There have been many instances in Bollywood, where some really good movies do not get the accolades and attention they deserved and get buried in the piles of movies Bollywood releases. Here’s the list of some underrated movies that boast brilliant performances and writing, all resulting in pieces of powerful storytelling.
Masaan (2015)
The debut movie of Vicky Kaushal, Masaan is arguably one of the finest movies that came out of Bollywood last decade.
Masaan boasted of a terrific cast that includes some of the best actors of Bollywood including Vicky Kaushal, Sanjay Mishra, Pankaj Tripathi, and RichaChadda. Set in Varanasi, Masaan tells two different stories, one of Devi ( RichaChadda) who gets entangled in controversy, and Deepak ( Vicky Kaushal), a low-class young boy who falls in love with a girl from the higher class. Upon its release, it got high critical acclaim but it didn’t do well in the box office. Watch it for its poetry like storytelling and some really good performances.
Raincoat (2004)
Based on O Henry’s short story, ‘The Gift of Magi’, Raincoat is a beautiful story of two estranged lovers.
Starring Ajay Devgn and Aishwarya Rai and directed by ace Bengali director Rituparno Ghosh, Raincoat is a heartwarming tale of forgoing love. Two estranged lovers meet after six years. As they spend a rainy evening together, they share their memories and talk about their journey in life. With a twisted ending, Raincoat is a heart-wrenching love story more romantic than most of the so-called romantic movies of Bollywood.
Dasvidaniya (2008)
The film stars Vinay Pathak and tells the story of a man who has only a few months to live and things he wants to do before he dies.
Dasvidaniya is Russian means, ‘bye’ which is perfectly reminiscent of the theme of the movie. It is a slow but heart-wrenching tale of a 37-year-old man who has only a few months to live and how he fulfills his last wishes before putting up his socks. Vinay Pathak was superb as usual in this movie and, surely, you will leave with a tear or two in your eyes long after the movie is over.
Manorama Six Feet Under (2007)
Manorama Six Feet Under is a criminally underrated film by Navdeep Singh of NH 10 fame, who made his debut with the movie.
The movie was inspired by the Hollywood classic ‘Chinatown’ and was ahead of its time when released. It was a neo-noir drama, a genre that was alien to the audience when it was released. Starring AbhayDeol, the movie was critically acclaimed when released but was a box office dud but with passing time, it became a cult movie and has a fan following of its own.
Ship of Theseus (2013)
The title of the film refers to Theseus’ paradox, i.e whether a ship that has been restored by replacing all its parts remains the same old ship.
Directed by Anand Gandhi, the movie explores the themes of identity, beauty, justice, the meaning of life and death. It won the National award when released and was liked by critics all over but was not a commercial success. The philosophical questions in the movie are handled with a real lightness of touch, even humor, and presented by engaging characters.
