The classic ‘bad’ Hindi films you must watch

The Hindi film industry is growing rapidly, both in quality and global popularity.

Gone are the days of teenage love and brothers-separate-and-reunite-after-wholesome-dose-of-melodrama, now Hindi film industry has come of age and is making biopics, psycho thrillers and even movies on male sexual disorders, besides being inspired time and again by real life incidents.

Nonetheless, we can’t forget some classic films which have become etched in the soul of Indian cinema for their poor-quality filming and atrocious storylines. Well, Hindi films are known for their loudness and melodrama. Sometimes, their lighting is bad and camera work jerky almost like Indian roads. But, what if everything that is wrong with Indian cinema came together in one movie?

Wouldn’t that be a visual delight?

Such feat is a Mithun Chakraborty-starrer Gunda. A crime thriller, directed by Kanti Shah, the movie was released in 1998. Mithun was especially well-known for acting in B-grade films, which surprisingly had their own audiences.

But Gunda is beyond the grasp of logic of any sane mind. Its fight scenes are hilariously directed. In its all melodrama too, it promises to keep you in splits.

The movie got rediscovered in 2000s and social media made sure that it acquired a cult status. Kamayni Sharma of IlIKE Times says that the movie is so bad that you must "watch Gunda, so that you can say to your grandkids that you were part of the generation that saw it first.”

Gunda continues to enjoy a very devoted fan following.

Another such gem is Shaitani Dracula. As if it wasn’t enough to have watched Ramsay Brothers’ movies in the horror genre, Shaitani Dracula in 2006 was another milestone in the list of classic bad movies. Directed by Harinam Singh (who is he?), this film will definitely make you roll in laughter if you manage to not get scared by it.

When the terror-struck, scantily-clad actress is getting drenched in rain, you can actually see the pipe showering water on her. The chudail in the film has wings of thermocol, which even a fleeting glance can easily figure out. And when one monster runs after the scared girls, his mask comes off, but no worries- the monster wears it again and continues with the chase!

These movies are not, however, the only culprits.

We can’t forget Sonu Nigam (yes, the singer. God knows why he chose this film to debut as actor) starrer Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Khanai (2002). Raj Kumar Kohli’s last directorial venture (thankfully), the film used a funny CG effect and Armaan Kohli’s different avatars were equally laughable. So many people keep entering others’ bodies that the film comes across as an entanglement of ghosts, revenge and rebirths.

From chudails and draculas, now we come to dogs. Yes, in 1985, KC Bokadia made a ‘super hit’ film, called Teri Meharbaniyan. The film, of course, has a hero (Jackie Shroff) and a heroine (Poonam Dhillon) but the protagonist is Moti, the dog. It is the dog, who takes revenge in the end and (would you believe it) kills all the villains. Moti actually seems to be the only sane and intelligent character in the film! The feather in the cap is Shabbir Kumar ‘crying’ loudly, Teri Meharbaniyan! all through the film.

Now, we come to Ram Gopal Verma ki Aag. Inspired by Bollywood classic Sholay, director Ram Gopal Verma decided to make a kind of a sequel in 2007. Now if the original was called Sholay (embers), the sequel had to be bigger than the original, hence the name Aag (fire). The film is a potent example of how to not make a film with biggies such as Amitabh Bachchan and Mohan Lal.

The film not only disgusted the critics and audiences alike, it also finished Ram Gopal Verma as a director. (he was a promising one, having delivered hits like Sathya and Rangeela). It got the stamp of world’s worst film ever (The Times of India) and was later included in Total Film’s list of ‘Worst films of all times’.

Whenever bad Hindi films are mentioned, one never forgets Ram Gopal Verma ki Aag. (it is one of a very few Hindi films which has been ridiculed ruthlessly by critics and audiences alike).

There were other really bad and forgettable movies as well, the mere mention of which still leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth. So, we can’t include them in the list of ‘classic’ bad films. But they do deserve a fleeting reference- Harry Baweja’s Love Story 2050, Sajid Khan’s Hamshakals (it is a disgustingly cheap flick). Himesh Reshammiya-starrer Karzzz (adding zs couldn’t salvage the film).

The list is long but these films are not the ‘cult bad’ films which you can watch time and again and still manage to discover new depths of the inferior. These are the films that make you realise that making good films is in fact easier. It really takes a creative genius to make a ‘classic bad film’.