4-min readNews18 Reel Movie Awards: Nominees For Best Director 2017
Take our poll here to vote and choose your favourite director of 2017.
Image: Best director
From small-budget gems shining upfront to some regular big Bollywood blockbusters, the successful films in 2017 had one thing in common- re-emergence of the middle-class in Hindi Cinema. It was a year that saw a transition of cinephiles accepting genuine performances than just make-believe. Despite a few dreadful misfires by big names, viewers found performances dipped in humour more engaging and thoughtful. From talking about the electoral policy of the country to making people aware of something as common as erectile dysfunction- humour emerged as the genre of the year.
In the first edition of News18 Reel Movie Awards, we select nominees in various popular categories and let our readers decide the outcome.
Take our poll here to vote and choose your favourite director of 2017.
Newton: Amit V Masurkar:
Directed and co-written by Amit V Masurkar, Newton stars Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Anjali Patil and Raghubir Yadav in key roles. The film had its world premiere at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival and won plaudits in India post its theatrical release. The film also ended up being India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards. Newton Kumar (Rajkummar Rao), a self-named government officer, is sent to the conflict-ridden jungles of Chhattisgarh, to conduct a free and fair voting process. The film mines humour from unlikely places and while the backdrop of the film might be election voting- it pans through various other elements of the current political and social scenarios of the country including dowry, child marriage and corruption among other things. Both Rao and Tripathi are in rock-solid form and cast an unflinching eye on the farce of the electoral process.
Mukti Bhawan:Shubhashish Bhutiani :
Death - a concept that Bollywood has reduced to over-dramatised scenes - was tapped on its full potential when filmmaker Shubhashish Bhutiani decided to carve a tragicomedy out of it. Mukti Bhawan is more than just a sombre take on dynamics of a father-son relationship and delves deeper into one's inner soul (and demons). When a 77-year-old Daya (Lalit Behl) realises that his time is nearing, he wishes to breathe his last and attain salvation in Benares. Rajiv, his office-bound son, accompanies him and the film then unfolds in a form of conversation bringing to celluloid the ironies of life and mortality. It's a rare film, that despite dealing with the inevitable death, makes you smile.
A Death In The Gunj:
Konkona Sen Sharma proves once again why she’s a rare talent in Hindi Cinema. After winning accolades for her on-screen performances , she takes the reign behind the camera for the first time and directed this masterpiece. Set in the gloomy winters of 1979, in a colonial town called McCluskieganj, Bihar, the film is basically a family holiday gone wrong. With an ensemble cast including Vikrant Massey, Tilotama Shome, Ranvir Shorey, Gulshan Devaiah and Kalki Koechlin, the film evokes a myriad of emotions and finely deals with a plethora of subjects. It serves a fresh look at the complex family dynamics, a doyenne bullying, a mind dealing with grief, a soul craving for attention, a palpable sexual tension, a sexual desire, a sense of patriarchy is all there, not just in words, but in acts and symbolism too. In fact, even the place McCluskieganj is more a character than a backdrop and at the centre of it, lies the accurate detailing from Konkona's end.
Lipstick Under My Burkha: Alankrita Shrivastava:
Alankrita Shrivastava probably made the riskiest Bollywood debut when she decided to helm a film based on four women, of differing age groups and phases - aware, conscious and ready to explore their sexuality. The film, featuring Ratna Shah Pathak, Konkona Sensharma, Plabita Borthakur and Aahana Kumra, found itself at the receiving end of CBFC's myriad ideologies when the board deemed the film 'too women-oriented' and decided not to certify the film. Through the window of Rosie, a fictional character, Srivastava brought alive the unspoken, unattended and unwavering 'lipistick waale sapne' of womankind. The film knits a rebellious world of four women - an older woman who finds pleasure in reading erotic novels, a mother of 3 who is reduced to a sex object by her husband, a free-spirited woman who finds Bhopal and its ideologies too restricting for her and a millennial who steps out in burkha but soon changes to ripped denims and aspires to be a pop icon. Each woman, though leading a battle starkly different from each other, is woven tautly through a unifying undertone of sexual reveries.
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan: RS Prasanna :
The film, directed by RS Prasanna is a remake of his own Tamil comedy Kalyana Samayal Saadham, and stars Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar in key roles. The story is about a Gurgaon boy Mudit Sharma, who falls in love with Sugandha. After the proposal when they decide to get married, Mudit finds out he's suffering from erectile dysfunction. Without saying anything, Mudit simply signals his problem with the help of a biscuit and things take a turn from there. The film mines moments of laughter and is backed by powerful performances of the cast including the likes of Seema Pahwa, Brijendra Kala, Neeraj Sood, Supriya Shukla among others. It uses humour and sensitively deals with the taboo surrounding erectile dysfunction and brings to platter several memorable moments.
Also Watch
In the first edition of News18 Reel Movie Awards, we select nominees in various popular categories and let our readers decide the outcome.
Take our poll here to vote and choose your favourite director of 2017.
Newton: Amit V Masurkar:
Directed and co-written by Amit V Masurkar, Newton stars Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Anjali Patil and Raghubir Yadav in key roles. The film had its world premiere at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival and won plaudits in India post its theatrical release. The film also ended up being India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards. Newton Kumar (Rajkummar Rao), a self-named government officer, is sent to the conflict-ridden jungles of Chhattisgarh, to conduct a free and fair voting process. The film mines humour from unlikely places and while the backdrop of the film might be election voting- it pans through various other elements of the current political and social scenarios of the country including dowry, child marriage and corruption among other things. Both Rao and Tripathi are in rock-solid form and cast an unflinching eye on the farce of the electoral process.
Mukti Bhawan:Shubhashish Bhutiani :
Death - a concept that Bollywood has reduced to over-dramatised scenes - was tapped on its full potential when filmmaker Shubhashish Bhutiani decided to carve a tragicomedy out of it. Mukti Bhawan is more than just a sombre take on dynamics of a father-son relationship and delves deeper into one's inner soul (and demons). When a 77-year-old Daya (Lalit Behl) realises that his time is nearing, he wishes to breathe his last and attain salvation in Benares. Rajiv, his office-bound son, accompanies him and the film then unfolds in a form of conversation bringing to celluloid the ironies of life and mortality. It's a rare film, that despite dealing with the inevitable death, makes you smile.
A Death In The Gunj:
Konkona Sen Sharma proves once again why she’s a rare talent in Hindi Cinema. After winning accolades for her on-screen performances , she takes the reign behind the camera for the first time and directed this masterpiece. Set in the gloomy winters of 1979, in a colonial town called McCluskieganj, Bihar, the film is basically a family holiday gone wrong. With an ensemble cast including Vikrant Massey, Tilotama Shome, Ranvir Shorey, Gulshan Devaiah and Kalki Koechlin, the film evokes a myriad of emotions and finely deals with a plethora of subjects. It serves a fresh look at the complex family dynamics, a doyenne bullying, a mind dealing with grief, a soul craving for attention, a palpable sexual tension, a sexual desire, a sense of patriarchy is all there, not just in words, but in acts and symbolism too. In fact, even the place McCluskieganj is more a character than a backdrop and at the centre of it, lies the accurate detailing from Konkona's end.
Lipstick Under My Burkha: Alankrita Shrivastava:
Alankrita Shrivastava probably made the riskiest Bollywood debut when she decided to helm a film based on four women, of differing age groups and phases - aware, conscious and ready to explore their sexuality. The film, featuring Ratna Shah Pathak, Konkona Sensharma, Plabita Borthakur and Aahana Kumra, found itself at the receiving end of CBFC's myriad ideologies when the board deemed the film 'too women-oriented' and decided not to certify the film. Through the window of Rosie, a fictional character, Srivastava brought alive the unspoken, unattended and unwavering 'lipistick waale sapne' of womankind. The film knits a rebellious world of four women - an older woman who finds pleasure in reading erotic novels, a mother of 3 who is reduced to a sex object by her husband, a free-spirited woman who finds Bhopal and its ideologies too restricting for her and a millennial who steps out in burkha but soon changes to ripped denims and aspires to be a pop icon. Each woman, though leading a battle starkly different from each other, is woven tautly through a unifying undertone of sexual reveries.
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan: RS Prasanna :
The film, directed by RS Prasanna is a remake of his own Tamil comedy Kalyana Samayal Saadham, and stars Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar in key roles. The story is about a Gurgaon boy Mudit Sharma, who falls in love with Sugandha. After the proposal when they decide to get married, Mudit finds out he's suffering from erectile dysfunction. Without saying anything, Mudit simply signals his problem with the help of a biscuit and things take a turn from there. The film mines moments of laughter and is backed by powerful performances of the cast including the likes of Seema Pahwa, Brijendra Kala, Neeraj Sood, Supriya Shukla among others. It uses humour and sensitively deals with the taboo surrounding erectile dysfunction and brings to platter several memorable moments.
Also Watch
RIP Sridevi: Remembering Bollywood's First Female Superstar
Virtuosity:The Legendary Sridevi in Her Own Words
Veteran Actor Sridevi Passes Away at 54 After Cardiac Arrest in Dubai
Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety: Is The Misogyny Served Worth Your Money?
| Edited by: Sameeksha
RIP Sridevi: Remembering Bollywood's First Female SuperstarVirtuosity:The Legendary Sridevi in Her Own WordsVeteran Actor Sridevi Passes Away at 54 After Cardiac Arrest in DubaiSonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety: Is The Misogyny Served Worth Your Money?