Part 2 - Bollywood movies in 2013 that made me think

Part 1 of the series can be found here. Continuing with the top movies in 2013 that made me think - 

6. BA Pass - 

If you thought this movie was all sex and sleeze, you couldn’t be more wrong. After all, this is a movie that has been recognized in International Film Festivals. So, there has to be something worth watching in this movie, right? It has a great story to start with, decent acting, Delhi background and the hierarchical system described in utmost detail. Not to mention the final twist that forces the viewer to relive the story again and changes the whole perception of the movie. If you left this movie thinking it could be a ‘B’ or ‘C’ grade movie, you need to give it an opportunity to win your heart.

7. Madras Café - 

John Abraham is getting into unchartered territories (Read: Risk). He’s acting in and producing movies that are different and thereby ready to take risks in terms of revenue. This movie touches upon the issues Tamils faced in 1990's and the way in which our ex-PM was killed by a suicide bomber. What were the strategies that went into it, who did what and how were the foreigners involved? – all this and more are covered in the movie. Here’s hoping we get more hard hitting movies in 2014!

8. The Lunchbox - 

One of the best and sweetest movies ever made in India.  Very few (if not none) movies can match up to this one. Sad that this movie was not considered as India’s official entry for the Oscars! And yes, another gem from Irrfan. A simple story of 2 individuals interacting using letters kept in lunchbox. One tiny and rare mistake by the Dabbawallas and this is what we get! Irrfan, as usual, charms the audience by his tough exterior performance. Nawazuddin Siddique ably supports the protagonists and has his own little story.

9. War Chhod Na Yaar - 

A brave attempt and that’s the only reason why this movie is in my list of top 10 movies in 2013 that made me think. A war movie in India always evokes patriotism to win the battle, emotion at the loss of a key personnel and is full of bullets, bombs and mines. Now imagine comedy infused in a war movie. That’s what this movie is – India’s 1^st war comedy. Sharman Joshi and Javed Jafferi have done a commendable job. However, this is NOT a well-crafted movie, lacks continuity and has an simple and obvious end.

10. Shahid - 

The story of Shahid Azmi, the lawyer who went on defending the Indian Muslims accused for terrorist activities in India. It takes guts to make such a movie. The media, usually the entity that drives our thinking, initially forced us to believe that Shahid Azmi was protecting the culprits. This movie gave us a story from his perspective. All the real life events / terrorist activities that became popular in India are covered in this movie. The guy fought against the powerful and mighty, against the popular media perceptions and emerged victorious as long as he was alive. If you haven’t seen this, I strongly recommend this movie.

Notable omissions –

• Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola
• Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
• Inkaar
• Kai Po Che!
• Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
• Ship of Theseus (simply because I missed it when it was released in the theaters and they haven’t released a DVD yet)
• Mickey Virus

Hoping for a Bollywood with less records breaking senseless movies and more in terms of soul and meaning!