Cities have often been central to the plot in movies. Here, we pick 10 films in which they transcend their roles as mere locales
The making of this list has seen much debate. Why Satyajit Ray’s Pratidwandi and not Mahanagar? Why not Dhobi Ghat or Hyderabad Blues? Truth is, it’s tough choosing just 10 films from the wide variety of cinema in the past 100 years. For the rest, we hope the debate will go on.
Dhanbad
Gangs of wasseypur
Gangs of Wasseypur is a two-part saga of Dhanbad’s savage coal mafia sprawling over six decades. The film stuns you with impeccable detailing, authenticity in setup, flavour of the language (including most certainly the local profanities), and the rustic musical score picked up from the streets of Bihar. Right from the opening sequence that introduces us to Wasseypur, the film goes on to bring the little town alive on the big screen.
Calcutta
Bombay
(This story appears in the 03 May, 2013 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)