Not really Shammi-esque (Ujala)

I guess Shammi Kapoor was just not cut out for these roles. Dark, depressing and gloomy. In Naresh Saigal's 1959 drama, Ujala, my favourite Kapoor plays a poor young man suffering from the drudgery of life, yet trying to eke out an honest living and due to some unfortunate co-incidences has his self-confidence battered and bruised. He tries to prove himself time and again, with the help of an aged reformist and his sweetheart but the road to perdition is strewn with thorns. He does redeem himself of all the aspersions cast against his character but the journey towards redemption is too tedious and full of depression. Naah! Shammi Kapoor is definitely not cut out for such a gloomy role!

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United they stand (Naya Daur)

Man vs Machine tipped Horses vs Wheels. Thereafter, Love vs Friendship took center stage, before I realised that Naya Daur, B R Chopra's magnum opus, is a film that cannot be buttonholed into any two categories. It is a film that celebrates the beauty of classical Indian cinema, while harping on the issues of industrialisation in post-independant India and overall, salutes dignity of labour. It brings together some of the best in filmdom. This 1957 drama has the ingredients for becoming a blockbuster in any day and age.

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Of kings and kingdoms (Kohinoor)

I love films like Kohinoor. You don't have to think much. You just go with the flow of the story. Good people, with odds clogging their life, have to battle against the bad ones. But there's no scope for fret. For, the end is always happy. The good guy wins, beating the bad guy to pulp. He gets to sit on the throne accompanied by the beautiful princess. Lighthearted and jaunty, Kohinoor is a perfect example of the archetypal royal saga. Replete with songs, swordfights, schemings and dances, this 1960 adventure flick from S.U. Sunny is one enthralling joyride...

Rana Devinder Pratap Singh is the crown prince of Kailashnagar. As expected there is the conniving dewan who wants his son to usurp the throne by bumping off the prince.

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Action packed (Ankhen)

Why is Ramanand Sagar's spy thriller called Ankhen? I think it should have been christened Aatish. For, every sequence contains sheer fireworks. Crackling and bursting with excitement and action, this 1968 thriller was not a blockbuster for no reason. Dharmendra as the dashing spy, Mala Sinha as his beautiful agent, Jeevan as the odious enemy chief, Mehmood as the comical aide and spinechilling twists at every turn, Ankhen is a riveting masterpiece. A very desi James Bond-ish adventure this is...

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