2024 is set to end, and here’s taking a look at the Best of the year in movies, actors’ performances and music.
Best Films
Laapataa Ladies (Directed by Kiran Rao)
The finest film of the year remains Laapataa Ladies, India’s Oscar nominee that has sadly lost the race. In India too, it did not do too well due to reasons unconnected with its excellence. A seeming dramedy about exchanged spouses, it turned in the end to a powerful social statement.
Let is look at the rest in alphabetical order.
Agni (Rahul Dholakia)
An incisive and insightful look at a firefighter’s selfless life gave us two angles that intersected: how a man in that profession selflessly does his duty but does not get due recognition from the public, and how work-stress can unhinge a once-dedicated service professional. Pratik Gandhi was magnificent and the direction, script and performances were fantastic.
Amar Singh Chamkila (Imtiaz Ali)
Another biopic, this time on Netflix, Amar… marked the return of Imtiaz Ali after eons, to his Socha Na Tha-Jab We Met form. The film marked an extraordinary performance by Diljit Dosanjh as the controversial singer who put Punjab on the world map with his songs but died too early.
Article 370 (Aditya Suhas Jambhale)
A real and gritty yet judiciously dramatized narration of how a controversial provision in our Constitution was abrogated, the film marked the terrific debut of a solid directorial talent and some magnificent performances by Yami Gautam Dhar, Priyamani and Vaibhav Tatvawadi.
Khel Khel Mein (Mudassar Aziz)
Probably the best entertainer of the year, this film was “killed” because of a misplaced greed to cash in on Independence Day and clash with Stree 2! A brilliant ensemble cast, a fresh premise and execution enhanced this wonderfully fresh Indian adaptation of a foreign film that has great repeat value.
Maharaj (Siddharth P. Malhotra)
Doing his second wonderful job for Yash Raj Films after Hichki, Siddharth P. Malhotra brought to life the tale of a man who fought relentlessly against a fake god-man in 1860s Gujarat. A biopic again, it also brought us the find of the year in Junaid Khan, Aamir Khan’s son, who held his own against the power-packed performance of Jaideep Ahlawat as the antagonist.
Maidaan (Amit Ravindernath Sharma)
This hard-hitting and engaging biopic of a football coach and his triumphs and troubles was probably a shade too lengthy and authentic in a scenario wherein high tickets and F&B rates make audiences crave for entertainment. Ajay Devgn was phenomenal. So was the film.
Tikdam (Vivek Anchalia)
This simple but superlative tale of two adorable children, who with their friend’s help, prevent their anxious father (Amit Sial) from going away to a city to earn more for them, was a sweet saga of family affection. Released on Jio Cinema, it’s script ingeniously also dealt with environmental damage by humans that was the catalyst to the father’s stress.
Honorable mentions: Sarfira, Bhakshak
Worst films of the year: Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, CTRL, Ishq Vishk Rebound, Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2, Vedaa
Best Performances
Leads
Pratik Gandhi towers among them all, for he was fabulous as the Bengali disgruntled husband in Do Aur Do Pyaar, the beleaguered NRI in Madgaon Express and the idealistic firefighter in Agni.
Abhishek A. Bachchan (I Want to Talk), Ajay Devgn (Maidaan), Akshay Kumar (Sarfira, Khel Khel Mein), Amit Sial (Tikdam), Annu Kapoor as the amoral qawwal protagonist of Hamare Baarah, Diljit Dosanjh (Amar Singh Chamkila), Kartik Aaryan (Chandu Champion), Lakshya (Kill), Nana Patekar (Vanvaas), R. Madhavan (Shaitaan), Rajkummar Rao (Srikanth) and Sparsh Shrivastava (Laapataa Ladies) all vie for the ‘Best’ honors too.
The female list is less varied. We have Kriti Sanon (Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, Do Patti) topping this list, followed by, again in alphabetical order, Bhumi Pednekar in Bhakshak, Nitanshi Goel and Pratibha Ranta (Laapataa Ladies), Priyamani (Maidaan, Article 370), Taapsee Pannu (Khel Khel Mein) and Yami Gautam Dhar (Article 370).
Character Artistes
Chhaya Kadam tops this list as the railway stall owner in Laapataa Ladies and the feisty female don in Madgaon Express. Janki Bodiwala in Shaitaan, Sai Tamhankar as Pratik’s long-suffering wife in Agni, Shilpa Shukla as the heartless demon in Bastar: The Naxal Story also made huge marks.
So did two adorable kids, Aarohi Saud and Divyank Dwivedi in Tikdam again.
Ajit Sarwotam Kelkar as Daadu (Tikdam) and Sharad Kelkar (Srikanth) rocked among the male supporting actors.
Music
The musical merit was led by three South composers! A.R. Rahman fluidly added his own creations to Amar Singh Chamkila’s original compositions in Amar Singh Chamkila, and M.M. Kreem and Devi Sri Prasad anointed, respectively, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha and Pushpa 2: The Rule, with their steep melodies.
On the Hindi side, Sachin-Jigar (Stree 2) scored better than anyone else. Their Aaj ki raatwas the anthem of the year, followed by Aayi nahin from the same film, Tauba tauba from Good Newz and Dholna 3.0, a decent re-creation by Amaal Mallik of the Pritam classic from Bhool Bhulaiyaa, which played such a key role in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. Taras (Munjya) was another hit from Sachin-Jigar.
(Used with permission)
