Bollywood's Diverse Cinematic Journey: Standout Films and Performances of 2023
From Iconic Comebacks to Social Commentaries, Here's the Year in Review
Pathaan
Not because it's a particularly good movie, but rather because Shah Rukh Khan's comeback vehicle—a blockbuster to challenge all blockbusters—makes it to this list. It does so because Pathaan was more than just a movie; it was an occasion, a celebration, the first movie to draw large crowds back to theaters after the pandemic, and most importantly, a way to usher in a much-loved superstar.
Nothing particularly new was added to Yash Raj Films' expanding spy universe, but SRK came in with a bang, spoke incoherently, combined charm and charisma in a way that only he could, and showed us what we had been missing from our screens. Everyone arrived expecting to have a good time, and they all had plenty of that. However, the spectacle was counterbalanced by self-awareness (Salman Khan's Pathaan and Tiger destroying the enemy and then exchanging painkillers), which allowed this Siddharth Anand action film to transcend its formulaic plot. John Abraham and Deepika Padukone provided plenty of assistance, but the Pathaan ride was more than worthwhile because of "our centre-forward, opening batsman, opening bowler, wicketkeeper and two slips," as he is referred to in the movie.
Gulmohar
Screenwriters love to work with dysfunctional families, but Gulmohar was much more than that. With Sharmila Tagore playing the matriarch and Rahul V. Chitella making his directorial debut, this straightforward film about complicated relationships within a seemingly simple family struck an instant chord. It follows a family as they disintegrate after being forced to leave the house they have lived in for thirty years. Gulmohar was a watch that was filled with both heartwarming and heartbreaking moments. It was bittersweet, vulnerable, and sensitive. It was supported by a strong ensemble cast, which included Manoj Bajpayee and one that made us want to see more of Sharmila Tagore on screen.
Effwaah
This short film by Sudhir Mishra was a sharp and unsettling look at the rumor-mongering times we live in, where a post on the Internet can change a life, sometimes several, irrevocably. It was a concise commentary on how social media is used as a tool to create social fissures and false narratives for short-term political gains. With the help of outstanding performances from Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Bhumi Pednekar in the lead roles, the director based this sadly underappreciated movie on a single night and created Afwaah as a commentary and a warning about the manipulation of rumor mills in the hinterland in the era of easily accessible information.
Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai Sirf Ek
Serving as both an entertaining courtroom drama and a critique of what it means to speak truth to power in our society, Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, also known as Bandaa, was largely based on Manoj Bajpayee's shoulders and benefited greatly from it. Bajpayee was excellent as the silent lawyer who took on the system's Goliaths, and then not so silently. Even though the movie was a failure on many occasions, Bajpayee persevered, proving to us—just like the title—that sometimes all it takes is one person to make a movie what it is.
Katha Satyaprem Ki
This may seem like an odd choice, but Satyaprem Ki Katha is still worth mentioning because it tackles some important topics and deviates from the formula while adhering to a standard mainstream storytelling structure. This Sameer Vidwans film, which stars Kartik Aaryan as the buffoonish loser that we have seen him play countless times before, and Kiara Advani, his Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 co-star, acts as the silent strength of the movie. It tackles topics like date rape, first-second-third base in a relationship, and post-traumatic stress disorder in a commercial Bollywood film. It was a pleasant surprise. Even in the context of the setting where it was set, Satyaprem Ki Katha deserves recognition for trying to go where many others still don't, regardless of how well or poorly it worked.
Prem Kahaani Rani Kii Rocky Aur
Representing a return to form, Karan Johar explored, explored, and analyzed the subtleties and complexity of relationships on a watchable, approachable level in his most recent film, all the while keeping it incredibly entertaining. The director employed a format that skillfully criticized pervasive social ills like patriarchy, misogyny, gender bias, othering, body shaming, cancel culture, toxic masculinity, and constrictive societal roles, all while packing his film with the gloss and glitter for which he is known. He also used his trademark elements of drama, laughter, tears, romance, conflict, and resolution.
Rocky and Rani Kii In addition to its powerful supporting cast, which featured industry veterans like Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, and Shabana Azmi as well as our very own Tota Roy Choudhury and Churni Ganguly, Prem Kahaani stood out for its Rocky (Ranveer Singh) and Rani (Alia Bhatt). This movie went above and beyond with a generational romance, some vintage gems of Hindi film music, and a memorable scene in which Tota's character, Rocky, and Rani's father, Rocky, dance passionately in a gender-neutral Kathak act to the tune of the Devdas hit Dola re dola.
OMG II
Bollywood in 2023 was marked by a large number of mainstream movies that sought to initiate dialogue and bring taboo subjects to the fore. OMG 2, a spiritual follow-up to 2012's OMG, in which Akshay Kumar played God again, fought for the right to sex education in schools. Pankaj Tripathi, who is hardly more aam aadmi than he is, played a common man who sued society as a whole after his son was expelled from school after a video of the young boy masturbating went viral. Director Amit Rai succeeded in minimizing bombast, which is frequently a given in Hindi films of this genre, by using humor as a narrative device. Akshay and Yami Gautam Dhar's performances also helped the film.
Jawan
Jawan's inclusion on this list isn't due to its exceptional filmmaking. A large portion of it is an unkempt jumble directed at the general public. However, the Atlee film, which became Shah Rukh Khan's second consecutive year-end blockbuster, was entertaining on many levels and also managed to sneak in a surprise with its biting social commentary subtly disguised in a mainstream production. Beyond all of its masala mayhem, breathtaking action sequences, opulent soundtracks, whistle-worthy cameos, cutting one-liners, exciting turns and twists, and stardom and fandom, Jawan ultimately proved to be King Khan's occasionally gentle, occasionally jagged jab at a system that has, whether knowingly or unknowingly, used him as a target for practice for a very long time.
While portraying a father and a son and scoring higher on the hotness meter in the father role, SRK managed to pull off a crowd-pleaser without forgetting to include scenes that really made Jawan count. Like the one wherein his persona Azad made an impassioned plea to vote against caste, class, and, wait for it! — religion, reinstating the anti-establishment hero in more ways than one, but never forgetting to reach out and romance only insofar as he is able to.
The Twelveth Error
This Vidhu Vinod Chopra film turned out to be a powerful and poignant watch, making it one of the most moving movies of 2023. It was the sleeper success of the year. 12th Fail kept things straightforward but managed to be a film with so much heart, even when its own heart was breaking. It was inspired by the true story of a man who worked his way up to become an IAS officer despite failing his Class 12 exams. With Vikrant Massey as its central figure, 12th Fail was a triumphant fusion of skill and empathy. It succeeded in making us feel viscerally affected and gently prodding us to face failure head-on while we created our own #restart narrative.
Bahadur Sam
As he stepped into the shoes of the unstoppable Sam Manekshaw, India's first Field Marshal and a man whose legendary status is undeniable, Vicky Kaushal towered above everyone and everything. At a time when movies celebrating military victories are contrived into jingoistic narratives, this Meghna Gulzar biopic deserves praise for capturing a story of true valour, tinged without political prejudices, even as Vicky, in an incredibly intimate performance, perfected Manekshaw's walk and talk. Meghna did a fantastic job of concentrating on Sam Bahadur as a deep character study of a man who was constantly prepared to win, without turning it into just another war movie.
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