a few hindi movie recommendations

So, I have been an avid consumer of hindi films for what seems like eons now. and have been doling out recommendations left and right. thought it was time to write it up. here's a list of movies i have liked quite a bit, and have watched multiple times, and would recommend wholeheartedly. must have missed a few, but will keep editing.

In my opinion, some of the new stuff is quite refreshing and different, but the mainstream "hit stuff" is still quite bad, with appalling non-actors ("stars") becoming big hits. I hate hate the insistence on masala over script - why can't there be both? that was supposed to be the whole charm of hindi movies imho.

the golden oldies (limited list - need to refresh):

dosti - sob manipulator, too earnest acting, but awesome songs
pyaasa - awesome. guru dutt was a genius - the words, the cinematography, the essence, the acting.
mother india - this was an insanely powerful movie. nargis was another genius in my mind.
bandini - nutan. nuff said.

some rajesh khanna movies i love:
bawarchi - love the family and the cooking in this movie.
anand - more for amitabh than for him, but what a film. what songs!

the 70s
(loved amitabh, dharmendra and jaya - particularly then)

guddi - love love love
abhimaan - jaya was awesome!
chupke chupke - the best comedy film they have all been in. i love me some om prakash and dharmendra in this.
sholay - what can i say that hasn't been said before?
silsila - what poetry, what nuance, way ahead of its time
mili - Jaya Bhaduri was great in this.

golmaal - hands down the best film amol palekar's been in
chhoti si baat - it was wonderfully awkward
koshish - very heartwrenching, except maybe at the very end

the 90s and 00s -

the Kajol list - I think she is the best thing to have happened to hindi cinema in the last few years. yes, i am biased.
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai - all time favorite. Love love Kajol
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge - a bit chauvinistic, but pretty amazing.
Dushman - wonderful double role, masala movie
Yeh Dillagi

The Manisha Koirala stuff: she was kind of amazing in some, kind of annoying in others. too bad she really disappeared from the limelight. was a solid actor.

Dil Se - Manisha was amazing in this movie. so much better than SRK. and the songs and visualization are unparalleled.
Khamoshi - Manisha Koirala, again amazing. wonderful songs.

The Aamir Khan list - does some interesting stuff, although not as amazing as projected. his newer stuff is suffering from his god-like image - i know, i am probably in the minority with that opinion.

Qayamat se Qayamat Tak
Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar
Lagaan
Dil Chahta Hai
Taare Zameen Par
Rang De Basanti
Andaz Apna Apna

The Shahrukh Khan list: i love his romancing and his general usage of his personality. his interviews show how engaging he is, and the movies that capture this aura are the best of the lot for me, including the more recent nuanced stuff.

Chak De India
Swades
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
Kal Ho Na Ho

The Saif Ali Khan essential list:
Hum Tum
Omkara - definitely among my favorite films of all time.
Ek Hasina Thi

Others:
Saathiya - much better in the tamil original, but still a good movie.

the newer stuff i love:

Some big impact movies for me: (i.e. felt like writing about it afterwards)
Chak De India - absolutely awesomely awesome. loved the sports and the gender empowerment. oh yeah!
Munnabhai MBBS - loved this movie for its story, its heart, and its humor.
Rang De Basanti - loved it till the near end. What stood out was the story
Luck by chance - what a nuanced movie about movies. dimple and rishi kapoor were awesome, and so was the rest of the supporting cast.
Swades - SRK at his best, lighting a bulb and what not.
Taare Zameen Par - loved the first half with the kid, kind of disappointed with the second half with Aamir khan, but still really well done.

the konkona sen stuff:
wake up sid - very generic but ranbir and konkona make it seem so new.
the president is coming - hilarious satire.
mr. and mrs. iyer - loved it for how quiet it was.

the abhay deol stuff:
manorama six feet under
oye lucky lucky oye
dev d

other "indie" films i heart:
khosla ka ghosla
iqbal
welcome to sajjanpur
kaminey
the blue umbrella

The entertaining yet flawed list:
Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham
3 idiots
Koi Mil Gaya

The non-bollywood movies I adore:
Bend it like Beckham
Monsoon Wedding
The Namesake
Born into Brothels
Salaam Bombay

Recently watched movies that i kind of hated and/or disappointed me -
Ghajini - wtf was that?
My name is Khan - hated the katrina hurricane stuff, and the scenes that tried to elevate SRK into "hero" status
Fanaa - again, kajol and amir khan were pretty good, but the movie was crap
Dhoom 2 - oh aishwarya rai, why are you an "actress"? was there a "plot"?
Delhi 6 - Abhishek bachchan was awful and the messaging overtook the nuanced movie and the wonderful, wonderful songs.
Krish, Kaho Na Pyar Hai - Rakesh Roshan always disappoints me. why do i watch?
Jhoom Barabar Jhoom - what a waste of good music and tons of money
Bride and Prejudice - really pissed me off.

A list of peoples:

Fave directors (despite some misses):
Guru Dutt
Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Vishal Bharadwaj
Raju Hirani
Karan Johar
Mira Nair - not bollywood, i know.
Dibakar Banerjee

Fave older gen actors:
Amitabh
Dharmendra
Amol Palekar
Sanjeev Kumar
Jaya Bhaduri
Nargis
Nutan

My favorite newer gen actors:

Kajol

SRK
Aamir Khan
Saif Ali Khan
Madhuri Dixit
Konkona Sen
Abhay Deol

List of People-I-don't-like-watching-for-their-"acting"-but-who-unfortunately-feature-in-too-much-I-feel-like-I-should-be-watching-and-then-invariably-end-up-regretting

Abhishek Bachchan
Aishwarya Rai
Katrina Kaif
Deepika Padukone
Salman Khan (although Wanted/Dabangg were pretty awesome)
Akshay Kumar

Other mentionable "non-actors"
Zayed Khan
Fardeen Khan
Esha Deol