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| Which ones are the essential ones that I can try to get my library to order? |
That's a tough question, because the style and themes of the movies are all over the map! What's essential depends on what you're looking for, you know?
If you want kind of touchstone movies, I guess those would be Sholay, Mughal-e-Azam, the most recent Devdas (with Shahrukh and Aishwarya), Mother India, and Dilwale Dulhania le Jayenge. Those are probably the most popular or iconic movies, although I'm not sure that they are the BEST. Well, Sholay is amazing, but the others are all flawed films in various ways. Pyaasa is another all-time classic, if you want to reach back to the '50s, but I found it really slow -- great songs, and some wonderful, iconic moments in there, though. Hum Aapke Hain Koun is a super-beloved film in India -- a whole generation of families have used it as a template for how to throw a wedding -- but I actively dislike it so I can't recommend that one.
If you just want to see what all the fuss is about, Lagaan is a great first movie to start with -- wonderful music, and very high production values. If you are put off by the cheesiness of many Bollywood films, Lagaan has less than most. Or if you want swoony romance and over-the-top beauty, there's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Asoka and Paheli are both WONDERFUL, but neither is all that typical of what most of the other films will be like. Asoka, in particular, really stands alone to me -- the look and feel are very different from the usual fare.
