Curated
with
contributions
from
over
150
cinephiles
including
filmmakers,
actors,
technicians,
writers,
critics,
and
more,
the
'Best
Indian
Films
Forever'
(BIFF)
List
is
an
initiative
by
Film
Companion
that
celebrates
the
dazzling
range
of
Indian
cinema.
To
compile
this
list,
cinephiles
were
asked
to
send
in
their
top
five,
favourite
Indian
films
of
all
time.
These
entries
were
gathered
and
from
them,
depending
on
how
many
people
picked
the
same
films,
the
top
10
came
together.
With
contributions
from
some
of
Indian
cinema's
most
beloved
names,
including
Mira
Nair,
Nair,
Karan
Johar,
Zoya
Akhtar,
Hrithik
Roshan,
Junior
NTR,
Yash,
and
more,
this
is
a
list
that
brings
together
classics
as
well
as
hidden
gems
from
all
over
India.
Although
the
list
is
numbered
in
accordance
to
the
number
of
votes
each
title
received,
the
top
10
is
not
a
ranking.
It's
impossible
to
compare
these
classics
because
they're
all
favourites
in
their
own
way.
Each
of
the
contributors'
individual
lists
will
be
available
on
Film
Companion,
but
here's
a
look
the
10
most
loved
Indian
films,
from
the
first
ever
BIFF
list.
1.
Sholay
One
of
the
most
iconic
and
loved
Indian
films
of
all
time,
'Sholay'
completes
48
years
of
its
release
today.
Released
on
15
August
1975
and
starring
Dharmendra,
Amitabh
Bachchan,
Sanjeev
Kumar,
Amjad
Khan,
Hema
Malini,
Jaya
Bachchan
and
Mac
Mohan
in
key
roles,
this
classic
was
listed
by
the
likes
of
Sriram
Raghavan,
Imtiaz
Ali,
Hrithik
Roshan,
Rajkumar
Hirani
as
one
of
their
top
five.
2.
Pather
Panchali
Directed
by
Satyajit
Ray,
the
Bengali
film
'Pather
Panchali'
is
widely
hailed
as
one
of
the
most
lyrical
and
melancholic
portraits
of
rural
life.
It's
the
first
film
in
Ray's
Apu
trilogy
and
won
widespread
acclaim
at
the
time
of
its
release.
A
crucial
part
of
Indian
film
history,
'Pather
Panchali'
received
votes
from
the
likes
of
filmmaker
Hansal
Mehta,
film
critics
Namrata
Joshi
and
Nandini
Ramnath,
editor
Akkineni
Sreekar
Prasad
and
actor
Anil
Kapoor.
3.
Pyaasa
A
1957
release,
'Pyaasa'
was
produced
and
directed
by
the
legendary
Guru
Dutt.
Counted
as
one
of
the
best
films
ever
made,
'Pyaasa'
stars
Guru
Dutt,
Mala
Sinha,
Waheeda
Rehman,
Johnny
Walker
and
Rehman
in
the
lead.
The
film's
unforgettable
soundtrack
was
composed
by
S.D.
Burman
and
the
lyrics
were
by
Sahir
Ludhianvi.
A
story
of
artistic
pursuit,
'Pyaasa'
got
votes
from
the
likes
of
producer
Siddharth
Roy
Kapur,
filmmaker
Neeraj
Ghaywan,
producer
and
author
Nasreen
Munni
Kabir,
filmmaker
Vikramaditya
Motwane,
actress
Janhavi
Kapoor
and
more.
4.
Jaane
Bhi
Do
Yaaro
and
Meghe
Dhaka
Tara
(tied)
Two
classics
of
two
very
different
temperaments
-
the
dark
satire
'Jaane
Bhi
Do
Yaaro'
and
the
heartbreaking
'Meghe
Dhaka
Tara'
are
tied
at
the
fourth
position
in
the
BIFF
List.
Directed
by
Kundan
Shah,
'Jaane
Bhi
Do
Yaaro'
remains
one
of
the
funniest
and
yet
most
grim
portraits
of
modern
India,
starring
Naseeruddin
Shah
and
Ravi
Baswani
in
the
lead.
The
film
received
votes
from
writer-director
Hardik
Mehta,
documentary
filmmaker
Sushmit
Ghosh,
filmmaker
Homi
Adajania
and
editor
Yasha
Ramchandani.
Ritwik
Ghatak's
'Meghe
Dhaka
Tara'
is
an
exploration
of
post-Partition
Bengal,
with
Supriya
Devi
playing
the
film's
long-suffering
heroine.
Ghatak
both
wrote
and
directed
the
film.
'Meghe
Dhaka
Tara'
got
votes
from
filmmakers
Hansal
Mehta,
Achal
Mishra
and
Monjul
Baruah
among
others.
5.
Mughal-e-Azam
Directed
and
produced
by
K.
Asif,
this
film
featured
cinema
legends
like
Madhubala,
Dilip
Kumar
and
Prithviraj
Kapoor.
Ambitious
and
opulent,
this
1960
release
ran
for
three
years
straight
at
Maratha
Mandir
and
decades
later,
saw
full
houses
when
a
colorised
version
was
re-released
in
theatres.
Among
those
who
named
'Mughal-e-Azam'
as
one
of
their
top
5
films
in
the
BIFF
List
are
writer-director-actor
Tigmanshu
Dhulia,
actor
Anil
Kapoor,
filmmaker
Ayan
Mukerji,
and
Pakistani
filmmaker
Bilal
Lashari.
6.
Charulata
Yet
another
masterpiece
by
Satyajit
Ray,
'Charulata'
was
the
breakout
film
for
Bengali
cinema's
icon,
Madhabi
Mukherjee.
With
some
of
the
most
poetic
cinematography
in
black
and
white,
as
well
as
stellar
performances
by
Mukherjee
and
Soumitra
Chatterjee,
this
Bengali
film
is
one
of
Indian
cinema's
evergreen
classics.
Industry
elites
such
as
filmmaker
Nikkhil
Advani,
film
critic
Shohini
Ghosh,
actress-filmmaker
Konkona
Sen
Sharma,
and
cinematographer
Ravi
K.
Chandran
named
'Charulata'
as
one
of
their
top
five
in
the
BIFF
2023
List.
7.
Nayakan
A
1987
Tamil
epic
crime
drama
written
and
directed
by
Mani
Ratnam,
'Nayakan'
stars
Kamal
Haasan,
Saranya
(in
her
feature
debut)
and
Karthika
in
the
lead.
The
film
was
a
critical
and
commercial
success,
running
for
over
175
days
in
theatres.
'Nayakan'
received
votes
from
the
likes
of
writer
Hardik
Mehta,
editor
Akkineni
Sreekar
Prasad,
filmmaker
C.S.
Amudhan,
screenwriter
Shridhar
Raghavan
and
others.
8.
Satya
The
OG
gangster
film
which
inspired
generations
of
filmmakers,
director
Ram
Gopal
Varma's
'Satya'
is
a
legendary
work.
Featuring
Manoj
Bajpayee,
Shefali
Shah,
Saurabh
Shukla,
JD
Chakravarthy
and
Urmila
Matondkar,
the
film
established
trends
and
storytelling
devices
that
continue
to
be
used
even
today.
In
the
BIFF
List,
the
film
got
votes
from
the
likes
of
cinematographer
Avinash
Arun
Dhaware,
filmmaker
Kanu
Behl
and
director
Anudeep
Kv.
9.
Iruvar
This
Tamil
political
drama
was
co-written,
produced
and
directed
by
Mani
Ratnam,
who
was
inspired
by
the
political
lives
of
M
Karunanidhi,
J
Jayalalithaa
and
MG
Ramachandran.
The
film
marked
Aishwarya
Rai
Bachchan's
screen
debut,
and
featured
outstanding
performances
by
Mohan
Lal
and
Prakash
Raj.
It's
the
kind
of
political
cinema
that's
rarely
seen
now.
Filmmakers
Vivek
Athreya
and
Ashwin
Saravanan,
film
critic
Sangeetha
Devi
Dundoo,
filmmakers
Basil
Joseph
and
Ravi
Kiran
Kola
are
among
those
who
voted
for
'Iruvar'
in
the
BIFF
List.
10.
Garm
Hava
and
Guide
(tied)
Another
tie,
another
set
of
greats:
'Garm
Hava'
and
'Guide'.
M.S.
Sathyu's
'Garm
Hava',
with
Balraj
Sahni
in
the
lead
and
Farooq
Shaikh
as
Sahni's
idealistic
son,
remains
one
of
the
most
poignant
portraits
of
the
Muslim
experience
in
newly-independent
India.
The
film's
title
refers
to
the
scorching
winds
of
hate
in
society.
Those
who
voted
for
'Garm
Hava'
in
the
BIFF
List
include
filmmakers
Mira
Nair,
Hansal
Mehta,
Amit
Madheshiya
and
Faraz
Ali.
'Guide',
featuring
Dev
Anand
and
Waheeda
Rehman,
is
a
very
different
mood.
Directed
by
Vijay
Anand,
this
social
and
romantic
drama
was
an
unusual
tale
of
love
and
self-discovery.
Regarded
as
one
of
Waheeda
Rehman's
career-best
performances,
the
film
also
boasted
of
a
brilliant
soundtrack
by
S.D.
Burman.
'Guide'
received
votes
from
various
industry
cinephiles
such
as
actor
Riteish
Deshmukh,
screenwriter
Bhavani
Iyer,
filmmaker
Sriram
Raghavan,
and
screenwriter
Satyanshu
Singh
for
the
first
ever
BIFF
List.