Bollywood fantasy films that captured our imagination

The two-part film franchise that became synonymous with Indian cinema for many around the world is a definite mention in this list. S.S. Rajamouli’s magnum opus was broken down into two films, the first titled ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’ and the second ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’. The films franchise made Prabhas and Rana Daggubati household names as they crossed all-time box-office records.

The much hyped fantasy adventure superhero film did not meet with a great response at the box-office. Goldie Behl’s ‘Drona’ featured top names like Abhishek Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra in leading roles, accompanied by Kay Kay Menon and Jaya Bachchan in supporting roles. The movie featured Indian martial arts such as Kalaripayattu, Chhau, Gatka, and sword fighting. It was filmed in Prague, Bikaner, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Namibia.

Jaaved Jaaferi starrer ‘Jajantaram Mamantaram’ was based on the Gujarati fable of Bakasur, and Jonathan Swift's ‘Gulliver's Travels’. Jaaved plays a young man who reaches the land of little people, who ask him to save them from their enemies. The film also featured Gulshan Grover, Joy Fernandes, Manav Kaul and Dipannita Sharma in pivotal roles.

Upon its release, ‘Taarzan: The Wonder Car’ did not find many takers, but over the years, the film has grown its following through repeated television broadcasts. The film marked the debuts of its leading actors Vatsal Sheth and Ayesha Takia, and the latter even bagged the Filmfare Award for Best Debut (Female). Farida Jalal, Shakti Kapoor, Amrish Puri, Pankaj Dheer, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Gulshan Grover and Mukesh Tiwari played supporting roles in the Abbas-Mustan directorial. The film was loosely based on the American film ‘Christine’, which was also remade in Marathi as ‘Ek Gadi Baki Anadi’ in 1989.

Produced and directed by Shashi Kapoor and also co-directed by the Soviet filmmaker Gennadi Vasilyev, Amitabh Bachchan starrer ‘Ajooba’ was loosely based on Arabian mythology. A Russian language dub of the film was released in the then Soviet Union as ‘Vozvrashcheniye Bagdadskogo Vora’ (The Return of the Thief of Baghdad). Big B played a masked vigilante who has returned to his homeland to avenge his parents. Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Amrish Puri and Shammi Kapoor were a part of the film’s cast as well.

Featuring the hit pair of Jeetendra and Jaya Prada in the film’s lead roles, and music composed by Bappi Lahiri, ‘Pataal Bhairavi’ was a remake of the Telugu film ‘Patala Bhairavi’, which starred N.T.Rama Rao and S.V.Ranga Rao. ‘Pataal Bhairavi’ also featured Pran, Amjad Khan, Kader Khan, Asrani, Shakti Kapoor, Nirupa Roy and Dimple Kapadia in other pivotal roles.