2018 was a year full of surprises & shocks at the box office! Before everything, it was the content that talked & hence we got surprises like Raazi, Badhaai Ho & Stree. A big lesson to the stalwarts – only stardom can’t make your movie successful! Remember Race 3, Thugs Of Hindostan & Zero?
But amongst all these, there come few very good films which didn’t get their due at the box office. Let’s revisit them with a hope that you guys will watch them, at least on television.
1. Mukkabaaz
Anurag Kashyap covers casteism, politics in sports, domestic violence & many more relevant issues in a single film. Good thing is, nothing mixes up to create a chaotic dish. Don’t expect a Rocky or Gangs Of Wasseypur, because this is not. Growing comfortably in its own little space, Mukkabaaz fits perfectly to the genre of Anurag Kashyap films but this time it’s comparatively less dark & more entertaining. Don’t think, go watch!
2. Blackmail
Blackmail is dark, it’s entertaining and never for a second, it has a dull moment. Along with Irrfan Khan’s flawless performance every other actor has delivered magic with their presence. Straight-faced yet mastermind Irrfan Khan is a live-wire here.
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3. Mulk
Director Anubhav Sinha finalized the final script of Mulk after going through 13-14 drafts of it. He also went to the master-director Shoojit Sircar with the script & he said that it is one of his best-written works. It’s dark, gritty, disturbing, intriguing but the most importantly entertaining.
4. Laila Majnu
The world behind that hill, our story is already written, the process of waiting for Laila – this is all only Imtiaz Ali can serve justice too. Somewhere, there are flaws and loopholes in Laila Majnu but the intent behind it is so pure, the performances are so powerful & the second half is so heart-wrenching, there’ll be nothing to complain about once you’re out of the film.
5. Manto
Saadat Hasan Manto – a writer who wrote what he knew and saw, someone who was never afraid to write the truth, someone who infused sensationalism in whatever he wrote. The story starts in 1946, Mumbai (Bombay, back then) and we see how well is Manto doing with his work. Nandita Das’ script is gutsy! She has made every possible to attempt to cover every aspect of Manto’s life. Because of this some of them are left half-touched while others are explored so well that you can’t ask for more.
6. Tumbbad
Tumbbad, a remote village situated in Konkan, Maharashtra is cursed! The story starts with explaining the evolution of the Goddess of Prosperity and the love for her first child – Hastar. Story, screenplay and dialogues are a combined effort by Mitesh Shah, Adesh Prasad, Rahi Anil Barve and Anand Gandhi. The first draft of the story was written in 1997 and since then it has been a mysterious journey for the film. If you’re a fan of horror films you will be scared. If you’re a fan of good Panchatantra-esque stories you will listen to it carefully. If you love good storytelling than you will be hooked. If you love the contrast of light and dark you will love the setup of the movie. Though it did decent numbers, but given the scale and quality of the film, it deserved more.
7. Manmarziyaan
Manmarziyaan, which in Hindi translates to ‘do what pleases your heart’, is a complicated, confusing and a beautiful love triangle between Vicky (Vicky Kaushal), Rumi (Taapsee Pannu) and Robbie (Abhishek Bachchan). Kanika Dhillon is the salient star of the film! Script, screenplay & dialogues – she has mastered each and every department. Yes, she faces some misses in the midway but by the end, everything falls right into its place.
8. Baazaar
Shakun Kothari (Saif Ali Khan) is ‘the’ business tycoon and every stock trader’s wet dream. Rizwan Ahmed (Rohan Mehra), an aspiring moneymaker but lives with a conservative Farhan Qureshi’s kinda dad in Allahabad – sorry Mr Adityanath, Prayagraj. Rizwan, along with his street-smart attitude & sky-high dreams reaches Mumbai in order to make a name for him. I’m not at all saying Parveez Shaikh has penned Baazaar after watching Wall Street (1987), I’m just saying how the basic premise of the whole master-disciple angle and how they stand against each other is already done.
9. FryDay
In FryDay, Gagan Kapoor (Govinda) is a flirtatious theatre actor living an unsatisfied married life. He has a girlfriend Bindu (Digangna Suryavanshi) and loves her a lot. Rajiv Chabbra (Varun Sharma) – a failed salesman tries to save his job. Sells water purifier for Pavitra Paani Company and gets a warning from his boss. Rajeev Kaul’s story is kind of done-to-death in Bollywood but what makes it a winner is Manu Rishi Chadha’s dialogues. The one-liners are so hilarious and are so many they just don’t let a dull moment be on screen for a long time.
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