Finally, the post that puts it all together!  The films as a whole, what was best and favorite and least favorite.

Best

The Ghazi Attack-1

Bareilly Ki Barfi-1

Anarkali of Aarah-1

Newton-2

Trapped-1

Shubh Mangal Saavdhan-2

JHMS-1

Secret Superstar-1

Tumhari Sulu-1

 

This is such an interesting list!  Most of them not widely promoted, no big massive hits, and no big star features with big star audiences.  Or did they have stars?  Up and coming hidden stars?  Swara Bhaskar, Rajkummar Rao, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rana Dagubbatti, Vidya Balan, Zaira Wasim, they are all over this list!  The dedicated stage trained actors with unconventional looks, the women, the southern stars, all the flavors of people who are not considered “star” material by the mainstream industry.

The “best” film list will almost always be different from the mainstream hit list.  Because quality is rare, and appreciation for it is rarer.  That’s why I split the choices between “favorite” and “best”, so you could acknowledge the quality of a film while also acknowledging that it isn’t your favorite.

So what strikes me about this list is not Newton or Trapped or even Secret Superstar or Tumhari Sulu, but Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, The Ghazi Attack, and Bareilly Ki Barfi.  These were movies that were high quality, but also approachable, were minor mainstream successes.  This is a wonderful sign for the future of the industry, if more of these small excellent films are released directed at a wider audience.

(I almost forgot about this movie, thank you for reminding me!  And, like Ittefaq, it was a small excellent film which Karan took over and quietly and perfectly released.  I hope he keeps doing that, snapping up small clever films and giving them solid but not huge releases)

 

Favorite

Raees-1

Shubh Mangal Saavdhan-1

Bareilly Ki Barfi-1

Fukrey Returns-1

Newton-1

JHMS-2

Phillauri-1

Secret Superstar-1

A Death in the Gunj-1

Tumhari Sulu-1

Badrinath Ki Dulhania-1

 

Well this is interesting!  The favorites are all across the board this year.  A good sign, there really was something for everybody.  But, again, it wasn’t in the big mainstream hits.  The top films of the year, Judwaa 2 and Golmaal Again and Tiger Zinda Hai, are nowhere here.  Raees is only there on a technicality, it was voted for by someone who only saw one Hindi film in 2017, that one film therefore becoming both her least and most favorite.

Even the more mainstream ones, they are the smaller films.  Badrinath Ki Dulhania, Phillauri, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan again.  These little ones were the films people really loved in 2017.  The big films were too big, no personality, not something you could really love.

(So glad Shubh Mangal Saavdhan is getting so much love.  I was really surprised by how good it was when I saw it in theaters)

 

 

Least Favorite

A Gentleman-1

Jagga Jasoos-1

Kaabil-1

Badrinath Ki Dulhania-1

Half-Girlfriend-2

Raees-1

Mere Pyari Bindu-1

Raabta-1

JHMS-1

Judwaa-1

 

And another interesting list!  Still a range of films on it, but notice that the biggies start showing up here more.  Judwaa, Kaabil, Jagga Jasoos which flopped but had a massive release.  The only show up on the “bad” lists, here and the “most disappointing”, not on the good ones.

But there is a variety beyond those films.  There was no clear loser in 2017, just as there was no clear winner.  The loses were spread out between stars, studios, all over the place.  Which is good, in an odd way, since it means no one is taking the hit more than any other.  And hopefully will inspire them all to do better.  Especially Arjun Kapoor.  People really really hated Half-Girlfriend.  Almost makes me curious enough to watch it.  Almost.

(Oo oo!  They both like standing in the rain!  MEANT TO BE!)