New Delhi:
dominated the year Pushpa 2, Kalki 2898 AD And greatest of all timeApart from some Bollywood horror comedies (woman 2 And Maze 3)But in 2024, independent Indian cinema scaled new heights and produced a series of gems with the power to stand the test of time. The ten best releases of the year (theatrically and on OTT) were:
We imagine everything as light
A beautifully crafted film that lights up the screen with colors that linger long after the viewing, We imagine everything as light It’s a masterful piece of cinema that derives its power from director Payal Kapadia’s unique vision, combining poetry, social commentary and a depiction of a city that nurtures dreams of a better life and yet suppresses those desires. Which arises from the urge of the person. Freedom. At the center of the film are three women, two Malayali nurses working in Mumbai (Kani Kusruti and Divya Prabha) and a hospital cook (Chhaya Kadam), a migrant from Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district, who buys a house from a builder to build her chawl. Trying to save. The city gives them the space and anonymity to live the life they want, but the personal, social and economic constraints they face prevent them from ever gaining a steady footing. universally praised We imagine everything as light What one has received is, without any doubt, completely deserved.
where to look, Running in select multiplexes
Vazhai
Written, directed and co-produced by Mari Selvaraj, this semi-autobiographical film is marked by phenomenal craftsmanship. Behind the artistic perfection is a heart and a voice that communicates with equal strength and precision. The Tamil socio-political drama looks at rural poverty and exploitation through the innocent eyes of a traumatized boy. Established in the late 1990s in a landscape of exceptional natural beauty, Vazhai It is based on a deprived community whose main occupation is harvesting raw bananas and loading them onto transport trucks. The adventurous people of this village in southern Tamil Nadu are at the mercy of brokers and traders. The film reiterates the concerns expressed in Selvaraj’s first two films, periyarum perumal And kernelBut it has a distinct texture and tone that instantly draws viewers in, no matter how unfamiliar they are with this world.
Where to watch: disney+hotstar
King
Writer-director Nithilan Saminathan’s second film is included in this ‘Best of the Year’ list, being a high-grossing genre film. Kingis a densely written and executed action thriller packed with twists and turns that span space and time in startling ways. No Indian film in 2024 has kept the audience guessing from beginning to end like Maharaja. Taking place in two time zones 15 years apart – 2009 and the present – the dual revenge drama pits Vijay Sethupathi’s titular barber against Anurag Kashyap’s hardened criminal, whose paths cross in an ordinary hair-cutting salon. Meet by chance. Surrounded by corrupt cops, a police informer, cunning gangsters, families caught unawares and an auspicious litter, Maharaja weaves a complex series of events into a highly coherent, consistently entertaining tale of individuals grappling with unexpected events, both deliberate and accidental. Both are there. All this is brilliantly held together by Vijay Sethupathi’s brilliantly decisive performance.
Where to watch: Netflix
उल्लोझुक्कु
The narrative feature debut of national award-winning filmmaker Christo Tomi, उल्लोझुक्कु (Undercurrent), set in the flood-affected area of Alappuzha, Kerala, is a brilliant portrayal of a fraught relationship between a woman (Urvashi) and her daughter-in-law (Parvathy Thiruvoth). The Malayalam film focuses on the conflicting reactions of two women towards a man on his deathbed, an extramarital affair, pregnancy and funeral. gender is dynamic उल्लोझुक्कु It is wonderfully subtle and quietly intense as two women from two different generations navigate the elements that make up their living environments and the notions of morality that society sets for them. The director has brought out the subtleties of social and personal drama very skillfully. With two actors who are in perfect sync with the demands of the narrative, the film is based on authenticity and delicate emotions of the scenario.
Where to watch: amazon prime video
ruby cloud cloud
Debutant director Abhinandan Banerjee ruby cloud cloud (The Cloud and the Man) is a linear narrative that firmly avoids verbosity and melodrama. But that’s not the only reason this is the rare contemporary Bengali film that dares to move in a new direction. Ruby clouds, Driven by a unique and highly original approach, driven by Chandan Sen’s brilliant silent performance. It uses evocative means to blend gentle flights of surrealism with a keen awareness of the harsh realities of a big city, especially those condemned to it. Languish at or around your edge, in hopeless loneliness. The surprisingly well-crafted essay centers on a middle-aged schoolteacher stuck in a limbo that leaves him unable to connect with the people around him. With the lead actor expertly combining body language with facial expressions, the film dissects the connection between urban anger and the emotional void it creates.
Where to watch: Released theatrically, not yet available for streaming
girls will be girls
Newcomer Shuchi Talati’s girls will be girls A perfectly constructed coming of age story set in a co-educational boarding school in the foothills of the Himalayas. It weaves together subtle suggestions of tension between a mother and daughter and explicit but tentative assertions of quivering teenage sexuality to present an incredibly convincing portrait of a girl who navigates a cycle of discovery that leads her to her Introduces you to physical and emotional dimensions. and psychological needs. It also features a sweet lead performance from newcomer Preeti Panigrahi as well as a memorable, emotionally complex turn by Kani Kushruti in the role of the mother. girls will be girlswhich dropped on a streamer at the end of the year after winning a few awards at Sundance in early 2024, topping the list of the most sublime young adult dramas ever made in India.
Where to watch: amazon prime video
i want to talk
Director Shoojit Sircar has a way of squeezing drama out of the nuances of human life and death. In I want to talk, He does just that while dealing with the shadow of mortality and the living things. Abhishek Bachchan delivers a career-best performance as a courageous, successful adman based in California suffering from laryngeal cancer, bringing to life a fight for survival inspired by a real-life survivor. i want to talk It evokes the nuances of dramas about terminally ill patients, but goes beyond the boundaries of the genre to present a deeply moving story examining the spirit of a man who is told that his days are over. There are only a few who go under the knife countless times. The film hits as instantly as it is painfully life-affirming. The hero, adopting the posture of a fighter, stares down death. i want to talk Reflects the innate human desire to overcome the inevitability of ephemera.
Where to watch: Screening was done in multiplex. Awaiting OTT release
kottukkali
PS Vinothraj (Rotterdam Tiger Award Winner) Koozhangal, 2021) returns in 2024 with a film that’s just as impressive as its unforgettable debut. kottukkali (The Adamant Girl), which premiered in the Forum section of the Berlin Film Festival, examines the consequences of patriarchy and superstition on a village girl who is determined not to follow the norms set by society. Vinothraj blends the absurd and the naturalistic with ease, aided by actors who deliver their performances with deep sincerity and commitment. The headstrong girl of the title (Anna Ben) is believed to be under an evil spell as she fends off her maternal uncle’s (Sori) wish to marry her. The family sets out on a journey to meet a monk who they believe can drive away the spirit that has possessed the girl. kottukkali It is a kind of road movie which passes through a maze of accidents and revelations. It’s equal parts interesting and enlightening, a real cinematic triumph.
Where to watch: amazon prime video
Miyajhagan
A mesmerizing drama centered on two adult men negotiating a relationship that one of them forms intuitively and the other has difficulty understanding, MiazhaganWritten and directed by C. Prem Kumar, it is unusual in many ways. The Tamil film enters the delicate territory where human emotions revolve around memories of times gone by and the search for relevance more than two decades later. Buoyed by two excellent performances from Karthi and Arvind Swamy, Miyajhagan – The title comes from the name of one of the two lead characters, but it is not expressed verbally until the final scene – it is a celebration of the small joys in life and the loss of what one holds dear or gives up. It is a celebration of the centrality of our roots in development. In the difficult journey of life. In an age of hyper-masculine action films that present men as avenging agents of rage, Miazhagan is a breath of fresh air, a film that is like a warm embrace on a winter night.
Where to watch: Netflix
fairy world
Karan Gaur’s low-budget, improvisational filmmaking at its most adventurous (and deliciously simple) fairy world is an exploration of modern urban relationships wrapped in magical-realist fantasy. The film wears its independence on its sleeve and frees the lead, real-life pair Rasika Duggal and Mukul Chadda to venture into uncharted territories as actors. Setting the man-woman relationship within a disintegrating marriage, the screenplay, written by the director himself, flies in surprising directions with a flexibility that would be difficult to replicate in rule-bound cinema. The plot is based on a couple who stumble upon a ‘creature’ on a deserted road in Mumbai (a deserted place in a bustling metropolis is no less rare than the disturbing experiences that await both of them). The unflappable, sexless encounter puts the couple’s already strained relationship to the test and provides the film with remarkable uniqueness. fairy world It did not get the audience it deserved and that was its loss.
Where to watch: Released theatrically, not streaming yet
