Flashback 2015: 10 Best Bollywood Films
Here's the latest update from the world of Bollywood. We bet you wouldn't want to miss this. Read on for details... Fascination for fractured families dominated the narrative this year
After attempting to thematically connect the finest films of 2015, one comes to the conclusion that this was a year of dysfunctional families: the richie rich (Dil Dhadakne Do), the pathetically poor (Titli) and even the middle-class (Talvar).
Look a little deeper and another common pattern that emerges is how the best movies of the year had troubled father-daughter relationships at their centre. This is, in all likelihood, coincidental.
But the observations these films made were nuanced, the writing rich and their overall artistic merit, far superior than some (actually, much) of the other trash that we have to annually endure. So, here we present our list of the year's best films in reverse order:
10. Piku
Image Source: facebook/PikuTheFilm
Shoojit Sircar's Piku is a beautiful snapshot into the everyday lives of an oddball Bengali father (Amitabh Bachchan) and his feisty daughter (Deepika Padukone) who take an unlikely road-trip from Delhi to Kolkata with Irrfan Khan at the wheel. Laced with just the right amount of drama and filled with a generous amount of subtlety, Piku glimmered with a soothingly indie vibe and refreshingly natural performances. It became one of the rare films to explore and celebrate the fine, often overlooked nuances of a father-daughter relationship.
9. Masaan
Image Source: Indiaforums
Like Piku, a segment of Masaan explores the troubled equation between a father (Sanjay Mishra) and daughter (Richa Chadda), as they struggle to overcome loss and incompatibility, unable to find any glimmer of optimism in their ruptured relationship. A heartbreaking tale of love, loss and closure, Neeraj Ghaywan's directorial debut also introduced us to the extraordinarily talented Vicky Kaushal while passing an unflinching commentary on the dramatic metamorphosis of small-town India. Decidedly dark yet brimming with hope, Masaan's emotional epicentre resides in its characters' desperation and their abilities to rise above their many tragedies.
8. Titli
Image Source: Thehoot
In Titli, familial conflict reaches such insane levels of monstrosity; you are left numb by the visuals. Partially inspired by the real-life story of the film's writer-director Kanu Behl (his father was cast as the patriarch), Ranvir Shorey steals the show in this crime saga that works as a metaphor for the decaying underbelly of Delhi. Behl's direction was taut and he managed to extract some fine performances, offering a window into the dystopian reality of a section far removed from the opulence one tends to associate with the Capital.
7. Dil Dhadakne Do
Image Source: facebook/DDDTheFilm
Far from Titli's claustrophobic confines, opulence is at primetime display in Zoya Akhtar's ensemble drama. Quite literally, the film belongs to the other end of the (Titli) spectrum as it deals with issues plaguing a wealthy family on the brink of bankruptcy. While the star quotient of Anil Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma and Farhan Akhtar gave the film a much-required sense of sophistication, their interpersonal relationships revealed a fragility that's all too familiar. Once again, the film delves into a delicate father-daughter relationship revealing both, PeeCee's strength as an entrepreneur and weakness as a daughter, in equal measures.
6. Badlapur
Image Source: Pandolin
In this twisted saga, Sriram Raghavan creates a world where revenge seems the only befitting road to redemption. Current sensation Varun Dhawan broke away from his romantic hero image as he embraced the dark shades of Raghav, a character undeservingly wronged and one that gets obsessed with avenging his wife's (Yami Gautam) murder. The film created a utopian world and then systematically destroyed it, with Sriram showing the lengths a man could go to, to make peace with an unbearable past. But does he? Badlapur's moral ambiguity was its most potent strength.
5. Dum Laga Ke Haisha
Image Source: Maglol
One of the absolute surprises of the year, Dum Laga Ke Haisha is a gem, which will get better as it ages. Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar star in this unlikely love story about a small-town man underwhelmed by his bride and the subsequent realisation of their plus-size love story. Dum Laga Ke... is a film made with a lot of love and director Sharat Katariya must be credited for having an eye for impeccable detailing. He brought such astounding authenticity through the supporting cast, watching the film felt like taking a trip into India's hinterland.
4. Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Image Source: facebook/BBThisEid
This crowd-pleasing drama from director Kabir Khan tugged at our heartstrings and made us shed copious tears of uncontainable happiness. Little Harshaali Malhotra's angelic face made us forget our troubles and imbibe hers, while the otherwise lazy Salman Khan actually put in effort to make a character entirely his own. Most importantly, Bajrangi Bhaijaan's secular texture made it all the more relevant in a year that was largely dominated by conversations about intolerance. And who knew Nawazuddin Siddiqui could make us laugh with the assured confidence of a seasoned comic?
3. Bajirao Mastani
Image Source: facebook/bajiraomastani
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's incisive storytelling was at strong display in this fine period drama that romanticised history by presenting Bajirao as a love-torn warrior. A magnificent musical, Bajirao Mastani's screenplay had several key moments of absolute cinematic elation and the terrific performances elevated it from being just another song-and-dance melodrama. While real-life lovers Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone brought alive their romance with a maddening urgency, it was Priyanka Chopra's Kashibai who shone brighter than the film's multiple chandeliers. Shifting emotions from love, jealousy and denial to reluctant acceptance, her turn as the almost-abandoned wife was one of the most intriguing characters we've seen in a while.
2. Tamasha
Image Source: Thequint
Clearly, Imtiaz Ali's most accomplished work, Tamasha, tapped into our forgotten strengths and gave it renewed meaning. Deeply layered and deliberately complex, the film belonged to Ranbir Kapoor who relished every moment of Ved's character while the irresistibly gorgeous Deepika Padukone shone astutely as Tara. What made the film work was how it managed to reignite lost and dusted passions, inspiring one to ditch monotony and routine for escapades and adventures that could be potentially life-altering.
1. Talvar
Image Source: Omnipundit
Meghna Gulzar's retelling of last decade's most sensational murder mystery played out like a thoroughly-researched journalistic piece one would find as a long-read in a news magazine. Again, a story that strongly suggested a broken father-daughter relationship, Talvar is probably one of the most important films to come out of Indian cinema in the last few years. Passing a strong judgement on the Aarushi Talwar case,the film exposed the laughably amateur investigative process of the country while also shaming both, the fractured judiciary and a sensationalist, exploitative press. The film's perspective, based on facts, shook us and left an indelible impact on our collective consciousness. Its Rashomon-like narrative was courtesy Vishal Bhardwaj, its hauntingly sad score and songs -- work of the great Gulzar. It was a perfect film about flaws in human behaviour and ranks right at the top of our list.
Thumbnail Image Source: facebook/bajiraomastani & Tribuneindia
Look a little deeper and another common pattern that emerges is how the best movies of the year had troubled father-daughter relationships at their centre. This is, in all likelihood, coincidental.
But the observations these films made were nuanced, the writing rich and their overall artistic merit, far superior than some (actually, much) of the other trash that we have to annually endure. So, here we present our list of the year's best films in reverse order:
10. Piku
Image Source: facebook/PikuTheFilm
Shoojit Sircar's Piku is a beautiful snapshot into the everyday lives of an oddball Bengali father (Amitabh Bachchan) and his feisty daughter (Deepika Padukone) who take an unlikely road-trip from Delhi to Kolkata with Irrfan Khan at the wheel. Laced with just the right amount of drama and filled with a generous amount of subtlety, Piku glimmered with a soothingly indie vibe and refreshingly natural performances. It became one of the rare films to explore and celebrate the fine, often overlooked nuances of a father-daughter relationship.
9. Masaan
Image Source: Indiaforums
Like Piku, a segment of Masaan explores the troubled equation between a father (Sanjay Mishra) and daughter (Richa Chadda), as they struggle to overcome loss and incompatibility, unable to find any glimmer of optimism in their ruptured relationship. A heartbreaking tale of love, loss and closure, Neeraj Ghaywan's directorial debut also introduced us to the extraordinarily talented Vicky Kaushal while passing an unflinching commentary on the dramatic metamorphosis of small-town India. Decidedly dark yet brimming with hope, Masaan's emotional epicentre resides in its characters' desperation and their abilities to rise above their many tragedies.
8. Titli
Image Source: Thehoot
In Titli, familial conflict reaches such insane levels of monstrosity; you are left numb by the visuals. Partially inspired by the real-life story of the film's writer-director Kanu Behl (his father was cast as the patriarch), Ranvir Shorey steals the show in this crime saga that works as a metaphor for the decaying underbelly of Delhi. Behl's direction was taut and he managed to extract some fine performances, offering a window into the dystopian reality of a section far removed from the opulence one tends to associate with the Capital.
7. Dil Dhadakne Do
Image Source: facebook/DDDTheFilm
Far from Titli's claustrophobic confines, opulence is at primetime display in Zoya Akhtar's ensemble drama. Quite literally, the film belongs to the other end of the (Titli) spectrum as it deals with issues plaguing a wealthy family on the brink of bankruptcy. While the star quotient of Anil Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma and Farhan Akhtar gave the film a much-required sense of sophistication, their interpersonal relationships revealed a fragility that's all too familiar. Once again, the film delves into a delicate father-daughter relationship revealing both, PeeCee's strength as an entrepreneur and weakness as a daughter, in equal measures.
6. Badlapur
Image Source: Pandolin
In this twisted saga, Sriram Raghavan creates a world where revenge seems the only befitting road to redemption. Current sensation Varun Dhawan broke away from his romantic hero image as he embraced the dark shades of Raghav, a character undeservingly wronged and one that gets obsessed with avenging his wife's (Yami Gautam) murder. The film created a utopian world and then systematically destroyed it, with Sriram showing the lengths a man could go to, to make peace with an unbearable past. But does he? Badlapur's moral ambiguity was its most potent strength.
5. Dum Laga Ke Haisha
Image Source: Maglol
One of the absolute surprises of the year, Dum Laga Ke Haisha is a gem, which will get better as it ages. Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar star in this unlikely love story about a small-town man underwhelmed by his bride and the subsequent realisation of their plus-size love story. Dum Laga Ke... is a film made with a lot of love and director Sharat Katariya must be credited for having an eye for impeccable detailing. He brought such astounding authenticity through the supporting cast, watching the film felt like taking a trip into India's hinterland.
4. Bajrangi Bhaijaan
Image Source: facebook/BBThisEid
This crowd-pleasing drama from director Kabir Khan tugged at our heartstrings and made us shed copious tears of uncontainable happiness. Little Harshaali Malhotra's angelic face made us forget our troubles and imbibe hers, while the otherwise lazy Salman Khan actually put in effort to make a character entirely his own. Most importantly, Bajrangi Bhaijaan's secular texture made it all the more relevant in a year that was largely dominated by conversations about intolerance. And who knew Nawazuddin Siddiqui could make us laugh with the assured confidence of a seasoned comic?
3. Bajirao Mastani
Image Source: facebook/bajiraomastani
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's incisive storytelling was at strong display in this fine period drama that romanticised history by presenting Bajirao as a love-torn warrior. A magnificent musical, Bajirao Mastani's screenplay had several key moments of absolute cinematic elation and the terrific performances elevated it from being just another song-and-dance melodrama. While real-life lovers Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone brought alive their romance with a maddening urgency, it was Priyanka Chopra's Kashibai who shone brighter than the film's multiple chandeliers. Shifting emotions from love, jealousy and denial to reluctant acceptance, her turn as the almost-abandoned wife was one of the most intriguing characters we've seen in a while.
2. Tamasha
Image Source: Thequint
Clearly, Imtiaz Ali's most accomplished work, Tamasha, tapped into our forgotten strengths and gave it renewed meaning. Deeply layered and deliberately complex, the film belonged to Ranbir Kapoor who relished every moment of Ved's character while the irresistibly gorgeous Deepika Padukone shone astutely as Tara. What made the film work was how it managed to reignite lost and dusted passions, inspiring one to ditch monotony and routine for escapades and adventures that could be potentially life-altering.
1. Talvar
Image Source: Omnipundit
Meghna Gulzar's retelling of last decade's most sensational murder mystery played out like a thoroughly-researched journalistic piece one would find as a long-read in a news magazine. Again, a story that strongly suggested a broken father-daughter relationship, Talvar is probably one of the most important films to come out of Indian cinema in the last few years. Passing a strong judgement on the Aarushi Talwar case,the film exposed the laughably amateur investigative process of the country while also shaming both, the fractured judiciary and a sensationalist, exploitative press. The film's perspective, based on facts, shook us and left an indelible impact on our collective consciousness. Its Rashomon-like narrative was courtesy Vishal Bhardwaj, its hauntingly sad score and songs -- work of the great Gulzar. It was a perfect film about flaws in human behaviour and ranks right at the top of our list.
Thumbnail Image Source: facebook/bajiraomastani & Tribuneindia
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