Before I get to The Top Ten Movies of 2022, I need to get to the Top Ten Movies of 2021. You know, in the interests of being orderly and methodical and having a running record of the Best Movies of Each Year since 1999 :). So here goes – the Top 5 Films of 2021 are below but the entire Top 10 list will be on the Best Movies by Year page.
Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui was a fun film not only because it had a good message but because it depicted a real life scenario where it actually portrayed the prejudices in society. It’s quite a different subject for Bollywood – this tale of a transgender woman (played by the lovely Vaani Kapoor) – but director Abhishek Kapoor manages to present it without any forays into vulgarity or doublespeak. Ayushmann Khurana always does well and is a pleasure to watch – and this is one of those offbeat roles he seems to find his way to.
The White Tiger is based on Arvind Adiga’s Booker Prize Winner of the same name (I read it many years ago – review of the book at my book blog) and follows the book pretty faithfully. The book is about classism in modern India and our protagonist Balram is a man from the lower class aspiring to better his life. You read the book and acknowledge its truth, but to see the depiction of classism in the film is quite another thing – real and hard to ignore. American director Ramin Bahrani helms this film and Priyanka Chopra served as Executive Producer besides acting in this taut, dark film.
Director Amit Masurkar excels in making movies about grassroot issues (like Newton), and Sherni is another fantastic example of his work. In this film, Vidya Balan is an Indian Forest Officer where she has to stand her ground against the corruption, bluster and stupidity rampant in her department. In and as Sherni (meaning tigress) Vidya strives to do her job to the best of her ability, fighting against prejudice because of her gender. At work, her opinion is scoffed at because she is a “lady officer”. On the home front she must steel herself against taunts from family members as they remind her to be “womanly” and do her duty as a good Indian wife. Quite an interesting film!
Pagglait is told from a female point of view. It showed one woman’s journey when she is widowed, her grief at the death of a distant husband she barely knew. In Pagglait, young Sandhya (played marvellously by Sanya Malhotra) is thrown into emotional turmoil at the unexpected tragedy, but the film is about more than that – it is about strength and grace and finding your own way. The writing was spot on, the star-cast was wonderful, and the film was heartfelt. Director Umesh Bisht has delivered a thoughtful, well-nuanced film in Pagglait.
I watched Sandeep aur Pinky Faraar way after it was released and was surprised how good this film was. I do like the chemistry with this pair – Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra always seem to have that spark – remember Ishqzaade? The characters have fun with each other and this film has a different, unpredictable storyline with some nice plot twists, humor, good music and a heroine that you can root for. This juicy entertainer is the best film from 2021!
