Hindi cinema has truly come-of-age, especially when you look at the kind of movies that have come-out starting from the 2010’s.
The decade alone served some of the most groundbreaking cinematic experiences for the Indian film industry, with filmmakers willing to experiment with realistic scripts and unconventional actors, strictly adhering to the artistic demands of the film, and not falling for the commercial aspects.
The contrast between the films of 2000’s and the 2010’s is pretty drastic, not only in the style of movie-making – but also the entire creative process involved behind it. Largely doing away with the unnecessary song-and-dance sequences, and shoving aside the need to constantly chase big-stars and established “surnames”, the industry has shown a major shift towards ‘content-driven’ cinema, all thanks to the demands of the new-age moviegoers.
On top of that, the recent advent and rise of OTT platforms, have further given unorthodox filmmakers a new platform to explore their artistic approaches, without worrying about the commerce of it all.
Considering all this, we have had some pretty phenomenal films in the recent past, that have showcased just how much talent the fraternity has – in abundance, if only the right ones are given a platform to come-forth.
Here are some of the best examples of the greatness of Hindi cinema, as shown through releases from the last 10-15 years:
1) Mukti Bhawan
Despite it’s difficult and morbid nature, this Shubhashish Bhutiani directed heartfelt film about family, relationships and the cycle of life and death, touched a resounding chord with critics and audiences alike. Although it didn’t make any mark at the box office instantly, the film has slowly grabbed the attention of the masses – thanks to all the wonderful things that have been said about it. Capturing the essence of Varanasi, beaded seamlessly through the eyes of it’s two protagonists, the film puts together an emotional tale of the loss of what’s mortal, and the discovery of the immortal – that lies within.
2) Ankho Dekhi
Rajat Sharma – who’s been giving us a breather from mainstream potboilers for several years now, gave us his most artistically satisfying experience yet in the form of this once-in-a-lifetime drama, Ankho Dekhi. As the film’s lead, Bauji – played by the talented Sanjay Mishra, ventures into the path of finding the ultimate truth of life, and what everything around him means – his family struggles to cope-with his ways. The earthiness of their situations, despite the sky-high ambitions of Mishra’s character, bring a dramatic contradiction, which enables Rajat – the director, to bring out some pretty fine performances, including one from himself, in his best supporting-role yet.
3) Gali Guleiyan
A largely ignored film, that yet again showcased how our new-age and fresh-minded filmmakers are capable of handling complex psychological stories, that venture into the many layers of what it means to be human. The subject of an individual’s internal trauma and turmoil is depicted through what happens in his reality, as he attempts to escape the streets of his mind. A delicate, and somewhat triggering, story on mental health and past trauma and the constant human-need to escape it all.
4) Aligarh
A tragic real-life story, brought to life by the genius of filmmaker – Hansal Mehta. Revolving around the story of a closeted gay professor of an orthodox Muslim University, being forcibly outed by those who had a personal vendetta against him, the film touches on a subject that has largely been reduced to caricature and ridicule by the Bollywood mainstream (Dostana, we’re looking at you!). His fight to regain his job and his respect, with a young journalist documenting his ordeal, are poetically put-together by the sensibilities of the filmmaker. Not to mention – two stellar examples of great acting – by both Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkumar Rao.
5) Titli
In a marriage of compromises, an unusual, but anticipated friendship develops – even as everything around it reeks of violence and unpredictability. Titli is about a family of common highway looters and the change in their dynamics as a woman comes in their lives, to shake-up everything. With it’s edge-of-the-seat moments, and chilling tightly-packed drama – the highlight of the film remains it’s uncertain, atypical story and undependable characters, brought to life by some fantastic performances.
6) Miss Lovely
The movie went where no other film in the history of Indian cinema went, at least not with this much granularity and eagerness for accuracy. Depicting an era, the backdrop of which has mostly remained in darkness, barely documented and rarely revisited. The dark and brutal horrors of the 80’s C-grade soft-porn of Bollywood, depicted through the eyes of an infatuated lover, an aspirant who’s willing to go to all extremes to find stardom and an industry that lurks in darkness. What makes Miss Lovely so great, is it’s overall artistic approach to filming and the seamless subtlety and realism of how it’s depicted on-screen, even when it reaches the peak of it’s dramatic moments. Masterful and uncompromising filmmaking.
7) Haraamkhor
Shlok Sharma-directed critically acclaimed film dealt with the predatory nature of a school teacher, who is infatuated by an underage girl from his school and lures her into forming a relationship with him. The whole thing is presented from a very casual lens, without explicitly drawing the lines between – ‘good and evil’, not giving you the opportunity to realize as it ventures from naïve innocence, to a gloomy end. The seamlessly interlaced characters and their contradicting, parallel thoughts are never worded-out, yet they appear as clear as the day-sky, in this mature, poetically written screenplay.
8) Masaan
A movie about trying to break from societal shackles, falling in love in hopes of escaping your reality, navigating through grief and trauma, and eventually trying to pick the pieces back together. The 2015-released Neeraj Ghaywan drama is a beautifully put together tale-of small-city romances, heartbreaks and tragedies. If not for this captivating storyline and sophisticated direction, the film remains a standout piece for it’s impeccable performances.
Looking at some of these cinematic juggernauts it is safe to say that Indian cinema has not only been completely turned-around and evolved to the level of world cinema, but the same has also been brought and made familiar to the mainstream. The fact that these films aren’t necessarily considered ‘niche’ anymore, and a large portion of viewers look forward to the work of these artistes, speak of the change in our overall movie-viewing experience. And that makes the present movie scene, more exciting than ever.
Here’s to the advent of more such beautiful, bold minds to constantly challenge things with the power of their art.