Vyjayanthimala at 90

Vyjayanthimala was the first south Indian female actor to make it big in Hindi cinema. She ruled the industry for two decades with successful movies. 

Devdas | Bimal Roy | 1955 

Based on the popular novel by Sarath Chandra Chattopadhyay, ‘Devdas’ traces the love story of Devdas and Parvati —  childhood friends belonging to different economic backgrounds. Circumstances lead Parvati to marry another man. A heartbroken Devdas leaves home. His carousing friend introduces him to Chandramukhi (Vyjayanthimala), a tawaif, who falls in love with him. 

Naya Daur |
B R Chopra | 1957 

The son of a landlord, to expand his business and modernise the village, replaces horse carts with buses, and introduces an electric saw, affecting the livelihood of many villagers. Shankar, a horse cart rider, challenges him. At the time of release, ‘Naya Daur’ became India’s highest grossing film (over taken by ‘Mother India’ in the same year). 

Madhumati | Bimal Roy | 195
A landslide on a stormy night leads Devendra to take shelter at an old mansion. He finds the eerie mansion, strangely familiar. He finds a portrait of a woman whom he recognises. As the storm lashes, he experiences flashbacks from his previous birth. Madhumati, a paranormal romantic film was written by Ritwik Ghatak and edited by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. 

Vanji Kottai Valipan | S S Vasan | 1958

Sundaram wants to avenge his sister’s death but is imprisoned on an island, where he learns of his royal past. He jumps into the sea and escapes. He is saved by a ship taking slaves to an island kingdom, where he meets Mandakini. The Ruritanian romantic film is said to be based on the popular adventure novel, ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ by Alexandre Dumas. 

Baghdad Thirudan | T P Sundaram | 1960

The king and queen of a kingdom are betrayed by their prime minister and killed. They’re survived by their son, Abu who joins a group of thieves, eventually growing up to be their leader. Abu robs from the rich to give to the poor. He plans to reconquer his kingdom. 

This swashbuckler is a remake of the American film ‘The Thief of Bagdad ’ by Raoul Walsh. 

Thennilavu | Sridhar | 1961

Raj falls in love with Shanti but it is not reciprocated. Circumstances bring the two together again, Shanti eventually returns his love. The situation takes a turn when another man comes in claiming to be the Raj, Shanti was set up for an alliance with. The film is set in Jammu and Kashmir and offers picturesque visuals. 

Sangam | Raj Kapoor | 1964

Sangam follows a love triangle between three childhood friends, Sundar, Radha and Gopal. Sundar is in love with Radha and develops an obsession with her, while Radha has an inclination towards Gopal who is in love with her. Circumstances pronounce Sundar dead. Just when Radha and Gopal confide their feelings for each other, Sundar comes back. It was the first Indian film to be shot abroad and was Raj Kapoor’s first film in colour. 

Amrapali | Lekh Tandon | 1966

The film follows the life of Amrapali, the royal courtesan of Vaishali, present day Bihar (capital of Licchavi republic, 500 B C), with whom Ajatashatru, the king of the Magadha empire falls in love with. Amrapali is imprisoned on charges of being a traitor — as her affair with the rival king comes to light. Ajatashatru destroys Vaishali to save her; but she, inspired by Buddha’s teachings, has become an arahant, eventually inspiring him to also take the path. 

Hatay Bazarey | Tapan Sinha | 1967

An idealistic doctor gets into a feud with the son of a feudal landlord, who lusts over a young widowed tribal girl Chhipli and attempts to rape her. Injured in the fight, the doctor dies. Chhipli continues his work at the mobile dispensary under the guidance of a young doctor.