Indian has one of the oldest civilizations in
the world and a lot of topics are still untouched by Indian film makers who
continuously make effort to bring history live into their films. Here is a list
of the best Bollywood films in the category of visually stunning period films:
Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005)
Director Ketan Mehta’s Indian historical
film, Mangal Pandey: The Rising is based on the life and times of an Indian
soldier, Mangal Pandey, known for his epic role in the Indian mutiny of 1857.
The film stars Aamir Khan in the role of protagonist, coupled with Rani
Mukerji, Toby Stephens, Coral Beed, Ameesha Patel and Kirron Kher. The film has
a larger than life effect and that’s make it a perfect masterpiece.
Lagaan (2001)
Ashutosh Govariker’s Lagaan is the third
Indian film to be nominated for the Academy Award in the category of Best
Foreign Language Film. The other two are ‘Mother India’ (1957) and ‘Salaam
Bombay’ (1988). The story of the film presents an extraordinary Cricket match
between the arrogant British Raj officers and Indian villagers, who will be
relieved by high taxes after winning the never played game. The film stars
Aamir Khan and Gracy Singh in lead roles, coupled with British actors Rachel
Shelley and Paul Blackthorne in supporting roles.
Hey Ram (2000)
First of all, Hey Ram is a Kamal Haasan film
as a director as well as an actor. The film was also Indian submission to the
Oscars in the category of Best Foreign Language Film. The story of the film
portrays the life-journey of Saket Ram (Kamal Haasan) from being a lovable
person to religiously hatred one on the background of partition of Bengal.
Jodhaa Akbar (2008)
‘Lagaan’ fame Ashutosh Govariker comes with
Jodhaa Akbar, an epic historical Indian drama film. The film features Hrithik
Roshan, Aishwarya Rai and Sonu Sood in lead roles. The story of the film
depicts the epic romance between the Mughal Emperor Akbar (Hrithik Roshan) and
the Princess Jodhabai (Aishwarya Rai).
Mughal-e-Azam (1960)
Mughal-e-Azam is the magical show of director
K. Asif. The epic historical drama film features grand Prithviraj Kapoor, tragedy
king Dilip Kumar, Magnificent Madhubala and power pact Durga Khote. The story
of the film deals with the famous love affair between Mughal Prince Salim and a
court dancer Anarkali, which leads to conflict between father and son.
Asoka (2001)
Director Santosh Sivan portrays the dramatized
story of early life of Emperor Asoka, the famous Indian ruler. The film stars
Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Ajith Kumar, Danny Denzongpa and Harshita
Bhatt. The story focuses on Ashoka’s life before Buddhism and is a visually
stunning show in all aspects including song and dance.
Bazirao Mastani (2015)
Bajirao Mastani is an upcoming Bollywood
romantic action packed thriller period film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
The film stars the talented trio – Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Priyanka
Chopra. The plot of the film is based on the love story of Mastani, the second
wife of Maratha Peshwa Bajirao I. Further it creates a love triangle with
Bajirao’s first wife Kashibai. However, the show-man of the film, Sanjay Leela
Bhansali has magnificently balanced action with a bundle of emotions. And the
dialogues of this magnum opus are just superb. One such line said by Deepika
Padukone:
“Kiski
talwar par sar rakhu ye bata de muje, ishq karna khata hai to saja de muje”
