Bollywood in 2015 saw a vast array of films leaving their mark on the minds of the Indian audience. While top stars like Deepika and Anushka ventured into films that were a bit different from their usual taste, it was the indie films that won our hearts this year.
2015 can be called an year driven by content- based cinema. From a simple courtroom drama to India's first 'female-buddy' film, films without any superstars made the audience leave the theatre in awe. With actors like Richa Chaddha, Konkona Sen Sharma, Ranvir Shorey and Kalki Koechlin, Bollywood took a major step towards diminishing the age old line between so called main stream and parallel cinema.
While mass entertainers' like 'Prem Ratan Dhan Payo' and 'Dilwale' were counting their weekend collections, these indie films created a niche for new age Bollywood. As 2015 comes to an end, IBNLive brings to you a list of six independent films that left a mark with the audience for it's script, acting and treatment.
Court
Although the film premiered in 2014, it was theatrically released in April this year. Starring Vira Sathidar, Vivek Gomber and Geetanjali Kulkarni with others, 'Court' was a Marathi film that examined the Indian legal system through the trial of an old folk singer at a Sessions Court in Mumbai. The film, very subtly, exposed the infamous procedure of Indian Judiciary and methods that govern the decisions. After garnering accolades at various International film festivals and winning National Award for 'Best Film', 'Court' was the official entry to 88th Academy Awards, from India. Driven by thoughtful script and captivating acting by the actors, this film took a major step towards mending the difference between mainstream 'Bollywood' and regional cinema.
Margarita, With A Straw
Co-directed by Sonali Bose and having Kalki Koechlin in lead role, 'Margarita, With A Straw' can easily be called the revolutionary film of the year. The story of the film revolves around Laila who is suffering from cerebral palsy and how she discovers herself while studying in New York. Kalki essayed the role of Laila, who discovers that she is bisexual and after a point realizes that her parents should know the truth. Laila is an ordinary girl living life in extraordinary circumstances. The movie was critically acclaimed all around the globe and showed the world that women film makers are ready to touch upon the ‘forbidden’ topic more freely than ever, with or without big names or budget, but definitely with a vision.
Masaan
Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan and starring Richa Chadha, Sanjay Mishra and promising new comers Shewta Tripathi and Vicky Kaushal, this film definitely took Bollywood by a storm. While superstars like Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan were raving about in on social media handles, the film became quite popular amongst the audience with strong word of mouth. The complexities faced by people of a small town were captured in a beautiful and simple narrative with strong performances enthralled the critics and audience alike.
Talvar
Directed by Megha Gulzar and based on the true story of 'Aarushi Murder mystery', 'Talvar' presented a very unique and lesser known point of view into the case. While taking a dig at the kind of probe done by UP Police and CBI into the case, the film reopened the much talked about case of 2008 in the minds of people. The dark and gripping tale was enhanced by the presence of Irrfan Khan and Konkona Sen Sharma. This film made people walk out of the theatre with grim thoughts.
Titli
This raw film directed by debutant Kanu Behl could be categorised into the rough and rustic genre inspired from West UP. The film captures the volatility of a society where violence lies uneasily just below the surface. The way each and every character suffers in this society and fights or succumbs to his demons , is worth watching. It covered the many persisting evils in the society, be it patriarchy or violence. The dysfunctional family further made it relevant for today's generation . Through the protagonist, the film also explored the circle of life and the audience was left thinking how we often end up becoming exactly like a person we run away from.
Angry Indian Goddesses
The much talked about film in the last month of the year was Pan Nalin's 'Angry Indian Goddesses'. Touted as India's first buddy film, the story tackled with everything our society prohibits women from doing. The sense of freedom and high reliability factor made it one of the finest films of the year. The characters in the film had their own issues, were flawed and this is what made the entire story unique. Despite being faced major cuts from the Censor Board of India, 'Angry Indian Goddesses' managed to lure the audience and proved to be a revolutionary, eye opening film of the year.
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