There is quite a fortune spent on Bollywood period dramas and not all of them are eligible to dote on. Some period dramas that were hyperbolic and seemingly distorted history didn’t augur well for a box-office success whereas we keep revisiting some of the period dramas to feel ripple of excitement inside us. We are here giving you 10 names of some Bollywood period dramas that are our all-time favourites.
Lagaan:
The film was directed by Ashutosh Govarikar which was nominated for Academy Award in the category of Best Foreign language film. The story take us back in the time of British colonial India where a cricket match is held between the snooty British Raj landlords and peasants who never played the game. The peasants win eventually.
Hey Ram:
Hey Ram is directed by Kamal Hassan and he acted in it too. The film was nominated as the best foreign language film in the Oscars. The film depicts the mutation of a lovable person to a religious fanatic during the Bengal partition.
Jodhaa Akbar:
This was Ashutosh Govarikar’s dream project which thrives around the love story of Mughal emperor Akbar and Rajput princess Jodhaa who were tied in a marital alliance for political reasons but eventually fell in love.
Mughl-e-Azam:
The film is one of the landmark films of India history directed by K. Asif. The film deals with the infamous love affair between Prince Salim and the courtesan Anarkali which sparked a conflict between father and son.
Ashoka:
The story of emperor Ashoka and his love affair with the Princess Karubaki is the theme of the story. The movie was directed by Santosh Sivan which also sheds light on Ashoka’s life before Buddhism.
Bajirao Mastani:
It is a heart-warming love story between the fearsome Peshwa Bajirao and Mastani, his Muslim second wife. This is basically a love triangle between Bajirao, Kasibai (Bajirao’s wife) and Mastani who was head-over-heels in love with Bajirao.
Gadar: Ek Prem Katha:
The film released in the same day as Lagaan and co-incidentally both were period dramas. It is a lovestorty between a Sigh Truck Driver and A Muslim high-born rich girl in the backdrop of Indian partition.
Devdas:
Though it doesn’t completely hold true with what Saratchandra wrote in his book, the film that is themed on the subject still managed to catch our fancy because of the magnificent treatment and opulent sets. It is the story of Devdas, Paro and Chandramukhi, precisely a lovestory in British India.
Lootera:
Quite a film! Totally worth more than one watch which is based on the short story of O’ Henry called ‘The Last Leaf’. The story was adapted into an Indian rural Bengal setting which showed a feel-good love story. The music was really soothing as Amit Trivedi being the composer.
Bhag Milkha Bhag:
It is based on the life of Olympian Milkha Singh. Directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, the film was highly lauded by the critics and audience alike. Such biopics should be made more often.
These are the 10 period dramas that we live by.
