"Unpopular opinions are simply defined as ideas and beliefs that go against or completely contradict the conventional status quo. “Unpopular” is a relative term, because one's opinion may only be that way because of where they are located in the world."

The present time allows for unrestrained voicing of a lot of such opinions, which would otherwise have given rise to personal unrest. Families, social circles, etc. tend to ridicule an opinion that is not in sync with the consensus. People on the internet have been voicing these so much, that it is almost trendy to present your personal 'unpopular opinions'. I felt that we could give this trend a twist, and make it an interesting activity. We could have a round of unpopular opinions pertaining to the Golden Era of Hindi Cinema (1950s to 1970s). Read/post at your own peril.

I'd like to fire it off by presenting some of my own opinions:-

1) Most leading ladies of the 1950s/1960s/1970s were stunningly beautiful, beyond compare. Sadly, I wouldn't say the same for any of our golden age heroes. (talking of looks alone)
2) The debate of who the better singer between Lata and Asha is endless, and I do not think that in a very long time will anybody reach a conclusion to this. However, I would, any day, choose Lata Mangeshkar's voice. I must say, Ashaji shows great versatility. But for me, that is where my praise for her singing ends. I prefer the honey glazed innocence of Lataji over the metallic undertone that Asha's voice can sometimes emit. Late 70s onward, the situation became inverse. Ashaji began to outshine Lataji.
3) Salil Chowdhury, Naushad, C. Ramachandra and Madan Mohan deserve much, much more acclaim than they have ever received. In popular culture, not more than one or two albums of each of these singers have been imprinted in the hall of fame sections of history books. It is such a shame. These music directors are at least one league above the likes of Shankar-Jaikishan, R.D. Burman, Kalyanji-Anandjii and Lakshmikant-Pyarelal. The latter crop of composers receives so much more acclaim than the previous crop.
4) The action-era Amitabh Bachchan never fascinated me. The hype is beyond my comprehension. I would wish for a great artist to have a better-layered craft.
5) In my eyes, Lata Mangeshkar in her twenties was really good-looking and beautiful. I find myself wishing that there was a parallel universe where she had given a hand at acting with a glamorized persona. With the correct grooming, she sure as hell would have equalled the top heroines of yore.
6) Hardly any films in the color era showed even bordering excellence in their cinematography. At best, I could say that they were often very workmanlike. The potential was there, as can be witnessed in the B/W era which set the bar so high for cinematography and photography. In the later years, everything seemed to have become commercial-oriented. Speed was the essence.
7) I wish feminism had awakened in the golden era. I would have loved to see Nutan, Waheeda Rehman, Asha Parekh and other women of the sect to play something beyond the archetypal Bhabhi/Mummyji characters. All of these women aged so gracefully. Can you imagine them as independent, clerical figures in film? I can.
Sharmila Tagore is an overrated actress. I find her annoying. Alas, she has amazing films to her credit. Only if someone else had essayed Vandana in Aradhana.
9) Ameeta and Jabeen Jalil are actresses who deserved to ascend heights which they had perhaps only dreamed of. The Janta did them bad.
10) I once read a YouTube comment in which somebody said that Simi Garewal was not a great actress. I fully agree with that.

Would love to hear from the others.

Interesting opinions! Particularly about the actresses and actors looks........nowadays the heroes are prettier than the heroines

It's interesting that you didn't mention OP Nayyar in the list of music directors, what are your opinions on him?

I partially agree about Amitabh Bachchan - but in the midst of films like Zanjeer, Deewaar, Kaalia, there were also films like Jurmana, Alaap and Bemisaal (ironically, all directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee).

With regards to the actresses, some of them had really great roles - Waheeda Rehman had Khamoshi, Nutan had Sujata and Bandini, Asha Parekh had Kati Patang - but in the 80s/90s, I think it was a pity what they were reduced to. At least Waheeda Rehman regained some of her grace in the later films of Yash Chopra.

Simi Garewal is a great actress. Her performance every week on Rendezvous with Simi Garewal was extremely consistent!!!!

Thank you for responding, bhaskar. Sorry about the late reply. I have not subscribed to this sub-forum, so I never received any notification.


OP Nayyar composed music for mass appeal. That being said, I hold him in higher regards than LP and RDB, simply because he was the true trendsetter that newer composers end up taking credit for being. The composers that I listed before had a deep understanding of cultural nuances and classical theories, so they endear me a lot.


Very true, but he isn't really remembered for these performances. Neither of these films were successes at the box office, either. Furthermore, all of these films had other cast members who took the centre stage and, to some extent; outshone Amitabh Bachchan.


These three actresses had great potential. I would have loved to see them play characters trying to make a mark in industries and corporate organizations. Although, I do not think the audience would have enjoyed seeing this.