In the post-credit scene of Pathaan, we see Shah Rukh Khan (as Pathaan) and Salman Khan (as Tiger) discussing their probable successors and coming to the conclusion that they themselves need to take charge once again. ‘Bachcho par nehi chhod sakte’…they conclude. The scene became an instant hit with the audience applauding the meta moment where the Khans seem to be the only saviours who can restore Bollywood, which was at that point struggling to get stay afloat amid the surge of pan-Indian movies, to its past glory. 

I In fact, after the stunning box office success of the two massy action movies, Pathaan and Jawan, followed by the emotional roller coaster Dunki, 2023 might well be called the year of Shah Rukh Khan. But just when he was reestablishing his dominance and reclaiming his crown as the King of Bollywood, the ‘bachche’ of Bollywood also rose up to the occasion. Powerhouse actors like Tillotama Shome (Lust Stories 2), Vikrant Massey (12^th Fail), Bhumi Pednekar (Bheed and Afwah), Sanya Malhotra (Kathal and Sam Bahadur), Jaideep Ahlawat (Jaane Jaan), Saiyami Kher (Ghoomer) proved that Hindi cinema is in good hands. With stupendous performances in Animal and Sam Bahadur, Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal proved that maybe it is too early to retire the ‘superstar’ tag.  

But beyond the tag and the box office success, the year really belonged to Manoj Bajpayee. With Gulmohar, Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, and Joram the National Award-winning actor was a masterclass in nuanced acting and versatility. It is rare for any actor in world cinema to be consistently this brilliant.  

The year also saw superlative OTT debuts of Shahid Kapoor (Bloody Daddy) and Kareena Kapoor Khan (Jaane Jaan), both creating personal landmarks in their careers. But the comeback of the year was that of Bobby Deol’s – his Abrar act in Animal ensured that it was also the year of Lord Bobby!

Gulmohar 

Director: Rahul V. Chittella 

Plot: The Batras have sold their family home and have four days leading up to Holi to soak up all the nostalgia the abode is steeped in. But as they sift through old memory-stacked trunks and cupboards, they stumble upon an old letter that would question the very foundation of their family unit.  

Unlike Monsoon Wedding, a movie it is bound to remind you of, Chittella’s stunning directorial debut is not a kitchen-sink drama of a dysfunctional family, but it celebrates the deep loving bond a family shares even amid growing physical distance while beautifully weaving in poignant subjects like rapid urbanisation, caste discrimination, class privilege, family legacy, inclusivity, feminism, negotiating individual freedom and responsibility within a family unit, among others. 

The explorations of three distinct but almost equally complicated father-son relationships are wonderfully nuanced and textured. Headlined by powerhouse actors like Sharmila Tagore, Manoj Bajpayee, Simran, and Amol Palekar, and backed by a well-written, soulful script by Rahul V. Chittella and Arpita Mukherjee, Gulmohar is poetic, poignant, and profound, and feels like a warm hug on a winter morning.

Animal 

Director: Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Plot: Vijay (Ranbir Kapoor), the protagonist is a guy with serious anger issues and an almost maniacal obsession with his father (Anil Kapoor). And when that father faces a brutal attack on his life, Vijay’s rage, coupled with his penchant for violence, completely consumes him, turning into a raging Animal, and he goes on a rampage.  

The irreverent and intentionally provocative movie breaks conventions in more ways than one. Instead of a regular hero vs villain story, Vanga gives us a villain vs uber villain. Vanga believes in extra-larger-than-life and the movie is a study in excess and maximalism. Vanga goes all out in experimenting with the content as well as the structure, and in the process, he often gets the audience off balance, just like his characters. The movie has one of the most stunning interval blocks of Bollywood (the second half fails to maintain the momentum) and the BGM and songs, which are perfectly in sync with the rhythm and feel of the scenes, are superlative, to say the least. It might or might not be your cup of tea but there is no denying the fact that Ranbir Kapoor as the ‘Animal’ Vijay gives one of the finest performances Bollywood has seen in this decade, and it has quite a few ingredients of a cult classic.

Lust Stories 2 (The Mirror) 

Director: Konkona Sen Sharma 

Plot: Ishita (Tillotama Shome), an affluent, single, working woman returns home from work early one afternoon only to find her domestic help Seema (Amruta Subhash) and her husband having sex on Ishita’s bed.  Shocked, grossed out, and mortified, she runs out of her house instead of confronting Seema—she can’t lose her house help as she is her entire support system at home. Later, Ishita finds herself fantasising about it. She comes back home early the next day to find herself in the same situation. But now she has started to enjoy it—she gets addicted to the voyeuristic pleasures of watching her ‘maid’ have sex. Seema eventually catches her watching them through the mirror, but it seems even she enjoys being watched. 

Apart from being a nuanced exploration of female lust and desire, this exquisitely shot short, which is part of the Netflix anthology Lust Stories 2, is also a poignant tale of class divide, power play, and urban loneliness. In about 30 minutes, Konkona, with the help of absolutely stunning performances by two of the most brilliant actors of their generation, Tillotama Shome and Amruta Subhash, captures the female gazes through a female gaze, and the result is a deeply personal film.

Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai 

Director: Apoorva Singh Karki 

Plot: Poonam Chand Solanki (Manoj Bajpayee), a humble but resilient lawyer of a tier 2 city, sets out to deliver justice to a sexually abused minor girl. But this is a David and Goliath story as Solanki, a small-town lawyer, finds himself pitted against a self-styled, influential godman of national repute.  

Debutant director Apoorv Singh Karki tells the emotionally charged story with a calculated restraint and along with writer, Deepak Kingrani, creates a humour-laced potent courtroom drama highlighting the POCSO act, that steers clear of the preachy melodrama usually associated with Bollywood movies of this genre. The material is then taken to a whole different level of excellence by Manoj Bajpayee’s brilliantly nuanced and controlled performance — he aces in the apparently inconsequential moments, is stupendous in the silent scenes, and absolutely hits it out of the park in the long monologue of PC Solanki during the closing argument — proving yet again why the three-time National Award winner is one of the best actors the country has ever produced.

12^th Fail 

Director: Vidhu Vinod Chopra 

Plot: Based on Anurag Pathak’s novel on IPS officer Mohan Kumar Sharma, this brilliantly acted and executed, earnest, feel-good movie follows Manoj (Vikrant Massey), a driven young boy from Chambal, as he overcomes discrimination, dehumanisation, and other societal hardships and cracks the Union Public Service Commission entrance exam.  

Although it is a predictable, too-good-to-be-true, underdog story replete with familiar tropes, inspirational quotes, and life lessons, the movie has its heart in the right place. VVC lets go of all the frills and flab and delivers a lean, straightforward movie that shines in its simplicity. The film is shot in real locations, a rarity in the green-screened world of movies today, which heightens the impact and adds to the realism of the movie. Vikrant Massey’s brilliant performance sparkles through his blackened face (one wonders why Bollywood still can’t get the skin tan correct); the chameleon actor gets the body language, the bewilderment, the conviction, the awkwardness, the grit, and the heartbreaks spot on — so much so that there is hardly any Vikrant Massey left in Manoj Kumar Sharma. The movie, among other things, is a celebration of old-school, quality cinema backed by simple storytelling and powerful acting.

Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani 

Director: Karan Johar 
 
Plot:  Feisty and flamboyant Punjabi munda Rocky Randhawa and intellectual Bengali journalist Rani Chatterjee, two polar opposites, fall in love with each other. But faced with family opposition from both sides they decide to pull a DDLJ/Raj Malhotra stunt on their parents—they switch their families shifting to each other’s houses to win their hearts.  

Ranveer Singh becomes Rocky Randhawa—the loud Punjabi gym bro. It is a character custom-made for him. Alia Bhatt stays Alia Bhatt (cute check, nose flare check, screechy scream moment check) and plays the Bengali journo in backless blouses and Manish Malhotra sarees. But what puts this loud, over-the-top but thoroughly entertaining family melodrama on the best movies list is how Karan Johar picks up and cleverly takes down serious contemporary issues such as cancel culture, gender stereotyping, patriarchy, body-shaming, toxic masculinity, misogyny, academic snobbery, social media trolling without being preachy. Also, brownie points for the Dola re redux – the Ranveer and Tota Roy Chowdhury dance-off was exquisite and broke quote a few gender stereotypes along the way. This is undoubtedly the most mature and poignant feature-length movie from Karan Johar who completed 25 years in the industry this year.

Pathaan 

Director: Siddharth Anand   
 
Plot: Pathaan (SRK), is an exiled RAW agent who teams up with ISI agent Rubina Mohsin (Deepika Padukone) and embarks on a mission to thwart an attack on the homeland by Jim (John Abraham), another ex-RAW agent-turned-mercenary working for a terrorist outfit. 

Shah Rukh Khan made a comeback after four long years as the eponymous hero of Pathaan breaking the post-Covid box office lull in Bollywood. Although the slick espionage thriller was not by any means a brilliant piece of cinema, it was full-on entertainment and was powered by the mass appeal of King Khan. This ensured its spectacular box office success (domestic net collection is 543.4cr). And with that mass Hindi cinema or Bollywood, which was almost written off was back on its feet ending the uncontested victory march of pan-Indian commercial cinema. 

Jawan 

Director: Atlee 

Plot: A masked wisecracking vigilante, a Robinhood-like hero, Azad (Shah Rukh Khan), along with his army of superwomen, who have their unique backstories and motivations, is on a mission to show the society a mirror and enforce a few necessary societal changes. His path crosses with the nefarious and violent arms dealer Kali (Vijay Sethupathi) and it turns out they have a shared past. 

Jawan, where Bollywood’s superstar swag met South spin, is an out-and-out larger-than-life masala entertainer replete with action setpieces and crowd-pleasing dance sequences. But the movie, which might remind one of movies like Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, Indian, and Nayak: The Real Hero with its premise of a common man taking it upon himself to save the day when the corrupt government and bureaucrats fail the country, is also stacked with issues like farmer suicides, a dilapidated healthcare system, election frauds, weapon mafia, etc (in fact, the movie ends with a passionate speech asking the common man to vote). SRK’s victory march at the box office continued with Jawan with the movie’s domestic net collection climbing to a whopping 640.8cr. 

Sam Bahadur 

Director: Meghna Gulzar 

Plot: The movie is based on the life of India’s first Field Marshal, Sam Manekshaw who served the Indian Army for over four decades and during this time, was part of five wars.  

The movie, much like Raazi, never succumbs to jingoism. Also, much like Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, it is devoid of any elevation moment and takes snapshots from the protagonist’s life and stitches them together without making any attempt to explore his inner world. But this is an out-and-out Vicky Kaushal movie and his turn as Sam Bahadur is probably the best performance by an actor in Bollywood this year. As Sam Manekshaw he is exquisite and on point; he not only gets his slouch and moustache correct but also his body language, mannerisms, diction, and even the twinkle in the eyes (at times, although maybe unintentionally, he reminded me of Tom Hanks). It is difficult for any contemporary actor to surpass Vicky Kaushal’s Masaan act, but Vicky in and as Sam Bahadur definitely throws a serious challenge. 

OMG2

Director: Amit Rai  

Plot: Kanti Sharan Mudgal (a genial Pankaj Tripathi) is a devout Shiva bhakt who runs a shop near a temple in Ujjain. His simple life turns upside down and his morals and entire value system is shaken up when his son attempts suicide after getting expelled from school for engaging in an apparently immoral act. Faced with a dire situation he seeks divine intervention and gets the same (in the form of Akshay Kumar no less!). He then takes the school to court seeking the revocation of the unjustified rustication as well as naming and shaming his son.  

A powerful but completely unrelated sequel to the 2012 comedy film OMG, OMG2 is a profound and daring movie that questions the lack of sex education in schools emphasizing its dire need for the sexual well-being of society, through humour. Although the film is far from flawless and its divine intervention angle seems unnecessary, it is an important film that seeks to address modern problems through progressive ancient wisdom while propagating informed dialogues and open conversations around societal norms on morality.