A Potpourri of Vestiges Feature
Here is our pick for the top 5 films offered by Bollywood in the year 2016. Various criteria have been taken into consideration before closing in on these these 5 films. First and foremost, considerable importance is given to films which offer some food for thought and have cinematic flair in addition to being socially relevant. Apart from these, various other aspects like direction, screenplay, editing, cinematography, music, and the quality of acting have also been taken into consideration.
#5. Udta Punjab
Udta Punjab, co-written and directed by Abhishek Chaubey, is an eye-opening account of the ongoing drug crisis in Punjab that is fast engulfing the youth of the state. The film shows how drugs consume the mind, body and soul. The disturbing reality that Punjab has become makes one’s heart boil with anger and eyes wet with tears. Udta Punjab is a historical film in many ways. While it succeeds in tackling a controversial subject like cross border drug trafficking with great conviction, it also serves as a potent case study that dares to question the relevance of adhering to obsolete censorship norms in modern India, perhaps giving a new lease of life to Hindi cinema. Here is a film with powerful socio-political commentary, heavily laced with satire, which needs to be watched by drug addicts and non-addicts alike.
#4. Shivaay
Shivaay, directed by Ajay Devgn, revolves around a Himalayan mountaineer who is committed to protecting his family at all costs. Two things are required to make a movie like Shivaay. Vision and the resolve to back that vision. Shivaay has one of the best uses of music (Western as well as Indian), diegetic and non-deigetic sound for a commercial Hindi film with the visual and aural complementing each other brilliantly. Shivaay makes for a rare cinematic experience that may usher in a new age of cinema in the context of Hindi film industry. Finally, there is a film that looks set to challenge Hollywood on the technical frontier thanks to its cutting edge VFX that makes the film a reality.
Read 'Shivaay' Full Review
Read 'Shivaay' Full Review
#3. Fan
Fan, directed by Maneesh Sharma, serves as a powerful example of cinema’s influence on society and individuals. It doesn't back down from taking swipes at the established notions of fandom and stardom. The movie is a reminder of the boiling passion that drives a fan. While the movie encourages the fans to be more than just fans by following more meaningful pursuits in life, it also warns the stars to be more responsible to their fans. Fan’s cutting edge VFX is a first for Hindi cinema and perhaps a parallel can be drawn to what the Lord of the Rings proved to be for Hollywood. Fan’s rather grim ending may have marred its prospects at the box-office but about ten years from now it would be remembered not for its ending but for its courage and cinematic vision.
Read 'Fan' Full Review
Read 'Fan' Full Review
#2. Aligarh
Aligarh is a biographical drama film directed by Hansal Mehta that's based on the life of an Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) professor named Dr. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras who got suspended from his job for being gay even as the Delhi High Court declared homosexuality legal thorough an amendment in Section 377. After successfully challenging his suspension in Allahabad High Court, Prof. Siras was found dead in his house under suspicious circumstances. Aligarh tackles the highly misunderstood subject of homosexuality with considerable subtlety. Movies like Aligarh make us uneasy; force us to think more freely than what we are normally accustomed to. Here, Mehta paints a devastating portrait of human suffering that makes one question the endless hypocrisies of the world we live in. He doesn’t shy away from taking swipes at media, religion, law, politics, and society at large. Wrapped underneath its complexities and hidden subtexts, Aligarh is a simple film about a common man who suffers at the hands of an inconsiderate society. Here is a film that cannot be overlooked.
Read 'Aligarh' Full Review
Read 'Aligarh' Full Review
#1. Buddha in a Traffic Jam
Buddha in a Traffic Jam is powerful film about morality, corruption and social injustice that forces us to think about things which we don’t usually pay heed to. The film was panned by the Indian left-wing lobby at the time of its release. The issue at the heart of Buddha in a Traffic Jam is the Naxalite crisis. But the film dares to show us a different side to the Naxalite movement which is not a struggle in the jungle anymore but is driven as per a sophisticated business model designed by the high thinking masterminds. Directed by Vivek Agnihotri, Buddha in a Traffic Jam is well researched and extremely well made. The film presents its ideas, whether one agrees with them or not, in a fluid manner: It is real pity that a film was unjustly censured for leaning towards the right at time of its release when in actuality it is equally critical of both the extremes. Buddha in a Traffic is an important film that hopefully would certain gain more traction with the audiences in the times to come.
Readers, please feel free to share your thoughts/views by leaving your comments in the box below. As always your valuable thoughts are highly appreciated!
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