Sairat, Thithi, Dear Zindagi, Visaranai: 15 films that redefined Indian cinema in 2016

Dear Zindagi

 

 

Best Moment: Shah Rukh as the handsome therapist explains : Ek kursi choose karne se pehle hum itni saari kursiyan dekhte hai, toh ek life partner choose karne se pehle humme options nahi dekhne chahiye? (We see so many chairs before selecting one, so what is the problem in applying the same to life partners). The Alia Bhatt-Shah Rukh Khan starrer brought to us a fresh cast and a new theme. How we live our life. It is a typical teenage problem but explained in a very matter-of-fact. Many of us think it is the end of the world for us when our relationships don’t work or when we are rejected.

 

 

Dangal

 

Best moment: When Aamir (Mahavir Phogat) realises that girls are as capable as boys are. A father is known only by his sons. He says “I forgot gold is gold. Girl or boy, what difference does it make whether a boy wins the gold or girl wins?”

 

Pink

Best moment: When Amitabh Bachchan stresses in court that when a girl means No, it means No. 'Na' sirf shabd nahi hai...apne aap mein pura vaakya hai. Isi kisi tark, spashtikaran, explanation ya vyakhya ki jarurat nahi hoti. The word NO is to be taken literally and not how in cinema where it says “meri na mein hain haan” . And women have a right to say NO.

 

Kahaani 2

 

 

Best moment: Jab tak main zinda hu tab tak main tumhe kuch nahi hone dungi. Durga Rani Singh played by Vidya Balan highlights the hidden scars of child abuse and how such children suffer silently. It opens out to the world, the dirty secret that homes hide.

 

Aligarh

 

 

Best dialogue: Koi meri feeling ko teen aksharon mein kaise samajg sakta hai?(How can anyone define my feelings in three letters?). Aligarh, starring Manoj Bajypayee and Rajkumar Rao touches upon what it means to be a gay man in India. The stigma he is subjected to, the desires of a man who is different from the others is highlighted with extreme caution but with great skill. It also shows how the private life an individual has become fodder for gossip in politics and media and the irony of it all that the events happen in  the backdrop of a university.  

 

Nil Battey Sanata

 

 

Best dialogue: Agar tumhe dobara padhne ka mauka mile toh (What if you get the chance to study again?) Ratna Pathak Shah asks Swara Bhaskar in this movie which stresses upon the need of education.  The movie explores a mother-daughter relationship, the issue of women's education, how important going to school is and never give up on your dreams no matter even if the conditions are adverse.

 

Tithi –Kannada

 

 

What is so good about it: The film was conferred the Best Film Award at the 1st BRIC film festival. The eldest member of the family dies and the hilariousness that follows. Century Gowda — the 101-year-old leaves behind him a legacy of worries.

 

U-Turn-Kannada

 

 

What is so good about it: Why following traffic rules matters. The suspense – mystery- thriller revolves around the story of death of motorists who break traffic rules. The movie’s success was delivered by the fact that people actually came to Richmond Road and blocked the illegal u-turn which had caused so many deaths.

 

Jacobinte Swargarajyam–Malayalam

 

 

What is so good about it: Every NRI will relate to this movie. A movie about family ties and relationships but how lack of money can drive even the bravest of souls into depression. Based on a true story, follows the life of an NRI businessman, Jacob, and his family who are settled in Dubai and visualises how closely knit family relations stick together at times of crisis. Watch Nivin Pauly, Renji Panicker and Lekshmi Ramakrishnan bring Malayalee families together.

 

 

Kammattipaadam- Malayalam

 

 

What is so good about it: A movie which highlights the struggle of the Dalits in Kerala. A hard-hitting film which breaks stereotypes of caste. It also shows how the green, lush backwaters of Kochi was slowly edged out by the Smart City.  Splendid performance by Dulquer Salman.

 

Sairat- Marathi

 

What is so good about it: The first Marathi movie to gross over ₹100 crore worldwide has been one of the most talked about movies of the year. This is a love story that addresses the subject of honour killing, a common practice in many south-east and middle-east countries of the world.

 

Joker- Tamil

 

 

What is so good about it: It moved away from the norm and through comedy explores the various issues our country is facing. In this the main character appoints himself as President to make the country better.The little issues slipped in with such ease but the viewing experience is heightened multiple times.

 

Visaranai- Tamil

 

What is so good about it: Visaranai stars actors like Dinesh, Anandhi and Aadukalam Murugadoss in the lead roles. The film is based on police brutality and corruption. Visaranai is a raw and hard-hitting film which may be painful to watch as the endless brutality of the system strikes its way into the visuals.

 

Sankhachil –Bengali

 

What is so good about it: A story of relationships again but how separation and partition cause devastating ripples in the generations to come. It won the Best Bengali feature film at the National Awards. It shows the traces and undercurrents of India and Bangladesh partition and how the trauma still exists. Some things cannot be forgotten easily. Watch a wonderful performance by Prosenjit Chatterjee, Kusum Sikder and Shajbati.

 

Cinemawala- Bengali

 

 

What is so good about it: Cinema. This one word covers the whole film. How single screen halls, where the children of the 80s and 90s spent their childhood in, is being threatened by the costly multiplexes of today. How virtual reality has destroyed the charm of single screen theatres through the lives of a father and son. The movie may be set in Bengal but rings true for every state. Paran Bandopadhyay and Arun Guha Thakurta breathe life into this movie.