Aseem
Chhabra
picks
his
top
10
Indian
films
of
2024,
which
includes
films
that
have
had
theatrical
releases
or
are
streaming
on
OTT.
2024
has
packed
in
some
real
highs
for
Indian
films,
including
a
Grand
Prix
at
the
Cannes
Film
Festival
(All
We
Imagine
As
Light),
three
awards
at
the
Sundance
Film
Festival
(two
for
Girls
Will
Be
Girls
and
one
for
Nocturnes)
and
one
at
Berlinale
(also
for
GWBG).
All
these
films
were
well
recognised
and
celebrated
at
Indian
festivals
as
well.
A
few
weeks
ago
I
tweeted,
‘For
many
years
I
have
been
scanning
international
awards
and
nomination
lists
hoping
to
find
some
Indian
name.
It’s
been
an
obsession,
the
main
focus
of
my
work.
In
the
recent
years
I
would
find
nominations
for
the
brilliant
Indian
documentaries.
But
this
year
Indian
cinema
is
already
running
fast.’
2024
promises
good
times
ahead
for
Indian
indie
cinema.
(The
list
does
not
include
the
brilliant
documentary
Nocturnes,
which
has
not
released
yet.
I
was
not
able
to
watch
Vetrimaaran’s
Veduthalai
Part
2,
but
the
first
part
made
it
to
my
2023
list.)
10.
Manikbabur
Megh
(The
Cloud
&
the
Man)
(Bengali)
Manik
is
a
quiet,
middle-aged,
man
focused
on
taking
care
of
his
ailing
father.
When
his
father
passes
away,
Manik
is
left
alone,
until
he
finds
an
unlikely
companion:
A
cloud
that
starts
to
follow
him
around
Kolkata.
Director
Abhinandan
Banerjee’s
black
and
white
debut
film
is
the
most
unique
and
surreal
romance
of
our
times
where
a
man
finds
an
admirer
in
an
object
of
nature.
Initially,
the
cloud
is
menacing,
always
lurking
in
the
sky,
staring
down
at
Manik.
But
in
time,
Manik
starts
to
find
comfort
in
the
cloud’s
presence:
His
own
private
fluffy
companion.
After
screenings
at
numerous
film
festivals
and
winning
awards
as
well,
Manikbabur
Megh
had
a
successful
run
of
over
three
months
in
theatres
in
Kolkata.
That
is
quite
an
achievement
for
a
small
independent
film.
9.
Roopanthara
(Kannada)
Where
to
watch:
Amazon
Prime
Video
In
One
Thousand
and
One
Nights,
the
collection
of
Middle
Eastern
folks
tales,
Scheherazade
narrates
tales
to
stay
alive
night
after
night.
In
Director
Mithilesh
Edavalath’s
Roopanthara,
in
the
dystopian
future,
an
old
man
is
held
at
gun
point
with
a
similar
request
or
else
he
will
be
killed.
The
old
man
ends
up
narrating
a
series,
somewhat
interconnected
stories
of
violence,
struggles
and
hardship
with
touches
of
humanity.
Topping
the
lineup
is
Raj
B
Shetty,
who
plays
a
small-time
gangster
whose
minor
squabble
with
a
man
he
accidentally
passes
by
on
the
street
takes
a
dark
turn.
Somshekhar
Bolegaon
and
Hanumakka
play
an
elderly
couple
from
a
village
who
take
a
trip
to
the
city
that
ends
in
a
tragedy.
Lekha
Naidu
is
a
beggar
woman
accused
of
stealing
a
child,
but
she
is
fortunate
to
meet
a
new
constable
(Bharath
GB)
with
a
heart
of
gold.
The
performances
of
the
supporting
actors
makes
Roopanthara
deeply
engaging.
But
Shetty
is
the
star
of
the
film,
as
he
has
also
co-written
the
dialogues
with
the
director.
8.
Kill
(Hindi)
Where
to
watch:
Disney
+
Hotstar
Karan
Johar
and
Guneet
Monga
joined
hands
to
produce
the
most
violent,
thrilling
and
entertaining
film,
full
of
blood,
gore
and
terror.
Although
Director
Nikhil
Bhat’s
Kill
is
inspired
by
the
Indonesian/Irish
production
The
Raid:
Redemption,
it
is
very
much
an
Indian
film
with
emotion,
melodrama,
families,
crying
mothers,
creepy
villains
and
of
course,
romance
rolled
into
a
clever
masala
concoction.
I
first
saw
Kill
on
a
screener
given
to
me
at
the
Toronto
International
Film
Festival.
But
then
I
watched
it
twice
again
in
theatres.
That
is
how
this
brilliantly
executed
train
ride
was
meant
to
be
seen
—
in
a
theatre
with
other
co-passengers,
high
on
adrenaline,
charged
with
excitement,
watching
bodies
being
slashed
and
hearing
crunching
sounds
of
the
smashing
of
bones.
Kill
was
the
most
fun
Indian
film
of
2024.
7.
Merry
Christmas(Hindi)
Where
to
watch:
Netflix
A
Sriram
Raghavan
film,
even
when
it
is
not
the
director’s
best
work,
is
definitely
worth
celebrating.
Merry
Christmas
has
unusual
casting
with
Katrina
Kaif
and
Vijay
Sethupathi
playing
the
leads,
both
of
whom
shine
in
the
twisted
tale
of
love
and
betrayal
set
on
a
Christmas
eve
in
a
city
called
Bombay.
In
Merry
Christmas
,Raghavan
enters
the
world
of
pulp
fiction,
this
time
adapting
from
Frédéric
Dard’s
1961
French
novel
Le
Monte-charge,
in
which
an
ex-convict
meets
a
beautiful
woman
with
many
secrets.
As
always,
he
is
also
inspired
by
classic
Bollywood
thrillers.
He
dedicates
the
film
to
Shakti
Samanta,
who
was
the
master
of
romance,
melodrama
and
suspense.
The
opening
shot
has
Asha
Parekh
screaming
‘nahin!‘,
in
a
scene
from
Samanta’s
Kati
Patang.
Along
the
way,
he
tips
his
hat
to
other
older
films,
when
we
hear
Jab
Andhera
Hota
Hai
from
Raja
Rani
and
Kai
Baar
Yun
Hee
Dekha
Hai
from
Rajnigandha.
But
what
worked
for
me
the
most
was
the
stylish
look
and
the
mood
of
the
film,
the
bright
coloured
production
design
by
Mayur
Sharma
and
cinematography
by
Madhu
Neelakandan
that
captured
the
mysterious,
magical
world
of
Bombay
lit
up
on
Christmas
eve,
while
dark
deeds
prevail
in
the
background.
6.
Vaazhai
(Tamil)
Where
to
watch:
Disney
+
Hotstar
In
Mari
Selvaraj’s
most
personal
film,
inspired
by
his
childhood
Sivanenjam
(Ponvel),
a
young
boy
lives
what
appears
to
be
a
normal
life
in
a
village,
sharing
his
home
with
his
mother
and
sister.
But
every
weekend,
he
is
sent
off
in
a
truck
with
other
villages
to
lug
bananas
so
he
can
earn
money
to
support
his
family.
It’s
a
conflicting
life.
Sivanenjam
would
much
rather
attend
school,
where
he
excels,
has
a
crush
on
his
teacher
and
argues
with
his
best
buddy
as
the
two
admire
Rajinikanth
and
Kamal
Haasan.
But
despite
the
harsh
exploration
of
caste
and
class
is
the
focus
of
all
of
Selvaraj’s
films,
and
Vaazhai
is
a
lovely
celebration
of
the
director’s
memories
of
the
rhythm
of
rural
life.
The
film
had
gorgeous
shots
of
banana
plantations,
farm
workers
commuting
back
and
forth
on
trucks,
and
innocent
children
walking
in
broken
sandals
to
school.
5.
Laapataa
Ladies
(Hindi)
Where
to
watch:
Netflix
Laapataa
Ladies
is
Kiran
Rao’s
comeback
film
over
a
decade
after
her
debut
Dhobi
Ghat,
with
a
nod
to
Rabindranath
Tagore’s
tragic
story
Noukadubi.
Laapataa
Ladies
is
utterly
charming,
hilarious
with
strong
feminist
tones.
Two
brides
on
their
way
to
their
husbands’
home
get
exchanged
in
a
train
compartment.
Everyone
seems
shocked
by
the
development
but
the
women
—
having
reached
wrong
destinations
—
take
charge
of
their
situations,
and
eventually
find
their
way
home.
Laapataa
Ladies
landed
in
controversy,
when
the
Film
Federation
of
India
chose
it
as
the
country’s
official
entry
for
the
Best
International
Feature
Film
Oscar.
Most
observers,
including
this
writer,
felt
that
the
Indian
selection
should
have
been
All
We
Imagine
As
Light.
But
setting
that
aside,
we
cannot
ignore
that
Laapataa
Ladies
is
a
heartwarming
film
with
wonderful
performances
by
new
actors,
and
music
and
songs
that
will
stay
with
you
long
after
the
film
is
over.
My
favourite
is
O
Sajni
Re,
written
by
Prashant
Pandey
and
sung
by
Arijit
Singh.
4.
Manjummel
Boys
(Malayalam)
Where
to
watch:
Disney
+
Hotstar
A
survival
thriller
inspired
by
real
events,
Manjummel
Boys
is
at
first
a
story
about
deep
friendships
formed
in
childhood
that
continue
into
adulthood.
The
men
hail
from
the
Manjummel
area,
located
in
Kerala’s
Ernakulam
district,
hence
the
film’s
title.
They
party,
drink,
play
sports
and
essentially
hangout.
But
a
three-day
trip
to
the
Guna
Caves
will
change
their
lives
when
one
of
them
falls
into
a
pit,
known
as
Devil’s
Kitchen.
From
then
on,
the
film
is
a
race
against
time,
as
tensions
create
differences
between
the
friends.
Flashbacks
take
us
to
the
more
normal
times
of
childhood
but
Director
Chidambaram
keeps
bringing
us
back
to
the
present
scene
of
action.
The
ending
is
clear
and
expected
but
how
we
get
there
keeps
us
riveted
to
our
seats.
3.
Girls
Will
Be
Girls
(English/
Hindi)
Where
to
watch:
Amazon
Prime
‘I
wanted
to
write
about
a
young
girl’s
sexual
awakening,’
Director
Shuchi
Talati
told
me
when
I
talked
to
her
earlier
this
year
about
her
Sundance
award-winning
film, Girls
Will
Be
Girls.
It
is
a
wonderfully
realised
coming-of-age
drama
about
a
high
achieving
teenager,
Mira
(a
fabulous
debut
performance
by
Preeti
Panigrahi),
who
develops
a
crush
on
a
new
boy
in
her
boarding
school
Sri
(Kesav
Binoy
Kiron),
as
she
maneuvers
her
path
with
strict
schoolteachers
and
an
interfering
mother
who
perhaps
never
experienced
feeling
of
teenage
love.
Kani
Kasturi
plays
Anila,
Mira’s
almost
single
mother
whose
actions
will
make
you
feel
uncomfortable
but
ultimately,
she
is
the
parent
guiding
Mira’s
life.
Anila’s
and
Mira’s
characters
are
perhaps
the
most
complex
mother-child
roles
created
in
an
Indian
film.
Girls
Will
be
Girls
has
received
two
Film
Independent
Spirit
awards
nominations,
for
Kani
Kusruti’s
supporting
performance
and
the
John
Cassavetes
Award
for
Talati
and
the
film’s
two
enterprising
producers,
Richa
Chadha
and
Ali
Fazal.
2.
Kottukkaali
(The
Adamant
Girl)
(Tamil)
Where
to
watch:
Amazon
Prime
Video
P
S
Vinothraj’s
second
feature
Kottukkaali
is
made
with
the
same
independent
spirt
as
his
debut
film
Koozhangal
(Pebbles),
which
won
the
Tiger
award
at
the
2021
International
Film
Festival
Rotterdam.
Set
in
a
day,
Kottukkaali
is
the
story
of
a
college
student
Meena
(Anna
Ben),
who
is
engaged
to
marry
Pandi
(Soori
Muthuchamy).
But
she
falls
in
love
with
another
man,
who
belongs
to
a
lower
caste.
The
families
try
to
convince
Meena
to
change
her
mind.
When
she
refuses
to
marry
Pandi,
a
dozen
members
of
the
two
families
travel
first
to
a
deity
and
then
to
a
seer
hoping
to
change
the
adamant
girl’s
mind.
With
a
brilliant
cast
—
the
stoic,
composed
Ben,
who
barely
has
any
dialogues
and
an
explosive
Muthuchamy,
who
deliberately
worked
on
the
scratchy
tone
to
his
voice,
Kottukkaali
is
a
powerful
study
of
patriarchy
in
rural
Tamil
Nadu
and
a
woman’s
determination
to
have
things
her
own
way.
1.
All
We
Imagine
As
Light
(Malayalam/Hindi/Marathi)
The
most
talked
about
Indian
indie
film
at
home
and
abroad,
All
We
Imagine
As
Light
is
a
love
letter
to
Mumbai.
It
has
the
fragrance
and
the
pulse
of
the
city
—
the
countless
immigrants
who
travel
there
for
a
better
life
and
become
a
part
of
its
mosaic.
Payal
Kapadia’s
Cannes
Grand
Prix
winner
is
an
ode
to
the
single
women
who
form
deep
friendships
in
Mumbai,
become
families
by
choice,
navigating
the
city’s
complex,
layered
cultures,
customs,
foods
and
languages.
The
heartbeat
of
the
film
is
the
special
bond
of
sisterhood
formed
by
the
three
lead
characters
Prabha
(Kani
Kusruti
in
her
second
significant
role
in
2024),
Anu
(Divya
Prabha)
and
Parvaty
(Chhaya
Kadam
who
also
appears
in
Laapataa
Ladies).
All
We
Imagine
as
Light
is
a
meditative
film
that
has
touches
of
magic
realism
and
a
calming
imagery,
whether
with
a
single
character
riding
a
Mumbai
train,
or
when
the
group
of
women
sit
on
a
beach
by
a
shack.
The
film
has
bagged
a
number
of
critics’
awards,
and
nominations
for
two
Golden
Globes
(Best
Director
for
Kapadia
and
Best
Non-English
Language
Film),
for
the
Film
Independent
Spirit
Awards
(Best
International
Film)
and
for
a
BAFTA
(Best
International
Independent
Film).
It’s
been
on
a
countless
best
of
the
year
lists
and
was
just
recommended
by
President
Barack
Obama.
