'Rowdy Rathore' releases today. A remake of the Telugu film Vikramarkudu, 'Rowdy Rathore' will mark the return of Akshay Kumar in the action genre after 7 years. Directed by Prabhu Deva (His second directorial venture after 'Wanted'), the film also stars Sonakshi Sinha who was last seen opposite Salman Khan in 'Dabangg'.Let's have a look at some of the best Bollywood action flicks we have seen over the years:
Wanted
One of the best action film in present time, Wanted made Bollywood to look upon South film industry for action packed sequences. Directed by Prabhu Deva, Wanted was a light film with heavy action. A remake of Telugu hit 'Pokiri', it starred Salman Khan in the lead role as the wisecracking lout later revealed as a supercop.
Salman, liberated by his larger-than-life persona, threw punches that unrealistically felled dozens, but this film works because of the madness, not despite it.
Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi
A film where Akshay's 'Khiladi' status pushed him the most in terms of physicality, this film took a classical narrative, threw in an unlikely but effective female villain in the form of Rekha, and added in some WWF wrestlers at a time the sport was pretty popular in India.
The results remain for all to see, and the scenes featuring Akshay battling The Undertaker were a blast, even if it wasn't the real Undertaker.
There was a buzz in the B-town about an alleged affair between Akshay Kumar and Rekha.
Ghatak
Few men can play wrestlers with hearts of gold, but Sunny Deol can do it without blinking and we'll buy it every time. In this Rajkumar Santoshi film, Deol watches crime lord Danny Dengzongpa feudalize an oppressed colony and, struck by their helplessness and Dengzongpa's cruelty, vows to put an end to the abuse meted out to them.
A fine actioner, this was Meenakshi Seshadri's last film.
Company
This was the highest point of Ram Gopal Varma's filmography. Jaideep Sahni's sc`reenplay fictionalised the gang-wars of Mumbai in the not-so-recent past, with Ajay Devgan taking on a Dawood-like role while debutant Vivek Oberoi played a version of Chhota Rajan.
The film, exploring a young man's rise up the criminal ranks before becoming part of an intense rivalry, is a fantastic achievement and ranks right up there as one of the best crime films we've ever made.
With this film, RGV introduced the 'item number' tradition in the Bollywood.
Satya
RGV might have made many films before and since, but this 1998 movie will remain his legacy. Written by Saurabh Shukla and Anurag Kashyap, with music by Vishal Bhardwaj and featuring an incendiary performance from Manoj Bajpai, this was a film that birthed or highlighted many a cinematic sensation.
A heartbreaking rumination on Bombay, 'Satya' was primarily a profane punch to the gut, that knocked the wind out of us.
And not to forget the famous song 'Sapne Mein Milti Hai' which made us all dance.
Deewar
Yash Chopra's Deewar was an intense, amazing and pathbreaking work that shattered conventional rules in many ways. The Big B starrer had some great fight scenes involving Amitabh Bachchan in lethally good flow.
Playing a character based on iconic smuggler Haji Mastan, Bachchan shone in this film, one that cemented his Angry Young Man status and made it a tag that stuck on forever.
The iconic dialogue between Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan is something we related this blockbuster with.
Sholay
This marvel from Salim-Javed has been one of the best film made till now. Produced by GP Sippy and directed by his son Ramesh Sippy, 'Sholay' is considered by the Encyclopaedia of Hindi cinema to be among the greatest films in Indian cinema.
'Sholay' is the story of two criminals hired to capture a ruthless dacoit by the name of Gabbar Singh. The film drew its plot heavily from the conventions of Western films.
he film topped the British Film Institute's poll of "Top 10 Indian Films" of all time. 'Sholay' is set for a release in 3D version on August 15, 2012.
Singham
With looks that could kill and a physique that has surprised many, Ajay Devgn made a comeback in the action territory, doing what he does best -- blowing up cars and bashing up goons in 'Singham'.
It was a remake of the 2010 Tamil film 'Singam' featuring Suriya.
Don
Don, a wanted criminal, dies in a police chase. DSP D'Silva is the only one who knows about his death, and to get hold of the gang he trains Don-lookalike Vijay. But Vijay faces danger from the police and from within the gang. The film was a superhit and was remade by Farhan Akhtar (son of one of the writers of the original) which starred Shah Rukh Khan. Watch SRK starrer 'Don' here:
Gadar: Ek Prem Katha
Set in 1947 during the Partition of India, the film tells the story of a truck driver, Tara Singh (Sunny Deol), a Jatt Sikh, who falls in love with a Muslim girl, Sakina (Amisha Patel), belonging to an aristocratic family.
The film was full of some action-packed sequences and stunning dialogues from Sunny Deol.
The film went on to gross around Rs 135 crore. According to Box office India, around 4 crore tickets of 'Gadar' were sold during its theatrical run while films like '3 Idiots' and 'Dabangg' sold around 2.5 crore tickets.
Dabangg
Set in the Uttar Pradesh, 'Dabangg' revolves around a cop named Chulbul Pandey. 'Dabangg' set a box office record, grossing Rs 80.87 crore in its first week and thus become the highest opening week grossing Bollywood film, overtaking the '3 Idiots'. The film went on to gross Rs 215 crore worldwide.
The film was famous for some great dialogues by Salman and the item number 'Munni Badnam' which featured Malaika Arora Khan. Watch movie here:
Dhoom
A buddy-cop action film series, 'Dhoom'centers around Jai Dixit (Abhishek Bachchan), an ACP who finds himself fighting a group of bad guys or thieves and his side-kick Ali (Uday Chopra). The first film of the series had John Abraham in the negative role and was full of bike chases and high-aderline action sequences. The second film of the series had Hrithik Roshan playing a hi-tech thief and garnered success at the box-office. The film was also in news because of the kiss betwen Hrithik and Aishwarya Rai. The third film of the series will have Aamir Khan play the negative role and will also have Katrina Kaif.
