The British Film Institute (BFI) is compiling a list of top 100 Hindi films since the days of the first Indian movie.

The list, expected to be released next year, will be contained in a book titled "100 Hindi Films" being written by acclaimed British film scholar Rachel Dwyer, who has authored several books on Bollywood.

"The BFI wanted to come out with a book on 100 top Hindi films and they suggested that I write it. The book should be ready by end-2005," tells Dwyer.

Dwyer has already finished drawing up the list of top 100 Hindi films since the days of the first Indian silent film "Raja Harishchandra" was released in 1913.

"The list will not be a ranking of the top films, but only a representation in an alphabetical order of what I think are the top 100 films in Hindi cinema," said Dwyer, a reader in Indian studies and cinema at the School of Oriental and Asian Studies (SOAS) in London.

Said Dwyer, whose main area of research has been Hindi cinema and who is also an expert in Gujarati language and literature: "I think around 50 of the films that I have selected will be non-controversial. The rest 50 could be interesting and could be cause for debate."

Dwyer said the yardstick she used to select the films was popularity, historical significance and aesthetics, "not necessarily in that order though".

Various Indian publications, particularly film magazines, have come out with their own list of top 100 Hindi films, but this is perhaps for the first time that a book is being written explaining why the films chosen made the list.

"With every film that I mention I have tried to explain why it had found a place on the list. It's my personal opinion," Dwyer said.

Predictably, Amitabh Bachchan has the highest number of films mentioned in this list. "There are also many films of Dilip Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan," said Dwyer.

And what took her to a school of filmmaking despite being in the industry for 13 years? "There are still so many things I don't know," says she. After producing a film herself which role does she find easier that of an actress or filmmaker? "Being an actress is the easiest. You are pampered all the time and the red carpet is always out for you," she avers.

Ask her who her favourite director is and you get a straight forward answer. "Maniratnam. I love the way he mixes styles and picks real life situations and characters," says she.

While she has always believed in living life on her own terms, has she mellowed down? "I don't think I've changed. I have always been open about my life and relationships. In a hypocritical society like ours one gets a lot of flak if one is honest. But there are some strong and good people who appreciate honesty," she emphasises.

And what kind of a relationship does she share with her boyfriend Cecil? "One has to have a friend in a partner, only then can the relationship last," says she. So does Cecil support her in all her decisions? "Oh! he has no choice," she grins. She goes on to tell us that Cecil is coming back from New York and the duo is going on a holiday. We try to probe about where they'll be headed but Manisha firmly refuses to reveal anything.

What does she do when she has spare time? Can she cook? "I like to watch films and spend time with friends. I do cook sometimes when I'm in the mood," she says.

Any plans of marriage and settling down? "I want to settle down one day, but I think one doesn't have to get married to be happy. One can be alone and still be happy," she points out. Any plans of joining politics? "I keep a keen eye on politics, not only Indian but international too. But I don't have any plans of getting actively involved," she signs off.