2021 has been a great year for movies and movie lovers as the work-from-home situation due to COVID gave us the liberty to relish movies in our free time. What also worked well was the leading OTT’s like Amazon Prime and Netflix bagging some of the best movies for direct-to-home release. There were also a lot of surprises this year especially from Malayalam cinema that was just brilliant. So these are my top 10 Indian movies of 2021 and I highly recommend watching it.
10. Minnal Murali
Indian movies have tried to grasp the concept of superhero movies for decades and it is understood why. Marvel and DC have been minting billions of dollars every year and the last decade has honestly been all about superheroes. Sadly there have been no movies that had a compelling superhero story.
Minnal Murali however has achieved the impossible. What big-budget Bollywood movies couldn’t achieve was created by this Malayalam movie. It has the right ingredients of superhero film- Great superhero origin, equally brilliant villain story coupled with good VFX and cinematography. The movie is hopefully the dawn of a good Indian superhero movie.
Special mention to Guru Somasundaram who portrays the villain. He ensures that the villain is menacing yet gains sympathy from the audience as the situation is what made the good soft-hearted man into a revenge-seeking villain.
9. Kala
Action can also be poetry in motion. That’s what this high adrenaline movie shows. A fight between a landlord’s arrogant son and a peasant over the murder of the latter’s dog. You can literally feel the rage of the peasant and also the arrogance of the landlord’s son. The entire fight happens in the beautiful estate that’s surrounded by nature. Cinematography by
The scene-stealer is however Sumesh Moor who portrays the angst and revenge of the heartbroken peasant brilliantly with his huge expressive eyes.
8. Malik
Fahadh has become a household name after the advent of OTT especially during these 2 years of covid and lockdown where non malayali people accidentally stumbled upon this genius. Malik is the story of an average Muslim boy who becomes one of the most fierce and respected dons in his area. Fahadh beautifully portrays the arc of malik right from the young and careless one to a more serious and tired old man. What adds flavor to the film is the brilliant cast of supporting actors played by Nimisha, Vinay Fort, Indrans, Joju George, Sushin Shyam, Dileesh Pothan etc, and a great background score by Sushin Shyam.
7. Joji
Macbeth is one of those shakespeare’s hauntingly beautiful plays that makes people recreate it by adding their own version to it. Makbul was one the brilliant version and so is Joji. Situated in an isolated mansion in kerala Joji who is unemployed and ridiculed by everyone especially his father hatches a plan for his father. Fahadh as always is in his top form potraying the cunning joji. His eyes imitate a thousand emotions easily. Like a chameleon, he easily transforms from an innocent-looking man to a cunning mastermind who is ready to sacrifice anyone to reach his goal.
6. Home
This movie was a total surprise. Starring Indrans who up until then acted in small roles. This movie gave him the chance of being the lead and he just knocked it out of the park. A retired father who is out of touch with the latest technologies tries hard to update himself to bond with his son who is a scriptwriter. This movie has everything, the right mix of comedy, drama, and overall warmness of relationship. Your eyes will definitely well up in the climax. A total quality family entertainment.
A total quality family entertainment.
5. Sardar Udham Singh
One of the pivotal chapters in India’s freedom struggle was the assassination of Michael Dyer for the Jalainwala Baugh massacre by Sardar Udham Singh. Who better to play the role than the super talented Vicky Kaushal who just puts life into any character. He is one of the most talented actors we have today and he does not disappoint here. He plays each life stage of Udham Singh effortlessly- be it the naïve boy who is exposed to the gruesome chapter of Jalianwala bagh massacre, the angry young man looking to avenge, or the man who goes through hell in jail and finally at peace, all of It has been played with equal finesse. A slow burner but hang in there and you will love it.
4. Nayattu
We have seen a lot of ass-kicking cops who fly in causally sitting on the bonnet of their Mahindra Scorpio, breaking doors like they were made of thermocol and landing punches so hard that the bad guys literally fly a kilometre before landing on the ground (not to wake up again). Heck, Rohit Shetty has even managed to create a cop universe where Scorpios are meant to be blown and bad guys are meant to be thrashed and encountered. But what it’s like to really be a cop. This movie shows us the real struggle of a cop and how one poor decision can ruin their lives while politicians treat them as pawns to gain personal advantage. Watch it if you have the guts to digest the reality of cops (else watch Suryawanshi on Netflix and be inside the matrix).
The story written by Shahi Kabir is crisp and tight and does not leave the audience’s attention even for a minute. All the lead actors – Kunchako Boban, Joju George, and Nimisha Sajayan have done an impeccable job of portraying the role of police officers battered by an incompetent system.
This movie will punch you in the gut, so hold your breath towards the climax.
This movie will punch you in the gut, so hold your breath towards the climax.
3. The Great Indian Kitchen
Have you ever thought about your mom who only appears in the living room in the evening everyday while the rest of time toils in the kitchen only to keep her family content with good food? Have ever wonder how does you wife who even while doing a regular job like yours manage to cook, clean, wash and keep you home spick and span? This movie will compel you to think about all of it. Women do so much work that we men just take it for granted. Only when in their absence when we unsuccefully try to take the realms that we understand the enomoty of their work. Loaded with brilliant cast this movie is a must watch especially for Nimisha and Suraj Venjaramoodu.
Nimisha had a banging 2021 with 2 brilliant movies, Nayattu and The Great Indian kitchen.
Nimisha had a banging 2021 with 2 brilliant movies, Nayattu and The Great Indian kitchen.
2. Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana
2021 was full of surprises. After home, this Kannada movie just blew my mind. I loved Raj Shetty’s earlier work Ondu motteya kathe that was even remade in Hindi. However I never in my dreams thought that he would play a menacing role of a gangster Shiva. It has the regular storyline of rise of a gangster from nothing, reaching a peak only to fall. However, what makes this movie special is Raj’s acting prowess. He has a lean structure but boy does he look menacing. A shot where he does a Peeli dance (traditional folk dance of Mangalore) right after stabbing his rival with a broken bottle is just epic. The cinematography, background score, and the touch of Mangalore’s local dialect just make the experience a more enduring one. You will remember this movie for a long time.
1. Sarpatta Parambarai
What are the odds of two movies releasing simultaneously on OTT that are based on the same sports- boxing? That’s what happened when Farhan Akhtar’s much-hyped Bollywood movie-Toofan launched alongside the Tamil movie- Sarpatta Parambarai that quietly released on Amazon prime. And just like a typical underdog story Toofan although glamorous and made on a bigger scale didn’t impress the audience while Sarpatta although being a Tamil film impressed one and all. What worked for Sarpatta was the brilliant cast including Arya – who played the protagonist. The physical, as well as emotional transformation of a boxer, is brilliant. His coach played by Pashupati plays the role with great composure, the protagonist arc rivals like dancing rose played by Shabeer, Vembuli played by John are also equally good. Everyone has lived their characters. The cinematography that captured Chennai in the 60s is beautifully captured. Overall Sarpatta knocks out Toofan in a single blow and is as close as an Indian cinema can get to the Hollywood classic- Rocky.
Sarpatta knocks out Toofan in a single blow and is as close as an Indian cinema can get to the Hollywood classic- Rocky.
