Bollywood films are often associated with cheesy entertainers in which the hero and heroine spontaneously break into song and dance, with storylines that are heavy on melodrama and often light on substance. However, in 2021, it is past time to dispel these overused myths.
1. TRAPPED
Vikramaditya Motwane directed and co-produced Trapped with Anurag Kashyap, Vikas Bahl, and Madhu Mantena under the banner of Phantom Films. Rajkummar Rao stars as Shaurya, a call centre employee who becomes stuck in his apartment room without food, water, or electricity, and Geetanjali Thapa as the employee’s mother, Noorie. Alokananda Dasgupta composed the film’s music and background score, while Rajeshwari Dasgupta wrote the lyrics. The cinematographer was Siddharth Diwan, and the editor was Nitin Baid. Motwane was inspired to make the film after receiving an e-mail from writer Amit Joshi. He liked the concept and requested a complete script from Joshi, which he got a month later. Joshi and Hardik Mehta later rewrote the document, reducing the 130-page draught to 40 words. The film was filmed over a span of 20 days in an apartment in Prabhadevi, Mumbai. Trapped had its world premiere at the Mumbai Film Festival on 26 October 2016, where it received a standing ovation. It opened to favorable reviews from critics on 17 March, who lauded both the film’s premise and Rao’s performance. At the box office, it earned a total of 28.5 million (US$400,000). At the 63rd Filmfare Awards, the film won many awards, including the Critics Award for Best Actor for Rao, the Best Sound Design award for Anish John, and the Best Editing award for Nitin Baid.
2. Section 375 (2019)
Section 375, alternatively titled Section 375: Marzi Ya Zabardasti, is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language courtroom drama film written and directed by Ajay Bahl. It is produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak, and SCIPL. It is based on Section 375 of India’s Penal Code. Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra, and Rahul Bhat star in the film. The film’s principal photography began in January 2019. Rohan Khurana (Rahul Bhat), a well-known film producer, is arrested and convicted of rape by a sessions court after assistant costume designer Anjali Dangle (Meera Chopra) accuses him of rape. In the High Court, senior and talented criminal barrister Tarun Saluja (Akshaye Khanna) works tirelessly to discredit the accuser’s charges, while Hiral Gandhi (Richa Chadda), a utopian and zealous lawyer prosecuting her first major case and a former Saluja trainee, serves as the plaintiff and defence barrister for the alleged victim. Tarun Saluja conducts himself according to his principles. While law is a reality, justice is an abstract concept. & attorney should avoid being personally invested in the case or engaging in debates over what is right or wrong. Tarun Saluja explains to Hiral Gandhi how justice is obstructed in the absence of adequate protection. Pursuing justice is nothing more than a career boost for the defence attorney, the prosecution, and even the judges. He succinctly summarises this with the phrase “We are in the business of law, not justice.” This is diametrically opposed to Hiral’s attitude, who is zealous in her pursuit of justice. She has resigned from Tarun’s law firm precisely for this reason. The film was released theatrically in India on 13 September 2019 to mixed reviews, earning a 64 percent Rotten Tomatoes Critics Rating. The film opened to modest box office receipts on its opening day and was deemed “Average” at the box office.
3. Gully Boy
Gully Boy is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language musical drama film written and directed by Zoya Akhtar. Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, and Akhtar produced the film under the banners of Tiger Baby Films and Excel Entertainment Productions, with Nas serving as executive producer. It is directed by Ranveer Singh and stars Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Vijay Varma, Amruta Subhash, and Vijay Raaz in supporting roles. The film is a coming-of-age storey about an aspiring street rapper from Mumbai’s Dharavi slums. It is inspired by the lives of Indian street rappers Divine and Naezy. Murad Ahmed, a final-year college student from Mumbai, resides in the Dharavi slums. To the family’s dismay, his abusive father Aftab Shakir Ahmed brings home a much younger second wife. Murad cultivates an interest in rap music. Safeena Firdausi, his longtime and overtly possessive girlfriend, is studying to be a surgeon and visits him secretly on a regular basis. After being forced to work as a chauffeur part-time due to his father’s injury, Murad begins writing, his lyrics inspired by the disparities he experiences on the job. After meeting local rapper Shrikant “MC Sher” Bhosle at a college fest, he is enticed to perform his lyrics at underground shows and rap battles, eventually uploading a video to YouTube. Gully Boy’s principal photography began in January 2018 and concluded in April 2018. It had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on 9 February 2019 and was released to critical acclaim on 15 February 2019. With a global gross of more than 2.38 billion (US$33 million), it became the year’s seventh highest-grossing Hindi film. Gully Boy won a record 13 Filmfare Awards, the most for a single film in a calendar year, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Singh), and Best Actress (Bhatt), becoming the second film to win all four acting awards, 21 years after Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). It received the NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film at South Korea’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. It was also chosen as India’s entry for the 92nd Academy Awards’ Best International Feature Film category, but was not nominated.
4. Andhadhun
Andhadhun is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language black comedy crime thriller film written and directed by Sriram Raghavan. It is produced by Matchbox Pictures and distributed by Viacom18 Motion Pictures. Tabu, Ayushmann Khurrana, and Radhika Apte star in the film, which follows a blind piano player who becomes unwittingly involved in the murder of a former film actor. Raghavan, Arijit Biswas, Pooja Ladha Surti, Yogesh Chandekar, and Hemanth M Rao wrote the script for Andhadhun. Surti edited the film, and K. U. Mohanan served as director of photography. Amit Trivedi composed the film’s music, while Jaideep Sahni penned the lyrics. As guest composers, Raftaar and Girish Nakod collaborated on the title song. In 2013, Rao recommended L’Accordeur (The Piano Tuner), a 2010 French short film about a blind pianist, to Raghavan. Raghavan was taken with the film and wanted to adapt it into a screenplay. After contacting Raghavan and expressing an interest in working with him, Khurrana was cast in the lead role. The film was filmed in Pune over the course of 44 days, beginning in June 2017 and concluding on 17 July 2018. Andhadhun was released theatrically in India on 5 October 2018 by Viacom18 Motion Pictures to critical acclaim. The prose, as well as Khurrana and Tabu’s performances, were lauded by critics. It received four Screen Awards nominations, including Best Director and Best Screenplay, and five Filmfare nominations, including Best Film (Critics) and Best Actor (Critics) for Khurrana. Additionally, it was nominated for three National Film Awards: Best Hindi Feature Film, Best Actor for Khurrana, and Best Screenplay. The film has amassed a worldwide box office gross of over 456 crore (US$64 million). It was remade in a variety of Indian dialects.
5. DIL CHAHTA HAI
Dil Chahta Hai is a 2001 Hindi-language Indian coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama film directed by Farhan Akhtar and written by him. The film, which stars Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni, and Dimple Kapadia, is set in contemporary urban Mumbai and Sydney and focuses on a major period of transition in the romantic lives of three college-graduate friends. Akash, Sameer, and Siddharth have just graduated from college and are celebrating by travelling to Goa. They unwind in a scenic spot by the sea, vowing to return every year. Only Sid doubts that they will stay friends once life takes over. When they return, Sameer’s parents arrange for him to marry Pooja, the daughter of one of their friends, while Akash’s parents ask him to manage the family business in Sydney. Sid meets a new neighbour, Tara Jaiswal, who lives alone and whom he assists in moving. Dil Chahta Hai was a forerunner in Bollywood road films. Dil Chahta Hai is a breezy watch that follows long-lost friends on a trip to Goa to rediscover their approach to life. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi in 2001.
6. MUNNABHAI M.B.B.S
Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film directed by Rajkumar Hirani and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The film, which is loosely based on the American biographical comedy Patch Adams, stars Sanjay Dutt as the titular character and Gracy Singh in the lead roles, with Arshad Warsi, Boman Irani, Jimmy Shergill, Sunil Dutt, and Rohini Hattangadi in supporting roles. Based in Mumbai, Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. follows Murli Prasad Sharma (Sanjay Dutt), a goon nicknamed Munna Bhai, who stays with his friend and sidekick Sarkeshwar a.k.a. Circuit (Warsi), and pretends to be a doctor upon the arrival of his parents, whose wish to see their son as a doctor is shattered after one of the father’s Munna, vowing vengeance on Asthana and his daughter “Chinki,” a childhood friend, unwittingly secures admission to a medical college whose dean turns out to be Asthana himself. However, he falls in love with a house doctor, Suman (Singh), who is unaware that she is “Chinki” herself, and creates a climate of empathy among students and patients, which Asthana perceives as chaotic, resulting in a slew of hilarious situations and frictions between them.
7. LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA
Lipstick Under My Burkha is unapologetic in its social commentary, unapologetic in its mirroring of Indian patriarchy, and reminds men that women, even those old enough to be their mothers, have sexual desires. The term “burkha” in Lipstick Under My Burkha must be viewed with all of its connotations. It is not a literal reference to the form-camouflaging garment worn by Muslim women traditionally. The term “burkha” refers to both a piece of clothing and the veiling of a woman’s dreams, desires, and feelings. This film is not about religious women in particular. It’s about all the women who live in the shadow of tyranny. Lipstick Under My Burkha takes place in Bhopal, where Usha Parmar (Ratna Pathak Shah), Rehana Abidi (Plabita Borthakur), Shirin Aslam (Konkona Sensharma), and Leela (Aahana Kumra) live in a congested lower-middle class neighbourhood. Rehana is a college student who also works part-time at her parents’ tailoring shop. Unbeknownst to them, she is rebelling against their restrictions and the burkha that has been imposed on her. Shirin has been working as a door-to-door salesperson with great success a stone’s throw from her home, unknown to an authoritarian husband (Sushant Singh), only to return home each day to be raped by him. Meanwhile, Leela the beautician has been planning a new business while also having an affair with a local Muslim photographer (Vikrant Massey), unbeknownst to her loving fiancé or her widowed and financially desperate mother (Sonal Jha). Unbeknownst to them all, Usha is lost in a world of sleazy romantic novels, even as she manages her own sweet shop and a large, crumbling residential building she appears to co-own with her nephews.
8. SHOLAY
Sholay is a 1975 Indian action-adventure film directed by Ramesh Sippy and produced by his father G. P. Sippy. The storey revolves around two criminals, Veeru and Jai (Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan, respectively), who are hired by a retired police officer (Sanjeev Kumar) to apprehend the ruthless dacoit Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan). Basanti and Radha, Veeru and Jai’s love interests, are played by Hema Malini and Jaya Bhaduri, respectively. Sholay is regarded as a classic and one of the best Indian films of all time. It came in first place in the British Film Institute’s poll of the “Top 10 Indian Films of All Time” in 2002. The judges of the 50th Filmfare Awards named it the Best Film of the Last 50 Years in 2005. Thakur Baldev Singh, a retired police officer, summons a pair of small-time thieves he once arrested in the small village of Ramgarh. Thakur believes that the pair – Veeru and Jai – would be ideal for assisting him in apprehending Gabbar Singh, a thief wanted by the authorities for a 50,000 reward. Thakur instructs them to hand over Gabbar alive to him in exchange for an additional 20,000 reward. The two thieves foil Gabbar’s attempt to extort the villagers. Soon after, Gabbar and his henchmen attack Ramgarh during the Holi festival. Veeru and Jai are trapped in a difficult battle. Despite the fact that Thakur has a gun at his disposal, he refuses to assist them. The bandits flee as Veeru and Jai fight back. The two, however, are dissatisfied with Thakur’s inaction and consider leaving the village. Thakur explains that Gabbar had murdered nearly all of his family members and had both of his arms amputated a few years ago, which is why he couldn’t use the gun. He had always worn a shawl to hide his dismemberment. The jovial Veeru and the cynical Jai grow fond of the villagers while living in Ramgarh. Veeru is drawn to Basanti, a fiery, talkative young woman who makes a living driving a horse-drawn carriage. Jai is drawn to Radha, Thakur’s reclusive, widowed daughter-in-law, who reciprocates his feelings subtly.
9. RAAZI
Raazi is the storey of Sehmat, a young and innocent Indian college student. Hidayat Khan (Rajit Kapur), Sehmat Khan’s (Alia Bhatt) father, works as a secret service agent for the Indian government. He is friends with Brigadier Syed of Pakistan (Shishir Sharma). When Hidayat learns that he only has a few days to live due to a tumour discovered in his lungs, he asks his daughter to continue his work as a secret service agent. To that end, he arranges for Sehmat’s marriage to Brigadier Syed’s son, Iqbal Syed (Vicky Kaushal). Before the nikaah, Sehmat is trained by Khalid Mir (Jaideep Ahlawat) in everything a spy should know, such as code language, information transmission, self-defense, and so on. Sehmat travels to Pakistan as both Iqbal’s wife and Brigadier Syed’s daughter-in-law, as well as an Indian spy. While the Syed family believes she is a simple and dutiful wife, she is actually passing on incriminating information – right under her husband’s and in-laws’ noses. This information demonstrates that Brigadier Syed and other Pakistani army personnel are plotting an attack on India. However, Abdul (Arif Zakaria), a Pakistani by birth, works in the Syed household. He does not appear to like Sehmat. Sehmat frequently visits the market, where she meets undercover Indian spies. Slowly, Sehmat is forced to resort to extreme measures for her safety, including attempting to murder Abdul, the Syeds’ devoted housekeeper, and Brigadier Syed’s older son, Mehboob (Ashwath Bhatt). The Pakistani government then learns that secret messages were sent to India from the Syed residence. The Pakistani government wishes to identify the perpetrator in the Syed household. Is Sehmat safe in her marital home in Pakistan now? Is her husband going to find out the truth about her? Will Sehmat’s father-in-law arrest her? Will the Indian government intervene to save her? Will Sehmat perish in Pakistan?
10. DUM LAGA KE HAISHA
Dum Laga Ke Haisha, also known as My Big Fat Bride in the United States, is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Sharat Katariya and starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar, Sanjay Mishra, and Seema Pahwa. Andrea Guerra, an Italian composer, composed the film’s background score. The film was released on February 27, 2015, to positive reviews. After a five-week run, the film grossed 42 crore (US$5.9 million) nett in India, according to Box Office India. On April 16, 2015, the film celebrated 50 days in theatres. The final worldwide gross for the film was 71.85 crore (US$10 million). Prem Prakash Tiwari (Ayushmann Khurrana) is a young owner of a video cassette shop in Haridwar’s local market in 1995 who belongs to a nationalist organisation. He goes to its branch every day for their early morning ritual of reciting the national anthem, making a pledge to the nation, and exercising. Although senior members are married, and there are no restrictions on junior members marrying, abstinence is one of the organization’s core values. However, it is expected that their members will not pursue their married lives at the expense of national service. His father wants him to marry Sandhya, an educated but overweight girl (Bhumi Pednekar). Despite his dislike for her, Prem agrees to marry her because he cannot win over a girl with ‘Juhi Chawla-level-of-looks.’ Furthermore, because Sandhya is attempting to become a school teacher, his family encourages him to consider this alliance for financial assistance. Prem and Sandhya eventually marry in an elaborate community wedding ceremony. At the 61st Filmfare Awards, Dum Laga Ke Haisha received five nominations, winning two: Best Female Debut for Pednekar and Best Cinematography. The song “Moh Moh Ke Dhaage” received three nominations for Varun Grover’s lyrics and Papon and Monali Thakur’s vocals. In addition, the film received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.
11. ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language buddy road comedy drama film directed by Zoya Akhtar and produced by Excel Entertainment’s Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani. The film stars Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol, Farhan Akhtar, Katrina Kaif, and Kalki Koechlin in an ensemble cast. On a budget of 550 million (US$7.7 million), it was shot in Spain, India, Egypt, and the United Kingdom. Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy composed the music and score, and Javed Akhtar wrote the lyrics. The plot of the film revolves around three childhood friends, Arjun, Kabir, and Imraan, who reunite for a three-week road trip. They travel to Spain, where they meet Laila, who falls in love with Arjun and helps him overcome his need to work. There are numerous misunderstandings between Kabir and his fiancée Natasha. Each friend chooses a dangerous sport for the group to participate in during their trip. Kabir Dewan proposes to Natasha Arora, his girlfriend. Natasha learns at the engagement party that Kabir is planning a three-week bachelor party road trip to Spain with his school friends – Imran Qureshi, an advertisement copywriter, and Arjun Saluja, a financial broker working in London. According to Kabir, the three friends have a long-standing agreement that during the road trip, each of them will choose an adventure sport to try together. Arjun is initially hesitant to go because he does not want to miss work. Imran secretly plans to track down his estranged biological father, artist Salman Habib, who lives in Spain.
12. THAPPAD
Thappad is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Anubhav Sinha and co-produced by T-Series’ Bhushan Kumar. Taapsee Pannu’s film was released in theatres on February 28, 2020. Thappad is without a doubt the best Hindi film of 2020 so far. Thappad, starring Tapsee Pannu, is a reflection of society and its patriarchal routines that cut across class lines. Others are as obvious as daylight, while others are more subtle, but each is equally bad in its own right, and Director Anubhav Sinha has struck a fine balance between practical storytelling and preaching territory. Tapsee Pannu’s performance, as well as Ratna Pathak Shah and Kumud Mishra’s as Tapsee’s parents, is noteworthy. Amrita Sandhu and Vikram Sabharwal have been married for a number of years. Amrita is a beautiful woman and a homemaker who spends her days caring for Vikram and the house. They throw a party at their house to celebrate Vikram’s promotion, which will require them to move to London. However, while at the party, Vikram receives a call telling him that his promotion contract has been jeopardised in favour of his novice junior, who is a relative of his boss. He becomes enraged and engages in an altercation with his boss, Rajhans, whom he accuses of timing him. Vikram slaps Amrita in front of everyone as she attempts to break up the quarrel. The incident shakes her; she begins to notice all the minor injustices she had previously overlooked and admits to herself that Vikram slapping her is not what a husband who loves her would do. Furthermore, Vikram refuses to accept responsibility for his behaviour, claiming that he was angry, she got in the way, and that such things happen occasionally and are natural.
13. DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) is a 1995 Indian Hindi-language romance film directed by Aditya Chopra in his directorial debut, produced by his father Yash Chopra, and co-written by Javed Siddiqui and Aditya Chopra. Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol star in the film, which was released on October 20, 1995. Raj and Simran, two young non-resident Indians, fall in love while travelling across Europe with their families. Raj tries to persuade Simran’s family to allow the couple to marry, but Simran’s father has already promised her hand in marriage to his friend’s son. From September 1994 to August 1995, the film was filmed in India, London, and Switzerland. Both Raj Malhotra and Simran Singh are non-resident Indians (NRIs) in London. Baldev Singh and Lajwanti, Simran’s parents, raise her. Baldev Singh is a strict and conservative father, while Raj is raised by his liberal father, Dharamvir Malhotra. Simran often fantasises about finding her ideal man, but her mother Lajjo warns her against it, saying that while dreams are wonderful, they should not be taken for granted. Baldev receives a letter from his friend Ajit, who lives in Punjab, India, one day. Ajit wants to fulfil a promise he and Baldev made to each other 20 years ago by marrying Simran to his son Kuljeet. Simran is dissatisfied because she does not want to marry anyone she has never met. Raj goes into Baldev’s shop after closing time one evening to buy beer. Baldev declines, but Raj takes a case of beer, tosses money on the table, and flees. Baldev, enraged, declares Raj a disgrace to India. Meanwhile, Raj’s father agrees to his offer to accompany him on a train trip across Europe with his friends, and Simran’s friends have asked her to join them. Simran begs her father to let her travel across the world before marrying, and he reluctantly agrees.
14. NEWTON
Amit V. Masurkar co-wrote and directed Newton, a 2017 Indian Hindi-language black comedy drama film. Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Anjali Patil, and Raghubir Yadav star in the film. Manish Mundra under Drishyam Films, known for the 2015 film Masaan, produced the film, which is Amit Masurkar’s second feature after his debut film, Sulemani Keeda in 2013. Nutan “Newton” Kumar (Rajkummar Rao), a rookie government clerk on reserve, is assigned to election duty in a Naxal-controlled town in the insurgency-ridden jungles of Chhattisgarh, India, when one of the key duty officers is discovered to have heart problems. Faced with the apathy of the war-weary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) security forces, headed by Assistant Commandant Aatma Singh (Pankaj Tripathi), and the looming threat of communist insurgent guerrilla attacks, he does his best to conduct free and reasonable voting despite the odds being stacked against him. When voters do not show up for the election, he is upset. Later, when a foreign reporter arrives at the polling station, the CRPF forces the villagers in the constituency to vote. When one of them reaches the polling booth, he is perplexed by the voting machine and how it works. Newton quickly discovers, after speaking with the crowd, that they have no idea what the election is about. Some expected to make money from it, while others worried that they would not be compensated enough for their efforts. He tries hard to educate them, but to no avail. A angry Aatma Singh pushes Newton aside and shames the villagers, telling them that these officers have sacrificed their lives for their vote and that they should not be turned away. He tells them that the voting machine is a doll, with symbols of elephants, cycles, and so on, and that they can click any symbol they want (leaving them uneducated about the fact that those symbols represent respective political parties). So, though they vote for their favourite icon rather than candidates they’ve never heard of, the international writer receives a favourable article on India’s democracy.
15. KAL HO NA HO
Kal Ho Naa Ho (transl. Tomorrow Can Never Come, Hindi pronunciation: [kl o na o]), also abbreviated as KHNH, is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama film directed by Nikhil Advani, written by Karan Johar with dialogues by Niranjan Iyengar, and produced by Yash Johar. It tells the storey of Naina Catherine Kapur, an uptight and cynical MBA student living in New York City. She falls in love with her next-door neighbour Aman Mathur, a terminally ill patient who wants to set Naina up with her best friend Rohit Patel because he is afraid she will mourn for him if he reciprocates her feelings. Naina Catherine Kapur is a cynical, uptight MBA student living in New York City with her widowed mother Jennifer Kapur, disabled brother Shiv, adopted sister Gia, and paternal grandmother Lajjo. Jennifer co-owns a failing café with her next-door neighbour, Jaswinder “Jazz” Kapoor. Lajjo is hostile to Jennifer and Gia because she thinks Gia’s adoption led to the suicide of her son (Jennifer’s husband and Naina’s father). Naina has two best friends: her classmate Rohit Patel and Jazz’s sister Jaspreet “Sweetu” Kapoor. Her life is monotonous and dominated by her father’s death before Aman Mathur and his mother move in next door to his uncle, Pritam Chaddha. Aman’s optimism eventually wins over Naina’s family, and he begins to solve their problems. He proposes that they convert the café into an Indian restaurant, the success of which would ease their financial burdens. Aman inspires Naina to be happy and live life to the fullest, and she falls in love with him. Rohit falls in love with Naina and seeks Aman’s assistance in sharing his feelings. Naina tells Rohit that she has something she needs to say to him, leading him to believe that she shares his feelings. Instead, Naina confesses her feelings for Aman. Rohit, shaken, calls Aman to tell him what has happened. When Naina arrives at Aman’s home, she is surprised to see a wedding photograph of Aman and his wife, Priya. She flees, heartbroken.
16. YEH JAWAANI HAI DEEWANI
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama film directed by Ayan Mukerji, written by Mukerji and Hussain Dalal, and produced by Karan Johar. It stars Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, who worked together on Bachna Ae Haseeno in 2008. Aditya Roy Kapur and Kalki Koechlin play supporting roles. The film was originally scheduled to be released in March 2013, but it was instead released on May 31, 2013. It was a box office success upon its initial release. It was a very successful film among young people. Since its initial release in 2013, the film has gained cult status. The film won the most nominations (nine) at the 59th Filmfare Awards, including Best Film, Best Actor for Kapoor, Best Direction for Mukherji, Best Supporting Actor for Kapoor, Best Supporting Actress for Koechlin, and soon. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani is one of the most successful Indian films of all time. Naina Talwar (Deepika Padukone) is a medical student who is completely engrossed in her studies. She excels in her classes but feels like an outcast because of her introverted personality. An experience with an old classmate, Aditi Mehra (Kalki Koechlin), convinces her that she desires more from life than high grades. As a result, she takes an impulsive decision to accompany Aditi on a hiking trip into the Himalayas, all the way to Manali. During the walk, she reconnects with two former classmates, Kabir Thapar ‘Bunny’ (Ranbir Kapoor) and Avinash Arora ‘Avi’ (Aditya Roy Kapur). Bunny is a charmer who longs to travel and explore the world and has no desire to settle down. Bunny and Naina get closer as the journey progresses. The two climb a mountain one night, and Naina sees a different side of Bunny, which causes her to develop feelings for him. Meanwhile, Aditi grows envious of Lara (Evelyn Sharma), one of their friends, because Avi often flirts with her. Bunny and Naina are aware that Aditi has feelings for Avi, but they remain silent. At the end of the journey, Naina is about to tell Bunny she has feelings for him when Avi interrupts her by revealing that Bunny has been admitted into the graduate school of journalism at Northwestern University in Chicago. Naina knows that love and marriage are not in Bunny’s plans and remains quiet, but she is happy for him because he is pursuing his passion.
17. GANGS OF WASSEYPUR
Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur is a 2012 Indian two-part crime film written and directed by Kashyap and Zeishan Quadri. The film stars an ensemble cast, including Manoj Bajpai, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Richa Chadda, Huma Qureshi, and Tigmanshu Dhulia, and is centred on the coal mafia (Mafia Raj) of Dhanbad, as well as the underlying power struggles, politics, and revenge between three crime families. From 1941 to 2009, it tells a 68-year storey. Anurag disclosed on a few occasions that the project was inspired primarily by the 2008 Tamil film Subramaniapuram. Both parts were originally filmed as a single film totaling 321 minutes and screened at the 2012 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, but since no Indian theatre would volunteer to screen a film longer than five hours, it was split into two parts for that market. According to the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 97 percent approval rating based on 30 reviews, with an average score of 8.2/10. “More than five hours go by in a blink in this frantic Indian crime epic that spans centuries and involves hundreds of characters in a gruesome vortex of violence, all masterfully filmed by Anurag Kashyap,” the website’s critics consensus reads. Formalized paraphrase The film has a Metacritic score of 89 out of 10, indicating “universal acclaim.”
18. CHAK DE INDIA
Chak De! India is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language sports film directed by Shimit Amin and produced by Aditya Chopra, with a screenplay by Jaideep Sahni, sports choreography by Rob Miller, and music by Salim–Sulaiman. It tells a fictional storey about the Indian women’s national field hockey team, inspired by their victory at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and addresses topics such as feminism and misogyny, the legacy of India’s partition, racial and religious bigotry, and ethnic and regional bias. Shahrukh Khan plays Kabir Khan, the former captain of India’s men’s national field hockey team. After a humiliating defeat to Pakistan, Khan is ostracised from the sport, and he and his mother are evicted from their home by enraged neighbours. To atone for his behaviour, Khan becomes the coach of the Indian national women’s hockey team seven years later, with the aim of transforming the team’s sixteen contentious players into a championship unit. The film was released worldwide on August 10, 2007, coinciding with India’s 60th Independence Day, to critical acclaim, and it has since been hailed as a cult classic. De Chak! India makes its debut in Delhi during the final minutes of a 1–0 tie between Pakistan and India in the Hockey World Cup. When India’s captain, Kabir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan), is fouled, he is given a penalty stroke. His shot just misses, and India loses the match. Soon after, a picture of Khan shaking hands with Pakistan’s captain circulated on social media. The sporting gesture has been misinterpreted, and Muslim Khan is accused of “throwing” the game out of sympathy for Pakistan. Religious discrimination forces him and his mother (Jayshree Arora) to flee the city. Seven years later, the head of India’s hockey association, Mr. Tripathi (Anjan Srivastav), meets with hockey advocate Uttam Singh (Mohit Chauhan) to address the Indian women’s hockey team. According to Tripathi, the team has no future since women’s only long-term job is to “cook and clean.” Uttam, on the other hand, informs him that Kabir Khan wishes to coach the team. Tripathi, who is initially suspicious, agrees to the agreement.
19. ROCK ON
Abhishek Kapoor wrote and directed the 2008 Indian Hindi-language musical drama film Rock On!!, which was produced by Farhan Akhtar and featured music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Akhtar and Prachi Desai make their promising Bollywood debuts with this film. Akhtar, Arjun Rampal, Luke Kenny, and Purab Kohli play members of the Mumbai-based grunge rock band “Magik,” which reunited in 2008. Rock On!! won seven Filmfare Awards and earned critical acclaim but performed poorly at the box office. The film has been archived at the Academy Film Archive. Rock On!! starts in 1998 in Mumbai with the rock band Magik. The members of the band are best friends who live a carefree, freewheeling lifestyle together. Aditya Shroff (Farhan Akhtar) is the lead singer who defied his well-to-do family to pursue a career in music. Joseph (Joe) Mascarhenas (Arjun Rampal) is the lead guitarist who feels compelled to prove his musicianship. The remaining members of the band are keyboardist Rob Nancy (Luke Kenny) and drummer Kedar Zaveri (a.k.a. KD/”Killer Drummer”) (Purab Kohli). Channel V announces a competition, and they decide to participate because the winner will receive an album contract and at least one music video. Magik win the competition, but soon realise they will have to make some concessions in order to sign the deal. Joe feels the most cheated when a song he wrote for his girlfriend, Debbie (Shahana Goswami), and which was the only slow track on the entire record, is left off the track list to make room for a remix song. Debbie is even dismissed as the band’s stylist without even being summoned to a protest. Later, while shooting the music video, the band is forced to wear clothes they dislike, and the cameramen just concentrate on Aditya. Joe becomes enraged at Aditya and the manager, hitting both of them before departing with Debbie. Aditya, who had failed to notice something was wrong, is surprised, and as the band’s contract is terminated, he reacts by leaving music as well as his girlfriend Tania (Nicolette Bird). As a result, “Magik” disbands and its members become estranged.
20. DETECTIVE BYOMKESH BAKSHY
Dibakar Banerjee’s 2015 Indian Hindi-language mystery action film Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! is directed by Banerjee and produced by Banerjee and Aditya Chopra. The plot is based on Bengali writer Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay’s fictional detective Byomkesh Bakshi. The film’s main cast includes Sushant Singh Rajput, Anand Tiwari, Neeraj Kabi, and Swastika Mukherjee. It was released on April 3, 2015, to favourable critical reviews, but it was a commercial failure. A sequel was scheduled, with Rajput reprising his role. The film starts in Calcutta in November 1942, with a group of Chinese men from the Green Gang smuggling opium from the docks. An unknown gang attacks them, and one of them violently blinds the leader of the Chinese gang. Ajit Kumar Banerjee (Anand Tiwari) approaches Byomkesh Bakshi (Sushant Singh Rajput) in January 1943, requesting that he locate his father, Bhuvan Banerjee, who has been missing for two months. Byomkesh initially refuses the request but later accepts it. The next day, he pays a visit to Bhuvan Babu’s lodging house, which is run by Dr. Anukul Guha (Neeraj Kabi), a physician. Byomkesh also encounters opium seller Kanai Dao (Meiyang Chang) and Bhuvan Banerjee’s roommate Ashwini Babu.
