Predictably, Amitabh Bachchan continued his reign, hitting a series of jackpots at the box-office while Rishi Kapoor, Vinod Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha and Shashi Kapoor settled to play the buddy or brother with everything they got.

It also marked the rise of a new generation of actors like Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff and Govinda as well as lavish debuts of star sons like Kumar Gaurav, Sanjay Dutt and Sunny Deol. Sensations down South, Kamal Haasan and Rajnikanth vied for a wider audience taking their first baby steps in Hindi fare like Ek Duuje Ke Liye and Andha Kanoon, respectively.

Besides giving birth to fresh talent, 1980s was lined by one phenomenon after another. The post-Love Story Kumar Gaurav hysteria, Mithun Chakraborty's disco-enthused mania, Madhuri's Ek do teen craze and the beginning of a (Aamir, Salman) Khan-studded stardom.

The heroines had it good too. If the artistic trio of Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi and Deepti Naval bagged meaty roles in art house productions, Rekha hit prime time with her work in Umrao Jaan, Khubsoorat, Silsila and Ijaazat.

While Bollywood got its Bobby back in Dimple Kapadia's dazzling comeback vehicle -- Saagar, its number one star Sridevi acquired the title of female-Amitabh Bachchan only to face a potential threat in Madhuri Dixit's increasingly popular jhatkas and Juhi Chawla's giggly innocence.

Even as sensible filmmakers like Gulzar, Sai Paranjype, Kundan Shah, Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani and Ketan Mehta lend substance and credibility to their beloved art form, 'Jumping Jack' Jeetendra and Sridevi forged a super hit partnership that frolicked clumsily to the tune of South Indian film remakes courtesy hits like Himmatwala, Mawaali and Tohfa. The Ramsay brothers and their creepy brand of creativity, too, gained considerable mileage with horrors like Purana Mandir, Sannata and Veerana.

Nevertheless with young visionaries like Rahul Rawail, Subhash Ghai, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, N Chandra, Mansoor Khan and Sooraj R Barjatya taking centre stage, the fate of commercial cinema looked far from doomed.

Melody wise, it rained chartbusters thanks to pulsating soundtracks from Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Rahul Dev Burman, Khayyam, Bappi Lahiri, Ravindra Jain, Rajesh Roshan, Anand Milind and Ram-Laxman.

Of side-splitting comedy, excessive masala, seething action, thought-provoking reality and rebellious romance, the Eighties, like Mumbai's bhelpuri are impossible to resist.

A look at the Ten Must-Watch Films of this eclectic decade:

PS: Believe it or not, it's impossible to keep it to a brief ten, leaving us with no choice but to let go of some truly remarkable movies. Write in to let us know about the ones you would have picked.

Text: Sukanya Verma

Here, smitten is defined as lending a laundry-fresh garment to detergent salesgirl for sampling purposes, dating involves slurping on dollops of tutti-frutti and an all-knowing paanwala expounds gyaan on matters of heart and like.

Without treading any stereotypes, Farookh Shaikh plays the nerdy nice guy allowing his inherent boyish personality to take over. As his lady love, Deepti Naval is suitably coy on the surface and spirited beneath. The duo, as witnessed in several films, share an easygoing chemistry that always makes their affections appear real and relatable.

Adding zing to all this is Rakesh Bedi and Ravi Baswani's rollicking combination of Ghazal 'n' Pop. Idle and unemployed, these smoke-puffing dreamers are eternally on vacation, high on Bollywood-inspired imagination and allergic to everything work.

A caper so loved and quoted, Kundan Shah's first-time effort is also regarded as his most-heralded contribution to cinema. Even after all these years, the scrumptious satire hasn't lost an ounce of its wit or relevance to time.

Against Vanraj Bhatia's curious theme, a bumbling duo of wannabe photographers, Vinod and Sudhir, christened after Shah's assistants -- Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Sudhir Mishra, investigate a conspiracy theory only to realise they are being taken for a ride, leading them into a hilarious chase that wraps up into a on-stage grand finale of side-splitting proportions after which Mahabharata can never be the same again.

Budget be damned, Jaane Bhi Do Yaroon held its own, largely because of its fine cast. Be it the palpable fellowship between an amorous Naseeruddin Shah and goofy Ravi Baswani, Om Puri's delectable drunken tantrums or Pankaj Kapur's tittering take on amorality.

Further amusement follows in the form of Satish Kaushik and Neena Gupta's prickly banter, Deepak Qazir's ode to Mumbai's gutters and a hawk-eyed opportunist Bhakti Barve caught amidst it all. There's no way we cannot mention Satish Shah now, is there? The man makes playing dead so good.

Loosely adapted from Erich Segal's moving novel Man, Woman And Child, Masoom ponders over the intricacies of human relationships with discernable grace and emotional detailing. The idea is not to sensationalise an extra-marital outing but to engage into a study of what follows after.

What makes Kapur's directorial debut appealing is not only his ability to extract a complex performance from his actors -- both seasoned and raw, but a steady refusal to let any protagonist seem negative even when remorseful or distant.

It takes an exceptional cast and composer to articulate the delicacy of Gulzar's writing. And that is exactly what is echoed in Naseeruddin Shah's apologetic body language -- both as a reluctant father and guilt-ridden husband, Shabana Azmi's terrific conflicts shifting between maternal instincts and wronged wife, Jugal Hansraj's quivering tone and big, blue eyes brimming with questions and Rahul Dev Burman's beautiful compositions like Tujhse naraaz nahin, Do naina, Lakde ki kaathi and Huzoor is kadar.

In what can be dubbed one of his best works, Bhatt delivers an uncompromising edition of raw misery reeling under the impact of an unfeeling society, rampant bureaucracy and ongoing exploitations.

Saaransh is essentially about a senior citizen couple coming to terms with the sudden demise of their only son and a subsequent bond formed between them and their pregnant but demoralised tenant.

Originally pictured with Sanjeev Kumar in mind, Bhatt changed his mind after witnessing a furious outburst from newcomer Anupam Kher.

Only 28 years old then, Kher played the 60-something with such awe-inspiring assurance, it was hard to believe it's only an act.

Set in the Kutch village of colonial India, Mirch Masala raises several questions over the mistreatment of women in a feudal hierarchy, infringement of basic rights and appalling submission to anyone in power. The striking texture of an arid backdrop and its gritty inhabitants is masterfully captured in Jehangir Chowdhary's inspiring camera work.

Under Mehta's keen eye and restrained execution, the talented assembly of actors inject a distinctive personality to the roles they play.

The story and its various sub-issues ultimately lead to a final act of retribution, which entitles Mirch Masala to its reputation of a one-of-its-kind, hard-hitting, engaging experience.

At a time when angst was projected with graphic realism, Mr India was just the kind of escapist fare the audience was looking for. Playing on everyman's ultimate fantasy of becoming an invisible super hero, this filmi fantasy left no stone unturned to make this big deal, a great one.

Director Shekhar Kapur deftly married Salim-Javid's common man fervour with science fiction masala to concoct one grand children's film, steamy seduction of Kaate nahi kat te notwithstanding.

As the messiah of the downtrodden and orphaned, Anil Kapoor rendered his character a Raj Kapoor-inspired benevolence with comic undercurrents while never really parting with the Jhakaas within.

The real humour came from Amrish Puri's high-voltage giggle and trademark one-liner as well as Sridevi's wide-eyed amusement, be it as Ms Hawa Hawaii or desi Chaplin.

There's much contemplation in its narrative and all the right pauses in its speech, which takes place during a rainy night in the impersonal confines of a waiting room. Though there's enough tenderness to hold on to in these portions, the real colours are revealed in the flashbacks that follow.

An edgy relationship between two headstrong, liberated individuals halts on an unexpected note after one bows out to marry another. A rather special lady, the other is. But compromises do not necessarily guarantee a fruitful collaboration. Ijaazat articulates why.

Gulzar's magic is at work all through. Be it the exchange between the enigmatic, subdued Rekha, a bemused Naseeruddin Shah and a free-spirited Anuradha Patel. Or the flee-flowing verse of Katra katra, Mera kuch saaman, Khaali haath sham and Choti si kahani, crafted within R D Burman's exquisite melody.

In this Thakur-themed adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Aamir and Juhi play Raj and Rashmi -- a pair of star-crossed lovers who challenge their fate and families to live their happily-ever-after.

Even if the plot offered nothing new, the lilting freshness of their romance, chemistry and cuteness-perfect pairing of Aamir and Juhi, along with a effective supporting cast, Mansoor Khan's flair for details and Anand-Milind's splendid score (Akele hain, Ghazab ka hai din, Papa kehte hain, Aye mere humsafar), contributed significantly in making Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak worthy of a spot in Bollywood's hall of fame.

To date, nothing compares to the lovely rawness of its young leads as opposed to the polished, prepared lot of present-day.

Like in the case of all Vijay Anand flicks, Johnny Mera Naam, too, boasted of superior camerawork, sleek technique, a chartbusting score and its equally captivating choreography.

No one can quite erase the image of Dev Anand popping out from every door and window in the playful Pal bhar ke liye or Hema Malini's melodious pacifier, O mere raja or even Padma Khanna's seductively undressing to the beats of Husn ke laakhon rang.

In this rollicking tale of estranged brothers, played effectively by Dev Saab and Pran, romance and revenge find their own sweet screen time as well as success.

Besides making a A-lister out of a, as Nigella Lawson would emphasise 'gorgeous-gorgeous' Hema Malini, it also went on to become a highly profitable box office proposition affirming its ageing lead hero's 'evergreen' stature to anyone in doubt.

Eternally inspiring and ceaselessly profound, Anand muses over life and its bittersweet lyrics through the upbeat philosophy of its vivacious protagonist and the irony he treads. Without allowing the proceedings to get overbearingly melodramatic, Mukherjee succinctly conveys his point with Gulzar-penned humour and, at times, lop-sided sarcasm.

The poignant hues of its theme are articulated in Salil Choudhary's stirring compositions like Kahin door jab, Maine tere liye hi saat rang ke and Zindagi kaisi yeh paheli.

Also, the then little-known Amitabh Bachchan makes an unforgettable impact as Babumoshai, one of the most endearing supporting characters of cinema, ever.

Anand, of course, would be impossible to conceive today without Rajesh Khanna's boundless energy and unrelenting charisma. Career best? Undoubtedly!

Sigh, didn't you? Golden moments are made of stuff like this. Indeed, when the King of Panache lays eyes on the Queen of Tragedy and her dainty feet, it was understood that the long-in-the-making Pakeezah would more than live up to its pristine title.

Filmmaker Kamal Amrohi creates an experience so rich in extravagance, imbued in shimmering poetry and compelling symbolism, it transports its viewer in an age of love in the times of conformity, its tradition of heartbreaks for the merchants of romance and the burning need to change it all.

Against Ghulam Mohammad's splendid tunes of Inhi logon ne, Chalo dildaar chalo, Chalte chalte or Thade rahiyo, a resplendent Meena Kumari, who sadly didn't live to see its release, rises to enthral a mesmerised audience while the inimitable Raaj Kumar does what he did best - deliver.

A premise as old as time - rich boy, poor girl versus parental opposition, notwithstanding, Bobby excels itself in director Raj Kapoor's showmanship and the rebellious effervescence of its inexperienced stars.

A major success of its time and a roaring musical (Mujhe kuch kehna hai, Main shayar to nahin, Hum tum ek kamre, Jhoot bole kauva), Bobby became a giddy muse for impressionable boys and girls both in the art of romance and fashion. Well, that's Bollywood BFF for you.