10. Bajirao Mastani
The grandeur and beauty of this film was quite something. While I wasn’t totally floored by this film, it was quite the visual spectacle – Bhansali made sure of that.
9. Badlapur
Badlapur was a violent, gory film with Varun in a very different, un-choclatey, un-comedic role from the ones he normally picks. Here he plays a man driven by murderous revenge, a need so great that nothing can stop him.
8. Tamasha
Tamasha was angst and anguish out on display, beautifully portrayed by Ranbir Kapoor’s haltingly hesitant hero. Deepika, in her fine performance, serves as the trigger which is Ranbir’s undoing in the film. Quite stunning to behold.
7. Baby
This Neeraj Pandey directed thriller has Akshay Kumar essaying a role he could do in his sleep, that of an intelligence officer in a covert operation named “Baby”. It is engrossing, and a nice spare procedural. Baby also stars Taapsee Pannu and Rana Daggubatti.
The unwary lad’s foray into matrimony turns into a nightmare when family members force him to marry Sandhya, a woman he cannot contemplate taking on as a life partner. Ayushmann Khurana and Bhumi Pednekar are wonderful to watch in this sweet, simple, moving film.
5. NH10
The feminist film of the year, NH10 draws attention to the lack of women’s safety in the national capital (and elsewhere), and to the archaic, khap-driven, traditional rules of honor which still dictate whether they live or die. Anushka Sharma and Neil Bhoopalam star in this hair-raising, tension-filled drama.
Zoya Akhtar’s feel-good drama about family ties, love and loyalties. It stars her brother Farhan, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Anil Kapoor and Shefali Chaya among others. Drama, romance, comedy, humor and some foot-tapping music made this the all-in-one entertainer of the year.
3. Piku
The story of a father and daughter’s nitpicky relationship, and a journey involving emotion (and motion), Piku focussed on Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padrone, Irrfan Khan and the digestive tract. Beautifully wrought and moving.
2. Masaan
Society’s traditional order is crumbling not just in urban cities, but also in rural small towns. Masaan tells us of this via two parallel stories – that of Devi (Richa Chaddha) who’s fettered in by “good girl” morality, and Deepak (Vicky Kaushal) who’s trying to rid himself of the barriers the caste system imposes. The fabulous Sanjay Mishra stars as Devi’s impoverished father.
1. Titli
Titli’s titular character, played by Shashank Arora, is trying to make his way in the world, by leaving his greedy, grasping, lowlife family far behind. When he gets anchored by an unfortunate marriage, wife Neelu brings in her own set of complications. Ranvir Shourie also stars in this unpredictable, surprisingly violent film.
