My top 10 favorite films of 2018

It is clear that the year 2018 has become a defining year for good quality commercial cinema. Some low budget films such as Village Rockstars (India’s official entry for Oscars 2019), Mukkabaaz and Love Sonia are said to be good films but I haven’t watched them yet so they won’t be part of my list. Also I haven’t watched Mulk, Omerta, Gold and Manto so they also won’t make it to this list either. Upcoming films in the next two months don’t excite me and I’m certain can’t match the quality of the films I’ve listed below.

Here’s my list:

10. Pari

The year 2018 can be credited with reviving interest in Horror genre, and the movie Pari was the first film this year to do that. I admire Anushka Sharma for taking up unconventional roles for mainstream actress (remember NH10?) and also producing those movies. Pari as a movie isn’t impressive but it is a well-made movie that stays consistent and maintains the glooomy mood throughout. A good movie watching experience.

Both Sui Dhaaga and Pari were strong contenders for the 10 place, but Pari won because despite a lot of promise, Sui Dhaaga ended up disappointing in the end.

9. Sonu ke Titu ki Sweety

This movie is consistently funny. Very few films can achieve that and this itself is a reason to re-watch it. Watch it with your friends for maximum enjoyment. Waiting for Luv Ranjan and Karthik Aaryan’s next collaboration!

8. October

This movie will make you experience sadness and you will really get invested in the well-being of Shiuli. It is when you’re at the bottom of the pit of sadness, the last scene rescues you. At least that has been my experience. A very well made film that feels like a real life experience. On a lighter note, when I saw Varun Dhawan sporting a beard in the poster of this movie, I thought: what, another Badlapur? Perhaps he keeps a beard when he is gearing up to win awards!

7. Padmaavat

I’ve never been particularly interested in Bhansali’s movies because I think they’re overrated, pun intended. But Padmaavat proved me wrong and I’m glad it did. My favorite part was the last scene of the movie. I’m sure it will give me goosebumps if I watch it again. The movie is what people call, a big screen movie watching experience. But the controversy around this movie was certainly more amusing and laughable, especially when the protesters realized what idiots they are!

6. 102 Not Out

Watch this movie if you’re sad, frustrated, upset, angry and this movie will make you laugh and warm your heart. It can work as a great anti-depressant if you simply sit back and enjoy the film. The trailer didn’t impress me, the movie did. (Warning: Second half of the movie is a re-hash of Baghban!)

5. Badhaai Ho

Middle aged couple getting pregnant can’t be funny, or can it be? Of late we’ve seen at least one film being made every year on some sensitive topic such as: sperm donation, having a fat/ugly spouse, erectile disfunction or middle aged couple getting pregnant. This is also most of the career of Ayushmann Khurrana, Bollywood’s new superstar. This movie gives the term “Badhaai Ho” a new meaning! The best part about this movie is that Daadi has all the show stealing scenes and the youth of the country are loving it! She can make you laugh, she can make you cry and she can make you think that maybe old people ain’t so bad. From Jai Ho to Badhaai Ho, looks like Bollywood has come a long way!

4. Stree:

If it wasn’t for top 3 films in this list, this movie was the best film of the year. That’s obvious. But what’s not obvious is how to make an amazing horror comedy so precise that you will laugh and shit your pants at the same time! This is perhaps the best horror comedy Bollywood has produced. Cherry on the cake is that the open-ended ending made people wonder what happened! Fun fact: This movie became such a surprising success that many theaters removed Yamla Pagla Deewana 3 to run more shows of Stree! “O Stree phirse aana”!

3. Andhadhun

This movie is truly a suspense thriller where the aim is not to reach a particular point in the story. New plot points keep coming and each plot point gets resolved in a recursive way such that the actors who came later in the film exit the film sooner than the ones introduced towards the beginning of the film. Here also the ending is open-ended but we’re left with enough clues to figure it out for ourselves. If you still can’t figure it out, let me know in the comments. The music is top notch, as is expected from a film about an expert pianist. And you get to watch Ayushmann play a different kind of role. Best Sriram Raghavan’s movie till date (Remember Johnny Gaddar?).

2. Tumbbad

This movie could have been the best movie of the year had it not been the subject matter of the number one movie this year. The most amazing thing about Tumbbad is that its budget is only 5 crores! And it took 6 years to complete this film. What did the cast and crew eat in those days? This movie is a big screen movie watching experience. You will not enjoy it on Netflix or Amazon Prime. Go watch it now, it is still showing in theaters. Also, this movie begins on time because nobody is interested in showing advertisements before a low budget movie such as this one, so be on time if you decide to watch it on the big screen. This movie has great visuals and only one song that is the title track. The song will play in your mind in the background for a long time and the rains every year will remind you of this movie, I’m sure. This movie doesn’t scare you from the outside, it grows inside you until you begin to feel the horror from the inside. Spoiler alert: This movie isn’t about ghosts or demons, so don’t get discouraged, just go and watch it. It has been called a genre-defining movie. I’ll stop now.

1. Raazi

And the winner is… Raazi! Why you ask? This movie has done something no other film has ever done or will ever do, it made me sympathize with the Pakistani family, unlike other films where Pakistan is shown as the sworn enemy. It shows the dark side of being a spy and I could feel the conflict and pain in Sehmat’s mind. The impact of the film is stronger when you learn that it is based on a true story. You can watch this one on the small screen and enjoy it.

In case you’ve missed watching any of my top 10 movies of 2018, do watch those still showing in theaters to enjoy the big screen experience and others perhaps on Netflix or Amazon Prime.

Honorable mentions:

Sui Dhaaga (Made in India): A movie that could have been a great inspiration for entrepreneurs. Alas, it missed the finish line by a few inches. I liked the simple love story of Mauji and Mamta, their struggle to start their venture, and even the fashion show at the end. But the climax was just too good to believe.

Parmanu: This movie at least made me curious enough to learn about the real Pokhran tests conducted by my country.

Soorma: This tells us the story of Flicker Singh, who continues to break his own records in the world of International Hockey. The movie wasn’t as inspiring as perhaps the real life story of Sandeep Singh but what I liked was Bikramjeet’s character (Sandeep’s elder brother) portrayed beautifully by Angad Bedi. The way he looks after his younger brother is heart-warming. Diljit has also done a good role as Sandeep Singh.

Blackmail: This was a wacky movie that not everybody would enjoy. But it has some smart humor that will easily impress you.

Bhavesh Joshi Superhero: This movie committed a crime of being too long. Otherwise a good movie. Good action scenes. Deals with an important crisis that might happen in any city! I still don’t understand why this movie was taken down in less than a week.

Padman: A good attempt to raise awareness about the need for sanitary pads and tell the story of a selfless inventor, Arunachalam Muruganantham. However, his TED talk was just as good where he tells his life story and his struggle to create world’s cheapest sanitary pads.