The ‘60s was a decade of those who thought big and reached for the skies. It was the decade of Mughal-e-Azam and Guide. Of Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam and Kanoon. Of Gunga Jumna and Sangam. Of Upkaar, Phool Aur Pathar and Aradhana.

The ‘triumvirate’ of Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand continued their dominance in the first half of the ‘60s each coming up his magnum opus. While Raj had his magnum opus in Sangam (1964), Dev Anand had a brilliant Guide (1965). Dilip led the pack with two memorable films, Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and Gunga Jumna (1961). Rajendra Kumar lived up to his Jubilee Kumar reputation with films like Kanoon (1960), Dil Ek Mandir (1963), Mere Mehboob (1963) and Arzoo (1965). He played a critical role in Sangam as well. Shammi Kapoor kept all the stars, especially the top three, on their toes with his rebellious brand of ‘heroism’ (An Evening In Paris-1967, Junglee-1961, Janwar-1965, Teesri Manzil-1966). There were Dharmendra (Phool Aur Patthar-1966), Manoj Kumar (Upkaar-1967) and Sunil Dutt (Mujhe Jeene Do-1963) on the fringe, pushing their way to the top. There were also two new entrants, Rajesh Khanna and Jeetendra. After a slow start, Khanna made a dramatic dash for the number one slot with a series of mega blockbusters starting with Aradhana (1969), Do Raaste (1969) and Bandhan (1969). Jeetendra crashed to the ground after a great start in Farz (1967).

Four bright new female faces emerged in the ‘60s: Sharmila Tagore (1964), Sadhana (1960), Saira Banu (1961) and Rajshree (1964). They joined Asha Parekh, who had made a successful debut opposite Shammi Kapoor in Dil Dekhe Dekho in 1959. She was a product of the Filmalaya School of Acting like Sadhana. Re-emerging from the wings was Mumtaz, a brilliant actress, who had begun her innings in B and C grade films. All the five had a field day in the ‘60s. Sharmila redefined the staid profile of the heroine. Sadhana set fashion trends. Mumtaz made a hot pair with the emerging superstar Rajesh Khanna.

Among the reigning divas, Meena Kumari, Vyjayanthimala, Waheeda Rehman, Nutan and Mala Sinha continued to make their presence felt with impressive performances. Meena Kumari came up with a brilliant Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam (1962). Nutan excelled in Sujata (1959) and Bandini (1963). Waheeda Rehman scaled a new high in Guide (1965). Vyjayanthimala was outstanding in Ganga Jumna (1961) and Sangam (1964). So was Mala Sinha in Dhool Ka Phool (1959) and Gumrah (1963).

Among the film-makers, Guru Dutt recovered from the debacle of Kagaz Ke Phool (1959) to make two blockbusters, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) and Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960), though he didn’t take directorial credit for either. Vijay Anand made some outstanding entertainers (Tere Ghar Ke Samne-1963, Kala Bazaar-1960), before excelling in his magnum opus, Guide (1965), which is today ranked among the all-time cult films.

There were a few other interesting debuts: Amitabh Bachchan in Saat Hindustani (1969) and Manmohan Desai (as a director) in Chhalia (1960). Both had looked innocuous, yet the two were to form a formidable actor-director combo in the ‘70s and change the face of Hindi cinema.

The major blockbusters of the decade were Mughal-e-Azam (1960), Ganga Jumna (1961), Mere Mehboob (1963), Sangam (1964), Guide (1965), Waqt (1965), Upkar (1967), Ankhen (1968) and, the most significant of them all, Aradhana (1969)! Aradhana was the watershed film which caused a major upheaval and changed the course of Hindi cinema in the ‘70s.