Bollywood blockbuster Sholay has topped the British Film Institute`s poll on Indian cinema while ace filmmaker Satyajit Ray has been voted as the top director in the category. Voted for by a wide range of experts associated with South Asian film industries from filmmakers and performers to writers and critics, the top ten features both Bollywood and art house titles, a BFI release said on Tuesday.With a dialogue that achieved cult-status, the 1975-Ramesh Sippy multi-starrer grosser tells the story of two runaway thieves defending a village against bandits, it said.

Satyajit Ray is the top Director with Pather Panchali and Charulata occupying the second and sixth place respectively, while titles from the 1950s and 1960s dominate the list. Commenting on the success of Sholay, Cary Sawhney, and Director of the Imagine Asia festival said, "Sholay has themes akin to the great Hollywood and Italian Westerns, with an action-packed story of everyday heroes defending a village. "It also has a spectacular villain, songs and an all-star cast led by the legendary Amitabh Bachchan. It is this mix of elements, which makes Sholay infinitely watchable and loved by millions of fans. It is the perfect Hindi film", he said.

The top ten Indian films selected are: Sholay (Ramesh Sippy), Pather Panchali (Satyajit Ray), Mother India (Mehboob Khan), Pyaasa (Guru Dutt), Meghe Dharka Tara (Ritwik Ghatak), Charulata (Satyajit Ray), Subarnarekha (Ritwik Ghatak), Mughal-e-Azam (Karimuddin Asif), Amma Ariyan (John Abraham), Awaara (Raj Kapoor).