Intrinsically human, relationship and family oriented Gujarati cinema / films deals with human aspirations and the one family culture. There can be no turning away from the essential humanity of these Gujarati films.

1932 - Narasinh Mehta: Directed by Nanubhai Vakil, the film starred Mohanlala, Marutirao, Master Manhar, and Miss Mehtab. Of the `Saint film` genre. The first Gujarati film, this was on the life of the saint Narasinh Mehta who observed a creed that was followed centuries later by Mahatma Gandhi. He preferred the term Harijan for the people known as untouchables, and his morning hymns (Prabhatiyan) were especially famous. The film avoided any depiction of miracles.

1935 - Ghar Jamai: Directed by Homi Master, the film starred Heera, Jamna, Baby Nurjehan, Amoo, Alimiya, Jamshedji, and Gulam Rasool. An out-of-work never-do-well is turned out by his parents, and responds to an advertisement for a `resident son-in-law` (ghar jamai). The film recounts his escapades and his problematic attitude towards the freedom of women. The comedy was a major success.

1948 - Kariyavar: Directed by Chaturbhuj Doshi, the film starred Dina Sanghvi, Dhulia, Shobha, and Mulchand Khichdi. A villager (Sanghvi) is willing to put her hand into a container which holds a poisonous snake - for this will allow her to install a new temple idol. The snake falls in love with the girl and promises to safeguard her. She loves a gypsy, the villain loves her, and all is sorted out when the villain and another woman are sacrificed for the village good. The well that had been dug on the snake`s demand had initially proved dry, but now yields water. This was the first film of Dina Sanghvi (later, Dina Pathak).

1948 - Vadilona Vanke: Directed by Ramchandra Thakur, the film starred Motibai, Vasant Nayak, Pratima Devi, Latabai, Ramesh Vyas, Anant Vin, and Amrit. A film on the conflicts arising from differing needs and desires. The elder daughter of a retired noblemen was mismatched with a politically-savvy, urbane political prisoner while the younger daughter was similarly unsuitably married to a worthless man. It takes the death of the elder son-in-law to put an end to the unhappy situation created by joint families and individuals. The problems of modernization are the underlying concern of the film.

1950 - Gadano Bel: Directed by Ratibhai Punatar, the film starred Nirupa Roy, Dulari, Charubala, Lila Kurle, Hirabai, Maya Devi, and Manhar Desai. Three persons are all that is left of a large family - the death of the main breadwinner causes a split as other members choose to take what they can and leave. The house is sold - these three are left in the care of God, as it were. Based on a play by the Desh Natak Mandali, the film had a strong realism and reformism.

1968 - Leeludi Dharti: Directed by Vallabh Choksi, the film starred Daisy Irani, Mahesh Desai, Kala Shah, Champsibhai, Nagda and Suvarna Kapadia. A woman accused of being responsible for the village drought finds herself in the unenviable position of being married to a farmer`s son. A stillborn child adds to her jinxed aura - circumstances however arrange themselves happily and she finally finds acceptance. The rural world with its fertility rituals were very well brought out in the film.

1971 - Jesal Toral: Directed by Ravindra Dave, the film starred Anupama, Upendra Trivedi, Arvind Trivedi, Ramesh Mehta and Veljibhai Gajjar. - The Kutchhi legend of a feared dacoit reformed by a god-woman. Upendra Trivedi gave one of his finest performances as the bandit.

1975 - Tanariri: Directed by Chandrakant Sangani, the film starred Sohrab Modi, Kanan Kaushal, Bindu, Naresh Kumar, Urmila Bhatt, Vishnu Kumar Vyas, Naran Rajgor, and Leela Jariwala. The legendary musician of the Mughal emperor Akbar`s court, Tansen - his rendition of raag Deepak (the musical notes that create light and heat) threatens to lead to spontaneous combustion, and he can be saved only by an equally good rendition of raag Malhar (the musical notes that lead to cloud formation and rain). Akbar`s invitation to the sisters Tana and Riri is turned down by them because their community - Nagar - has been persecuted by the emperor. Akbar`s consequent wrath leads finally to the sisters` suicide. The film presents a little known side of Akbar who is usually presented as a consistently benign ruler.

1976 - Sonbaini Chundadi: Directed by Girish Manukant, the film starred Dilip Patel, Ranjitraj, Sohil Virani, Narayan Rajgor, Premshankar Bhatt, Jay Patel, Ashvin Patel, Girija Mitra, Anjana, and Priti Parekh. A young girl is left in the the care of the three of her seven brothers and at the mercy of a particularly cruel sister-in-law when four of her brothers leave to find work. One of the four brothers dies and his ghost returns to safeguard the sister. This was the first cinemascope film of Gujarati cinema.

1980 - Bhavni Bhavai: Directed by Ketan Mehta, the film starred Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patil, Mohan Gokhale, Om Puri, Dina Pathak, Suhasini Mulay, Benjamin Gilani, Nimesh Desai, and Gopi Desai. A group of Harijans stop for the night on their way to the city - story-telling and music follow. Set in the period when Harijans were forced to walk with a broom on their backs so as to wipe away their footprints, the story is of a king and his two queens. The birth of an heir rouses the jealousy of the other queen who wants the baby killed. However, the child survives and is brought up by a Harijan. The story has two endings - one, a happy one as told by the story-teller in which the Harijans dig a well to invoke the gods to grant the king another heir. The Harijans are freed from social tyranny and the prince can live happily ever after. The other ending, suggested by his listeners has the well turn out a dud, the beheading of the prince, the suicide of the one who brought up the prince, and a flood that destroys the evil king. The film was Mehta`s first as director. It boasted superlative performances, very fine camerawork, and won two awards - National Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration, and another award at the Nantes festival in France.

1992 - Hun Hunshi Hunshilal: Directed by Sanjiv Shah, the film starred Dilip Joshi, Renuka Shahane, Manoj Joshi, Mohan Gokhale, and Arvind Vaidya. A mysterious breed of mosquitoes has left the populace bitten and restless - the King-politician requires a scientist to rid the land of the pests. The scientist and his girlfriend shift allegiance but they are captured. The girlfriend is able to escape and head out for mosquito land; the scientist is not so lucky - he is brainwashed. The film sought to be post-modern, but emerged as a forced one - the seamless flow of plot was lacking.