Sudhir Mishra’s must watch marathon

The maker of masterpieces like Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and Chameli tells you to turn on the tube for movies that made his life, and will change yours, too

The maker of masterpieces like Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and Chameli tells you to turn on the tube for movies that made his life, and will change yours, too

Great filmmakers watch the greatest cinema of all times, feels maverick director Sudhir Mishra. It's no wonder, then, that he volunteered to whip up his list of the most watch-worthy flicks for UTV World Movies' 50 Movies To See Before You Die series.

"There are movies and movies, and most of them, both from Hollywood and Bollywood, are nothing but advertisements of a way of life. In contrast, these movies provoke, and have a life-altering effect. They are movies that have made me the person that I am," Mishra smiles.

"If you allow them to enter you," he adds, "they will introduce you to a different world that of families managing to survive in a hostile world you could never imagine, of rhythms you've never felt." We bring you his top four choices.

>> The Man Without au00a0 Past
Director: Aki Kaurismu00e4ki
When: February 13
An unnamed man arrives at Helsinki, only to be mugged and beaten. He loses his memory and starts life from a scratch, living in container dwellings,u00a0 and making friends with the poor. Mishra has a special place for this one. "Not many know that Kaurismu00e4ki was a great poet as well. His movies have affected me the most."

>> Three Colours White
Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski
When: Today
White is the second in the Three Colors trilogy, with other titles being Blue and Red. Themed on the French Revolutionary ideals, the film illustrates the principle of equality. The black comedy deals with the two desires of the protagonist Karol Karol improving his stature in life, and revenge. "Though White is the least known films among all, it is the most engrossing, with a man who loses his wife and money, and descends into a different territory. It's about travelling on another tangent," says Mishra.u00a0

>> Three Brothers
Director: Francesco Rosi
When: February 27
After the death of a matriarch in southern Italy, her husband summons their three sons. The eldest, Raffaele, is a judge in Rome, and is under threat of assassination. The second, Rocco, works as a counsellor at a correctional institute for boys, so that he can fulfill his dream of helping troubled teenagers. The third, Nicola, a factory worker is involved in a labour dispute as well as a failed marriage. Together, they mourn and engage in reveries of what may come: Raffaele imagines his death, Rocco dreams of lifting the youth of Naples out of violence and drugs, and Nicola pictures embracing his estranged wife.

>> The General
Directors: Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman
When: February 20
This is a silent comedy based on the Great Locomotive Chase, a memoir penned by William Pittenger in 1862. The film was a box-office disaster but is now considered one of the greatest films ever made.

50 Movies To See
Before You Die
On: UTV World Movies
At: Every Friday, 11 pm