For Tigmanshi Dhulia, love for movies happened quite early on. In an interview to Pune Times, he revealed how his parents were huge movie buffs. It was his father he saw the best films with. "He would take me to watch The Godfather and All The President’s Men when I was in just Class VIII even though at that age I did not understand them. But he would explain them to me," he reminisced. So it isn't surprising that he went ahead with his love for cinema and made some of the best movies in Indian cinema. It also shocks us to discover that this maverick director has only made 11 movies. What did he do otherwise? Well, Dhulia's acting prowess keeps him busy it seems.  Yaara: Tigmanshu Dhulia Reveals His Upcoming ZEE5 Film Is a Homage to Honour the Friendship Between Four Friends

So on his birthday today, let us tell you about five of Dhulia directed movies that deserve to be watched. For ease of access, we will also tell you where you can watch them.

Haasil (2003)

Where to watch: Youtube

Haaisil bared student politics in Universities and Dhulia went back to his roots, Allahabad, for his first film. The smooth editing and brutal narrative keep you hooked. Irrfan Khan is the star of this film. His outrageous brash aspiring politician character ready to do anything to win it will blow your mind.

Charas -- A Joint Effort (2004)

Where to watch: Youtube

Charas should be watched just for kicks. Irrfan is called Policeman and Jimmy Sheirgill Dev Anand. It might make the film sound like a parody but when there's a blonde Irrfan, you know it's anything but that. Such is Dhulia's deftness as a director that you will find yourself appreciating Uday Chopra's acting efforts.

Shagird (2011)

Where to watch: Youtube, Zee5

Although we don't know why some of the people were part of the film, Shagird is a pure delight due to the wise-cracking lines and some fantastic performances by Naseeruddin Shah, Anurag Kashyap and others. Our favourite is the scene where Shah shoots a TV playing Emraan Hashmi because he loves old Hindi film songs.

 

Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster (2011)

Where to watch: Youtube

Dhulia's knack of casting the right actors for his roles works tremendously well for him in many of his movies. Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster benefits supremely. A story about fake gloss of royalty who are yet to accept the changes around them and the politics inside get a major boost in Jimmy Sheirgill's immaculate Saheb, Mahie Gill's snappy Biwi and Randeep Hooda's Ghulam turn. Getting sucked into that make-believe world is so easy.

Paan Singh Tomar (2012)

Where to watch: Netflix

Paan Singh Tomar is the best biopic ever made. It blends the true story of the athlete turned dacoit perfectly with entertainment and a mind-boggling actor, Irrfan Khan. We have yet to watch a biopic this good. In fact, it won't be wrong to say this movie actually made the genre a rage.

 

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 03, 2020 08:40 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).