Cinema is not just pictures moving on a screen; it’s an ahsaas (); a stirring of emotions; of mirth; of sadness; of thrills; of enchantments; of fright; and of reminiscences.
By default, an award-winning magnum opus stays etched into our collective memories. Nevertheless, oftentimes, the unforgettable flick can be one that both the critics and audience overlooked and maybe even thrashed.
Whether the movie be avant-garde or completely nonsensical, watching reel-life drama from the comforts of our seats with popcorn and Coca-Cola transports us far off from our own real-life dramas, even if momentarily.
Hatari! (1962): I was about six or seven years old and it was my first time seeing a rhinoceros. Then, seeing it charging at a Land Rover made me realize how dangerous and big they were.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008): Stayed with me. It was about a Nazi concentration camp and how karma took its toll.
Sholay (1975): Good movie; good cast; good acting; acceptable story line; good songs.
Golden Eagle (Insee Thong) (1970): As kids in Indian boarding schools, nothing really registered and I was definitely clueless about Hollywood. I remember Sombat Metanee for his good looks and also knew and liked Mitr Chaibancha for the same reason. He was the Thai hero who sadly died doing his own helicopter stunts in Insee Thong.
Sleeping Beauty (1959): The pink dress stayed in my memory.
Hum Aapke Hain Koun...! (1994): Enjoyable family-oriented movie with beautiful songs.
I remember Ek Duje Ke Liye (1981) with Kamal Haasan as a South Indian, unable to speak Hindi, and Rati Agnihotri, unable to speak Tamil. An interesting movie for those days, showing love has no barriers.
Mera Naam Joker (1970): Because I went to see it with my favorite family members.
Migration (2023): An animated, heart-warming adventure and misadventure of the Mallard family of ducks navigating their way from their idyllic New England pond to tropical Jamaica. The high-point was when they are captured and almost get served in a high-end New York restaurant as a gourmet Duck à l’Orange.
Lady and the Tramp (1955): I was just a child then, but the spaghetti scene remained in my memory.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011): Hit me hard. It did not preach anything revolutionary—it quietly reminds you to actually live instead of endlessly postponing life for later.
I was in high school then and after seeing To Sir with Love (1967), I could feel the pain of pressure and racism.
Women empowerment films like Raazi (2018) inspire and motivate. The most recent one, Haq (2025), is an emotional, exciting true story of a woman’s courage, and Raazi is about the sacrifice a woman makes by marrying into Pakistan to spy for India.
I liked Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), maybe because I was newly married then.
One that made an impact was The Sound of Music (1965). It evoked so many feelings which I can now name. Warmth and love within a family; courage during uncertainty; and that music provides comfort and is freeing. The grandeur of the mountains and Maria’s spirit was exhilarating, and it was heartwarming to see Captain von Trapp softening.
13 Ghosts (1960): As a teen, this was my first horror film and ever since, I have become a spooky film enthusiast.
Frozen (2013): The song “Let It Go” stuck in my head.
Satte Pe Satta (1982): The action-comedy of the seven unruly, uneducated brothers was fun; the songs were catchy; the cinematography was breathtakingly expansive. Amitabh Bachchan as both the hero and the baddie was cool. A feel-good movie.
Back in the days of my youth, I went to see the documentary The Trial of Adolf Eichmann (1997), whose effect has lasted and left me so traumatised that till this day I cannot read or watch anything pertaining to the Holocaust. I have not read The Diary of Anne Frank, and I have not dared to see Schindler’s List (1993). I also could not bring myself to watch Life Is Beautiful (1997) until two years ago. I tremble even to think of reading The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang.