LibGuides: Indian and South Asian Films: Indian Films

Librarian for Ethnic Studies

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Film Studies

For additional resources on film studies check out these UTSA Guides:

English Vinglish

Indian entry for Best Foreign Language Film 2014
Staring Sridevi

Mr. and Mrs. Iyer

A Tamil Hindu woman and a Bengali Muslim photographer must pose as husband and wife on a fateful bus trip in the midst of communal strife in India. Award winning film on tolerance.

Hay Ram

Hey Ram - Powerful, controversial film centering on the partition of Bengal, India; Hindu-Muslim communal riots; and a plot to kill Gandhi. "Hey Ram" reportedly were Gandhi's last words. Stars Kamal Hasaan and Shah Rukh Khan. 2000

PK

Satirical science fiction comedy. Highest grossing film in Indian history.

3 Idiots

3 Idiots -- Aamir Khan

Filmfare award: Best Picture 2010

A-D Indian Feature Films

Listed here are feature films from and about India and South Asia. The original languages are various: Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Marathi, Assamese, Urdu, even English, Hinglish and Bollywood-speak. Also check out the UTSA India & South Asia Research Guide.

3 Idiots
Directed by Rajkumar Hirani
Stars: Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani
Comedy. Brilliant, nonconventional student upends life in a staid engineering school. 2009
PN1997.A8 A13 2011
A Wednesday
Directed by Neeraj Panday
Stars: Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah
Drama. Events unfold on a particular Wednesday in the city of Mumbai, where the Commissioner of Police receives an anonymous call demanding the release of four militants and threatening the detonation of four bombs. 2008.
PN1997.A8 W43 2008
Adversary, The (Pratidvandvī )
Directed by Satyajit Ray
Original Language: Bengali
Story of a young man whose education was stopped by the death of his father. Hindu neorealism. 1972.
PN1997 .A8 P738
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (The Heart is Complicated)-
Directed by Karan Johar
Stars: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Ash Rai Bachchan
Ayan falls in love with his soulmate, Alizeh, but she doesn't reciprocate the feeling. 2016
PN1997.A8 A31 2016
Amar Akbar Anthony (film)
Directed by Manmohan Desai.
Stars: Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor, Pran
Comedy. Three brothers raised apart under three different religions, as a Hindu (Amar), a Muslim (Akbar) and a Christian (Anthony). 1977.
PN1997 .A4363 1999
Anand
Directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Stars: Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan
A young man with an incurable illness refuses to believe death is his destiny and touches the lives of his friends and family. 1970.
PN1997 .A53215 2003
Anubhav: an Experience
Directed by Sandeep Kumar
A tale of deception, betrayal and revenge. Jackle seduces and marries a wealthy heiress so he can afford to court his girlfriend. 2000.
PN1997 .A5834 2004
Aparajito (The Unvanquished) (part of Apu Trilogy)
Directed by Satyajit Ray
Original Language: Bengali
The second chapter in the Apu trilogy follows Apu and his family to the city. 1956.
PN1997.A8 A678 2015
Apu Trilogy
Three classic Bengali films filmed between 1955 to 1959 by the legendary director Satyajit Ray: Pather Panchali (Song of the Road); Aparajito (The Unvanquished); and Apur Sansar (World of Apu). The three films narrate the childhood, education and young adulthood of Apu Roy in the early 20th century. The original music for all three was composed by Ravi Shankar. Original Language: Bengali.
PN1997.A8 A678 2015
Asoka
Directed by Santosh Sivan
Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor
Traces the life of Emperor Asoka, the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya who assended the throne of Magadha in the 3rd century B.C. 2001.
PN1997.2 .A86 2002
Band Baaja Baaraat (Band, Horns and Revelry)
Directed by Maneesh Sharma
Stars: Anushka Sharma, Ranveer Singh
Romantic comedy. Ambitious young woman and a slacker charmer go into business as wedding planners. 2010.
PN1997.A8 B36
Baandhon (Waves of Silence)
Streaming: Alexander Street
Director: Jahnu Barua
An elderly couple travel to Mumbai to locate their grandson missing in the 2008 terror attacks.
60th National Film Awards for Best Feature Film in Assamese
2013
Bandit Queen
Murderer, kidnapper and folk legend Phoolan Devi endured a life of rape and abuse after being sold into marriage at the age of eleven. Based on the dictated prison diaries of Phoolan Devi and the book, India's Bandit Queen by Mala Sen. 1994.
PN1997 .B342 2004
Bobby
Directed by Raj Kapoor
Stars: Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Pran, Premnath
Love story about two teenagers of different classes. Blockbuster hit. 1973
PN1997.A8 B6533 2001
Bollywood Bound: finding fame and identity in India's filmmaking
Documentary follows four aspiring stars as they return to their parents' country to encounter not only the challenges of casting calls and rehearsals but the feeling of being an outsider in their own native culture. 2002.
PN1993.5.I8 B65 2002
Bombay
Directed by Mani Ratnam
Stars: Arvind Swamy, Manisha Koirala
Critically acclaimed and controversial Tamil film on inter-religious conflict. A Hindi journalist marries a Muslim woman against their families' vehement objections. They settle in Bombay and later face the deadly 1992/1993 Hindi/Muslim riots. Outstanding music score. 1992.
PN1997 A8 B66
Bombay Talkie
Directed by James Ivory.
Stars: Shashi Kapoor, Jennifer Kendal, Zia Mohyeddi
Merchant Ivory production about a clash of cultures when an English woman novelist tries to understand the spirit of India through an affair with a married Bollywood film star while toying with the affections of a screenwriter who sees himself as a poet. In English. Criterion Collection. 1970.
PN1995.9.D7 B663 2003
Bombay Velvet
Directed by: Anurag Kashyap
Stars: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma and Karan Johar
Big budget Indian period crime-drama. Petty criminal rises to manage nightclub "Bombay Velvet" to a background of ambition, greed and love. 2015.
PN1997 .A8 B6676
Bride & Prejudice
Directed by Gurinder Chadha
British production primarily in English. Based on Jane Austen's classic novel, Pride and Prejudice, set in 21st century India. The determined Mrs. Bakshi sets out to find matches for her four daughters. The second sister, Lalita (Elizabeth in the novel) meets the American Will Darcy. 2004.
PN1995.9.M86 B753 2005
Chalte Chalte (While Walking)
Directed by Aziz Mirza
Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Jas Arora
Raj and Priya come from two different strata of society but a chance encounter brings them together and a tumultuous marriage ensues. 2003.
PN1995.9.F67 C435 2005
Charulata (The Lonely Wife)
Written and directed by Satyajit Ray
Original Language: Bengali
Aware that his young wife, Charulata, is spending too much time alone, newspaper publisher Bhupati Dutta invites his brother-in-law and wife to visit them with unexpected results. Adapted from the novella Nastanirh (The Broken Ties) by Rabindranath Tagore. 1964.
PN1997 .C45 2013
Chaudhvin ka Chand (Full Moon)
Directed by Mohammed Sadiq
Stars: Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Rehman, Johnny Walker,
A musical love story exploring friendship, mistaken identity, and tragedy within the social and cultural context of Muslim India. 1960.
Includes documentary: "In search of Guru Dutt"
PN1997 .C438 2001
Court
Directed by Chaitanya Tamhane
An aging folk singer is accused of performing an inflammatory song which might have incited a sewage worker to commit suicide. India submission 2015 Best Foreign Language Film.
PN1997.A8 C68 2015
Dabangg
Directed by Arbaaz Kahn
Stars: Salman Khan
Story of a totally fearless but corrupt police officer in Uttar Pradash with unorthodox working methods. 2010.
PN1997.A8D333 2010
Deceivers, The
Directed by Nicholar Meyer
Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Shashi Kapoor, Jaffrey Saeed, Jalal Agha
1825, India. English captain goes undercover to infiltrate ranks of Thugees. 1988.
PN1995.9 .A3 D48438
Devdas
Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Aishwariya Rai, Jackie Shroff
After his wealthy family prohibits him from marrying the woman he is in love with, Devdas Mukherjee's life spirals further and further out of control as he takes up alcohol and a life of vice to numb the pain. Based on the novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. 2002.
PN1997 .S265 2002
Devi = The Goddess
Directed by Satyajit Ray
Original Language: Bengali
A young wife in a wealthy Indian household is deified by her father-in-law who has seen her in a dream as the goddess Durga.
PN1997.A8 D48 2004
Dheepan
Three Sri Lankan refugees pretend to be a family as they try to make better lives for themselves in a Paris housing project. (Tamil) 2015
PN 1997 .A8 D488
Dil Chahta Hai (The Heart Desires)
Directed by Farhan Akhtar
Stars: Aamir Khan, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan
The story of three childhood friends graduating from college and their different perspectives on life and love. 2001.
PN1997.2 .D55 2002
Dil Se (From the Heart)
Directed by Mani Ratnam
Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Manisha Koirala, Preity Zinta
Clash between love and ideology as an All-India Radio executive is sent to Kashmir and encounters a mysterious, beautiful woman with a secret. 1998.
PN1997 .A8 D5
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (The Brave Heart Will Take the Bride)
Directed by Aditya Chopra; Produced by Yash Chopra
Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol
Raj and Simran are second generation British Asians who meet one summer riding Eurail with their friends. They fall in love, but Simran's traditional father already has arranged for her to marry the son of an old friend from India. One of biggest Bollywood hits of all time. 1995.
PN1995.9.F67 D5413 2007
Distant Thunder (Aśani-saṃketa)
Directed by Satyajit Ray
A dramatization of World War II famine in India. As food shortages reach catastrophic proportions, a Brahmin attempts to preserve his privileged situation, while his wife tries to help the community. 1975.
PN1995.9 .A78 A7 1998 (VHS) (storage library)
Division of Hearts
Directed by Satti Khanna & Peter Chappell
Documentary. The British division of colonial India into Pakistan and the Republic of India caused tremendous loss of life and relocation of millions of people. After centuries of coexistence, Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims fell victim to mutual suspicion as violence and murder swept through the countryside, and village populations changed overnight. In this film, ordinary people from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh tell this history and recount their own tumultuous experiences.
DS480.842 .D58 1987 (VHS) (storage library)
Don 2
Director by Akhtar Farhan
Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Boman Irani, Kunal Kapoor
Monumental heist plan where he wants to steal the currency plates of the Euro from a high security vault in Berlin.
PN1997 .A8 D67
Dostana (Friendship)
Directed by Tarun Mansukhani
Stars: Abishek Bachchan, John Abraham, Priyanka Chopra
Romantic comedy filmed in Miami. Two men who pretend to be gay to rent an apartment fall in love with the same woman.
PN1997.A8 D67 2008

E-M Indian Feature Films at UTSA Libraries

Earth
Directed by Deepa Mehta
Stars Aamir Khan, Rahul Khanna, Nandita Das
Set in Lahore, British India, now Pakistan, just before and during the upheaval and partition of India in 1947. The story is told by a young Parsi girl who observes her family's pretty nanny interact with a small group of friends from different faiths, Muslim, Hindu, Christian and Sikh. Two of the men romantically pursue the young woman as the political situation explodes. Based on the book Cracking India (Previously published as: Ice-candy-man) by Bapsi Sidhwa. 1999.
PN1997 .E3272 2003
Eklavya: the Royal Guard
Directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Stars: Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Sanjay Dutt
As the kingdom of Devigarh disintegrates, an aging bodyguard attempts to protect the Royal Family. 2007.
PN1997.A8 E35 2007
English VInglish
Directed by Gauri Shinde
Stars: Sridevi
In the U.S. for the first time for her niece's wedding, an insecure housewife embarrassed by her poor English enrolls in an English language course with other students from diverse backgrounds. 2012
PN1997.A8 E54
Fan
Directed by Maneesh Sharma
Stars: Shah Rukh Khan
Superfan Gaurav thinks of no one and nothing but his Bollywood idol Aryan. When his idol shuns him swears revenge stalking his former idol across the world. A double role for Shah Rukh Khan.
PN1997.A8 F3624 2016
Fanaa (Destroyed in Love)
Directed by Kunai Kohli
Stars: Aamir Khan, Rishi Kapoor, Kajol
A blind Kashmiri girl falls in love with a flirtatious tour guide who is hiding a dark, destructive secret. 2006.
PN1997.A8 F363 2006
Fire
Directed by Deepa Mehta
"In a barren, arranged marriage to an amateur swami who seeks enlightenment through celibacy, Radha's life takes an irresistible turn when her beautiful young sister-in-law seeks to free herself from the confines of her own loveless marriage and falls into the supple embrace of Radha." 1996.
PN1995.9.D7 F5 1998
Garm Hava (Garam Hawa) (Hot Winds)
Directed by M.S. Sathyu
Stars: Balraj Sahani, Farooq Shaikh, Geetha, Shaukat Azmi, Jalal Agha
A Muslim shoe factory owner must decide whether to emigrate to newly-formed Pakistan or remain in his ancestral home and business. A classic film on partition.
PN1997 .A8 G66 2004
Goa Under Siege
Environmental and social cost of building the 1.2 million visitor tourist trade in Goa, India. 1999.
G155.I4 G63 1999
Goopy Gyne & Bagha Byne
Directed by Satyajit Ray
Original Language: Bengali
The action occurs in an imaginary land. Gupi the singer and Bāghā the drummer are untalented musicians whose playing provokes as much ridicule from the peasants as it does contempt from the king. 1968.
PN1997.A8 G695 2005
Gopi Bagha Phiray Elo
Directed by Sandip Ray (son of Satyajit Ray)
Further adventures of Goopy and Bagha, who have magical powers.
PN1997.A8 G66 2004
Guddi
Directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee
A young girl becomes obsessed with the world of cinema, especially with the Indian film star Dharmendra. Unable to distinguish between cinema and reality her mother enlists the help of the film star. 1971.
PN1997 .G839 2002
Haider
Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj
Stars: Shahid Kapoor, Tabu, Shraddha Kapoor, Kay Kay Menon, Irrfan Khan
Crime drama. Modern day adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet. 2014.
PN1997.A8 H335 2014
Happy New Year
Directed by Farah Khan
Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abishek Bachchan
Street fighter forms a fake team to perform in a world dance competition in order to pull off a diamond heist. 2014
PN1997.A8 H37 2015
Hero, The (Nayak)
Directed by Satyajit Ray
Original Language: Bengali
Stars: Uttam Kumar, Sharmila Tagore, Arindam, Aditi
Award winning film about a movie actor who meets a woman on a train journey. He tells her his deepest secrets about the hollowness of life underneath the veneer of glamor. 1966
PN1997.A8 N389 2004
Hey Ram! (Oh God! Hey Ram! reportedly Gandhi's last words)
Directed by Kamal Haasan
Stars: Kamal Haasan, Rani Mukherjee, Shah Rukh Khan
Powerful, controversial film centering on the partition of Bengal, India; Hindu-Muslim communal riots; and a plot to kill Gandhi. 2000
PN1997.A8 H49 2000
Home and the World
Director: Satyajit Ray
Both a romantic-triangle tale and a philosophical take on violence in times of revolution, In 20th Century Bengal.
Nominated for the Palm d'Or at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival. 1984
Householder, The
Directed by James Ivory
Stars: Shashi Kapoor, Leela Naidu
Story of a shy, Delhi schoolteacher who enters an arranged marriage and little by little gets to know his wife during their first year together. From the book The Householder by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. 1963
PN1995.9.D7 H68735 2004
Hum aapke hain koun...! (Who Am I to You?)
Directed by Sooraj R. Barjatya
Stars: Madhuri Dixit, Salman Khan
Opus about love, family traditions and sacrifice. 1994
PN1995.9.F67 H856 2005
Hum tumhare hain sanam (I am yours, darling)
Directed by K. S. Adiyaman
Stars: Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit
Gopal (SRK) and Radha get married but jealousy of her childhood friend, now a famous singer, breaks them apart. 2002
PN1995.9.F67 H86 2002
I Have Found It (Kandukondain kandukondain)
Directed by Rajiv Menon
Two sisters attempt to find love against a backdrop of family turmoil. Inspired by the novel: Sense and sensibility. 2000
PN1995.9 F67 K3463
In Custody
Directed by Ishmael Merchant
Stars: Shashi Kapoor, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi
In Merchant's directorial debut, this homage to the nearly-extinct Urdu language and its great literary tradition tells the story of a professor of Hindi (Om Puri) who is honored to interview the great Urdu poet Nur (Shashi Kapoor) for a literary journal. To the professor's dismay, he finds that Nur is awash in liquor and surrounded by feuding wives and greedy sycophants. A moving story of two men pursuing their ideals against great odds. Based on the Booker Prize-nominated novel by Anita Desai. 1993
PN1997.A8 I5 2005
Indian Summers
Epic drama tells the story of the decline of the British Empire and the birth of modern India from both sides of the experience. Originally broadcast on Masterpiece Theater (PBS) 2015
PN1992.77 .I53 Season1 2015
Ishqiya (Lovestruck)
Directed by Abhishek Chaubey
Starring: Vidya Balan, Arshad Warsi, Naseeruddin Shah, and Salman Shahid
Black comedy thriller set in Gorakhpur in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. A tale of romance between individuals caught in a web of crime, suspense and passion.
PN1997.A8 I847 2010 2010
Jab We Met (When We Met)
Directed by Imtiaz Ali
Starring: Kareen Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor
Romantic comedy. A talkative young woman meets a depressed Mumbai businessman on an overnight train.
PN1997 .A8 J33 2007
Jodhaa Akbar
Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai
An epic telling of the sixteenth century politically expedient marriage between the Mogul emperor, Akbar, and the Rajput princess, Jodhaa. 2007
PN1995.9.F67 J63 2008
Junoon (The Obsession)
Directed by Shyam Benegal
Stars: Shashi Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah
Critically acclaimed film set in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. 1978
PN1997.A8 J95
Kabhi alvida naa kehna (Never Say Good Bye)
Directed by Karan Johar
Stars: Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Priety Zinta, Abhishek Bachchan
Dev, a professional soccer player in New York City, and Maya, a nursery school teacher, committed to loveless marriages but long to follow their hearts. 2006
PN1995.9.F67 K33 2006
Kabhi khushi kabhie gham (Sometimes Happiness, Sometimes Sadness)
Directed by Karan Johar
Stars: Shah Rukh Khan
A young man goes against the wishes of his beloved father to marry the girl he loves. When he leaves home, his younger brother vows to reunite the family and bring back the happiness they once shared. 2001
PN1997.2 .K334 2002
Kaho Na Pyar Hai (Say This is Love)
Directed by Rakesh Roshan
Stars: Hritihk Roshan, Amisha Patel, Anupam Kher
Romantic thriller. 2000
A young woman meets a lookalike of her deceased boyfriend and seeks to find out the circumstances of his death.
Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love
Directed by Mira Nair
Stars: Rekha, Indira Varma, Sarita Choudhury
Set in 16th century India. A king's courtesan is forbidden to embrace her one true love. 1996
PN1997 .K35 1997
Kapurush = Coward, Mahapurush = The Saint
Directed by Satyajit Ray
Original Language: Bengali
Kaprush: Man's car breaks down in a rainstorm and takes shelter in a tea plantation where the wife is his former lover.
Mahapurush: Man passes himself off as a holy man. 1965
PN1997.A8 K372 2004
Karvaan (Shadows in the Dark)
Directed by Pankaj Butalia
Stars Naseeruddin Shah, Kitu Gidwani
A drama about partition following its impacts on lives into the '50s and '60s. 1999
PN1997.A8 S533 2004
Khal Nayak (The Villian)
Directed by Subharsh Gahi
Stars: Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff, Madhuri Dixit
Notorious criminal Ballu (Dutt) is arrested by Inspector Ram (Shroff) who wants information to capture his boss. When Ballu escapes, Ram's beautiful policewoman girlfriend Ganga (Dixit) goes undercover as a dancer to try to capture the villain. A blockbuster hit helped by a controversial song which became a cult classic. 1993
PN1997.A4 K4356 2004
Kuch naa kaho : Love can't be arranged (or: Say No More)
Directed by Rohan Sippy
Stars: Aiswarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan, Satish Shah
New York bachelor Raj visits India to attend a cousin's wedding. Namrata. His uncle pushes to find him a suitable Indian bride, but Raj falls in love with his uncle's employee. 2003
PN1995.9.F67 K8275 2005
Kumar Talkies
Documents the impact of the movie theater Kumar Talkies on the residents of the northern Indian town of Kalpi by juxtaposing the reality of Kalpi, where poverty affects all facets of life, with the world of rebellion and romance on the silver screen. 1998
PN1993.5 .I8 K865 1998
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (Land Tax)
Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker
Stars: Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh
Set in Queen Victoria's India, a story of a game of cricket played to stop three years of lagaan (land tax) for an Indian village. Nominated for best foreign language Academy Award. 2001
PN1997 .L343 2002
Larger than Life: India's Bollywood Film Culture (online)
Streaming: Films on Demand
Stars: Shah Rukh Khan
This program travels through the landscape of Indian cinema, providing contrasts and comparisons with its counterpart in the west. Interviews with Shah Rukh Khan and Manisha Koirala examine the pressures of in Indian film acting. 2003
Also on DVD: PN1993.5.I8 L37 2005
Like Stars on Earth = Taare zameen par
Directed by Aamir Khan
Stars: Aamir Khan, Darshell Safary
The film tells the story of eight year old Ishaan (Safary) who suffers greatly until a teacher (Khan) identifies him as dyslexic. Both commercially and critically acclaimed 2007
PN1997.2 .L554 2009
Little Terrorist
Directed by Ashvin Kumar
Indian short film (15") nominated for the 2005 Academy Award for Live Action Short Film. A 10 year old Parkistani Muslimi boy crosses the border between Pakistan and India while playing ball and is hunted by soldiers. Included with the award winning Croatian film Witnesses. 2004
PN1997.E9 S92 2007
The Lunchbox
Directed by Ritesh Batra
Stars: Irrfan Khan
Also streaming Alexander Street
Mahanagar: The Big City
Written and directed by Satyajit Ray
Original Language: Bengali
A poor urban family faces social change and an uncertain future. Based on a short story written by Narendranath Mitra. 1963
PN1997.A8 B54 2013
Massey Sahib
Online
Directed: Pradip Krishen
Adaptation of Joyce Cary's 1939 novel Mister Johnson. Francis Massey is an Indian secretary, working for the British office in colonized India. Aspiring towards the status of a British personnel, he dresses like a British bureaucrat and sticks close to his British superior, Commissioner Charles Adam. During his course of duty, Massey is corrupt but well-intentioned.
1985
Main hoon na (I'm Here Now)
Directed by Farah Khan
Stars: Shah Rukh Khan
Major Ram Sharma yearns to see Mission Milaap as it will end the long feud between India and Pakistan.
PN1997.A8 M356 2005
Mangal Pandey: The Rising
Directed by Ketan Mehta
Stars: Aamir Khan
Drama based on the life of Mangal Pandey, an Indian soldier who helped spark the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
PN1997.A8 M36435 2005
Maqbool
Director: Vishal Bardwaj
Stars: Pankaj Kapoor, Irfan Khan, Tabu, Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah
Loosely adapted from Shakespeare's Macbeth set against the backdrop of Mumbai's gangster underworld. 2003
PN1997.8 A8 M373
Meghe ḍhākā tārā = Cloud-capped Star
Directed by Ritwik Ghatak
Stars: Supriya Choudhury, Anil Chatterjee, Gita Ghatak
This somber alternative film takes place in a refugee camp on the outskirts of Calcutta, where an impoverished genteel Hindu family face problems caused by Partition. 1960
PN1995.9.F67 C6 2000
Mere huzoor (My Lord)
Directed by Vinod Kumar
Stars: Mala Sinha, Raaj Kumar
Romance, sacrifice and heartache. Two men want to marry the same woman. She chooses one, but the other remains a part of their life. 1968
PN1997 .M474 1987 (VHS)(with English Subtitles) Also DVD version, without English subtitles
Midnight's Children (movie)
Directed by Deepa Mehta
Two babies, born at the stroke of midnight at India’s independence from Britain, are switched at birth. They share a mystical bond with all the other children born on that fateful time. Based on the Salman Rushdie novel. 2012
PN1995.9.S26 M5365 2012
Mitr, My Friend
An Indian couple and their teenage daughter living in California face culture conflict. (Original Language: Tamil) (2001)
PN1995.9.D7 M587 2001
Monsoon Wedding
Directed by Mira Nair
Stars: Naseerudin Shah, Lillete Dubey, Shefali Shah
The father of an upper middle-class Indian family arranges an enormous and chaotic wedding for his daughter as the family comes together from all over the globe. 2001
PN1995.9.D7 M66 2002
Mooz-lum
Directed by Qasim “Q” Basir|
Stars: Danny Glover, Nia Long, Evan Ross
Independent film. Lives of African American Muslim family changed by September 11 attacks and aftermath. 2010
PN1995.9.D7 M669 2011
Mother India
Directed by Mehboob Kahn
Stars: Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar, Raaj Kumar
All time classic film. Depicts, through one woman's life from marriage to old age, the joys and tragedies of village life in rural India. 1957
PN1997 .M785 2001
Mr. and Mrs. Iyer
Directed by Aparna Sen
Stars: Konkona Sen Sharma, Rahul Bose.
A Tamil Hindu and a Bengali Muslim wildlife photographer must pose as man and wife on a fateful bus trip in the midst of communal strife in India. Won 2002 Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration.
PN1997.A8 M7 2006
Mumbai Meri Jaan (Mumbai My Life)
Directed by Nishikant Kamut
Inspired by an actual bombing of a local train in Bombay in 2006, the film explores the blast's impact on the lives of people from all levels of Mumbai society. Won multiple Filmfare awards. 2008
PN1997.A8 M86 2008
Music Room (Jalsaghar)
Directed by Satyajit Ray
A declining nobleman in his once-great house is unable to adapt to and cope with changing times. 1958.
PN1997.A8 J35734 (Criterion Edition)
My Faraway Bride (aka My Bollywood Bride)
Directed by Rajeev Virani
Stars: Jason Lewis, Kasimera Shah
English and Indian film, primarily in English. Alex falls in love with Reena on a California beach and follows her back to India where he discovers that she is a Bollywood film star. 2006.
PN1995.9.C55 M8975 2008
My Name is Khan
Directed by Karan Johar
Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol
PN1995.9.D7 M9 2010
Mystic Masseur
Directed by Ismail Merchant
Stars: Om Puri, Aasif Mandvi
Set in Trinidad, about a young, aspiring author whose unexpected talents as a healer bring him local fame. Based on the book by V.S. Naipaul.
2001
PN1995.9.D7 M97853 2002

N - Z Indian Feature Films at UTSA Libraries

The Namesake
Directed by Mira Nair
Stars: Tabu, Irrfan Khan, Kal Penn, Sahira Nair
The Namesake depicts the struggles of Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli, two first-generation immigrants from West Bengal, India to the United States, and their American-born children Gogol and Sonia. From the excellent novel Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. 2006
PN1997.2 .N36473 2007
New Delhi
Directed by Mohan Segal
Stars: Kishore Kumar, Nasir Hussain, Nana Palsikar
Complications, impersonations and moral dilemmas arise when a Punjabi pretends to be a Tamil in order to rent a room from one of New Delhi's class-conscious property owners. An entertaining plea for national unity. 1956
PN1997 .N482 2000
Not Today
While on vacation in Hyderabad a privileged young man's life takes a sudden turn when he refuses to help a starving man and his daughter.
PN1995.9 D7 2013
Omkara
Directed by Vishal Bharadwaj
Stars: Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, Kareena Kapoor, Salif Ali Khan
Adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello. 2006
PN1997.2 .O453 2007
Once Upon a Time in Mumbai
Directed by Milan Luthria
Stars: Ajay Devgn
A smuggler rises to power in 1970's Mumbai. 2010
PN1997.A8 O53
Paheli (The Riddle)
Directed by Amol Palekar
Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Murkejee, Anupam Kher, Amitabh Bachchan,
A woman, a man, a ghost. In this retelling of a classic Rajasthani folktale, a bride, neglected and left alone on her wedding night, is visited by a ghost disguised as her husband. The woman is not duped bit makes choices throughout in her relationship with the devoted ghost. Based on "Duvidha" by Vijaydan Detha. 2005
PN1997.2 .P34 2005
Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road) (1st part of Apu Trilogy)
Directed by Satyajit Ray
Story of a rural family cursed with bad luck. Father Hari is a dreamer and poet, while his hard-working wife struggles to feed the family. Based on the novel by Birhutibhusan Benerjee
PN1997.A8 A678 2015
Parable of Two
Directed by Satyajit Ray
12 minutes - Streaming
Short preserved by the Academy Film Archive
Patience Stone
Directed by Atiq Rahimi
French-Afghan war drama. Story of a young woman watching over her older husband, in a country torn apart by war. 2012
PN1997.M5 P38 2014
also streaming Alexander Street
Pakeezah (The Pure One)
Directed by Kamal Amrohi
Stars: Meena Kumari, Raaj Kumar, Ashok Kumar
Poignant tale of a courtesan's life, with song, dance and poetry. 1972
PN1997 .P35 2001
Piku
Directed by Shoojit Sircar
Stars: Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Irrfan Khan
Story of a headstrong young woman and her hypochondriac father who undertake a road trip from Delhi to Kolkata reluctantly chauffeured by the owner of the local cab company. 2015
PN1997 .A8 P55
PK
Directed by Rajkumar Hirani
Stars: Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma, Boman Irani
An outer space alien seeks to find his stolen interstellar remote to phone home assisted by a disillusioned TV reporter. The spaceman is confounded by earthlings in this social satire of mass religion. Highest grossing film in Indian history. 2014
PN1997 .A8 P325
Pyaasa (Thirsty One)
Directed by Guru Dutt
Stars: Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Johnny Walker
A destitute, alcoholic poet is befriended by a prostitute who manages to have his works published after he is presumed dead. 1957
PN1995.9.F67 P913 2006
Raajneeti (Affairs of State)
Directed by Prakash Jha
Stars: Ranbir Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, Katrina Kaif, Nana Patekar, Arjun Rampal
Political thriller, nominated for Filmfare best picture. Rivalry escalates into an all-out war which draws the protagonist into the dark side of dealing with his enemies. 2010
PN1997.A8 R33 2010
Rab ne bana di Jodi (A Match Made in Heaven) (A Couple Made by God)
Directed by Aditya Chopra
Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma, Vinay Pathak
Shy, kind hearted Surinder falls in love with the daughter of her former professor. Sad circumstances cause a marriage of convenience. Suri wins over his platonic wife’s affection in an unusual way. 2008
PN1997.2 .R33 2009
Raja Hindustani = Rājā Hindustānī
Directed by Dharmesh Darshan
Stars: Aamir Khan, Karisma Kapoor
Story about two people from opposite socio-economic backgrounds, a cab driver from a small town and a rich girl.. 1996
PN1995.9.F67 R353 2005
Ramchand Pakistani
Directed by Mehreen Jabbar
A young Pakistani Hindu boy and his father, who belong to the minority Hindu Dalit caste also known as "untouchables," accidentally cross the border into India and spend five years in an Indian jail. 2008
PN1997 .A8 R35 2008
Ra One
Directed by Anubhav Sinha
Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor
Indian science fiction. A video game developer confronts his shape-shifting indestructible virtual creation. 2011
PN1997.A8 R3 2011
Reluctant Fundamentalist
Directed by Mira Nair
Stars: Riz Ahmed, Liev Schreiber, Kiefer Sutherland, Kate Hudson, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi
A young Pakistani man pursues corporate success on Wall Street which after 9/11 conflicts with his American Dream, a hostage crisis, and the pull of his homeland. Based on the novel by Mohin Hamid. 2012
PN1995.9.A3 R45 2013
The River
Directed by Jean Renoir
An English family lives in Bengal, India, which provides the backdrop for the coming-of-age story of Harriet, the heroine, an adolescent girl who experiences the first pangs of womanhood when she falls in love with a wounded American war hero, loses a beloved family member, and begins to express her deepest feeling in eloquent verse.
(Actually by a French director but a classic about India). 1951
PN1995.9 D7 R568 (Criterion Edition)
A River Called Titas (Titāsa ekaṭi nadīra nāma)
Directed by Ritwik Ghatak
Overwhelmed by the changes in his native East Bengal following the independence of Bangladesh, the director filmed the story of the destruction of a fishing village on the banks of the River Titas. Taken from an autobiographical novel by Advaita Malla Barman. 1973
PN1997 .R583 2000
Saathiya = Sāthiyā
Directed by Shaad Ali
Stars: Rani Mukerji, Vivek Oberoi, Tanuja
Aditya and Suhani overcome their initial dissatisfaction with each other after their marriage and understand the true meaning of being a life partner. 2002
PN1997.2 .S23 2002
Saawariya (My Love)
Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Stars: Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Salman Khan, Rani Mukerji
Destiny weaves its magical spell when a shy musician's chance encounter leads to four unforgettable nights filled with music, passion and romance. Based on "White nights" by Fyodor Dostoevsky. 2007
PN1995.9.M86 S239375 2008
Salaam Bombay!
Directed by Mira Nair
Stars: Shafiz Sayed, Nana Patekar
Krishna, a ten year old boy, abandoned by his mother in Bombay tries to earn money to go home while he lives in the streets. 1988
PN1997 .S243 2003
Salaam Namaste
(Title refers to the Urdu and Hindu greetings respectively)
Directed by Siddharth Raj Anand
Stars: Saif Ali Kahn, Preity Zinta, Arshad Warsi. Jaaved Jaffrey
Narrated by Abishek Bachchan who makes a cameo appearance
Romantic Comedy. The film tells the story of two young and modern Indians, Nick and Ambar, who have left India to make a life in Australia. One of biggest box office hits in India for 2005
PN1995.9.F67 S353 2005
Savages
Directed by Ismael Merchant
A tribe of primitive mud people encounter a croquet ball, rolling through the forest. Following it, they find themselves on a large, deserted estate. After entering, they begin to become civilized and assume the stereotypical roles of people at a party. Includes the documentary "Adventures of a Brown Man in Search of Civilization." 1972
PN1995.9.C55 S28 2004
Shadow Kill (Nizhalkkuthu)
Directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan
A hangman questions the moral implications of his job. Won Silver Lotus Award, National Film Awards. 2002
PN1997.A8 N59 2005
Shakespeare Wallah
Directed by James Ivory
Stars: Shashi Kapoor, Felicity Kendal, Geoffrey Kendal, Laura Liddell, Madhur Jaffrey
The tale of a traveling British Shakespearean theater group in India during the final days of English colonial rule. The daughter Lizzie falls in love with Sanju, who is also romancing a Bollywood film star. Jaffrey won the Silver Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival for her portrayal. A film of philosophical resignation. In English. 1965
PN1995.9.D7 S5354 2004 (JPL & Downtown)
Shakti : the Power
Directed by Krishna Wamsi
Stars: Karisma Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Sanjay Kapoor, Jai Gidwanit, Shah Rukh Khan
Story of a spirited woman whose child was taken away. 2002
HQ1173 .S535 2005
Shabnam Mousi (online)
Transgender who transcends societal oppression to become a successful politician.
2005
Shatranj ke khilari / (Chess Players)
Directed by Satyajit Ray
Stars: Sanjeev Kumar, Saeed Jaffrey,
This drama about colonialism and indigenous culture is set in 1856 at the court of Wajid Ali Shah. Two slightly eccentric noblemen in India indulge in chess without regard to the change in the situation, personal life, and the eminent threat of the British take over. 1977
PN1995.9.F67 C4477 2006
Sholay (Embers)
Directed by Ramesh Sippy
Stars: Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bhaduri
After his family is murdered by a notorious and ruthless bandit, a former police officer enlists the services of two outlaws to capture him. 1975.
Book: Sholay: The Making of A Classic
PN1997 .S5635 1998
Shwaas (A Breath)
Directed by Sandeep Sawant
(Language: Marathi)
A moving story of a villager who brings his grandson who is going blind to see a big city doctor. The news is not good. The grandfather is overwhelmed by the chaotic atmosphere of the medical system compared to the slower and more caring pace of his village. A worthy entry for best foreign language Oscar 2004.
PN1997.A8 S53914 2004
Siddhartha
Directed by Conrad Rooks
Stars: Shashi Kapoor, Simi Garewal
A young man's spiritual odyssey, filmed on location in Rishikesh and Bharatpur, and based on Hermann Hesse's novella. 1972
PN1995.9.D7 S552 2002
Silent Waters (Khamosh Pani)
Stars: Kiron Kher
Prize winning drama.
Set in Pakistan, in 1979, as the country begins embracing Islamic nationalism.
PN1997 .A8 K436 2004
DVD and Streaming: Alexander Street
Slumdog Millionaire
Directed by Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan
Stars: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor Writer: Simon Beaufoy
A Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums, becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" Winner of 8 Oscars. 2009.
PN1995.9.D7 S586 2009
Straight From the Heart (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam)
Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Stars: Ajay Devgan, Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai
When a famous musician learns that his daughter has fallen in love with one of his students, he sends him away and marries her to another man. When her devoted new husband realizes the degree to which she still loves the other man, he helps her search for him. 1999
PN1995.9.F67 S78735 2005
Stranger, The (Agantuk)
Directed by Satyajit Ray
Stars: Depankar Ke, Mamata Shankar, Utpal Dutt
A traveler returns to Calcutta to visit his niece, but her husband suspects the man is an imposter trying to claim her inheritance. 1991
PN1997.A8 A31165 2003
Such a Long Journey
Directed by Sturla Gunnarsson
Stars: Roshan Seth, Soni Razdan, Om Puri
Set in Bombay India in 1971, this is the story of Gustad Noble, a hard-working bank clerk and devoted family man, who gradually sees his modest life unraveling when he agrees to do a clandestine favor for an old friend and is soon drawn deeper and deeper into a dangerous network of deception. Based on the novel by Rohinton Mistry. 1998
PN1995.9.D7 S79 2000
Talvar (Sword) (aka Guilty)
Directed by Meghna Gulzar
Stars: Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sem Sharma
Drama. Murder case presenting three contradictory accounts of the case. 2015
PN 1997 .A8 T35
Tere Bin Laden (Your Bin Laden or Without You Laden)
Directed by Abhishek Sharma
Stars: Ali Zafar, Pradyuman Singh
Hilarious comedy satire about a Pakistani news reporter's plan to obtain a visa to America by producing a fake Osama video to sell as a breakthrough scoop. Banned in Pakistan. Highly recommended. 2010
PN1997.A8 T474 2010b
The Terrorist = Theeviravaathi
Directed by Santosh Sivan
In a story inspired by the events surrounding the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, a suicide bomber examines her emotions and finds herself in a psychological divide as she contemplates her future. 1999
PN1997 .T4155 2000
Three Daughters = Teen Kanya
Directed by Satyajit Ray
From the stories of Rabindranath Tagore: The Postmaster; The Lost Jewels; The Conclusion. 1961
PN1997.A8 T443 2005
A Throw of Dice: A Romance of India
Directed by F. Osten
Inspired by the gambling episode in the ancient Hindu epic the Mahabharata, this classic of silent cinema tells of two kings who share a passion for reckless gambling, and for the same woman. 1929 (restored version)
PN1995.75 .P73 2008
Toilet: Ek Prem Kahana (Toilet: A Love Story)
Director: Shree Narayan Singh
Stars: Akshay Kumar
PN1997.A8 T65 2017 (JPL & Downtown)
Comedy/drama with a strong social message about the crusade for a proper sanitation system in rural India a la Prime Minister Modi’s 'Clean India' campaign, A husband takes up the crusade when his bride leaves when she discovers her new home does not have a toilet.
Train to Pakistan
Set during the political struggles of 1947, a town on the Punjab between India and Pakistan witnesses and becomes embroiled in the escalating violence between Sikhs and Muslims. Adapted from Khushwant Singh's novel Train to Pakistan. 1998
PN1997 .T7235 2004
Streaming: Alexander Street and DVD
Vivah
A young girl that lives with her uncle and aunt after the death of her parents is suddenly thrust into an arranged meeting with a young man that quickly turns to love and marriage.
PN1995.9 .F67 V5834 2006
Vivah: A Journey from Engagement to Marriage
Directed by Sooraj R. Barjatya
Stars: Shahid Kapoor, Amrita Rao, Anupam Kher
A young girl who lives with her uncle and aunt after the death of her parents is suddenly thrust into an arranged meeting with a young man that quickly turns to love and marriage. When a tragedy occurs, will their love survive? 2006
PN1995.9 .F67 V5834 2006
Water
Directed by Deepa Mehta
Stars: Seema Biswas, Lisa Ray, John Abraham
After losing her husband to illness, 8-year-old Chuyia is forced to live out the rest of her days in a temple for Hindu widows. 2005 (Canadian)
PN1997.2 .W3847 2006
What's your Raashee? (What's your sign?)
Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker.
Stars: Harman Baweja, Priyanka Chopra
Yogesh has only ten days to find the girl of his dreams In order to save his family from total ruin. Based on the Gujarati novel "Kimball Ravenswood" by Madhu Rye. 2008
PN1997.2 .W4387 2009
The World of Apu (Apur Sansar) (last part of Apu Trilogy)
Directed by Satyajit Ray
Apu is now a young man barely getting by living in a rented room and giving private lessons in Calcutta. He attends a wedding with his friend and when the groom turns up insane, Apu marries the bride to save her honor. 1959
PN1997.A8 A678 2015
Zindagi na milegi dobara (You Only Live Once)
Directed by Zoya Akhtar
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol, Farhan Akhtar, Katrina Kaif
Three longtime friends take a bachelor/party trip to Spain to celebrate the engagement of one of the men. 2011
PN1997.A8 Z56 2011