Sholay (1975)

I have never seen anything like this. The only other Bollywood movie I have seen is Pyaasa, but that really could not prepare me for the 3.5 hour genre bending epic that is Sholay. It is strange how the western is at once the quintessential American film genre while at the same time can be translated into almost any culture and setting. I mean, you have the spaghetti western, the ramen western, the kimchi western, the meat-pie western, and of course the curry western (I am noticing a distinct pattern here). This is one of the best. The running time just slips by. Sholay jumps between being a western, an action flick, a slapstick comedy, a musical, a romance, a crime thriller, melodrama, a buddy movie, and an epic. The label postmodern can definitely be applied here; in fact, the whole idea of the masala movie, and its mash-up of diverse cinematic elements is perhaps the ultimate in postmodern art. Yes, this is an example of populist, some would say trashy cinema, but it is art. But even more importantly this is a rip-roaringly entertaining flick. Gabbar Singh is one of the most dastardly and evil villains in cinematic history. He is all sadistic bombast. The action scenes are thrilling and impressive, full of suspense. And above all, there is a real raw emotion here. The ending made me shed tears. And, I absolutely fell in love with Hema Malini's character. She really becomes the third buddy in the heroic trio, and holds her own against the guys. When it comes to downright fun, look no further than Sholay.