Looking at the best of 2017 through the prism of pictures that we believe remain under-rated still
What's the point of having as many year-ender movie lists/listicles around as there are movies in a year? A whole lot, actually. For one, in keeping with democracy, the idea that the Internet primarily embodies, it's only fair that a whole lot of avid viewers, reviewers, get to put together an awards' roster of their own. In that sense, given that a film is essentially a director's medium, if I were to loftily hand out the top gong for the year, it would, hands down, go to SS Rajamouli for Baahubali: The Conclusion, even for a sequel, a visual feat in its own right, and a task so gargantuan that unsurprisingly Indian filmmakers (Bollywood, included) had attempted nothing like this before. But then again, am I telling you anything new?
The other purpose lists of this nature serve is for the viewer/reviewer to express fondness for a film over and above others' - suggesting thereby that as an audience, he or she could spot stuff in a movie that a casual eye might gloss over, or may not appreciate as much. A lot of people on the web, you might notice, gave definitive double thumbs up to Ranbir Kapoor starrer Jagga Jasoos, which is just as well, since Anurag Basu's far-out adventure series works sufficiently as a kids' film, a genre that mainstream filmmakers rarely pay enough attention to. It's also a great space to laud even more the finest indies, and Newton topping several charts is totally called for. And this is just as true for the rare comedy on death, Mukti Bhawan, or the boldest piece on feminism, Lipstick Under My Burkha. Or, the incredible Rajkummar Rao starrer Trapped.
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But the lists I love the most are ones that, for the most part, champion pictures that either regular folk must have totally missed out on, because the movies lacked the marketing heft to reach your eyeballs in the first place. Or ones that you might have heard of, but not seen. Or even films that could've done well, commercially, but got left out on a lot of similar lists, because, well, you know, there's only that many movies one can recommend in a year-ender. Bearing all these factors in mind, here's what I thought were some of the best movies of 2017, which I'm certain, are streaming at a screen near you; if not, will soon do. Be that as it may, no such list can claim to be spot-on either -it's far too personal, and there is nothing right or wrong about opinion, anyway.
Tu Hai Mera Sunday
Tu Hai Mera Sunday movie still
What's the only thing I didn't love about this beautifully cast - in parts touching, and terrific - quintessentially Mumbai, ensemble film? Its title, which is rather lame. Everything else walks the talk, including the finest portrayal of urban romance between actors Barun Sobti, Shahana Goswami (great to see her back on screen, by the way)
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz/ Haraamkhor/Gurgaon
Pankaj Tripathy
Nawazuddin Siddiqui sticks to pushing the envelope with Bandookbaaz, Haraamkhor. And actor Pankaj Tripathy seals the year reprising the Mafiosi in a film named, and about, Gurgaon. What was so special about Tripathy in 2017? You only have to look at Newton, Bareilly Ki Barfi, and Anarkali Of Aarrah as well.
Poorna/Secret Superstar
Poorna
A little girl climbs the Everest, another girl hopes to climb the music charts - both inspirational stories, as real as real gets; told with tremendously tender loving care.
Hindi Medium/Qarib Qarib Singlle
Hindi Medium
Irrfan Khan in top form, with movies that look smartly at relationships - whether a man and a woman's (Singlle), or between the man, woman, child and his school (Medium) - effectively making you reflect and ROFL at the same time; a rare feat.
Death In The Gunj
Death in the Gunj
Dark, moody, genuinely experimental, from a narrative point of view - inspiringly cast, enacted, undoubtedly the most self-assured directorial debut (by Konkana Sen-Sharma).
Rangoon/Tubelight
Rangoon
With your expectations being zero, since both director Vishal Bharadwaj's audacious, ambitious period drama, and superstar Salman Khan's genuine attempt at reinventing himself, got a drubbing at the box-office, you might be surprised to learn that neither film was as terrible as it was made out to be. Isn't that often the case?
Ribbon
Ribbon
Stripped of all superficiality, just the camera, two fine actors, this film (especially in its final half hour) is pretty much life itself.
The Ghazi Attack/Raag Desh
The Ghazi Attack
One was full-on submarine war-film, set in '71', directed by a 29-year-old debutant (Sankalp Reddy). The second was a proper period piece, plus action-drama, set around the Indian National Army trials - delivered to you by Rajya Sabha TV. Given the sources, our expectations were low. The filmmakers rightly over-delivered.
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan/Toilet: Ek Prem Katha
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Bhumi Pednekar as a fiancée suffering a man with erectile dysfunction in one film; and as someone who has to face the ignominy of defecating in the open, in the other. Both incredibly tough movies to pull off in the mainstream, and yet executed so entertainingly that the masses lapped 'em up. Besides the filmmakers, full marks to Ayushmann Khurana and Akshay Kumar respectively.
Anaarkali Of Aarrah
Anaarkali Of Aarrah
One misstep, and this film, given its location and subject, could've turned into a B-grader. It sizzles instead with a supremely evolved script, first-rate performances (Swara Bhaskar, of course), and taking forward the conversation on how consent is king - so what if you're supposedly a sex worker.
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