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Movie Geek's Blog's Top 20 Hindi Films of 2014 [Part 2 of 2]
10. Kya Dilli Kya Lahore
This film is an ironic conversation between a pair of soldiers, one from each side of the Indo-Pak border. The story is set in 1948 and it is expressed beautifully how their heart still lies with the United India but they are bound to speak for and represent their country against the other. Kya Dilli Kya Lahore is a fantastic blend of emotions and what stands out is the writing, it is poignant and poetic.
9. Finding Fanny
Finding Fanny isn't your typical Bollywood film. It is an adorable film, which has nothing our mainstream movies usually offer. Finding Fanny is a film about finding lost love, this is not a new idea for a plot but the presentation is unique and sweet. It is good to see veteran actors like Naseeruddin Shah and Pankaj Kapur taking break from the usual intense role they do and come together in a light hearted romantic comedy. Finding Fanny sometimes also reminded me of Kundan Shah's Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa.
8. Dedh Ishqiya
Dedh Ishqiya is an important film, for it is a film on the lost "Genre" of the "Nawabs and Shayaris and it's a great film. While the first film of the franchise is basically a bold crime film, Dedh Ishqiya is eloquent and classy and suave in its nature. Dedh Ishqiya is romance portrayed in bundles of poetry and what a treat it has been to see the beautiful Madhuri Dixit pair with the elegant Naseeruddin Shah.
7. Sulemani Keeda
Sulemani Keeda is the story of two aspiring screenwriters Mainak and Dulal, looking for a producer to make an entry into the film industry. They are as hilarious as their name suggests. It is an indie made on a shoestring budget. It received great reviews from the people within the industry and outside of it. One that stands apart is a thumbs up from Pulp Fiction's Screen Writer Roger Avary. Sulemani Keeda has a lot of dark humor and it is incredibly fresh. I'd definitely look for the next film from the TVF Inbox.
6. Filmistaan
An out of shape wannabe actor who is also an avid Movie Buff is kidnapped by terrorists near the Indo-Pak Border and taken to the other side of the border. During the time he was a hostage in Pakistan, he bonds with another Movie Buff from Pakistan and discovers how the food and the people and the love for movies and cricket in Pakistan is exactly like his own country. Filmistaan is a beautiful depiction of the fact that Love, Friendship and Passion are beyond borders.
5. Highway
With Highway, Imtiaz Ali has now 5 films in his filmography as director and I have to say, he hasn't disappointed yet. Highway is a road movie which has self discovery as its main element. Alia Bhatt has delivered an intense performance in only her 2nd film that many of her seniors are yet to give. Great Music, A visual treat and a performance that shakes you to the core.
4. Ugly
Ugly is not like other great films on Kidnapping such as Ben Affleck's Gone Baby Gone or Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners where the main focus of the film was about what happened to the missing kid, rather it is a film that shows how ugly people can really be when there is a potential opportunity to rake in some cash. Ugly uses that popular plot keyword Kidnapping but comes out as a unique film that's much more than that.
3. Haider
Haider is the third and final film of Vishal Bhardwaj's Shakespearean Trilogy and what a closure it has been to the Trilogy. Haider is Hamlet set in Kashmir in the 1990s. This revenge saga character study comes out as an acting galore, as almost everyone in the cast given a performance worth talking about, but apart from the great performances, what stands apart is Kashmir itself. Haider is another Masterpiece by Vishal Bhardwaj and arguably his best film. With such great music, Vishal confirms yet again that he is as great a musician as he is a film maker.
2. Ankhon Dekhi
I first noticed Sanjay Mishra in the popular and much loved Indian Comedy TV Show Office Office and I have been a fan ever since. If I were a movie writer then, I would have declared that one day there will be a great film where he will get the part he deserves, the part of a lead character. Ankhon Dekhi is a gem that each one of us must watch, here is a film that is bold in the most asexual manner. It is bold for the fact that the people behind it actually went on to make such a movie. I mean, who among the masses will consider going to a theatre to watch a film which has Sanjay Mishra on the poster alone instead of one of those Superstars. Ankhon Dekhi is many things but most of all, it is Sanjay Mishra's Redemption as an Actor. Sanjay Mishra deservedly won the Best Actor Critics Choice at the Filmfare awards for his remarkable performance.
1. Queen
Queen is the perfect feel good movie. Queen is high on substance and through a simplest of plots, it expresses so much. It is the story of Rani, who goes to a solo honeymoon trip to Paris and discovers herself in the process. Interestingly, her life's biggest tragedy [as she believed it was] turned out as an opportunity to find the greater meanings of Life. This film has focused on little details of how we Indians really see things and takes a harmless dig on the judgemental society that we live in. Queen looks more promising and substantial on re-watches. Kangana Ranaut's performance is impeccable and she deserved every accolade she received. This is my favourite film from last year.
Movie Geek's Blog's Top 20 Hindi Films of 2014
Commercially, 2014 was just like any other year for Hindi Cinema, films with the greatest stars made all the money and things happened the way we expected. However, this year there were few changes that we saw in the industry. Films rich in its content received more mentions than ever. Films like Ugly would have never got this much attention if it was made 3-4 years ago. Filmfare Awards giving Best Film [Critic] to Ankhon Dekhi speak volumes of how the industry itself has changed their perspective towards quality cinema or films of substance.
Here are 20 'Good Enough' to 'Really Good' to 'Great Films' of 2014:
20. Miss Lovely
Miss Lovely follows the life of two brothers who used to make sleazy horror adult films at the Bombay C Grade film industry during the 80s. The film is too dark and can be boring even if you are into realistic cinema. But Watch it for Nawazuddin Siddiqui's acting, his power to get lost in the crowd and still stand apart simultaneously is commendable.
19. Hasee Toh Phasee
Nikhil and Meeta are considered the "Weirdos" in their respective families, however they aren't really weird but unconventional. Hasee Toh Phasee is a romantic comedy about an unorthodox pair, who are re-introduced after a decade when they first met. It looks like a film you have seen before, it is a certainly a lot of things but cliché isn't one of them. It is surprisingly fresh.
18. Rang Rasiya
Rang Rasiya is a biopic on the controversial life of Raja Ravi Varma. He is the man who gave images to Hindu mythological stories through his paintings. He toured the whole country to understand the Hindu mythology and then painted them using his imagination and provided the common man an access to gods and mythological tales. Rang Rasiya is a well intentioned film on the freedom of expression, but it isn't well made as far as details are concerned. Amidst all its flaws, this film has an engaging storyline and significant references to the history of India.
17. 2 States
2 States is typical Bollywood which I like, what I mean to say is, Bollywood is not as shitty as the films with flying Scorpios and it isn't as classy as The Lunchbox. We are still somewhere in between where we make sensible films and have a few unnecessary songs and melodramatic sequences. In simpler terms, if you want to truly explain someone what an average Bollywood film is like, ask them to watch 2 States. Moreover, making a good enough film using a mediocre book is an achievement in itself.
16. PK
PK is absolutely funny right from the first scene, it makes you laugh while you agree to everything PK points out. I don't remember when was the last time I had a laugh like that in a movie theatre. It goes into typical Raju Hirani's style of films after the interval and lacked the standards of 3 idiots but the good thing is that PK is still an eye opener and delivers the message clearly that Gods must not objectified or quantified or classified.
15. Manjunath
Manjunath tells the story of IIM Student Shanmugam Manjunath, who was killed in 2005 for being a whistle blower against the oil adulteration scam run by petrol pump owners in UP. It is a well intentioned film about a man whose story deserved to be told but at the same time the film lacked a polished screenplay and is not up to the mark as a film.
14. Hawaa Hawaai
After Stanley Ka Dabba, Amole Gupte made Hawaa Hawaai and proved yet again, how beautifully he understands children and their little world. Amol Gupte isn't a Satyajit Ray or an Abbas Kiarostami, but he is certainly an intelligent film maker who can make good films with Kids at the centre. Hawaa Hawaai is a coming of age tale of a poor kid who excels at skating. It was definitely one of the better films of 2014.
13. City Lights
City Lights is about a poor family which moves to Mumbai in financially desperate times. City Lights is devastating in nature, the family is hit by poverty left, right and centre but the good thing is that the film never walks into the depression alley. The great acting performances by Rajkumar Rao and Patralekhaa makes it one of the better films of last year.
12. Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania
Yes, it's a tribute to Cult Bollywood film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, but even if you aren't one of those religious fans of DDLJ {like me}, there are enough reasons for you to truly enjoy this movie. Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania is a "fresh cliché". Now that literally is a contradictory term, but throughout the film, you feel like "Ok I have seen this before but boy they are cute". I love this film and I think it's more than just a guilty pleasure.
11. Children of War
A little polishing here and there and Children of War could become one of the great films of this decade. If not that, it is still one of the better films of the year 2014. Children of War is a ruthless tale of the 1971 genocides happened in Bangladesh [then East Pakistan]. The brutality done by the Pakistani Army reminds one of what Nazi Germany did during the 2nd World War. It is tough to believe that it's a work of a first time director. I will definitely keep an eye open to see where Director Mritunjay Devvrat heads from here.
Rang Rasiya is a biopic on the controversial life of Raja Ravi Varma. He is the man who gave images to Hindu mythological stories through his paintings. He toured the whole country to understand the Hindu mythology and then painted them using his imagination and provided the common man an access to gods and mythological tales. Rang Rasiya is a well intentioned film on the freedom of expression, but it isn't well made as far as details are concerned. Amidst all its flaws, this film has an engaging storyline and significant references to the history of India.
2 States is typical Bollywood which I like, what I mean to say is, Bollywood is not as shitty as the films with flying Scorpios and it isn't as classy as The Lunchbox. We are still somewhere in between where we make sensible films and have a few unnecessary songs and melodramatic sequences. In simpler terms, if you want to truly explain someone what an average Bollywood film is like, ask them to watch 2 States. Moreover, making a good enough film using a mediocre book is an achievement in itself.
PK is absolutely funny right from the first scene, it makes you laugh while you agree to everything PK points out. I don't remember when was the last time I had a laugh like that in a movie theatre. It goes into typical Raju Hirani's style of films after the interval and lacked the standards of 3 idiots but the good thing is that PK is still an eye opener and delivers the message clearly that Gods must not objectified or quantified or classified.
Manjunath tells the story of IIM Student Shanmugam Manjunath, who was killed in 2005 for being a whistle blower against the oil adulteration scam run by petrol pump owners in UP. It is a well intentioned film about a man whose story deserved to be told but at the same time the film lacked a polished screenplay and is not up to the mark as a film.
After Stanley Ka Dabba, Amole Gupte made Hawaa Hawaai and proved yet again, how beautifully he understands children and their little world. Amol Gupte isn't a Satyajit Ray or an Abbas Kiarostami, but he is certainly an intelligent film maker who can make good films with Kids at the centre. Hawaa Hawaai is a coming of age tale of a poor kid who excels at skating. It was definitely one of the better films of 2014.
City Lights is about a poor family which moves to Mumbai in financially desperate times. City Lights is devastating in nature, the family is hit by poverty left, right and centre but the good thing is that the film never walks into the depression alley. The great acting performances by Rajkumar Rao and Patralekhaa makes it one of the better films of last year.
Yes, it's a tribute to Cult Bollywood film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, but even if you aren't one of those religious fans of DDLJ {like me}, there are enough reasons for you to truly enjoy this movie. Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania is a "fresh cliché". Now that literally is a contradictory term, but throughout the film, you feel like "Ok I have seen this before but boy they are cute". I love this film and I think it's more than just a guilty pleasure.
A little polishing here and there and Children of War could become one of the great films of this decade. If not that, it is still one of the better films of the year 2014. Children of War is a ruthless tale of the 1971 genocides happened in Bangladesh [then East Pakistan]. The brutality done by the Pakistani Army reminds one of what Nazi Germany did during the 2nd World War. It is tough to believe that it's a work of a first time director. I will definitely keep an eye open to see where Director Mritunjay Devvrat heads from here.
