My yearly review season has arrived to inform the readers what Hindi-language Indian films do I find the best in different categories. This is my 5th annual review work on the Indian cinema and to read my previous works, kindly follow the links:
So how do I do all this? I select some three dozen potential films of the calendar year after watching the trailers and reading the minor narrations at the year-end. Then I spent a few months watching the films I selected. It takes me roughly 5-6 months to watch three dozen films because I have some other things to do in life. For the music department, I consider the selected films and explore further on the internet because the discovery of good music is vast and unlimited.
I am glad to see that watching and observing culture in India is changing. Year by year, some good stories are making rounds and getting recognition. Moving towards the new decade, this change may become a blessing. With so many production companies and heavy money involved, some very good talent is polished from any platform. Then the streaming service has developed and improved the viewing quality.
Following films grabbed my attention and I watched these in the past few months:
Andhadhun, Padman, Hichki, Sanju, Karwaan, Raid, Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz, Halkaa, Bioscopewala, Manmarziyaan, Mulk, Batti Gul Meter Chalu, Union Leader, Gold, Sui Dhaaga, Badhaai Ho, Beyond The Clouds, Raazi, Tikli And Laxmi Bomb, Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain, Manto, Mukkabaaz, October, Veere Di Wedding, Pari, Bhavesh Joshi Superhero, Blackmail, Pihu, Helicopter Eela, Pataakha, Hope Aur Hum, Tumbbad, Lust Stories, Love Sonia, and Gali Guleiyan.
Besides the abovementioned 35 Hindi films, I was not able to watch the other selected films, Omerta and 3 Storeys due to lack of availability or availability in extremely low video/audio quality.
Now before I present my winners, let me tell you how this works. After watching the above mentioned 35 Hindi films, I will segregate the categories into three different sections i.e., musical (5), technical (10), and major section (6). In most of the categories, I will brief a small explanation where I find necessary. In most of the categories, I will also make some unranked honorable mentions under “Other Notable Works” which are the individuals or the films deserve to be counted among the best.
Now I present you my picks from Bollywood’s Best of 2018. The readers can share their opinions below the blog.
MUSICAL SECTION
BEST BACKGROUND SCORE
ANDREA GUERRA (SUI DHAAGA)
Andrea Guerra’s music matches nowhere to Sui Dhaaga’s screenplay but the best thing about it is that the applied score helps us build a fresh perception towards the film. The same thing happened with Darren Fung’s score on Union Leader but Guerra’s score was better. Let us assume if a stereotype Indian music was played in the background on these screenplays, these films may not have built in our observation.
Other Notable Works:
Shashwat Srivastava (Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz)
Sandesh Shandilya (Bioscopewala)
Amit Trivedi (Manmarziyaan)
A. R. Rahman (Beyond The Clouds)
Darren Fung (Union Leader)
BEST MALE PLAYBACK SINGER
ARIJIT SINGH (BINTE DIL – PADMAAVAT)
There is no way anyone can sing better than Arijit Singh nowadays and Binte Dil is an example. The score of this track is middle-eastern and Arijit has worked on his vocal cords as per the style of the track demanded. This was not the same ‘Tum Hi Ho’ voice we listened to. Listen to him when he sings Aatish Kada Adaoon Se until the drop at deeda-e-tar ka hijaab, brilliant. Because the lyrics are not easy, the singer has sung pretty vibrant and unfamiliar Urdu and on a few occasions sang in one breath.
Other Notable Work:
Shahid Mallya (Daryaa – Manmarziyaan)
BEST FEMALE PLAYBACK SINGER
DEVESHI SEHGAL (DARYAA UNPLUGGED – MANMARZIYAAN)
Daryaa is a heart-wrenching track speaking about one’s love being distanced from the others with beautiful Punjabi lyrics and Deveshi’s voice offers a blend of urbanized rural melancholy and agony especially when she shouts Beh Gaya Hanjuaan Da Dariya. What we listen here is a raw voice and is used in the film at some critical junctures. A wonderful vocal rendition here.
Other Notable Works:
Neeti Mohan (Nainowale Ne – Padmaavat)
Sunidhi Chauhan (Manwaa – October)
BEST SONG & LYRICS
KADAM (PRATEEK KUHAD – KARWAAN)
Thumbs up to Prateek for both the lyrics and the music, very deep words and honest translation of human path of miseries and agitation.
Other Notable Works:
Daryaa (Ammy Virk, Shahid Mallya, Shellee, Amit Trivedi)
Qasam Kha Li (Papon, Amitabh Bhattacharya, Amit Trivedi)
Binte Dil (Arijit Singh, A. M. Turaz, Sanjay Leela Bhansali)
Tune Kaha (Prateek Kuhad – Lust Stories)
BEST MUSIC
AMIT TRIVEDI (MANMARZIYAAN)
It is hard to believe that Amit is yet to win the Best Music award from Filmfare. This could be his year but I have to admit that the competition with Bhansali for Padmaavat was really strong despite average reviews. For me, Manmarziyaan will be remembered one of Amit’s finest works to date. The compositions of all his soundtracks were magnificent. Daryaa was indeed the best track.
Other Notable Works:
Prateek Kuhad, Anurag Saikia, SlowCheetah and Shwetang Shankar & Imaad Shah (Karwaan)
Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Padmaavat)
TECHNICAL SECTION
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
SHEETAL IQBAL SHARMA (MANTO)
Other Notable Works:
Eka Lakhani (Sanju)
Aparna Shah (Bioscopewala)
Payal Saluja (Gold)
Karishma Sharma (Pataakha)
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
NITIN ZIHANI CHOUDHARY & RAKESH YADAV (TUMBBAD)
Other Notable Works:
Priya Suhass (Bioscopewala)
Satish Chauhan (Union Leader)
Mansi Dhruv Mehta (Beyond The Clouds)
Rita Ghosh (Manto)
BEST SOUND DESIGN
RESUL POOKUTTY & AMRIT PRITAM (BIOSCOPEWALA)
Other Notable Works:
Madhu Apsara (Andhadhun)
Arun Nambiar (Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz)
BEST EDITING
HASSAN HASSANDOOST (BEYOND THE CLOUDS)
Other Notable Works:
A. Sreekar Prasad (Manto)
Dipika Kalra (Bioscopewala)
Ajay Sharma (Karwaan)
Pooja Ladha Surti (Andhadhun)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
KARTIK VIJAY (MANTO)
Other Notable Works:
Avinash Arun (Karwaan)
Rafey Mahmood (Bioscopewala)
Sylvester Fonseca (Manmarziyaan)
Ewan Mulligan (Mulk)
Anil Mehta (Beyond The Clouds)
Pankaj Kumar (Tumbbad)
BEST ACTION
VYRIL RAFFAELLI, SEBASTIEN SEVEAU & VIKRAM DAHIYA (BHAVESH JOSHI SUPERHERO)
I think this is pretty agreeable to everyone that Bhavesh Joshi Superhero offers excellent action sequences to seek our attention. There are no silly nonsense out-of-the-world fights and ridiculous visual effects to give up between the film. Because the plot is built in the honesty of depicting the birth of a superhero and the reasons behind wearing the mask. Even in the most possible exaggeration of any sequence, the scenes are acceptable and enough to pass a compliment like Siku’s lengthy attempt of escaping on the bike towards the railway station.
Other Notable Work:
Vikram Dahiya & Sunil Rodrigues (Mukkabaaz)
BEST STORY
SRIRAM RAGHAVAN, ARIJIT BISWAS, POOJA LADHA SURTI, YOGESH CHANDEKAR & HEMANTH RAO (ANDHADHUN)
Andhadhun offers the freshness in presenting a crime thriller in dark humor. Two different stories connect to each other when the man pretending to be blind witnesses the dead body at an apartment and trying to give justice to the dead becomes a huge regret. The continuity is crazy and unpredictable. A story like Andhadhun is some kind of accomplishment and hope that some great stories can be told in the Hindi-language cinema.
Other Notable Works:
Bejoy Nambiar (Karwaan)
Nitin Dixit & Nila Madhab Panda (Halkaa)
Anubhav Sinha (Mulk)
Sanjay Patel (Union Leader)
BEST SCREENPLAY
MAJID MAJIDI & MEHRAN KASHANI (BEYOND THE CLOUDS)
I believe Beyond The Clouds had the most powerful screenwriting than any other films of 2018. The biggest reason lies in the happening of the plot. The intros of the leading characters and that cat-and-mouse run of Amir from the police. Then his emotional attachment with Tara and the given agonized circumstances between them in the plot is all splendid writing. Plus the development of mental growth of both Amir and Tara after her imprisonment carries the film. Amir’s changes in attitude with the relatives of Akshi (Tara’s husband) and Tara’s fondness towards the child are some impressive aspects of the writing. Due to the fact that this screenplay was written by the foreigners, they set the new standards of screenwriting in the Indian cinema.
Other Notable Works:
Nandita Das (Manto)
Anubhav Sinha (Mulk)
R. Balki & Swanand Kirkire (Padman)
Sriram Raghavan, Arijit Biswas, Pooja Ladha Surti, Yogesh Chandekar, Hemanth Rao (Andhadhun)
BEST DIALOGUES
ABHISHEK CHATTERJEE (KUCHH BHEEGE ALFAAZ)
What is important about dialogues-writing for me? It must fit the screenplay and the entire plotline. A light-heart musical like Onir’s Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz is a feel-good romantic whistler and the main reason is dialogues. So natural that it grows on you. There is decency, there is literature, the conversation between Alfaaz and Archana has a polite affection. Another factor doubling the significance of dialogues is Zain Khan Durrani‘s voice. When he speaks, you just close your eyes and listen to what he speaks. Summing in short, Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz has the most real and natural piece of dialogues-writing in the film.
Other Notable Works:
Hussain Dalal (Karwaan)
Kanika Dhillon (Manmarziyaan)
Anubhav Sinha (Mulk)
Sharat Katariya (Sui Dhaaga)
Nandita Das (Manto)
BEST SCENE
CRIME SCENE (ANDHADHUN)
Sold. Diabolical and sold. I was losing my interest in the film and wasn’t believing how Sriram Raghavan can disappoint me after waiting for his next project for years until those blind eyes spotted a dead body in an apartment. His fingers were bought by that dead man to play his wife the piano on their wedding ceremony, the woman who killed her husband with the help of her boyfriend, masterpiece!
This was just the beginning. The best part was the continuity when both the deceased’s wife and her boyfriend silently try to clean the crime scene on the blind’s piano notes in one take. It was like I was watching good old silent-comedy stunt of the golden age. This is the beauty of the director’s artistic mind dropping the significance of presenting simple scenes in extraordinary ways.
I wish this particular scene is not a copy of any. I am not able to share the video because unfortunately, this is not available on YouTube.
Other Notable Scenes:
Murad Ali’s response to prove if he is a Muslim or not (Mulk)
Shravan lecturing his father about his boxing passion (Mukkabaaz)
Amir escaping from police-chase (Beyond The Clouds)
MAJOR SECTION
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
IRRFAN KHAN (KARWAAN)
The best aspect of Irrfan’s acting is his absorbing the given role. He executes so well that he is no more Irrfan in the film, he is the character watched by millions of viewers. In Karwaan, we didn’t see Irrfan acting, we saw Shaukat helping his friend find his father’s dead body. Irrfan brings a tremendous balance between the two new faces in the film, Dulquer and Mithila, and beautifully completes the trinity of three extremely different characters. His supporting role was well supported by the dialogues and Shaukat’s innocence throughout the journey.
Other Notable Works:
Manav Vij (Andhadhun)
Vicky Kaushal (Manmarziyaan)
Manoj Pahwa (Mulk)
Arunoday Singh (Blackmail)
Raghubir Yadav (Sui Dhaaga)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
SUREKHA SIKRI (BADHAAI HO)
Thank God, Filmfare didn’t make the mistake of handing Best Supporting Actress to any other actress than Surekha Sikri. Because if not this, then I wonder what further would take her to get the recognition. At her age, she justified her presence and the significance of her being the matriarch. Her series of scolding to his son and later in her daughter-in-law’s defense is magnificently hilarious.
Other Notable Works:
Tabu (Andhadhun)
Shikha Talsania (Veere Di Wedding)
Swara Bhaskar (Veere Di Wedding)
Freida Pinto (Love Sonia)
BEST ACTOR
ISHAAN KHATTER (BEYOND THE CLOUDS)
This is one stunning performance I am lost at and cannot believe that a 23yo can bring such maturity and versatility in his given role. A fresh start as an actor, Ishaan is Amir, a drug dealer whose sister is imprisoned in an attempt of killing her husband. Desperate brother is stuck of ill-fate with her husband to care in the hospital but the responsibility doubles when the husband’s relatives arrive and there is no other way than refuge them at home until the admitted patient is fit to stand on his feet.
Amir’s attitude changes from rudeness to friendliness when he is more involved with his relatives. And during all this period, Amir grows Ishaan grows, in his acting on our nerves. The director plays a significant part in growing his character but Ishaan’s mental timing and body language are pretty flawless everywhere. His bursting out of anger and voice pitch control is excellent. That rage in the pigeon room was the summary of Ishaan’s hard work of Amir’s ridiculous tolerance giving up on seeing his sister mad. Between this sequence, it was so natural to make an unnatural response towards the relatives and speak in English in agony. This Ishaan Khatter is pure promise if he moves his acting career in the future in the right direction.
Other Notable Works:
Ayushmann Khurana (Andhadhun)
Danny Denzongpa (Bioscopewala)
Rishi Kapoor (Mulk)
Rahul Bhat (Union Leader)
Varun Dhawan (Sui Dhaaga)
Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Manto)
Vineet Kumar Singh (Mukkabaaz)
BEST ACTRESS
TAAPSEE PANNU (MANMARZIYAAN)
I thought a lot about this. Even while deciding to pick this, I reconsidered. But I have made my mind to say that this was Taapsee’s year. And it is utter shame to see her not even getting nominated for Manmarziyaan, forget about winning a Filmfare. Many may not agree with me on Taapsee as far as the choice of film is concerned, why Manmarziyaan? Why not Mulk?
See, despite a spectacular performance in Mulk, her body language is limited to the screenplay. Half of the film is a courtroom drama and her role, her facial and mental performance is one dimensional. Manmarziyaan? She is a complete woman. Emotion-wise, Taapsee has pulled all the strings. There is so much emotional fluctuation in her given character.
Then her chemistry with Vicky plays a significant part because her scenes with Vicky are where she stands to her episodic collapses from pride, emotion, and respect throughout the film repeatedly giving a gem of performances.
Other Notable Works:
Rani Mukherji (Hichki)
Malavika Mohanan (Beyond The Clouds)
Anushka Sharma (Pari)
Mrunal Thakur (Love Sonia)
Sanya Malhotra (Pataakha)
Radhika Madan (Pataakha)
BEST DIRECTOR
NANDITA DAS (MANTO)
I must not be taken aback to a slingshot theory that the professional actors cannot become the directors of the quality they were enriched with. The brains behind the camera, a cinematic vision thought on the director’s chair needs the required artistry to craft a story and the camera techniques for shooting which waits for the approval of the applause and compliments. Nandita Das is one exceptional name making me stop thinking about the Bollywood stereotypes for once and watch her Manto work with scrutiny.
Thanks to Das, Manto disconnects you. You are in a different timeline and parallel. You are in an undivided India sitting with your friends in a tea shop describing your work, speaking poetries, narrating a woman’s beauty and criticizing the government and the workers involved in it. You are a rebel to this world which is collapsing near you. You are drinking, you are smoking, you are watching some lights turned on in some flats at midnight. It is time to sleep but some streets aren’t and the lights are on for the women to work and sell their body. It is red, dark and hammer on your head.
The point is that the direction of the film is such a force that you become Manto and your world falls apart. The excellence of Nandita’s direction also lies in balancing so many things about Manto within two hours. Even the Lahore days of Manto were shot well and broke the stereotypical Pakistani portrayal in Hindi cinema.
I never felt I was watching a 2018 film. It was like the excellent golden age of the 50s back or if Guru Dutt’s directional artistry was temporarily inherited by Nandita.
Other Notable Works:
Sriram Raghavan (Andhadhun)
R. Balki (Padman)
Akarsh Khurana (Karwaan)
Onir (Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz)
Anubhav Sinha (Mulk)
Sanjay Patel (Union Leader)
Majid Majidi (Beyond The Clouds)
BEST FILM
MULK
The most important category to conclude this blog needs very careful judgment. What needs a film to be the best of the year? A lot of things count. First the story and the message, the brains behind the continuity of the screenplay. The screen time if it justifies the story. The whole body of the film most importantly the final few minutes which need some technical conclusion to convince the viewers. The selection of actors is not an issue because I always believe it is a performance which sells the plot. And that is why I believe that Mulk is 2018’s best film of the year.
Because Mulk opens a very sensitive subject which compels the audience to think about the future of the country. The social portrayal and acceptance towards the minorities in India have not been focused in the Indian cinema because this doesn’t profit the cinemas and the film producers, and there is every certainty that the majority of viewers may not like the idea.
Because most of the films focus on how the terrorism was committed or what role did the police or anti-terror squad play in defending the country or stopping/fighting against the event. But I don’t remember right now if any director tried to focus on the families whose member goes on to become a terrorist and made them regret.
Anubhav Sinha’s Mulk offers such a story about a diverse Muslim family who has been living in the same mohalla for decades. Advocate Murad Ali (Rishi Kapoor) says this is his home and he keeps no grudge with the people of any faith. Hindus and Muslims come together and sit with him, share happiness with him and his family until he nephew Shahid (Prateik Babbar) commits a terror attack.
Anubhav Sinha gives the viewers an intense feeling about such family being surrendered/surrounded by the religious insecurity and social tightness in the society. The behavioral attitude and breaking some ties further makes the family seek an antidote.
Mulk is a very sensitive drama touching a very sensitive subject of the protection and importance of the communities. Half of the film is the intense courtroom drama where Murad’s Hindu daughter-in-law Aarti tries to defend the case against the public prosecutor Santosh Anand (Ashutosh Rana) who tries to convince the court that the Muslim community orchestrates the terrorism.
Anubhav’s powerful writing and direction heavily focuses on the fact that people can be either good or bad whether they are of any faith. There is every chance that the follower of God and evil may be living in the same house under the same roof. The insecurity of being a Muslim is also highlighted well.
Technical aspects have done the talking. Dialogues, screenplay, story, cinematography, and direction are magnificent. These aspects are well supported by the splendid performances of Rishi Kapoor, Taapsee Pannu, Manoj Pahwa and Ashutosh Rana.
Mulk is an agonized cry for love and peace in the cynical times of crossing guns over other shoulders among the communities and even the neighboring countries. It is one of the most important films produced in India with a cinematic masterpiece.
Other Notable Films:
Andhadhun
Padman
Bioscopewala
Union Leader
Beyond The Clouds
Manto
Pihu
Thank you for reading my annual picks and will write next year about Hindi films which are produced in 2019. Share your opinion below.
Sami Naik | Film Critic 