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10. War (Siddharth Anand)

In this list about the most artistic and relevant films of the year, I include a film which is an unabashed action entertainer, with two of India’s finest action stars, the enduring and endearing Hrithik Roshan and the fresh and energetic Tiger Shroff. Yet, I rate it highly because it pulls off its relatively meagre ambitions with great style, offering up a film which is entertaining from start-to-finish.

It is truly Mission Impossiblesque filmmaking, but our own superstar Hrithik Roshan can give Ethan Hunt tough competition when it comes to stylish and desirable movie heroes. Director Siddharth Anand hardly ever lets the pace dip, crams the plot with multiple twists and heroic moments, stages good action set-pieces and approaches the viewer with a sense of abandon that is a lot of fun to watch. It is, without doubt, a massive blockbuster, but also an example of genuinely well-executed blockbuster filmmaking.

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9. Unda (Khalid Rahman)

The word “Unda” means Bullet, and the title couldn’t have been more appropriate. In an area entrenched in strife and discord, every bullet is like a piece of currency to the authorities which they must spend wisely, in order to, to put it simply, not be killed. But as armed personnel serving the nation, they have an added dilemma which is prioritised over their own survival-to ensure order is maintained and nothing disrupts the execution of our constitutional and democratic right to vote.

Set in an area during election time where armed rebellion has taken place, the film, unlike “Newton” in 2017, which it sounds deceptively similar to, is told from the point-of-view of the security personnel in charge of ensuring a peaceful election and not that of an idealistic Election Officer. However, both have a common purpose to simply get the job done, which proves to be easier said than done and is the pivot that balances the conflicts in the story. With tight screenplay and direction and Malayalam star Mammootty at its centre, Unda becomes a consistently watchable and admirable film.

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8. Sonchiriya (Abhishek Chaubey)

The ravines of the Chambal region always make for compelling viewing, focusing on an underbelly of the Indian heartland which one is not familiar with and yet is essential to understanding Indian history and society. They make for compelling stories too, often rooted in real life, like that of Phoolan Devi in Bandit Queen, tackling extreme abuse and patriarchy to lead her own band of revolutionaries, or that of Paan Singh Tomar, a decorated athlete who was led by circumstances to pick up the gun.

In this film, Abhishek Chaubey weaves a gritty tale on what makes people a baaghi (revolutionary dacoits found in the region), and remain one. And where does individual human conscience play into these scheme of things? Chaubey’s baaghis have a crisis of existence and conscience, and the film allows these characters great psychological depth. What augments the film are the performances by the cast including Sushant Singh Rajput, Bhumi Pednekar, Manoj Bajpayee and Ranvir Shorey.

7. Article 15 (Anubhav Sinha)

In “Article 15”, director Anubhav Sinha does a lot of things well, in spite of the film getting simplistic towards the end. He tackles an issue that has brought our society nothing but ignominy, shame, and conflict, marginalizing the majority of its people and impeding their right to life and dignity. The post-independent Indian nation was envisioned as a state that does not discriminate on the basis of caste, but nothing could be further than the truth as we, as a nation, have collectively failed to live up to the values on which our nation was built. It’s odd and woefully convenient that mainstream cinema stubbornly refuses to push the issue of caste, but Anubhav Sinha crafts a narrative, a police procedural on the disappearance, abuse and possible murder of three girls by those privileged on the basis of caste and socio-economic status, which has the issue of caste at its centre. That is commendable in itself.

There isn’t much subtlety, and sometimes even political nuance is sacrificed but the narrative is gripping, the performances and storytelling are top-notch, along with lead actor Ayushmaan Khurana, the film boasts of great character actors like Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, Sayani Gupta and Mohammad Zeishan Ayyub, who play their parts with little vanity and utmost diligence, the photography captures the grimmer side of Uttar Pradesh, in keeping with the storyline, and the themes and issues it tackles are important to our society and nation, ensuring its place among the best of the year.

6. Asuran (Vetrimaaran)

Tamil Cinema is constantly reinventing itself and is at an interesting stage currently. And for that, we have directors like Vetrimaaran to thank, who teams up again with his regular collaborators, like cinematographer Velraj and leading man Dhanush to come up with another nuanced and powerful film, after “Vada Chennai”, “Aadukalam” and “Visaranai”. This is a film which cinephiles just cannot miss, and what’s good is that its available for streaming on Amazon Prime.

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In this one-of-a-kind Assamese film, two people at different ages and stages of life come together based on a strange and quirky passion, leading to improbable events, which even the audience may not have seen coming from even a mile away. All I can say that it is related to one’s taste buds. Just like that, the film is an acquired taste, and like its protagonists, likes to surprise the viewer’s palate, whipping up a deliciously complex recipe. Its also made with unmistakable skill and a distinct storytelling vision. So if you have a taste for the surprising and the skilful, then this is just the film for you.

Madhu C. Narayanan’s directorial debut has been hailed as a cinematic achievement for an Indian film this year when it comes to lucid, yet layered storytelling. It is a family drama but escapes the tropes of the genre to establish an identity of its own, not hesitating to get uncomfortable when it comes to notions of family, brotherhood, romance, control, masculinity and what it entails to be called a “man”.

Filmed with great care and always in line with the overall story, it makes for consistently interesting viewing and should not be missed.

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Like “War”, Mard ko Dard Nahi Hota, directed by Vasan Bala, offers entertainment with great abandon, employing the aesthetics of mainstream filmmaking. But what makes this film much superior is its quirkiness, its tongue-in-cheek self-reflexivity and the fact that its more of a risk-taker when compared to “War”, which is standard mainstream entertainment. Every other moment in this film is a pleasant surprise. All of this makes this film more of a fun movie with a unique voice rather than factory-produced entertainment.

The fact that the film references numerous films and is about a geek-boy who loves martial arts makes it all the more endearing. It has a subversive take on the idea of “feeling no pain” and boasts of fine technical finesse. It is also powered by the performances of its female lead Radhika Madan, who matches the hero punch-for-punch, a refreshingly understated hero in Abhimanyu Dassani’s character Surya and good performances from Mahesh Manjarekar and Jimit Trivedi. But the icing on the cake is perhaps the performance of Gulshan Devaiah in a double role, playing a demanding character effortlessly.

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Rarely do I remember being so engaged and transfixed by a cinematic experience in the recent past. Lijo Jose Pellissery crafts a film whose literal plot might seem thin but it is a film teeming with kinetic energy. Be it the staccato editing in the initial montages (which is undoubtedly world-class in both concept and execution), the extended sequences of trapping the buffalo, the inter-personal dynamic between the villagers or the infinitely interesting character of the outlaw Kuttachan-all of these come together to make a film which grabs you by the gut. I’ve listed no clear favourites for this year but this one, along with another, is right up there.

Pellissery has had a filmography that continues to amaze and becomes interesting with each film. His “Ee Ma Yau” was greatly acclaimed last year, “Angamaly Diaries” stands out as an example of rock-solid filmmaking, both in terms of technicality and storytelling. With “Jallikattu”, Pellissery has shown his control over his art. He can mould audience expectations and narrative strands with such ease that the viewer is transported into a world where it becomes essential to literally “tame the bull”, talking about community, mob mindset, inter-personal rivalry and the human instinct for control.

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Based in a city replete with toxic masculinity and considered dangerous for women due to the regressive and often extremely gruesome and revolting crimes against women that take place in the city, “Soni”, directed by Inav Ayr, is that rare gem of a film which centres itself on two women, extremely strong and dealing, in their own ways with the hostile world of New Delhi, our national capital, where everyday living for women may come with unexpected challenges.

At a time when the Indian nation seething with anger at the growing incidents of violence against women, stories like these become more relevant as they don’t condescend to the women but set themselves in their world, internal and external, with a delicate directorial hand and a mature gaze. We are made to identify with the anger of Soni, the title character, as she navigates a harsh world and admires the quieter courage of Kalpana, trying hard to make things better from within her house and the system. Such layered storytelling is rarely seen, and so this film, in my opinion, demands to be seen. This film, along with Jallikattu, is also most likely to have topped my list if I had ranked the films.

There are many good films that have received much acclaim from critics, cinephiles and mass audiences, but I haven’t gotten to watching them, like “Jersey”, starring Nani and directed by Gowtham Tinnanuri, “Super Deluxe” starring Vijay Setupathi and directed by Thiagarajan Kumararaja, “Photograph”, directed by Ritesh Batra and starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Sanya Malhotra, “Virus”, directed by Aashiq Abu and starring Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali and Parvathy, and “KD”, directed by Madumita Sundararaman and starring Mu Ramaswamy. And these are just the ones off the top of my head, I’m sure there are other such films.

So, here it was, the best of the year, and lovers of film, I’m sure, still can’t get enough of good films. So, we look forward to many such gems from India in the coming years and wish for more power to fresh, unique, independent voices. Every country has its share of terrible films every year, and that is a fact we have to live with, especially with art and its subjective nature. Nonetheless, we hope the medium of film remains empowered in this country, and around the world.