The top 10 Hindi black-and-white movies of all time
The definition of black and white movies may be vague and open to interpretation, but Hindi films, as they are called here in India, were mostly shot in black-and-white until the late 1960s. It is this era of Hindi cinema that we are talking about in this list of the top 10 Hindi black-and-white movies of all time. Check them out!
1. Mother India
Inaugurating a list of Indian films is Mother India, a famed example of Hindi cinema that also won a Golden Lion award at Venice Film Festival in 1957. The film is set in rural Punjab and revolves around Anarkali, a destitute woman who struggles to raise two sons after her husband’s untimely death. Her eldest son grows up to be an honest government employee, while her youngest son grows into an abusive drunkard.
2. Aparajito
Aparajito (1956) is a Bengali movie directed by Satyajit Ray. It stars Kartik Kumar as Harihar and Supriya Choudhury as Indu. The movie won National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali and was nominated for Golden Lion at 1956 Venice International Film Festival. It is a sequel to Pather Panchali (1955). This was his most successful venture commercially, and got him noticed internationally.
3. Raj Kapoor films
Lagaan (2001), Awara (1951), Shree 420 (1955), Barsat Ki Raat (1963) and Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978) are some of India’s best known Hindi films. The films have been iconic in their contribution to Hindi cinema, and they continue to be among those that are most fondly remembered by audiences. These were among Raj Kapoor’s most famous films, earning him critical acclaim during his lifetime.
4. Guru Dutt films
Guru Dutt was one of India’s finest film directors. He made many iconic and critically acclaimed films, but only eight managed to capture his soul and vision in B&W: Pyaasa (1957), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1961), Kaagaz Ke Phool, Mujhe Jeene Do, Aarti and Jagte Raho.
5. Mehboob Khan films
Mehboob Khan was a successful producer when he made his directorial debut with Aan (1952), which became a hit. Two years later he followed it up with another blockbuster Mother India (1957). In both films, Nargis was his heroine. It also helped that both films had Raj Kapoor in them, who was also one of Bollywood’s biggest stars at that point.
6. Raj Khosla films
Khosla, a self-taught filmmaker, was one of Bollywood’s most successful directors, who helmed several box office hits in his career. His first film as director was Dharmputra (1961), which started Dharmendra as an actor and went on to become a hit.
7. Manoj Kumar films
Hum Hindustani (1961), Sangram (1964), Roti Kapada Aur Makaan (1974) and Shaan (1979) are just some of Manoj Kumar’s best works. The legend, who is known for his patriotic films in Bollywood, will always be remembered as Shri Hanuman Prasad Sharma from Doordarshan’s popular serial ‘Ramayana’. His comedy film Meri Jung was a big hit during that era.
8. Hrishikesh Mukherjee films
Ritwik Ghatak films: Bimal Roy films: Chetan Anand films: Mehboob Khan films: V Shantaram films: Guru Dutt Films Prakash Mehra Films Raj Kapoor Films V Kumar Santoshi Movies.
9. Bimal Roy films
After a life full of struggle and disappointment, Bimal Roy made his debut with Do Bigha Zamin (1953), for which he received a National Award for Best Direction. Throughout his career, he worked with music composer Salil Chowdhury, lyricist Shakeel Badayuni and actors Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Madhubala.
10. Chetan Anand films
Chetan Anand, who was born on June 2, 1914, directed many hit films in his career including C.I.D. and Haqeeqat. This list includes a selection of our favorite Chetan Anand films. Check out more Bollywood lists on Ranker!