It was in the year 1975 that Bollywood proved it could wear many hats and wear them well. From the blockbuster-of-all-blockbusters Sholay to the rise of ‘angry young man’ in Deewaar, and the spiritual pull of Jai Santoshi Maa to the satirical smartness of Chupke Chupke, every genre found its moment in what could be described as the most monumental year for Hindi cinema.
Even today, 50 years later, the stories from 1975 find takers in an era dominated by special effects and extensive promotions. Here we take a look at ten films that made 1975 Bollywood’s coming of age half-a-century ago.
Sholay
On August 15, the Indian film industry changed forever. Sholay rode into town like a cinematic storm, all guns blazing, and etched its place in the annals of history. Ramesh Sippy’s tale about two ex-convicts hired by a retired police officer to capture a ruthless dacoit remains unforgettable. Amitabh Bachchan’s brooding Jai, Dharmendra’s affable Veeru, and Amjad Khan’s terrifying Gabbar Singh made Sholay a household name, with its dialogues still making it to social media memes in 2025.
Jai Santoshi Maa
A pious woman’s unshakable devotion to the goddess Santoshi Maa is tested by familial cruelty, until divine intervention rewrites her fate in Vijay Sharma’s Jai Santoshi Maa, which released on the same day as Sholay but carved a niche of its own. The film was made on a modest budget with no stars to speak of, but its devotional element sparked a nationwide fervour. Women arrived at theatres barefoot, bearing offerings. The film reminded Bollywood that faith can often trump fanfare.
Dharmatma
Feroz Khan took Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather family saga, added dashes of glamour, horses, and Afghan landscapes, and served up Dharmatma. A dutiful son returns home to avenge his godfather’s murder and discovers buried secrets. With a pulsating Kalyanji-Anandji score and vintage Feroz Khan swagger, the film proved that Hindi cinema could be influenced by the West yet remain rooted in desi melodrama.
Deewaar
Yash Chopra’s Deewaar, written by the iconic screenwriter duo Salim-Javed, was no ordinary tale of sibling rivalry. It was a grim reflection of a country teetering on the edge — where one brother joins the police, and the other the underworld, leading to a face-off like no other. Amitabh Bachchan’s Vijay became the voice of the angry, disillusioned middle class. His iconic dialogue “mere paas maa hai” resonates with film audiences even today.
Khel Khel Mein
Youthful romance met mystery in Khel Khel Mein, a campus caper that tiptoed into thriller territory. A playful prank by college students spirals into a deadly game when a mysterious murder ties their carefree world to a criminal nexus. Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh turned up the charm, while R.D. Burman’s music did the rest. Ek Main Aur Ek Tu was the groove of the year and Ravi Tandon’s film proved that the college romance still had room for a plot twist or two.
Julie
When a young Christian girl falls in love with a Hindu boy and ends up pregnant, there’s no happy song-and-dance — just silence, shame and social scrutiny. K. S. Sethumadhavan-directed Julie tackled interfaith romance and unwed motherhood with surprising sensitivity. Lakshmi's performance was heartfelt and Preeti Sagar’s My Heart is Beating lent an English lilt to a very Indian crisis.
Chupke Chupke
What do you get when a botany professor impersonates a driver to prank his in-laws? A lesson in English grammar and comic genius. Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Chupke Chupke turned language into a playground, with Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, and Om Prakash having a ball with verbal acrobatics. The cherry on top? Sharmila Tagore’s youthful romance with senior Deol.
Aandhi
She’s a powerful politician. He’s a hotelier with a shared past. Their paths cross again, and the personal history collides with the political present. Gulzar’s Aandhi, starring Suchitra Sen and Sanjeev Kumar, walked a delicate tightrope between reel and real. Temporarily banned during the Emergency for the protagonist's resemblance to Indira Gandhi, the film endures as a haunting portrayal of ambition and regret.
Chhoti Si Baat
Basu Chatterjee encapsulates the spirit of a middle-class India in Chhoti Si Baat, a romantic comedy loosely based on the 1960 British film School for Scoundrels. The story follows the shy and awkward Arun (Amol Palekar), who seeks help from a quirky retired Colonel (Ashok Kumar) to win the heart of the confident Prabha (Vidya Sinha), while competing with the smooth-talking Nagesh (Asrani).
Nishant
Shyam Benegal’s Nishant is a haunting portrayal of feudal oppression and moral decay in rural India. The film follows the abduction of a schoolteacher’s wife by the brother of a zamindar in a village, exposing the complicity of silence and the slow-burning rage of the oppressed. With powerhouse performances by Girish Karnad, Shabana Azmi, and Naseeruddin Shah, Nishant is a benchmark in Indian parallel cinema.