Best Bollywood Films of 2016!

The year ended on a bang. Some big highs from reliable stars. So lows from filmmakers we’ve come to expect a lot. 2016, if anything, wasn’t short of surprises. At SahiNahi we track hundreds of thousands of Indian film critic reviews and 2016 was no different. 

So without much exposition, here is the best of Bollywood in 2016 in descending order of scores that we calculated!

Honorable Mentions: Waiting (86%), Sultan (84%), Parched (83%), Fan (83%), Dear Zindagi (82%) 

#10 Dhanak (88%)

Nagesh Kukunoor has a way. He likes to tell simple stories. He gets great performances from unknown actors. And he does it in his own unique lens. We’ve seen him touch the heart, and Dhanak is no different. Dhanak is memorable film with brilliant acting from child actors and a unique Rajasthan landscape. And we agree with Vishal Verma of Glam Sham when he says, “A delightfully performed feel good road flick”

#9 Phobia (92%)

Wonder if Radhika Apte can ever do anything wrong. The woman is just mesmerizing on screen. Phobia is a great showcase for Radhika Apte’s talent with some genuine scares. The last time we enjoyed a horror flick as much was our own RGV’s Bhoot. We couldn’t agree more with Anupama Chopra from Film Companion that, “Phobia is satisfying and fun — both words you don’€™t get to use often with Hindi horror films”

#8 Aligarh (94%)

Aligarh is heartbreaking. And beautiful. Manoj Bajpai is a national treasure. A very sensitive topic, handled with aplomb by Hansal Mehta, the same guy who bought us the brilliant Shahid. If you have’t seen this film, please go watch it. Indian cinema needs more of this. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV nails it with his summary, “Aligarh, essentially a study of a victim of entrenched prejudices, articulates its poetry of pain with remarkable precision, right down to the subtlest of its nuances”

#7 Pink (94%)

Amitabh Bachchan continues to surprise every year. And in a year marked by women empowerment in the Indian film industry (read: Parched, Dangal), Pink manages to stand on its own. It confronts a difficult subject. It does it with grace. Surabhi Redkar from Koi Moi puts it well, “Pink is poignant and powerfully provocative. It is a must-watch for everyone with a blurred vision for modern day women”

#6 Airlift (95%)

Akshay Kumar is a crowd-pleaser. The man knows how to make entertaining films. And sometimes, you see a film that is entertaining but also is great cinema. Airlft is rousing cinema, with great action set pieces and a powerful true ‘inspired’ story. As solid as a good Bollywood action film can get. We agree with R. J. Alok of Aaj Tak when he says, “साहस, संयम और जीत की असली दास्तां ‘एयरलिफ्ट”'

#5 Nil Battey Sannata (95%)

How we wish more movie goers would watch this gem, Nil Battey Sannata. A mother’s quest to get a good education for her daughter is heart warming and touching. Swara Bhaskar puts in a fantastic performance and the mother daughter relationship steals our heart. We wished the film lasted longer than its running time, because we were not ready to let go of these characters. Mohar Basu from the Times of India, said it best, “The movie wins you over with its innocence and simplicity”

#4 Kapoor And Sons (96%)

Kapoor And Sons has everything going for it. Laugh out loud moments, heart touching scenes, phenomenal performances and dealing with a sensitive subject. But what truly wins with the movie is the family dynamic, in a case of near perfect casting. Ratna Pathak and Rajat Kapoor are outstanding. Rishi Kapoor continues his journey of interesting experiments. And Alia Bhatt continues to prove, she might be the most talented Bhatt after all. Jyotsna Basotia summarized it well for The Statesman, “It tickles your funny bones and touches deep corners of your heart. It leaves you in splits and moves you to tears”

#3 Udta Punjab (96%)

It is surprising Udta Pujab got made. Even more surprising some of the biggest stars of Bollywood Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt and Shahid Kapoor signed on as part of an ensemble cast. The film is a trip. It is profane. It is loud. And it so so enjoyable! And we are glad we had a chance to experience it. Abhishek Chaubey — take a bow. It tackles an important subject. It does it really well. And sees some great performances from the lead cast, especially, Diljit Dosanjh. Raja Sen of Rediff, said it right, “Udta Punjab truly soars when being its own madcap beast, profane and powerful and preening”

#2 Neerja (99%)

Neerja opened early in 2016. And for the majority of the year, it was the best film to come out of Bollywood. The film is brilliant, not only in its treatment, but simply in the way it surprises the audience with a poignant retelling of a real-life hero. Sonam Kapoor was born to play this role. Just fantastic. Well put by Sarita A Tanwar of DNA India, “A career-best portrayal by Sonam Kapoor captures a true hero’s grit”

#1 Dangal (99%)

What can we say about Dangal that already hasn’t been said. Aamir Khan does this one right. His best film in over a decade, in a career peppered with great films. One of the best sports films to come out of Indian cinema. Period. Dangal simply should not be missed. The film has great supporting performances with Sakshi Tanwar, Zaira Wasim and Fatima Sana Shaikh. Simply unmissable. Divya Solgama, of Bollywood Times puts it perfectly, “On an overall basis ‘Dangal’ is a mesmerisingly victorious cinema which should be watched by every Indian, father, daughter, sport loving person and most importantly by everyone who loves and cherishes good cinema”

And folks, this wraps up 2016 for Bollywood. You can find the full list of the best of 2016 here. If you are so inclined, SahiNahi also capture the worst of 2016. The list can be found here. Some of the names there wouldn’t entirely be surprising. Here’s looking forward to a great 2017 by the SahiNahi team!