1. Meghe Dhaka Tara (1960, Bengali), directed by Ritwik Ghatak
Story of a self-sacrificing woman who puts her wedding on hold because she is the sole breadwinner of a refugee family that barely ekes out a living in Calcutta.
2. Charulata (1964, Bengali), directed by Satyajit Ray
Charulata is a loose adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's Noshto Neer, set against the backdrop of the reform movement in 19th century Bengal. Among all his films, Charulatha was Ray’s favorite.
3. Pather Panchali (1955, Bengali), directed by Satyajit Ray The film focussed on a poverty-stricken family in rural Bengal, it underscored the invincibility of the human spirit and the magical beauty of the landscape juxtaposed against the misery of the characters that populate it.
4. Sholay (1975, Hindi), directed by Ramesh Sippy
A hugely successful adventure flick that drew upon conventions of the Western to deliver a pure Bollywood movie experience that remains unmatched to this day.
5. Do Bigha Zameen (1953, Hindi), directed by Bimal Roy
This is a tragic drama about a small farmer who is compelled by indebtedness to relocate to the big city and become a rickshaw-puller. Do Bigha Zameen, which exposes the vice-like grip that ruthless zamindars/moneylenders have on agriculture in this country, is generally regarded as one of the earliest and finest examples of "neo-realism" in Indian cinema.
6. Pyaasa (1957, Hindi), directed by Guru Dutt
Inspired by Saratchandra's novel, Srikanta, Guru Dutt's Pyaasa is the story of poet who has no takers in a nation overrun by philistinism. The cinematic mastery on display in Pyaasa has rarely been replicated in mainstream Hindi cinema.
7. Bhuvan Shome (1969, Hindi), directed by Mrinal Sen
This small Film Finance Corporation-funded satire was Mrinal Sen's big national-level break. Many also regard it as the film that marked the beginning of the New Indian Cinema movement.
8. Garam Hawa (1973, Urdu), directed by MS Sathyu
Set in Agra, the story is about an elderly shoe manufacturer and his family who are faced with a crucial question: should they continue to live in India or migrate to the newly-formed state of Pakistan? The prospects are daunting and there is little hope of a future in a climate of distrust and hate.
9. Mother India (1957, Hindi), directed by Mehboob Khan
One of the greatest films ever made in this country, Mother India rightly enjoys the status of a timeless epic. In its grand narrative, it captures aspects of Nehruvian India that are both positive and negative.
10. Ghatashraddha (1973, Kannada), directed by Girish Kasaravalli
Based on a story by UR Ananthamurthy, the film is set in an orthodox 1920s Brahmin village in Karnataka. It chronicles the travails of a child widow as seen through the eyes of a boy.
11. Elippathayam (1973, Malayalam), directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Adoor Gopalakrishnan's most accomplished film, traces the last legs of a decaying feudal order In Kerala. It revolves around Unni, a middle-aged man who cannot pace with the changing world around him.
12. Mughal-e-Azam (1960, Urdu), directed by K Asif
a blockbuster to beat all blockbusters, blending style, panache and substance. This historical romance tells the apocryphal love story of Prince Salim (Dilip Kumar) and commoner Anarkali (Madhubala). They face opposition from all quarters, including Emperor Akbar (Prithviraj Kapoor), and Anarkali dies to save the prince.
13. Nayakan (1987, Tamil), directed by Mani Ratnam
Nayakan, by far the greatest underworld dramas ever made in India, catapulted Mani Ratnam to the big league. The film was a riveting, if controversial, fictionalisation of the life and times of real-life Bombay mafia don Varadarajan Mudaliar.
14. Kaagaz Ke Phool (1962, Hindi), directed by Guru Dutt
Guru Dutt's most melancholic film ever, takes his deepening disillusionment with the world and its guardians to a new level of despair.
15. Apur Sansar (1959, Bengali), directed by Satyajit Ray
A superbly crafted, expertly modulated human drama, the film tracks the voyage of a boy turning into a man in a tough environment and it does so with unmatched empathy and perspicuity.
Taken together, Pather Panchali, Aparajito and Apur Sansar constitute one of the greatest cinematic achievements the world has ever seen.
16. Sant Tukaram (1936, Marathi), directed by Damle & Fatehlal
A film that has outlived all others made in the 1930s, Sant Tukaram was an outstanding recreation of the life and times of the 17th century poet-saint.
17. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (1980, Hindi), directed by Kundan Shah
This dark, cocky satire about amoral politicians and avaricious businessmen is the greatest advertisement for FTII that there has ever been.
18. Guide (1965, Hindi), directed by Vijay Anand
This is a sweeping drama about a tourist guide who rescues a wannabe dancer from a loveless marriage to an archaeologist and helps her achieve stardom. He makes money in the bargain but is convicted for forgery. When he returns from jail, he wanders about the countryside and is mistaken for a holy man. His messianic halo is strengthened when he starves himself to death in order to end a dry spell in a drought-hit area.
19. Madhumati (1958, Hindi), directed by Bimal Roy
This classic reincarnation story scripted by Ritwik Ghatak was the biggest commercial success of Bimal Roy's varied directorial career. The stars, Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala, play multiple roles alternating between the present and a past life.
20. Anand (1970, Hindi), directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee
A terminally ill hero is determined to make the most of the remaining months of his life. In one of his early starring roles, Amitabh Bachchan played a Bengali doctor who develops a deep emotional connect with the dying man.
This list emerged from the 'T20 of Indian Cinema' poll of NDTV in which 20 experts from around the country - 10 young filmmakers and 10 seasoned critics and scholars – participated.
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