Indian cinema redrew its boundaries in 2024. A radiant, rueful film about two Malayali nurses in Mumbai conquered Cannes; Telugu star Allu Arjun launched the trailer for Pushpa 2: The Rule in Patna, Bihar, before scoring a ₹1500-crore-plus global box-office haul; Tabu, magisterial as ever, appeared in Dune: Prophecy and Vir Das — a standup comic raised in Nigeria and India — hosted the International Emmys. We thrilled to Aavesham and Manjummel Boys, marvelled at the intricacies of Aattam, 35 Chinna Katha Kaadu and Fairy Folk. There were large commercial strides, but also humour and innovation and heartbreak. Formulaic, cash-grab ideas largely fell flat, while certain films—like Laapataa Ladies and Maharaja—witnessed wonderful second-runs on streaming. From The Hindu’s cinema team, here are our top Indian films of 2024…
(This list considers films released before December 24. The entries are in no particular order)
Vaazhai (Tamil)
In 2024, we once again fell in love with Mari Selvaraj’s cinema. In his most personal work to date, Mari tells a deeply aching story about a tender-hearted boy, Sivanaindhan, whose childhood is snatched away by a system that seldom cares about children from oppressed communities. Mari’s most artistic, aesthetically charming, and assertive work yet, Vaazhai is a poem for the ages; even recollecting the shot of a shattered Sivanaindhan running through a plantain plantation leaves you with a lump in your throat.
Hadinelentu (Kannada)
In this social thriller, director Prithvi Konanur reflects society’s deep-seated gender inequality. When a self-recorded sex tape of two 17-year-olds gets leaked on the internet, the life of every stakeholder changes forever. The film holds a mirror to the skewed balance of power in society when it shows the affluent boy’s family having multiple options to bail themselves out of the situation. The biggest triumph of Hadinelentu is that it leaves us with lots to discuss without lecturing about its intentions.
All We Imagine as Light (Malayalam, Hindi)
A still from ‘All We Imagine as Light’
Prabha (Kani Kusruti), one of the two Malayali nurses at the heart of Payal Kapadia’s luminous Mumbai film, is seated in a sterile screening room, surrounded by her colleagues. There’s a look of consternation on Prabha’s face, buffeted by unspoken longings and troubles, yet she could be watching, for all we know, a film on a single screen. She could be 20 or 25 again, closer to her free-spirited roommate, Anu (Divya Prabha). Such doubleness is one of the pleasures of All We Imagine as Light, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes, where the details of ordinary existence—through some trick of movement or sound (or mere willful audience collusion)—are transformed into the sublime.
Lover (Tamil)
In every corner of our social circles, we would find a man like Arun, from Lover, whose internalised misogyny, and resultant insecurities, fissure all relationships and anything good around him. When deep-seated anxieties unravel his relationship with Divya, Arun questions himself and the audience too are made to tussle with their own beliefs. The Tamil society needed to witness an evolution like the one feature debutant Prabhuram Vyas’s deeply flawed protagonist takes in Lover. In speaking of a prevalent theme in modern romantic relationships, Lover shows so much heart that it is impossible not to think of all the Aruns and Divyas we inhibited, outlived, or crossed so far. With delightful performances from Manikandan and Gouri Priya Reddy, Lover is a must-watch
Gaami (Telugu)
Gaami is an eight-year journey for debut director Vidyadhar Kagita and producer Karthik Sabareesh. What began as a crowd-funded indie venture was later backed by UV Productions. Gaami follows an aghora (Vishwak Sen) who has to embark on a treacherous journey to the Himalayas to find a cure for his condition – he cannot experience human touch since his body reacts extremely when his skin comes in contact with another human. The film is a visual spectacle that navigates parallel narratives – of the aghora, of a boy in a dystopian medical facility, treated like a lab rat, and of a girl who seeks to escape from the devadasi tradition in a village. Vidhyadhar makes a sure-footed debut with a strong voice as a filmmaker.
Laapataa Ladies (Hindi)
Kiran Rao’s sophomore directorial Laapataa Ladies did not make the Oscar shortlist for Best International Feature. A tart, entertaining satire on swapped brides, the kicked off a conversation on India’s mystifying awards strategies. Judged in its own weight category, though, it is a canny, charming comedy, about independence and unexpected kinship. Rao directs with a light, knowing touch (the setting is simply called ‘Nirmal Pradesh’), and Sparsh Shrivastava as the ill-lucked groom Deepak, hapless in a brown suit and saafa, is a delight.
Kottukkaali (Tamil)
A still from ‘Kottukkaali’
Pebbles-director PS Vinoth Raj’s internationally revered sophomore cements him as a generational artist with an inspiring command over language. Anna Ben’s Meena experiences parts of herself withering away when her maternal uncle Paandi (Soori) leads a caravan that takes her to an exorcist — because being possessed is the only explanation for falling in love with a man from an oppressed caste. Rooted deep in its milieu and conceived with an admirable passion for form, Kottukkaali is the 100 minutes of cinema worth chasing after.
Manjummel Boys (Malayalam)
Chidambaram’s sophomore film ManjummelBoys, one of the biggest box office hits in Malayalam cinema history, is more than just a survival thriller. The way the film neatly ties the tale of survival to the friendship that the group of youths share makes it an emotional rollercoaster. The screenwriting was so on point that almost all the characters from the gang remain etched in our memory. The film upped the game for the industry also in the production and sound design departments, with Sushin Shyam’s music adding to the wholesome theatrical experience. Then there was the brilliant placement of Ilayaraja’s classic ‘Kanmani Anbodu Kathalan’ from Gunaa at a crucial point in the narrative, which almost managed to rewrite the memory of the scene in the original starring Kamal Haasan.
Bagheera (Kannada)
Starring Srii Murali, the superhero movie has several surprises that subvert the commercial cinema template. Dr Suri, the co-writer of the KGF films and Salaar: Part 1—Ceasefire, offers a stylised film high on innovatively choreographed action sequences. With a toned physique, Murali appears commanding on screen. Bagheera is a film that celebrates the protagonist’s daredevilry without going overboard. The film, written by Prashanth Neel, has scenes that remind us of the KGF films.
Ullozhukku (Malayalam)
The one-liner of Christo Tomy’s sparkling debut work Ullozhukku might sound like a run-of-the-mill family drama, but the screenwriting and the treatment turns it into one of the most emotionally moving works of the year. It is a story of people caught in uncertain situations, unsure of the ways to get out of dilemmas life has thrown at them. Urvashi and Parvathy Thiruvothu, as the older woman and daughter-in-law who hold bruising secrets from each other, deliver commanding performances. The atmosphere around them is also one of uncertainty, in the house on an island in the backwaters, in which the flood waters are rising and the country boat is the only connection to the outside world. Despite the gut-wrenching narrative, it is a rewarding experience.
Madgaon Express (Hindi)
A still from ‘Madgaon Express’
Kunal Keemu, a perennial onscreen slacker and one of the stars of Go Goa Gone, made a characteristically loose and frolicsome directorial debut with Madgaon Express. A whimsical comedy in the Todd Phillips mould, the film touches on male friendship and growth while throwing up oddities like the Komdi gang, a saree-clad, an all-female crew of drug dealers posing as fisherfolk. Pratik Gandhi and Divyenndu do the comic heavy lifting but watch out for Nora Fatehi in a surprisingly winsome role.
Kishkindha Kaandam (Malayalam)
Dinjith Ayyathan’s film, propped up by a near-flawless screenplay from Bahul Ramesh, leaves us wondering whether what we were witnessing was a struggle of memory against forgetting or that of forgetting against memory. Beginning with a seemingly routine search for a missing gun in a household, the film takes off in whole new directions to that of a missing child, changing hues of relationships and intriguing revelations about its characters. The three lead actors — Asif Ali, Aparna Balamurali and Vijayaraghavan — pull off heartfelt performances, elevating the film a notch further. It has already found a place among one of the best mystery dramas Malayalam cinema has ever produced.
Amaran (Tamil)
At a time when every other military drama claiming to pay tribute to our armed forces ends up being an insipid attempt to exploit hyper-nationalistic sentiments, Amaran is a true-blue salute to the armed forces that also ends up being an impactful film. Though it plays safe with how it approaches the politics of Kashmir, the near-perfect Amaran deftly attains what it sets out to do: tell the valorous story of a real-life Indian hero, Major Mukund Varadarajan; how he laid his life in leading a heroic anti-terror operation; and to share the adorable love story Mukund shared with his wife, Indu Rebecca Varghese, whose sacrifices one can seldom imagine. With the exceptional performers in Sivakarthikeyan and Sai Pallavi complementing the text, writer-director Rajkumar Periasamy’s Amaran leaves you with a lump in your throat and a chest full of pride.
Girls Will Be Girls (English, Hindi)
Another fine-grained Kani Kusruti performance in a film about female becoming and solitude. Anila is the strict, controlling mother of Mira (Preet Panigrahi), a head prefect coming-of-age in her elite hilltown boarding school. Directed by debutant Suchi Talati, the film offers a complex, subtle look at the rites of girlhood. It won two awards at the Sundance Film Festival including the audience prize—a testament to the varied pleasures and universality of Indian independent film.
Saripodhaa Sanivaaram (Telugu)
A still from ‘Saripodhaa Sanivaaram’
Director Vivek Athreya’s first foray into the action drama segment and his second collaboration with Nani is characterised by sharp writing that subverts cliched tropes in mainstream cinema. Vivek’s protagonist is an insurance agent who remains calm Monday to Friday and channelises all his raging angst on Saturdays (explained with good reason) and is pitched against a maniacal cop, played by SJ Suryah. The conversation through which the antagonist’s childhood story is revealed, without the customary flashback but cleverly using an observation on relationships, is an example of the writing not taking the audience for granted. Female characters are not treated as pushovers and most supporting characters contribute to the drama.
Lubber Pandhu (Tamil)
This coming IPL season, if you hear ‘Nee Pottu Vacha’ blasting on Chepauk speakers when MS Dhoni gets out after a match-winning blitz, blame Tamizharasan Pachamuthu. Set in the world of rubber ball cricket culture prevalent in rural Tamil Nadu, Lubber Pandhu is a breath of fresh air in a year filled with intense stories. But that isn’t to say that it’s all happy-go-lucky; it speaks volumes on casteism in a more subtler way. Harish Kalyan, in his career-best role, plays a young cricketer who inadvertently locks horns with a veteran middle-aged batting legend, played by Gethu Dinesh, who we soon learn is the father of his love interest.
Aattam (Malayalam)
A riveting chamber drama set in a drama troupe filled with men and a lone female member, Anand Ekarshi’s National Award-winning debut feature Aattam is the kind of film which constantly upsets our assessments of the characters. A scandal erupts within the group and almost everyone around is a suspect. Masks of progressiveness and trustworthiness fall off, and those who seemed allies waver at the prospect of a life-changing deal rather than choosing to stand up for what is right. Aattam becomes a clinical analysis of male group behaviour as much as a woman’s attempt to show them the mirror in real life and through her art. The parallels of the film’s narrative with the #MeToo movement that was playing out in the Malayalam cinema industry were also not lost on anyone.
Family (Malayalam)
Don Palathara’s Family is set in an idyllic, close-knit community, but as the narrative progresses, one gets a creeping, uncomfortable feeling. The filmmaker clinically unravels how the community closes ranks further to protect, and even promote, the two-faced do-gooders in their midst. It is a community which keeps a close eye on its flock and acts fast even when there are minor transgressions. The do-gooder Sony (played by Vinay Fort), who has a dark secret, is a vital cog in the wheel for the community and it would do anything to protect him. Palathara immerses us in this verdant landscape, capturing its changing moods and the way people and animals negotiate these spaces. Family becomes a searing portrayal of what it takes to maintain that picture-perfect idea of community, and family.
I Want To Talk (Hindi, English)
A still from ‘I Want to Talk’
There are two Shoojit Sircars—the dogged historical surveyor, in films like Madras Cafe and Sardam Udham, and the gentle, inquisitive poet of the everyday, in Piku, Vicky Donor, October, Gulabo Sitabo. His latest offering, I Want To Talk, slots into the second category, yet gets gruesome and gnarly when the scene demands. Abhishek Bachchan goes fat and frumpy as Arjun Sen, a marketing whiz who endured twenty surgeries while single-handedly raising his daughter (or perhaps she raised him?). It is an unadorned, somewhat familiar work from Sircar, with his knack for difficult filial relationships and the humour of healthcare.
Kill (Hindi)
With his girlfriend about to be engaged in Ranchi, NSG Commando Amrit …never mind. Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s hack-and-slash action film is pure cinematic carnage, a 105-minute brawl on a moving train and a deliriously immersive genre piece. The film draws on the best of South Asian action filmmaking as well as musty old Westerns (Raghav Juyal, as the film’s rapacious and loose-limbed villain Fani, is a revelation). Kill is getting an English-language remake from the makers of John Wick. Too bad it remains underseen in India.
Shakhahaari (Kannada)
Sandeep Sunkad’s directorial debut is about the twist of fate that decides the course of one’s life. Set in the village of Melige at Thirthahalli taluk in Shivamogga, the film revolves around a murder and how the lives of Subbanna (Rangayana Raghu), who runs a small hotel, and a police officer, Mallikarjun (Gopalkrishna Deshpande), get affected by the case. The engaging drama, built on cleverly written dialogues and fine performances from the lead, keeps the air of intrigue alive till the end. The film nicely balances human emotions and unexpected moments.
Premalu (Malayalam)
Girish AD has been serving us variations on the same theme in most of his films, but the key thing that works is the way he brings a different treatment and setting to the same story every time. In Premalu, a youthful romantic comedy, these changes work like a charm. The story of young adults easing into their first jobs or desperately trying their luck to land one and discovering the recently-attained independence of being away from home struck a chord with audiences outside Kerala too. Naslen K.Gafoor and Mamitha Baiju, the lead pair, as well as the supporting cast proved so good with their comic timing that the film despite its relatively longer duration becomes quite a breezy watch.
Committee Kurrollu (Telugu)
Debut director Yadhu Vamsi drew from his memories of growing up with friends in Andhra Pradesh and being oblivious to the reality of reservations in educational institutions following competitive exams such as EAMCET (Engineering, Agriculture and Medicine Common Entrance Test). Rather than taking a dark route, he presents a nostalgic story of family and friends in Amalapuram, West Godavari district, in the story that unfolds over different timelines. Produced by Niharika Konidela and starring 14 newcomers in pivotal roles, Committee Kurrollu is a coming-of-age story that takes a non-judgemental look at caste and class systems.
Fairy Folk (English, Hindi)
Are people barely enough for themselves, let alone their partners? This is a simple yet enigmatic question posed by Karan Gour’s Fairy Folk. A couple, played by Mukul Chadda and Rasika Dugal, who are married in real life, find their stalling relationship magically reconfigured when a hairless, genderless humanoid enters their home. Using a precise, unvarnished cinematic style, Gour reflects boldly and playfully on themes of companionship, fulfilment and — who knows? — AI.
Maharaja (Tamil)
A still from ‘Maharaja’
After turning heads with his debut film, Kurangu Bommai, filmmaker Nithilan Swaminathan in 2024 came up with a film that will long hold a special place among Tamil audiences. In this globally popular thriller, a superb Vijay Sethupathi plays a humble barber who goes to a local police station with an amusing grievance: someone robbed him of his ‘Lakshmi,’ a dustbin. Intrigued, a corrupt police inspector gives in to the barber’s charade. Nothing prepares you for how Nithilan pulls the rugs beneath our feet, piecing together the story behind the barber’s complaint. Sure, the third act and a graphic sexual assault scene stick out as sore thumbs, but the impact of Nithilan’s meticulously written screenplay should stay on our minds for years to come.
Hanu-Man (Telugu)
Hanu-Man’s storytelling unravels from a place of innocence, rather than trying to capitalise on the prevailing religious-political sentiments. Prasanth Varma’s film is a meeting point of tropes from international superhero films (an underdog getting superpowers, an antagonist craving for power with which he can rule the world…) and fictional spin-offs from Indian epics. Think Spider-Man meets a story from Chandamama or Amar Chitra Katha books that we have grown up reading. Made with a modest budget of around 40 crore and imaginative storytelling, Hanu-Man makes for a delightful watch. Hanu-Man is the first in Prasanth Varma’s superhero universe.
35 Chinna Katha Kaadu (Telugu)
How does zero, which has no value on its own, become bigger than nine when it is preceded by 1 and becomes 10? This question raised by a primary school student who struggles with mathematics becomes the foil with which debut director Nanda Kishore Emani explores relationship dynamics. This uplifting story of hope unfolds in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, anchored by Vivek Sagar’s music. 35 looks at the relationship between a married couple, the bond between school students and the journey of a mother rising to the challenge of making her young son pass the examination, overcoming her own limitations in the process. A film that can leave you with a big smile.
UI (Kannada)
Actor-director Upendra gives a film that can almost boast of not having a single predictable scene. He breaks the filmmaking grammar in his trademark manner and makes the movie worthwhile despite its shortcomings. The film is another take on Upendra’s pet theme of questioning the system and reiterating the importance of focusing on the truth. Despite indulging a tad too much in his favourite theme, Upendra offers a unique experience with UI. The first and the last 15 minutes of UI are the most incredible portions of Kannada cinema in 2024.
Lucky Baskhar (Telugu)
The title says it all in director Venky Atluri’s narrative in the backdrop of banking fraud, set in the late 1980s and early 1990s, in the times of Harshad Mehta. Dulquer Salmaan plays a charming bank employee who begins to flout the rules to meet his family’s financial needs. As greed takes over and he tastes blood, he does not know where to stop. The film contrasts Bashkar’s souring relationship with his wife with that of his lucky turns as he wriggles out of tough situations. Venky’s entertaining narrative helped Dulquer score a hattrick blockbuster in Telugu, following Mahanati and Sita Ramam.
Amar Singh Chamkila (Hindi, Punjabi)
Imtiaz Ali made a vibrant, essential comeback with his biopic of slain folk singer Amar Singh Chamkila, dubbed the ‘Elvis of Punjab’. Born Dhani Ram in a Sikh Sikh family, Chamkila witnessed a meteoric rise in the 1980s and was assassinated under mysterious circumstances along with his wife and singing partner, Amarjot. The film plays out like a working-class Rockstar, anchored by Diljit Dosanjh’s sturdy performance and AR Rahman’s swirling, invigorating tunes. Ali folds in a running commentary on public taste and moral censorship. In Hollywood, biopics are a commercial mainstay. Bollywood’s two recent bests—this and I Walk to Talk—were both released online.
Blink (Kannada)
A still from ‘Blink’
The time-travel film is led by newcomers with debutant Srinidhi Bengaluru being the director. Many films without solid financial backing and inexperienced artists look tacky on the technical front; Blink is anything but that. The film moves seamlessly thanks to the perfect fusion of editing, cinematography, and music. This is a genre-specific movie that needs strong attention and undisturbed investment to enjoy its results. And as we think of the film later, many things do make sense.
Special Mentions
Aavesham (Malayalam)
In two words: Fahadh Faasil. For the sheer joy of watching one actor turn a movie with a next-to-nothing screenplay into a rollicking theatre experience.
Meiyazhagan (Tamil)
Actors Arvind Swami and Karthi bring to life filmmaker C Prem Kumar’s thoughtful character study that concentrates on finer, intimate moments of life, longing and relationships
CTRL (Hindi)
For its warning bells about the (present) F̶u̶t̶u̶r̶e̶.
Published – December 24, 2024 03:40 pm IST
