One my friends  asked me this today: What are some of your favorite current Indian films and classics? Do you have a favorite director?

I watch Indian films very selectively. The Indian film market follows certain formulas, and hence Indian filmmakers don’t enjoy the same creative independence and leverage as say the Indy Hollywood film scene. Having said that, there are few Indian directors I’ve come to enjoy (who have blended those formulas into their creative fabric). I've tried to rank them based on their contribution to Indian cinema. Also, being Teluguite, excuse me being a bit biased to Tollywood 🙂

#1 Guru Dutt (Hindi): Made numerous classics back in the 50s and 60s - but watch Pyaasa if you find it with subtitles. It’s ranked in the top 100 films all time by CNN IBN. There are so many layers in this film, it’s really impossible to make a more well-rounded film ever. I've included a pic to highlight the film here, because I strongly believe this is the best Indian film ever.

#2 Mani Ratnam (Tamil): One of the best Writer/Directors down south. One of his films “Nayagan” was also in the top 100 films - but “Geetanjali”, a Telugu Film, is my favorite. There are at least a dozen of his films that are true classics. Watch: Geetanjali, Nayagan, Roja, Bombay, Alaipaayudhe, Talapathi, Anjali

#3 K. Vishwanath (Telugu): Telugu Filmmaker who made classics that explored the Arts (classical dance, singing etc) and applied it to Social issues like the caste system etc. Watch: Shankarbharanam, Saagara Sangamam, Swathi muthyam

#4 Hrishikesh Mukherjee (Hindi): The king of Indian comedies. Watch: Anand, Gol Maal, Chupke Chupke More recently:

#5 Shekhar Kammula (Telugu): One of the few Telugu Directors who makes sensible films. Watch: Happy Days, Godavari, Anand

#6 Ram Gopal Varma (Telugu): The real master of the Gangster/Crime Noir films. Watch (if you can stand the violence): Shiva, Satya

#7 S.S Rajamouli (Telugu): The pioneer of Indian VFX movie. Watch: Bahubali, Eega

#8 Rajkumar Hirani (Hindi): The best at comedies in my opinion after Hrishikesh Mukherjee, but his films usually have a message too. Watch: 3 Idiots, PK, Munna Bhai Series

#9 Raj Kapoor (Hindi): The original showman. Watch: Awaara, Shri420

#10 Anurag Kashyap (Hindi): Derivative of Ram Gopal Varma - but has some decent films like Black Friday, Gangs of Wasseypur

There are many more (Gowrikar - Lagaan, Om Prakash - Rang De Basanti , Nagesh Kukunoor - Dor, Iqbal etc etc) and sorry, I haven't watched the classical Bengali directors like Ray  so much to include them here, and I don't lean towards ultra-art films anyway.