Some of the finest period dramas from Bollywood to binge on

Bollywood has produced a few marvelous period dramas that had a great storyline, cast, and grandeur about the bygone era. Here are some of the bests such gems you must watch. Mughal-E-Azam, 1960

  1. Asif directed undoubtedly the most celebrated Bollywood period drama of all time, Mughal-E-Azam which is set during the reign of Akbar, played by Prithviraj Kapoor. This saga was so popular that it became the first black-and-white Hindi movie to be digitally coloured and re-released in 2004. To date, Mughal-E-Azam is admired as one of the finest classic Hindi films ever made.
 Jhansi Ki Rani, 1953 Sohrab Modi directed this movie which was set in the backdrop of the great mutiny of 1857. This historical saga depicts the bravery of Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi who was probably one of the first Indians to lead a fight against the British rulers. The movie was released in black and white, and in 1953 was released again as one of the first Technicolour films in India. The movie was also released in the USA as The Tiger and The Flame in 1956.  Sikandar, 1941 Another classic from Sohrab Modi, Sikandar is considered to be the finest period drama of the Indian film industry. Set in 326 B.C., the movie begins with Alexander the Greatafter conquering Persia and Kabul Valley reaching Jhelum Valley. In the main lead, Prithviraj Kapoor plays the role of Alexander the Great and Sohrab Modi, the Indian king Puru or Porus. Lagaan, 2001 Lagaan is considered Ashutosh Gowariker’s Magnum Opus. This Academy Awardnominating movie for the Best Foreign Language category is set in the Victorian period of the British Raj. The film is set on the issue of high taxes and drought and is set in Gujrat. Lagaan features in the list of greatest Hindi films of all time and is rankednumber 55 in Empire Magazine’s “The 100 Best Films of World Cinema”. Devdas, 2002 This Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed epic is an adaptation of the namesake Bangla novel written by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. It’s about a law graduate Devdas who returns to India from London and falls from alcoholism and mental degradation due to his childhood sweetheart. Devdas debuted at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival too.  Asoka, 2001 Santosh Sivan directs Shahrukh Khan as the lead in this extravaganza about the 3rd century BCE emperor of the Maury Dynasty.The movie received international acclamations as it was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival. Padmaavat (2018), Jodhaa Akbar (2008), and Bajirao Mastani (2016) are some recent romantic period dramas you should not miss.