Nanda’s younger sister.Young Dharmendra as the clever psychiatrist is brought in to assess Nanda’s claims.

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    • So it’s an amnesia movie and a “spot the evidence of the real life affair between costars” movie! I’ll definitely add it. Plus, it means I would see another Meena Kumari movie, besides Pakeezah, Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam, and Phool Aur Patthar.

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27. maheshinte prathikaram and action hero biju dvd released and now available online…both are very nice movies…

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28. Hi — I’ve been meaning to post the film suggestion list for your Salman week, but I’ve been tied up with a personal project that keeps growing and growing. I wanted to at least post the top five films so you could start watching during your “lazy weekend”, but alas, couldn’t even manage that. So what I’m going to do now is to just post the list of films, without the explanations of why they are important — important to the Hindi film industry as well as in Salman’s filmography. I hope to be able to post the explanations in a day or two. One good thing about Salman not working with large banners is that a very large chunk of his filmography is available on Youtube, mostly with English subtitles even. I guess his “small” producers don’t have the wherewithall to protect their product, although weirdly, all the films produced by Salman’s family are also there. So either his family think there’s no more money to be made from them, or Salman values more people seeing his films over making money from them. Your call.

    Since so many of these films are on Youtube, I have indicated the ones that are not there with an asterisk. There’s only one in this round.

    The thing with Salman is not his large filmography (it is about the same as SRK’s, and Askhay Kumar has a larger one), but that he has been and is successful across all genres, so there are many more landmark films. Here I have picked those that are generally considered important by many people, though in some cases I personally don’t care for the film. Later, I will post other films that I recommend.

    So here are the top five/six in each genre, in chronological order:

    Romance
    – Maine Pyar Kiya
    – Hum Aapke Hain Kaun?
    – Love
    – Saajan *
    – Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
    – Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam

    Drama
    – Veergati
    – Khamoshi — The Musical
    – Tere Naam
    – Dabangg
    – Bajrangi Bhaijaan

    Comedy
    – Andaz Apna Apna
    – Judwaa
    – Biwi No. 1
    – Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya
    – Partner

    Action
    – Karan Arjun
    – Garv
    – Tumko Naa Bhul Payenge
    – Wanted
    – Ek Tha Tiger

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    • I found it! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! I have absolutely no idea why, but for some reason WordPress thought this comment was spam. If it ever happens again, where you post the comment and it doesn’t appear, just put up another comment letting me know you don’t see yours, and I will dig through the spam filter and the “limbo” land and try to find it.

      Also, yay! I think this list is totally manageable! I should probably re-watch some of them for reference because it has been a while, but the only ones I have never ever seen are Love, Veergati, Garv, and Tumko Naa Bhul Payenge. And Saajan, thank goodness, is on ErosNow, which I have a subscription to, so I was able to watch it over the weekend.

      I started a Suryavanshi post before work this morning, so that should be up later tonight, if I can manage to stay up late enough to finish it. I’ve already watched it 2 and a half times in just 4 days.

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      • Looking forward to your Suryavanshi post. 🙂

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29. Oh, thank you for finding the post! Although now I’ve just rewritten it with my notes on the various films, so I’ll just go ahead and post that, too, if you don’t mind, since there’s no editing function I can see to include my notes on the above post. I admire your enthusiasm and your fortitude in being willing to watch so many films in such a short time. 🙂

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30. So here are my notes on the above films:

    Romance

    1. Maine Pyar Kiya – important not only for being Salman’s debut as a hero, but also for getting the industry away from the blood-soaked films of the 80’s, and returning to love stories. Though Aamir’s QSQT was also a love story that came a year earlier, it still had a violent family feud as a backdrop, and MPK is generally credited with having turned the tide. It was also the biggest hit of the decade.

    2. Love – though this was a flop, it is still very popular among Salman’s fans, and is a favorite of Salman’s. Great music, and a very unusual kind of hero character.

    3. Saajan – a big hit in its day, and an interesting collaboration of Salman, Sanjay Dutt, and Madhuri

    4. Hum Aapke Hain Koun? — another highest grosser of the decade for Salman, but its importance extends far beyond his personal achievement. It is impossible to overstate how important this film was for the industry. At a time when video piracy was so rampant that few people bothered to come to the theaters any more, and those only men, this film brought back the “family audience” (women and children) to the theaters. Its release strategy was calculated to prevent piracy, starting in only a few theaters, and slowly expanding to a few more each week. In inflation-adjusted terms, it is still the second highest grossing Hindi film of all time, second only to Sholay. It also revolutionized the kind of films that were to be made in Hindi, bringing back “family dramas” with no villains. It was hugely influential on subsequent important directors. Both Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar acknowledge that their film making sensibility and taste were shaped by this film before they went on to make their debuts. It still plays on Indian television about every other week. 🙂

    5. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai – important to the industry because, until Salman signed on, Karan Johar couldn’t get anyone to agree to do the role, and he credits Salman with being pivotal to getting the film made. Salman got a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor award. A popular film that I don’t care for. 🙂

    6. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam – Again a very popular romance that I don’t like. 🙂 It did OK at the box office, not a big hit, but I rate it as being important for launching the career of Sanjay Leela Bhansali. After the flop of his first film (made possible because Salman agreed to star in it), Salman agreed to do a second film to help him recoup his losses and establish himself. The rest is history, since Bhansali has stuck very much to the template of this film in all his subsequent ones.

    Comedy

    1. Andaz Apna Apna – though it was a victim of rampant video piracy and thus flopped, it is considered a classic of Hindi comedies and is still very popular. It is notable for being the only film in which Salman and Aamir worked together.

    2. Judwaa – another big hit, important for being the first time Sajid Nadiadwala, David Dhawan, and Salman collaborated on a film. They went to do many more together. It is also Salman’s first double role. The film is a remake of the Telugu film Hello Brother, which itself is a loose adaptation of Jackie Chan’s Twin Dragons.

    3. Biwi No. 1 – this was another big hit (either the highest or second highest grossing film of that year – the highest was also a Salman film), but I include it here mainly because it is a personal favorite. I think Salman walked the fine line between a sympathetic character who could have just been a jerk very well.

    4. Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya – an enjoyable adaptation of Cactus Flower, it is important mainly for being the lauch (or re-launch) of Katrina Kaif. And the rest is history. 🙂

    5. Partner – again a blockbuster, but it is important for relaunching Govinda when his career was almost over. It was also important for Salman for keeping him in the game while going through a low period himself.

    Drama

    1. Veergati – I think it was OK at the box office, but Salman fans rate it as one of his best performances. Again, I find the character of the hero to be of a kind not often seen in Hindi films, or at all. This, Love, and Baaghi to me are thematically connected, and I would be curious to see if you find a similar connection.

    2. Khamoshi – the Musical – an excellent film, with excellent performances, which flopped at the box office. It is important for being the debut film of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, which could only be made because Salman came on board. When it flopped, and Bhansali couldn’t find any investors for another film, Salman again came on board for HDDCS. Its style is notably different (and in my view, far superior) to all of Bhansali’s later films.

    3. Tere Naam – a hit, and when it released, I remember reading that it set an opening day record. Important for reminding everyone how big a star Salman was (the opening day) when his career was in the dumps. Most people rate it as Salman’s best performance, though I think Kyun Ki and Jaan-E-Man were even better.

    4. Dabangg – a blockbuster that started Salman off on his current streak of consecutive blockbusters. An excellent film and performance from Salman.

    5. Bajrangi Bhaijaan – Salman’s highest grossing film to date, and possibly his most beloved for the current generation.

    Action

    1. Karan Arjun – another collaboration of Salman and SRK (they have several), for which Salman received a Filmfare Best Actor nomination. I don’t like the film at all, but a lot of people do, so it’s on the list. 🙂

    2. Garv – Pride and Honour – a pure action film that was a big hit in the “interiors” and single screens at a time when they were being taken over by the multiplexes in large metropolitan areas. Good action film which some may find too bloody. A very good performance from Salman – he could sell a story to me which in real life I completely disagree with and disapprove of. 🙂

    3. Tumko Na Bhool Payenge – Again a very good, if bloody, action film. The story and Salman’s character are very interesting. I find a some thematic commonalities between this and Garv, and am curious to see if you will find them, too.

    4. Wanted – important for snapping Salman out of the lowest point of his career and starting him on his current dream run (he had a couple of more hiccups along the way before he did Dabangg), but important for the industry for reviving the single screen theaters all over. At this time single screens were being pretty much killed off by the advent of the multiplexes, which received huge tax subsidies (or waivers) from the government, so that producers and distributors were making huge profits, while single screens struggled with their much lower ticket prices and an 80% tax rate. After this film, it once again became important for a film to work with single screen audiences in order to become a universal hit.

    5. Ek Tha Tiger – it had excellent action sequences (for me the highlight of the film) and was a big hit. It is important for bringing Kabir Khan and Salman together for the first time, and, I guess, convincing Kabir to change his ways sufficiently to think it’s not so bad to make a commercial film. 🙂

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    • Another Jaan-E-Mann lover! It is probably my second favorite film, right after DDLJ. There’s a long post about it, with screenshots, somewhere in the blog archives. And I definitely like Khamoshi way way better than any of the later Bhansali’s. Actually, I think each of his films have had diminishing returns, so Khamoshi over Hum Dil, Hum Dil over Devdas, Devdas over Saawariya, and so on (am I missing a Bhansali somewhere in there?).

      Speaking of HAHK, I remember reading a quote somewhere from Adi after DDLJ came out and people were congratulating him on his success, he said “I’m still just chasing Sooraj” (meaning HAHK’s record).

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31. I just have to add, that if you’re going to assess Salman’s place in Hindi films and in the Indian public’s mind generally, you have to include his first TV show, Dus Ka Dum. That show completely turned around people’s perception of him — the ones who weren’t already his fans, that is. Even people who hated him before realized that they never knew him, and their idea of him was shaped largely by the media. Once they got to see him without the media filters, they liked what they saw (these comments by the way are paraphrases of what several of my online acquaintances said at the time).

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32. Hi Margaret — seeing the rate at which you’re speeding through Salman’s films, as well as others, I decided it wouldn’t be over-burdening you to post the second part of my recommended Salman films. Not milestone or “important” films (except possibly one), here is my supplementary list of Salman’s films that I personally recommend, with the reasons why (again in chronological order)

    Romance

    1. Baaghi – the story idea is by Salman. I was impressed that he came up with an idea like this at such a young age.

    2. Sanam Bewafa — though billed as a love story, it’s also pretty violent, as the young love takes place amidst a family feud. It’s a good example of a subgenre of romance that only Salman seems to have worked in, where there’s a pair of young lovers to draw us in with their innocence, but the real conflict and complications come from the elders of the families messing things up. Interesting for taking place in a Muslim family.

    3. Janam Samjha Karo – apparently Salman didn’t want to do this at first, because he felt his character was too close to that in JPKSHH. But he eventually gave in to pressure, and this is a good example of a film which is really the heroine’s story. Urmila does an excellent job, and this can also be taken as an example of an “old-fahioned” story and story-telling.

    4. Dil Tera Aashiq – this may have actually come before JSK above. A Salman-Madhuri pairing before HAHK. Again this is really Madhuri’s story, but Salman plays a good supporting role (can’t remember if it’s on youtube).

    5. Lucky – No Time for Love – a really sweet romance that launched Sneha Ullal. The media were too busy noticing her resemblance to Aishwarya to pay attention to the actual movie. It has outstanding music by Adnan Sami. It used to be on youtube, but now I can only find a really bad print with Arabic subtitles. However, there is a good print with English subtitles also available on youtube, but for a (low) price. I would really urge you to see this.

    6. Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega – You have to see this for the opening song with Salman. 🙂 Plus the title song about half-way through. Another Salman – Preity – Rani triangle, based on a well-known Hollywood movie that I won’t tell you now for fear of spoilers.

    7. Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya – OK, this is not my recommendation. I didn’t like it, mainly because director Sohail Khan suddenly veers away from Salman to focus on Arbaaz. However, a lot of Salman fans love it, and it is notable for being the only full-fledged pairing of Salman and Kajol.

    Others in this genre which I will mention here for completeness, though you have already seen them, or I have already mentioned them in comments elsewhere: Ek Ladka Ek Ladki, Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge, Jaan-E-Mann.

    Comedy

    1. Mujhse Shaadi Karogi – hit film with the first time coming together of Salman and Akshay Kumar, which they reprised in JEM.

    2. No Entry – I should have really included this in my previous list of “milestone” films. It was the highest grossing film of its year, which kept Salman from dropping out of the top list, and also bailed out Boney Kapoor’s production house so he could go on to make more films. Though Salman had an extended “special appearance” only (the real lead is Anil Kapoor), he was credited with making it such a big hit, and most people think of it as Salman’s film.

    Drama

    1. Jaagruti – though it has a young Salman and Karisma, it’s not really a romance, so much as a film taking on a strong social cause.

    2. Bandhan – a remake of a Telugu film by the same director, it is the story of the bond between a sister and brother and village politics.

    3. Yeh Hai Jalwa – though directed by David Dhawan, and having funny sequences, the main story line I feel is more of a drama. I pair this with JPKSHH because there is an interesting link to Salman’s characters in both.

    4. Kyun Ki – though the story is flawed, it has an excellent performance by Salman. Directed by your favorite Priyadarsan.

    5. London Dreams – again noteworthy for an excellent performance from Salman. I don’t really understand why the film flopped, unless it’s because everyone was determined to cast it as another Rock On, which it definitely isn’t.

    6. Phir Milenge – Salman only had a special appearance in this, but he was pivotal to getting the film made with his star power, and his role is also pivotal to the story. This is the film about which he said “not even a dog went to see it in the theater” (and NOT Hrithik’s Guzaarish, though the media has been peddling that lie every since), and so convinced him that there’s no point in making issue-based films when people are looking for entertainment. He says now that he prefers to slip in social messages subtly into the entertainment, like the polio vaccination message in Dabangg, which you noticed.

    Action

    1. Veer – I don’t know whether to put this in the action or drama category, but decided to put it here so as not to leave the category blank. 🙂 This film has a lot of problems, starting with horrible costuming among other anachronisms, and an inability to make up its mind about when exactly it’s taking place. There is some historic basis to the story, but the story is entirely fictional. While it was being made, many people mocked it as being “another Suryavanshi.” When I rewatched Suryavanshi recently after reading your review, I was shocked to find it was produced by the same person. Like Suryavanshi it has a very Indian theme, but it is more flawed in terms of execution, and is not for the faint of heart. It is noteworthy for being the film that supposedly Salman wanted to make for 20 years, but was waiting for the right technological developments in the film industry. He wrote the story himself, based on a famous foreign film that he saw when a child. He was not satisfied with the way it was made, and said so. I think this was the film that convinced him to take charge of all his films from then on, to make sure the final product was consistent with his ideas.

    Do you know what struck me when I made these lists? It is how many romances there are, and how few comedies and action films, though during the 2000 – 2010 decade, people claim these were Salman’s staples, and after 2010 (post Dabangg) people again make it sound like all he does is action films. Weird.

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    • Okay, I have seen a lot fewer of these! I love and own Lucky and Veer. They are just so Big, you know? In a way that a lot of other movies are afraid to be. And I also really like Har dil Jo Pyar Karega, which is a remake of another awesome Chicago-set movie, just like Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha! And, of course, has that amazing cameo at the intermission.

      But, I haven’t seen Baaghi, Sanam Bewafa, Janam Samja Karo, Dil Tera Aashiq, No Entry, Jaagruti, Bandhan, Kyun Ki, London Dreams, or Phir Milenge.

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33. Malayalam Movies to Watch not in the list

    Starring

    Mulistarrer- Kerala Cafe ( Mammootty, Prithviraj, Jayasuriya, Fahadh Faasil, Dileep, Suresh Gopi), Twenty 20 ( A Masala Malayalam Movie done to raise fund for a charity starring all the stars. It is an action entertainer, all the actors acted without taking renumeration), Swapnakoodu ( A story of 3 friends starring Prithviraj, Jayasuriya, Kunchako Boban), 5 Sundarikal ( Starring Dulquer Salmaan, Nivin Pauly, Fahad Faasil), Harikrishnans ( Comedy Murder investigation starring Mohanlal and Mammooty), Summer in Bathlahem ( An awsome movie starring innale stars Jayaram, Suresh Gopi with cameo by Mohanlal), henkashipattanam ( Starring Dileep and suresh gopi), Amar Akbar Antony (Prithviraj and Jayasuriya)

    Prithviraj – Memories (A Slow burning Murder Mystery focussing on the investigating officer), Thalappavu, Thirakadha, stop violence (Prithviraj playing a negative character he was 19 when he played thisrole), vargam, vasthavam (Won state Award), Picket 43 ( Story of friendship between an Indian army officer and a Pakistani Army office also starring Hindi Actor Javed Jafferey)

    Nivin Pauly – Da Thadiya ( Nivin Pauly in negative role more of an extended cameo, most of his good movies are on the list)

    Dulquer Salmaan – Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi ( Road trip movie), ABCD- American born confused desi

    Mohanlal – Devadoothan ( A really good horror movie), Spirit, Hello ( Comedy Movie), Chota Mumbai ( Comedy Movie), Butterflies, Vietnam Colony, No: 20 Madras Mail (Aso starring Mammootty in extended cameo), Pattana Pravesham (Sequel of Nadodikaattu)

    Mammootty- Palerimankyam, varsham, Munnariyappu, Pazhassi Raja, CBI series ( all 4 CBI movies)

    Fahadh Faasil – Amen (Fantasy movie) , Artist

    Jayasuriya – Su Su sudhi Vathmeekam, Cocktail, Philips and the monkey pen

    Dileep – Meesha Madhavan, Thilakam, Passenger, Kalyanaraman

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    • Thank you!!!! And thanks for giving the actors and some details about them. As you can see, I like to put in a quick note in addition to the titles, it helps me track them down on the internet.

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34. I love quite a few movies from Mohsin’s list.Some of which are tolerable and some should quite frankly have never been made.

    Kerala Cafe and 5 Sundarikal are both anthologies.Let’s start with Kerala Cafe.I loved Anjali Menon’s contribution called Happy Journey in which Nitya Menon quite cleverly deals with an overbearing Jagathy on a night time bus journey.My second favorite is Nostalgia which is a satire which deals with nostaligia (what else?) of a Gulf Malayalee (Dileep).Navya Nair as his wife has quite a few acerbic comments about her husband’s nostalgia.

    The only story which I found interesting in 5 Sundarikal is ‘Isha’ in which Nivin Pauly is a thief who decides to rob a high ranking Police officer’s house on New Year on the assumption that everybody would be out celebrating.However Isha (from Iyobinte pustakam) is still in the house and boldly confronts the thief.

    Both Vargam and Vasthavam have some of Prithviraj’s best performances.The former is a typical corrupt cop reformation movie in the vein of Mohanlal’s Devasuram which you’ve already seen.But Vasthavam is about the rise and fall of a powerful bureaucrat and the 3 women in his life-the childhood sweetheart, the wife and the mistress.

    Vietnam Colony, No: 20 Madras Mail , Pattana Pravesham are all comedies from the 80s and 90s which show Mohan Lal’s awesome comic timing.They are much in the vein of Priyadarshan’s Hindi comedies.But good luck finding the subtitles 🙂 Ditto for Mammotty’s CBI series.Let me clarify, the CBI movies are not comedies but it might be equally hard to track the subtitles.

    Paleri Manikyam is a depressing movie about the murder and rape of a young woman in the 50s.But it is quite sickening and there’s not even one positive male character-not even our investigator.

    Devadoothan is a supernatural mystery with none other than Mohanlal as the investigator at his old school from where he had been expelled.

    Da Thadiya is a sweet story about the life and love of an overweight man(even his mom calls him Fatty) and how he doesn’t let his weight define him or his experiences with a few negative people affect his natural optimism.It begins interestingly but slows down quite a bit in the middle.

    Summer in Bethlahem and Swapnakoodu are pretty much ok but nothing to write home about.The former has Manju Warrier and her cousins leading Jayaram and Suresh Gopi on a merry chase.But the story turns serious later.I can’t find anything positive or negative to say about Swapnakoodu.

    Amar Akbar Anthony,Thenkashipattanom,Hello,Chota Mumbai,Kalyana raman are full blown Masala entertainers which require you to strictly turn off your brain.Twenty twenty and Hari Krishnans are meant to show case the superstars and nothing else.But all of them made their producers very happy.

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35. Also watch Guru starring Mohanlal and Suresh Gopi ( a Fantasy movie which will make you think, Mohanlal getting lost in a blind world where all other people are blind except him). Forgot about that. An awsome movie which was India’s official entry for Oscar. (Forgot about that).

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    • Thanks! Added to the list now.

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36. Just noticed that thislist doesnt contain 2 malayalam classics – Ramji Rao speaking and its second part Mannar Mathayi speaking

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    • Added now, thanks!

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37. You might also like Mukha Chitram (Portrait) with Jayaram-Urvashi jodi.In the 90s all the best author writtten female roles went to either Shobhana or Urvashi.The latter definitely has more flair with comedy.Mukha Chitram is about a street performer (Jayaram) who hustles his way into being a school’s Band Master with the help of another teacher.One lie leads to another and soon he has to make up a fake wife and a fake wedding photo to back his story.What does he do when the fake wife turns up one day to upset all his plans?

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    • Oh, that sounds fun! I hope I can find it.

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38. Other movies to watch

    1. Udayanaanu Tharam (starring Mohanlal and directed by Rosshan Andrews who directed Mumbai Police)

    2. Akale (Human fragility inspired by “Glass Menagerie” starring Prithviraj)

    3. Veettilekkulla Vazhi ( Starring Prithviraj)

    4. Aaram Thamburan (Starring Mohanlal)

    5. Ee Puzhayum Kadannu ( Starring Manju Warrier and Dileep)

    6. Calcutta News (Starring Dileep)

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    • Thanks! Added!

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39. Pingback: Happy Dahi Handi! (I know I already put up a Janmashtami post, but I don’t care) | dontcallitbollywood

40. Small list of Recommendation, will be back with a long list.

    1. Malarvadi Arts club(nivin’s first movie, also vineet’s debut as a director, story about friendship, feel good movie)
    2. Theevram (Starring dulquer)
    3. Njan (Starring dulquer)
    4. Guppy(2016)
    5. Ann Mariya Kalippilanu(2016)
    6. Kismath(2016, based on true events)
    7. Mrigaya(Starring mammotty)
    8. Suryamanasam(Starring mammotty)
    9. Melvilasam(must watch)
    10. Appothikiri(same team from melvilasam)

    If you are interested in arts movies, directors you need to follow
    1. Dr. Biju
    2. Shaji N karun
    3. Jayaraj
    4. Adoor gopalakrishnan
    5. K G george
    6. john Abraham
    7. Padmarajan

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    • Thank you! I’m assuming this is a different John Abraham than the shirtless Dostana guy 🙂 Although I kind of love the thought of him having a secret double life as a sensitive artistic director down south. He can put on glasses, so no one will recognize him, just like Clark Kent.

      (relatedly, there is a “Shahrukh Khan” who writes a lot of economy papers who I keep running into when I search for new journal articles on film in academic databases, and I really like to pretend it is the “real” Shahrukh and he writes economic analysis just to relax)

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      • This John is different even the Dostana guy also from kerala.
        Some more suggestions

        1. Chappa Kurish(Starring fahad and vineet, Its samir thahir’s debut as director. His other films are kali, Neelakasham pachakadal chuvanna bhoomi)
        2. Njan steve lopez(directed by Rajiv Ravi)
        3. Mathilukal(Starring Mammotty, Classic movie)

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        • Thanks! I will add all of these!

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41. You should really watch Khaleja and 1:Nenokkadine! I think it may be kinda tough to find Khaleja with subtitles though. Arjun is also another solid masala movie of Mahesh Babu’s that I personally like. Athidhi is another action film of his but it has a cute romance. I feel that it is way too violent though.

    Some other interesting Puri Jagannadh movies are Amma Nanna O Tamil Ammayi, Sivamani, and Neninthe. I haven’t seen it but he also made a hindi movie starring Amitabh Bachchan called Bbuddah… Hoga Terra Baap.

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    • I’ve seen Bbuddah…Hoga Terra Baap! There were a lot of good ideas in there, but then it kind of felt like they ran out of money or something, and a lot of plot lines were just dropped or forgotten. Hema Malini and Raveena Tandon were both criminally underused.

      I think I have an unwatched copy 1:Nenokkadine sitting on my TV right now, a friend lent it to me. So that one is definitely doable! But I’ll have to see if I can find the others!

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      • Oh cool, then I don’t think I’ll watch it then.

        1:Nenokkadine is a psychological thriller and it’s one of my favorite movies. Sadly, I don’t think Khaleja or Athidi are online with subtitles.By the way Mahesh acted in a movie called Athadu and a movie called Athidi. Athadu is an excellent movie but the one I described above was Athidi. The good news is that I did find Arjun in youtube with subtitles!

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        • I added Athidi! It looks like I already had Athadu on the list. I’ll have to flip a coin to decide which to watch first.

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          • I’d definitely suggest that you watch Athadu first. Actually, Athadu is the movie I show to my friends if I wanted to introduce them to Mahesh 🙂 And also, if you plan to watch Athadu on youtube, make sure to choose the video that’s 2hrs 50 minutes long instead of the 2hrs 9mins one. I made the mistake and I was confused as to why my favorite scenes were gone.

            Also it seems like you know a lot about Malayalam cinema. Can you give me some suggestions? I’ve only seen Bangalore Days and Ohm Shanti Oshana so far and I don’t want to see Premam since the Telugu remake is coming out soon. Is Neram any good? I wanted to watch it since it had Nazriya Nazim but I never got the chance to.

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          • I really don’t know that much about Malayalam, so I am hoping someone else will leap in and give suggestions for you.

            For me, I also really liked Bangalore Days and Ohm Shaanti Oshaana. Some other movies that I liked in a similar way were Jacobinte Swargarajyam, Charlie, Mili, Ormayundo Ee Mukham, Salt and Pepper, Thattathin Marayathu, and Ustad Hotel. They are all sort of modern day urban stories, filmed in a very modern style. Charlie, Mili, and Ustad hotel are a little more experimental in their visuals, but they are all well-made. Premam is really fantastic though, even if you wait until after you have seen the Telugu version, you should really go back and watch the original sometime.

            I haven’t seen Neram, but I’ve heard it’s not very good. Which is too bad, because I also really like Nazriya Nazim!

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          • Ok, thanks. I’ll try be sure to check some of these out soon!

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42. I’ll second Ustand Hotel and Jacobinte Swargarajyam.Neram was so boooring.Salt and Pepper, Thattathin Marayathu have been remade in Telugu.Mili is too depressing.

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43. I have got another recommendation for you.Kakkothikkavile Appooppan Thaadikal (1988) is about two sisters.The younger one (Revathi) gets kidnapped and ends up with the gypsies.Rather like in Dhanak the gypsies are the good guys here.

    Warning: The movie doesn’t have a hero.In the sense that the sisters do not have any romantic interests.

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44. Malayalam rec:
    1. Rithu(Directed by shyamaprasad(ivide director), cast: Asif ali,rima kallingal, Nishan)
    2. Apoorvaragam(cast: Asif ali, Nishan, Nitya Menon, Vinay fort)
    3. Nirnayakam(starring Asif ali and written by Bobby-Sanjay)
    4. Anuraga karikkin vellam(Starring Asif ali)
    5. Niram(Starring Kunchako boban)
    6.Priyam(Starring Kunchako boban)
    7.Aniyathipravu(Starring Kunchako boban)
    8. Ore kadal(directed by Shyamaprasad)

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    • Rithu I just watched! Look for a review to go up in the next few days. I’ll make sure the others are on my list.

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      • apoorvaragam was avg for me mainly because the acting of the lead (Nishan) was really bad.

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        • Huh. I just watched Rithu (review going up in the next few days), and I found myself much more impressed by Asif Ali and Rima Kallingal than by Nishan, our lead. I wasn’t sure if that was just because his character was kind of bland, or if there was more going on.

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          • His acting in Rithu is much better ( still not good) compared to his acting in Apoorvaragam. He doesnt have the charisma or acting skill to play a lead role. Only movie were I liked his acting is in Ee adutha Kalathu, were he had a 10 min role and also since the movie is awsome.

            In the above mentioned movies I think you will love Niram, Aniyathi Pravu ( Cute little love stories) and most propably Anuragin Karikkin Vellom (DVD just launched last week, a feel good family entertainer).

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45. Oh. Ee adutha kalathu is not in the list. Should add that too

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    • Added!

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46. Some more malayalam films
    Luka chippy(starring Jayasurya)
    kumbasaram(starring Jayasurya)
    Hi i’m tony(starring Asif Ali, Lal)
    Valiya chirakulla pakshikal(starring Kunchako Boban)
    Ain(directed by sidharth shiva)
    ben
    101 chodyangal
    Anarkali(starring Prithviraj)

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    • Thanks! I just spent an embarrassingly large amount of money on a DVD order, so I will have to work through those first and I won’t promise to get to these any time soon. But I will add them to the list and the next time I get a bonus at work, I will see if I can buy them somewhere!

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47. Pingback: Chandrettan Evideya: Billed as a Comedy about Infidelity, Actually a Comedy about Reincarnation! | dontcallitbollywood

48. Malayalam list getting bigger and bigger..
    Some more films
    1. Piravi (Directed by Shaji N Karun)
    2. Neena (Directed by Lal Jose)
    3. Rani Padmini( Directed by Ashiq Abu , Starring Manju Warrior, Rima Kallingal)
    4. Kamaladalam
    5. Achan kombath amma varambath
    6. Lens
    7. Olapeepi

    Must watch film from 2016
    1. Guppy
    2. Kochavo paulo ayyappa coelo
    3. Lens

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    • Thanks! The list is now updated!

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      • Guppy with English subtitle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTqbZtitsRo

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49. Malayalam films:
    Director Jayaraj’s films.
    1. Deshadanam
    2. Daivanamathil
    3. Karunam
    4. Shantham
    5. Bheebatsa
    6. Adbutham

    The films 3 to 6 is part of Navarasm series. Anothes film from this is named Veeram getting ready.

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    • Thanks! I’ll add them to my list.

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50. Another list from Malayalam :
    Dr.Biju’s films
    1. Saira
    2. Raman – (English title-Travelogue of Invasion)
    3. Veetilekulla Vazhi – (The Way Home)
    4. Aakashathinte niram – (Color of sky)
    5. Perariyathavar (Names Unknown)
    6. Valiya Chirakulla Pakshikal (Birds with Large wings)
    7. Kadu pookunna Neram (When the woods bloom)

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