Those who have watched Zero will likely attest to the fact that the movie was a mixed bag; a lot of fun in parts but altogether a confusing and preposterous mishmash of a movie. Thugs of Hindostan was even more disappointing; being neither plausible nor entertaining. While the big vehicles for the big superstars disappointed, I enjoyed many of the smaller budget films made in 2018 way more. Like I’ve said before, it’s an interesting time for Bollywood; for any or all of these reasons:
This Anurag Kashyap film starring Vineet Kumar Singh and Jimmy Shergill was highly watchable: gritty, realistic and very much rooted in its milieu.
Based loosely on a real story, Padman spoke about the unspeakable; it made a welcome attempt at much needed social change. It was a courageous film and it helped that someone of the stature of Akshay Kumar threw his heft behind the film.
Based on a teacher with Tourette Syndrome, Hichki tells the story about underprivileged kids coming good. The substance driven movie helmed by what Bollywood would call a veteran female star, was the sixth highest grossing film of the year.
This movie reiterates why Alia Bhatt is one of the finest actors of her generation and why Vicky Kaushal is one to watch out for. A beautifully made film, it has excellent performances from all the actors and literally kept me at the edge of my seat.
As a film it was highly watchable; it is a Raju Hirani film after all. The performances by the actors were top notch: Vicky Kaushal was almost unrecognisable as the same actor who portrayed the upright Pak army officer in Raazi (in other words he was brilliant); Ranbir Kapoor had Sanjay Dutt down pat. But as a biopic it failed utterly. It wasn’t so much the story of fascinating character but so much as a bunch of excuses strung together to explain away every selfish, criminal life choice made by Sanjay Dutt.
Neither Salman Khan in all his larger than life bhai-glory, nor the newly chiseled Bobby Deol could save Race 3 from becoming the cluster-f**k that it did. Instead of the trailer, I will leave you with this immensely funny review of the film: far more watchable than the film itself.
Two dead bodies get switched. The plot sounds thin, but the movie starring Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salman, Mithila Palkar, Kriti Kharbanda is a charming story peopled with real and likeable characters and is highly watchable.
While the vehicle for the geriatric Deol men; the third edition of Yamla Pagla Dewana mercifully went away without troubling most people, Stree caught our attention. As a rule, I dislike horror films but this one I liked. Great story, well etched characters, a very real setting and surprisingly funny!
According to some, this Ayushmann Khurana, Tabu and Radhika Apte starrer was the film of the year! The riveting story, complex characters and the film’s unflagging pace certainly made it one of the best films of the year.
The film spoke about a subject we Indians both hate speaking about and are fascinated by: sex! And not just sex but regular, older folks doing ‘it’. Funny, moving, thought provoking; the movie draws the viewer in with how real and believeable and enjoyable it is.
Thugs of Hindostan was the most expensive film of the year and also a cinematic coup that brought together superstars Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan on screen together. It was also one of the worst films of the year: bizarre, wildly implausible, disjointed, unoriginal, inauthentic… just a kuchh bhi film.
I went to watch this film about a vertically challenged person with low expectations (if you’ll pardon the pun) and the first half of the film actually surprised me by being funny and enjoyable in parts. But it all unraveled in the second half: the flights of fancy, the completely implausible progression of the story and that end…. The biggest kuchh bhi moment of all! Go watch it if you dare.
There is still Simmba, the year’s last big release to go, however 2018 has proved that content wins over stars any day. Movie goers today aren’t swayed by OTT star power, we want to be swept up in good stories, watch authentic, believable performances and want filmmakers to exert themselves. We are no longer content with the unoriginal, regressive tropes, lazy writing and the done to death formulas.
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