Artwork drawn from the title — how & why

The Extended Canon

Madhumati

मधुमती · 1958

A man sheltering from a storm recognises a house, a portrait and a life he has lived before. Ritwik Ghatak wrote it.

Director
Bimal Roy
Year
1958
Genre
Romance · Fantasy
Cast
Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Pran

Why it's in the canon

The original reincarnation blockbuster, and Salil Chowdhury's most beloved score.

A man sheltering from a storm recognises a house, a portrait and a life he has lived before. Ritwik Ghatak wrote it.

Madhumati sits in the 1950s alongside Pyaasa and Mother India — a decade this canon treats as foundational.

The Bollywood 100

The essentials

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