Top30 Favorite Film Discoveries of 2013
15-12. Tabu
In… about a month, Tabu has become one of my favorite actresses [MUBI ranking and all]. Consistently good, she even manages to get interesting characters within the constrains of Indian society- For example, in Virasat she gets into a very forceful and out of the blue arranged marriage, which she willingly accepts, and the role is not eye-roll and groan-worthy. Not to mention The Namesake. Even though the story should focus on Kal Penn’s character, Mira Nair made it so to also surround Tabu’s.
And in Cheeni Kum, she plays the love interest of Amitabh Bachchan, who is like 30 years her senior, but instead of making it all no-biggie like it usually is in Hollywood, the whole second half makes it an issue for her father (who is younger than her would-be-fiance) to accept him. And it’s pretty funny and understandable… and the only movie I can think of that kind of tackles some of it is Something’s Gotta Give.
Hu Tu Tu follows the lives of two X-Gen Indian youths and how the dirt of politics ruined their lives, while Chandni Bar is probably one of the most depressing movies I had ever seen. Astitva is the less melodramatic of them all, basically centered on the life of a woman who receives a large amount of money via inheritance, and is found out to have mothered her only child with this other man.
It sounds melodramatic, but really, it’s not. Nobody dies of disease, nobody is killed. There’s a lot of denouncing, finger-pointing and name-calling, and Tabu gets a kick-ass monologue by the end.
- Hu Tu Tu [1]
- Chandni Bar [full movie no subs]
- Maqbool [Salve, Macbeth]
- Astitva [Watch it on EROSNOW] It’s free if you sign up.
11. Garpastum
10. Dil Se…
Drama, romance, political intrigue, action, musical numbers, wonderful music from A.R. Rahman and stunning cinematography: The ingredients of an instant classic.
Though I must warn you, Dil Se… (and all these Bollywood movies) are best enjoyed in the highest resolution you’ll be able to find. It’s SO worth it.
9. Jogwa
I can’t remember the reason why I was reading about the Hijra [1], but it’s fascinating to me all this talk on gender and gender fluidity, especially coming from more traditional places such as India, Indonesia [1] or Iran [1]. In the end, I ran into this National Film award-winning Marathi film centered around the lives of a woman and a man pushed to become offerings to society in the name of tradition.
7. 3 Idiots
Back in mid-2010, the news of 3 Idiots being an awesome movie spilled… beyond the borders of Bollywood. Back then, I didn’t know anything about it. I was probably during my “oh, I suppose this is some silly Bollywood movie” kind of mentality, and then… some time in 2011 I saw my homeboy Wang Leehom recommending the film on Weibo.
Fast-forward to 2013 with my dislike of both Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor; I had no idea that I was going to (or could) enjoy 3 Idiots this much. I even… found… Kareena Kapoor, with her dark hair, rimmed glasses and nose piercing… kind of… appealing? Oh, gosh.
6. A Letter to Momo
I probably will cry double the amount now that my dad is gone. [1]
Yay! Magadheera! :D
@Jenna, I find Telugu movies hard to find if they’re not on YouTube. I’m gonna watch some Ram Charan films when I find the time.
Great list, and yes, very Indian film heavy. But there are a lot of good films on that list! I see a few on there from other countries I have to check out now. :)
@Jenna, except for both the titles in Spanish, everything else is quite easy to find with subtitles. I’m actually surprised Maria Felix films are so hard to find.