The 5 Best Hindi Movies of 2016

2016 was not 'so great', but a satisfying year for Indian Cinema. While there were big disappointments like Mohenjo Daro and Mirzya, a few experimental films like Dear Zindagi, Kahaani 2, Ki & Ka and Kapoor and Sons broke the mold of a conventional Bollywood film. With films like Parched, Sarabjit and Wazir, the industry witnessed different narratives and finally started recovering from that 'Dabangg' kind of cinema. Here are the best ones for you to watch again:

Neerja (February 2016)
Neerja is the 'perfect cut' in terms of editing; it is neither lengthy nor too short to do justice to the story of the youngest recipient of the Ashok Chakra Award. This is, indeed, the movie’s one of the strongest points along with direction and memorable performances by Shabana Azmi and Sonam Kapoor (yes, she finally arrived). Keeping the story revolving around Neerja Bhanot’s first and last flight, the movie never loses its grip. What sets the narrative apart is the presence of humanized characters. Ram Madhvani, the director of the movie, highlighted Neerja’s fear beautifully, which makes it more believable and relatable.

Aligarh (February 2016)

In my opinion, loneliness, vulnerability and emptiness have never been picturised this beautifully in any Indian film, other than Aligarh. Manoj Bajpai, who carried the film on his shoulders, made director Hansal Mehta’s job easy. The way he smiles hesitates or ever feels shy doesn’t let the audience pay attention to the supporting cast.

In spite of having a low production value, the film is shot beautifully. Cinematographer used the camera creatively which makes those 'no dialogue' scenes speak the volume. The writer Apurva Asrani weaves a true life story into a tapestry of terrifying, compelling drama. Dealing with the subject of homosexuality intelligently, Aligarh is certainly an important film for new-age Indian cinema.

(Order by Release Date) 1- Neerja, 2- Aligarh, 3- Udta Punjab,  4- Pink , 5- Dangal

Pink (September 2016)

Many people might disagree with me on this; the reason - a minority of the audience found it preachy. But, that is the beauty of Pink. The fast pace of the first half prepares the audience for the second half. After a long time, I was on edge of my seat to know what is going to happen next. Very crisp editing, non-dramatic dialogues and natural performances by all three leading ladies made Pink convey the fact that the gender inequality still exists in India, even in those progressive metropolitan suburbs. Needless to say, the best thing about Pink was Amitabh Bachchan's power packed performance who justified his bi-polar character in this hard-hitting courtroom drama. 

Udta Punjab (June 2016)

The dark and twisted tale of a bunch of people whose lives are affected by drugs, Udta Punjab, addresses a nationwide problem with uncompromising screenplay and performances. The movie makes you so uncomfortable that you barely want to watch it again. And, that’s where director Abhishek Chaubey excelled. He succeeded in bringing those different and difficult characters to life and made the audience empathize with them without wanting to be like them. Thanks to their authentic performances; a little bit of Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Diljit Dosanjh and Satish Kaushik remain with you for few weeks. 

Dangal (December 2016)

Dangal borrows its elements from the real-life Haryana wrestler who trained his daughters in the art of wrestling and turned them into winners. Thanks to Amir Khan’s effortless acting, you feel that Mahavir Singh Phogat lives right next to your door and you have seen him putting his daughter through that grueling training, every day.

The casting of Sakshi Tanwar, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Girish Kulkarni, Aparshakti Khurrana and Sanya Malhotra in different roles makes Dangal’s every bit believable. Not to forget, the movie slams misogyny in an entertaining manner.