<p class="rtejustify">The Hindi film industry produces more than 1000 movies per year, a very big number compared to its other counterparts. Among these movies lie a few which go unsung at the time of release, only to become cult classics later. The audience failed to fully appreciate the nuances of these Bollywood films which could have been set to be far ahead of their time. Here are five underrated movies that might have more significance now.</p>.<p class="rtejustify"><strong>Cheeni Kum (2007)</strong><br /><strong>Director</strong>- R Balki<br /><strong>Starring</strong>- Amitabh Bachchan, Tabu, Paresh Rawal<br />The movie had overtones of various emotions. It refused to become a cliched love story and disregarded age as a factor for falling in love. It portrayed a romantic relationship between a<br />60-year-old man and a woman in her 30’s.</p>.<p class="rtejustify"><strong>Mera Naam Joker(1970)</strong><br /><strong>Director</strong>- Raj Kapoor<br /><strong>Starring</strong>- Raj Kapoor, Simi Garewal, Manoj Kumar<br />Considered one of the lengthiest movies, this Raj Kapoor favourite has a deep psychological and philosophical meaning. In the movie, Raj Kapoor portrays a joker who has to rise above his sorrows to make everyone else laugh, which is an irony of life. This movie, which bagged awards only for its famous songs, was later appreciated for its content. It had the very first nude scene in Indian cinema. The infatuation of a student for his teacher was another bitter truth for the audience.</p>.<p class="rtejustify"><strong>Bombay Boys (1998)</strong><br /><strong>Director</strong>- Kaizad Gustad<br /><strong>Starring</strong>- Naveen Andrews, Rahul Bose, Alexander Gifford<br />The comedy follows the adventures of three men of Indian origin raised in the west who return to their homeland. The movie was subjected to criticism over the high level of profanity. It<br />also immortalised gay culture in the 90s at a time when homosexuality was an uncomfortable truth. Critics panned the movie as a portrayal of India’s ‘Americanised culture’.</p>.<p class="rtejustify"><strong>Fire (1996)</strong><br /><strong>Director</strong>- Deepa Mehta<br /><strong>Starring</strong>- Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das, Javed Jaffrey<br />The controversial movie is the first installment in the element trilogy. It questioned the government about the right to freedom of speech. It met with protests from many groups. The movie also explicitly showed the lesbian culture and was one of the very first mainstream movies to bring in the truth of homosexuality.</p>.<p class="rtejustify"><strong>That Girl in Yellow Boots (2010)</strong><br /><strong>Director</strong>- Anurag Kashyap<br /><strong>Starring</strong>- Kalki Koechlin and Naseeruddin Shah<br />A cult thriller which shows the story of a young British woman who seeks her Indian-origin father. He is a believer in godmen and a follower of a religious cult. The woman works at a<br />massage parlor and falls for a drug addict who becomes her saviour.</p>
<p class="rtejustify">The Hindi film industry produces more than 1000 movies per year, a very big number compared to its other counterparts. Among these movies lie a few which go unsung at the time of release, only to become cult classics later. The audience failed to fully appreciate the nuances of these Bollywood films which could have been set to be far ahead of their time. Here are five underrated movies that might have more significance now.</p>.<p class="rtejustify"><strong>Cheeni Kum (2007)</strong><br /><strong>Director</strong>- R Balki<br /><strong>Starring</strong>- Amitabh Bachchan, Tabu, Paresh Rawal<br />The movie had overtones of various emotions. It refused to become a cliched love story and disregarded age as a factor for falling in love. It portrayed a romantic relationship between a<br />60-year-old man and a woman in her 30’s.</p>.<p class="rtejustify"><strong>Mera Naam Joker(1970)</strong><br /><strong>Director</strong>- Raj Kapoor<br /><strong>Starring</strong>- Raj Kapoor, Simi Garewal, Manoj Kumar<br />Considered one of the lengthiest movies, this Raj Kapoor favourite has a deep psychological and philosophical meaning. In the movie, Raj Kapoor portrays a joker who has to rise above his sorrows to make everyone else laugh, which is an irony of life. This movie, which bagged awards only for its famous songs, was later appreciated for its content. It had the very first nude scene in Indian cinema. The infatuation of a student for his teacher was another bitter truth for the audience.</p>.<p class="rtejustify"><strong>Bombay Boys (1998)</strong><br /><strong>Director</strong>- Kaizad Gustad<br /><strong>Starring</strong>- Naveen Andrews, Rahul Bose, Alexander Gifford<br />The comedy follows the adventures of three men of Indian origin raised in the west who return to their homeland. The movie was subjected to criticism over the high level of profanity. It<br />also immortalised gay culture in the 90s at a time when homosexuality was an uncomfortable truth. Critics panned the movie as a portrayal of India’s ‘Americanised culture’.</p>.<p class="rtejustify"><strong>Fire (1996)</strong><br /><strong>Director</strong>- Deepa Mehta<br /><strong>Starring</strong>- Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das, Javed Jaffrey<br />The controversial movie is the first installment in the element trilogy. It questioned the government about the right to freedom of speech. It met with protests from many groups. The movie also explicitly showed the lesbian culture and was one of the very first mainstream movies to bring in the truth of homosexuality.</p>.<p class="rtejustify"><strong>That Girl in Yellow Boots (2010)</strong><br /><strong>Director</strong>- Anurag Kashyap<br /><strong>Starring</strong>- Kalki Koechlin and Naseeruddin Shah<br />A cult thriller which shows the story of a young British woman who seeks her Indian-origin father. He is a believer in godmen and a follower of a religious cult. The woman works at a<br />massage parlor and falls for a drug addict who becomes her saviour.</p>
