Top 10 Hindi Movies of 2018

Top 10 Hindi Movies in 2018

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1. Stree

What I remember - New genre for Hindi movies (Horror Comedy) done right. Situational comedy and just lot of creativity with great acting.

From the Files - 

Stree - 4.5 Stars. PG. (Horror Comedy)

स्त्री तू बार बार आना

Stree - Trailer

Director - Amar Kaushik

Actors - Rajkummar Rao, Shradhha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi.

Writers - Raj Nidimoru, Krishna DK.

What a concept and well executed. For decades we see this genre relegated to B-grade movies, because of same limited concept of a 'bhoot'. Someone decided to flip the script and make 'horror' into a 'comedy'. Great writers can do anything! The movie has couple of winners - writers and then there is Mr Pankaj Tripathi. The rule has been written - if there is a movie with UP backdrop - you need to have Pankaj in it. The guy is on a purple patch, you can tell his confidence in his comic timing - when he says in the movie - हम सब जानते हैं.

The movie is about 'stree' a ghost who is taking away men during 4 day festival season. Rajkummar Rao is excellent as usual (it is his genre) Shradha Kapoor does very well to underplay the character to keep the mystery alive. Lots of laughs and hugely entertaining. Go watch it.

2. Mulk

What I remember - Problems of every minority beautifully put forward against an increasingly right wing crazy world. 

From the Files - 
Mulk - 5 Stars. PG13. (Drama)
गाए मुल्क नहीं बनाती


Mulk - Trailer

Director - Anubhav Sinha
Actors - Tapsee Pannu, Rishi Kapoor, Prateik Babbar.

Wah! Anubhav Sinha Wah! What a movie, you make me depressed. I watch the movie and feel all the emotions you pack into it. But why am I depressed is... the right wing friends and family will watch the movie, turn around and say it was a good movie and then go about their hateful business as usual! I don't get it! 

This movie is in the cult genre of 'Dev' few years back Pahlaj Nihlani did a powerful Dev with Amitabh and now this. I need to warn you - this is strictly in artsy category, if you like socio-political drama go watch it, else skip it. 

A Muslim family is asked to prove their innocence in a typical right wing way. If you are innocent prove it! Not the other way round. They don't want to fight but then they have to fight. If nothing else it clarifies the definition of Terrorism. Contrary to belief (Muslim guy killing anyone) it is actually different watch the movie. Tapsee and Rishi do an awesome job. Again I think Rishi himself is a right wing guy, so what my belief is - if you ask UP CM if he is a hardliner probably he will say he is the most liberal guy around!! They don't know!! They don't even know!! huh. Anyway go watch it.

3. Tumhari Sulu

What I remember - Sweet relationship drama comedy romance. Best couple of the year goes to Sulu and her husband. New, fresh and still seeped in old relationship formula.

From the Files - 

Tumhari Sulu - 5.0 Stars. (G.)
सुल्लू कमाल की, पति और कमाल का, और उनका रिश्ता माशा अल्ला 

Trailer

Director: Suresh Triveni

Actors: Vidya Balan, Neha Dhupia, Manav Kaul.

Beautifully done, What a Movie!! A perfectly imperfect couple, how cute relationship. A perfect husband, a perfect wife and an imperfect life. Vidya Balan is a great actor but what about this hidden gem - the husband Mr Manav Kaul. Hats off to him, what a performance. Then there is ever reliable Neha Dhupia. Sulu's over bearing family is just awesome for lack of a good superlative, perfect nuisance but a nuisance Sulu needs. How about the couple's plans to make life better? Their beautiful fights, when you know you are fighting the person you love the most... yea.. somehow they just show it on the screen. As I was writing this review... the rating went from 4.5 to 5 Stars! 

4. October

What I remember - Man stuck in an episode of his life, he can't move forward and can't understand how the world keeps going!! Incredible how someone thought of this as a movie and made it!!

From the Files - 

October - 4.5 Stars. R. (Drama.)
दर्द की कीमत चुकानी पड़ती है


Director - Shoojit Sircar
Actors - Varun Dhawan, Banita Sandhu

Trailer

Some movies get over and you sit there and don't move. You sit there and you can't shut off the TV. You move and go to bed but the movie is with you, not because it was exciting or entertaining but because it just made you feel something which you lose in day to day life.

Varun Dhawan does a Judwa2 and then he does an 'October'. He plays a regular person you can so identify with. He is not good at most things in life, but his human is alive in him. He is not successful in any way but he has something good about him. Then an incident happens on a new year. A co worker girl is critical in the hospital, something breaks in him. He can't let it go (similar to Rukh), he gets stuck with one thing. The regular stupid life which people live he can no longer live. He is stuck in his head and heart. No he is not in love, he just has love in his heart! O.. so beautiful. Watch it if you got loads of time and you still have something alive in you besides running around in your mechanical life.

5. Sui Dhaaga

What I remember - Loads of emotions, the lower middle class struggles, Anushka's outstanding acting and small things that make a difference for a common man. 

From the Files - 

Sui Dhaaga - 4.5 Stars. G. (Drama)
आम से ख़ास तक का सफर


Sui Dhaga - Trailer

Director - Sharat Katariya
Actors - Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghuvir Yadav.

Many people may not give it a high rating but for some reason something did connect with me. The perfect presentation of North and Ghaziabad, the ordinary lifestyle and the way small things and small successes are supposed to be very big in individual's life. The story is typical rags to riches story with struggles and triumphs, but there is something about Aditya Chopra's presentation that works. Again the side actors who are now a days the life of these movies are A-1. The Mom is awesome and at one point I fell down from my seat laughing. The movie got me thinking of all the struggles my Mom used to go through and the character of Anushka is very close to her, the iron lady who wants to do something of her own but has to get it done in various different ways including giving his doting husband enough courage to do it. Go watch it if not done yet.

Anushka as usual gets into the character and you can't tell she is not that lower middle class girl with ambitions. I was disappointed with Varun Dhawan, because I rate him as pretty good actor and a few scenes where he could have amped it, he decided to underplay it.

6. Manmarziyaan

What I remember - Creative, different, breaking all molds of love. The Music and the twins dancing to those tunes. Bachchan removing and putting his turban, Tapsee walking briskly with her mind not settled on what is right/ wrong and what is good/ bad and what is happy / sad. 

From the Files - 

Manmarziyaan - 4.5 Stars. R. (Romance)
मेरी मर्ज़ी तेरी मर्ज़ी और उसकी मर्ज़ी


Manmarziyaan - Trailer

Director - Anurag Kashyap
Actors - Vicky Kaushal, Tapsee Pannu, Abhishek Bachchan.

When you hear that Anurag Kashyap has directed a Love Story.... you are like Whaaaa.... Anurag is Anurag and he does what he does. Thanks Mr Kashyap for being. 

The love story is not your regular Love Story to say the least, it destroys all codes and rules of a love story. Girl is irresponsible, stupid, silly, in fact does not fit anything 'good' we have known for so long. The boy has nothing to be loved for. They won't change the way they are, nothing will change 'for love'. So what do we do? We have a film at our hands. Then there is someone called Mr Bachchan Jr who knows a thing or 2 about underplaying a character with intensity. He has his own manmarziyaan who is stuck on marrying the 'bad'. No one is a good personality, none of them make much sense just like humans... you know humans are all too human. Every character has their own way of living their own manmarzi they will live with, along the way all the societal norms fall, who made these rules about love anyway? You can love and not take it all the way to some kind of fruition! You can love and take it to an ending too. It's all yours to decide.

Then there is something called direction - the twins pop in and out of each song the moment any of the 3 protagonists are in 2 minds, Abhishek drops his pug whenever he is plotting. And then the reason this movie is still in my head - the songs. Take a bow Mr Amit Trivedi. I don't like Punjabi music, the party sharty, daaru shaaru songs filled in every movie because they have to be put in. Amit trivedi shows us what Punjabi music can do! lilting melodies to creative rap. All in one album. As eros entertainment aptly puts it - From Punjabi vibes to electric, from club songs to sangeet music, and from love songs to an ode to heartbreak.

Do yourself a favor and listen to it one more time - Here

7. Mukkabaaz

What I remember - Rustic north. Throw back romance. Powerful and impactful and surprising ending.

From the Files - 

MukkaBaaz - 4.5 Stars. PG13 (Action / Drama)
मुक्का मार, दिल हार

Director - Anurag Kashyap
Actors - Vineet Kumar Singh, Jimmy Shergill, Ravi Kishan, Sadhna Singh.

Trailer

Anurag Kashyap directing a rugged UP lifestyle Love story, you cant go wrong here. This blogger has bias towards Kashyap and UP based movies, this one tops with awesome regional folksy songs. the product is ugly, sad and beautiful love story. A regular guy wants to become a boxer if that is not tough in a corrupt system, that's not all, he is an eccentric and falls in love with a girl who as eccentric as him. Troubles mount on them, Jimmy Shergill proves he is perfect in any role, but when it comes to villainy he has made a name for himself. Jerk, corrupt and typical UP politician all in one, you loath him and more. You root for the Boxer and the lover in protagonist 'shravan' but it is too much of a stretch to think he will win it all. Ending is something straight out of Anurag Kashyap's eccentric mind. Watch it!

8. Manto

What I remember - Drunk poet commenting on the world! You just can't go wrong!

From the Files - 

Manto  - 4.5 Stars. PG13. (Biographic)
दुनिया बुरी है तो में क्या करू?


Directors - Nandita Das
Actors - Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Rasika Duggal, Tahir Raj Bhasin.

Manto - Trailer

Manto (Saadat Hassan Manto) was a poet / bollywood writer and a social activist and more during independence era. The guy had guts and was made out of the same stuff as Ghalib. Similar disdain for society and similar failures in life. Drunk failure in life is a charm of a poet and Manto had it all. 

After  a long time Nawazuddin figured he has stopped being an actor and took over a role that challenges him. After disappointing with his type cast roles like Sacred Games, he comes out and gives a great performance. 

Manto lived in Bombay and then partition happens and he left to Pakistan. Beautifully done by Nandita Das (a great director) showing the era with Ashok Kumar era of bollywood and how people's lives and friendships were changed due to independence. The guy has some great lines - ज़माना ही नाकाबिले बर्दाश्त है. And इतना मुसलमान तो हु की मारा जा सकू. The stories that Manto wrote are intermingled beautifully in the narration  and we can't tell what is reality and what is his writing. uff.. as I type I feel I need to watch it again.

9. Mom

What I remember - Sridevi showing how to be a superstar. Old school revenge drama. 

From the Files - 

Mom - 4.5 Stars. (R)
श्रीदेवी तुस्सी कमाल थी 

Trailer

Director: Ravi Udyawar.
Actors: Sridevi, Akshaye Khanna, Nawazuddin.

Sridevi could act and what an actor she was! In this movie she displays the art of being a super star not just an actor but she was a Super Star. This is a modern day 'Aakhri Raasta' or any revenge drama you like of yester years. Story is wafer thin, there is nothing to hold the movie together but who cares there is Sridevi! Her anger, her longing for being loved by her step-daughter all is shown on her face effortlessly. She goes for the kill and revenge. Then she goes in the face of the Villain and says - 'dekh uski maa aa gayi'. Perfect. This is how an old school revenge drama is done, but main ingredient is an old school stalwart who understands how to do it! Sadly this is the last of this great actor we will see.

10. Beyond the Clouds

What I remember - Life for some people is not easy. A new actor is born.

From the Files - 

Beyond the Clouds - 4.5 Stars. R. (Drama)

ज्यादातर लोगों की ज़िन्दगी ऐसी है 

Beyond The Clouds - Trailer

Director - Majid Majidi

Actors - Ishaan Khattar, Malavika Mohanan.

Theory is the actor got famous because of the movie 'Dhadak' and this movie could be released, which was made before Dhadak. The dude is a stud, what an actor. The kid has screen presence and has a cool confidence about him. Good actor.

The movie is one depress fest which all who are reading this blog should see to get used to the idea of what life is for most of the world. The story is of Brother and Sister who are trying there best to kick the life they were born in. Living in slums, drugs, prostitution, society, cops and hope. Audacity of Hope is it still tries to pull you into living. Living for something good to happen. The movie has some beautiful moments when our hero becomes the savior and best friend of the villain. Ahh... what a beauty of a plot.

Honorable Mentions 

Badhai Ho, 102 Not Out, Fukrey Returns, Secret Superstar, Bhavesh Joshi Superhero, Once Again, Lust Stories, Bhouri, Hope Aur Hum, Rukh.