Top 10 Indian Films Of 2021 (So Far) Ranked |Movie Insert

  

Malayalam cinema is flourishing. Hindi cinema is languishing. An unscientific, mid-year survey of the Indianfilm industry throws up that conclusion. In year two of the pandemic, which is,in some ways harder than year one because we imagined that we would beout of the woods by now, films from Kerala have sustained and nourished us. These stories of human frailty, hubris, family,relationships, good and evil, crime and punishment have startled us with their originality and craft. Meanwhile Bollywood seemsto have lost its moorings, epitomised by the bloated mess that was Radhe. Thanks to streaming platforms, audienceshave access to the best from across India. I hope that raises our standardsand makes us demand more. Here are my favourites fromthe first half of 2021. Special mentions –Sanu John Varughese’s Aarkkariyam, Dibakar Banerjee’s Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar and Ivan Ayr’s Meel Patthar. At number 10, Mandela. Mandela could be a spin-offfrom the Munna Bhai universe. The title character, played by a terrificYogi Babu, seems like Munna’s Tamilian brother – a good-hearted, naïve game-changer whothrows into the spotlight the greed and corruption of those around him. Mandela even has a Circuit-like sidekick. Writer-director Madonne Ashwin tells a timelystory about caste, democracy and marginalisation with humour and compassion. The satire bites but it never becomes vicious. At number 9, Nayattu. Nayattu means the hunt. In Martin Prakkat’s disturbing police procedural,the hunters are cops but the hunted are also cops. After a road accident, three police officers get embroiledin a cauldron of caste politics and violence, and are forced to flee. What’s fascinating is how Martin andwriter Shahi Kabir, a police officer himself, consistently humanise the characters. So even during the tense pursuit, the narrative finds room for moments of silence,introspection and an ordinary decency. In one of my favourite scenes, a man wordlesslybuys sanitary pads for a woman. In how many films have you seen that happen? At number 8,  Geeli Pucchi. Bharti Mandal is female, Dalit and gay. That intricate intersectionality is perhapsa first for Hindi cinema. Except this isn’t a feature. In a 43-minute short film, director and writer NeerajGhaywan tells a searing story of the hesitant intimacy that develops between two women fromopposite sides of the class and caste divide. Konkona Sen Sharma as Bharti combinesexternal toughness with vulnerability and a rage that flashes in her eyesas she understands that it is impossible to navigatethe chasm between them. And Aditi Rao Hydari isthe perfect foil as Priya – naïve, fragile and trapped in upper-caste patriarchy. Geeli Pucchi is a masterclassin saying more with less. At number 7, Jathi Ratnalu. "I’m also a responsible Citizen Kaneof this country" – how can you resist a filmthat features that dialogue? Jathi Ratnalu, about three small-town boyswho come to the big city – Hyderabad – looking for jobs, money and the good life, isa sparkling concoction of humour, social commentary and terrific chemistry between the leads (Naveen Polishetty as Srikanth, Rahul Ramakrishnaas Ravi and Priyadarshi as Sekhar). Director and writer Anudeep K.V. also peppersthe film with hat-tips to all the films he’s loved. This is a film I wish I had seen in a theatre – it would have been magicalto sit with strangers and laugh. At number 6, Karnan. Karnan is a powerful call to arms. Director Mari Selvaraj reimagines the Mahabharata so that the demi-god Karna is no longera good man on the wrong side. Instead, he's the saviour of his peopleand his village, Podiyankulam. Unlike his first film, Pariyerum Perumal,which portrays a determined but peaceful rebellion against the caste system, Karnan tells usthat sometimes violence is the answer. The film features striking visual imagery, the terrific song 'Kandaa Vara Sollunga'by Santhosh Narayanan and a blazing performanceby Dhanush as Karnan. He is both myth and everyman.And that is an unbeatable combination. At number 5, Drishyam 2: The Resumption. Honestly, I didn’t think writer-directorJeethu Joseph could pull off a sequel to his superbly scripted Drishyam,in which we are rooting for Georgekutty and his family to get away with murder. The second film isn’t as seamlessly constructedas the first – the first act is plodding – but once the plot kicks in, Joseph takesus on a gripping saga of crime and punishment. Georgekutty’s deceptions are so elaboratethat they will take your breath away. And superstar Mohanlalplays the character superbly, with just the right inflectionof sorrow and scarring. At number 4, Kala. A fractured father-son relationship,a home invasion horror story, the casual callousness of the privilegedand the rage of the underprivileged – Kala packs in a lot. Director Rohith V.S., DOP Akhil George, DawnVincent, the director of music and sound design, and editor Chaman Chakko construct a beautifullycrafted, immersive experience into one man’s hell. Lead and co-producer Tovino Thomas deliversa brilliant performance as an entitled man who is fighting his own frustration and failurebut who is also taught a brutal lesson. The teacher – a labourer played bySumesh Moor – is terrifying and terrific. The mayhem and brutality in Kala is relentless. But Rohith doesn’t allow us to look away– either from the consequences of violence or the consequences of our actions. At number 3, Joji. In the hands of Malayalam cinema’s dream team – director Dileesh Pothan, writer Syam Pushkaranand actor Fahadh Faasil – Macbeth becomes a riveting dramaabout a deeply dysfunctional family. A formidable patriarch controls his threesons and his vast estate with an iron fist until a stroke confines him. Now the family members must negotiate betweentheir true feelings for this despotic figure and the mournful façade that society requires. Joji, played by a terrifically unnerving FahadhFaasil, puts into motion a chain of events that lead to murder. As Joji plots, he discovers his own capacityfor cruelty and his utter lack of morals. But Pothan layers this disturbing storywith touches of humour and whimsy. It is a thing of beauty. At number 2, The Disciple. The Disciple is a meditative character studythat draws you deep into its mysterious spell. Using stillness, long takes and wide shots,director Chaitanya Tamhane tells the haunting, melancholic story of a Hindustani classicalvocalist, Sharad Nerulkar, who gives his life in the pursuit of his art. But Sharad slowly discovers the dichotomybetween the purity he seeks, and the reality of the marketplaceand the reality of his own talent. Singer and debutant actor Aditya Modak transformsexternally and internally as we watch. And as that happens, Chaitanya asks us toconsider the cost of Sharad’s devotion. Like Sharad, we ask: was it worth it? At number 1, The Great Indian Kitchen. The Great Indian Kitchen isa gutting portrait of domestic slavery, of the lives that millions of womenin this country lead, toiling away, unpaid and unsung. Nimisha Sajayan plays a housewife – unnamed because director Jeo Baby wants usto understand that she is every woman. Her first flush of excitement when she has anarranged marriage slowly gives way to seething anger. The film is brilliant because Jeo doesn’tcreate high drama or outsized villains. Instead, he showcases the horror of the ordinary – the pileof unwashed utensils, the disgusting kitchen waste, the half-chewed bones and spilt curry thatmen leave on the dining table for women to clean. The women are second-class citizens,only there to serve. The rage of the housewife becomes your rage. This film should be required viewingin educational institutions.