Published By: Manjit Saikia

Underrated Bollywood movies that you may have missed (2)

Bollywood is not always about song and dance routine in some exotic place or some physics defying action sequence. So many times the Mumbai film industry comes up with uncut gems but unfortunately more often than not gets drown in all the commotion around big budget releases. We have continued looking for underrated Bollywood movies and added a few more to our list.

Black Friday (2007)

Some may argue that Black Friday was very much in the radar when it was released in 2007 especially because of the compelling soundtracks created by the band Indian Ocean. However, the gritty storyline and brilliant acting of everyone involved is reason enough for anyone to check out the movie in case they have missed it the first time. The movie is based on 1993 serial bomb blast and its investigation where writer/director Anuraag Kashyap tells a gripping story.

Gulaal (2009)

Another one of Anuraag Kashyap’s movie that managed to find its way to this list is Gulaal which was released in 2009. Gulaal is a story where the main protagonist is a college student who experiences hate, deception, crime and homicide all while he becomes the General Secretary of his college. This is a story about mind games and manipulation, very similar to a Shakespearean story based in Jaipur, Rajasthan. If you are comfortable with all the profanity and understand the Rajasthani accent well, watch Gulaal for an emotional and political rollercoaster.

Shahid(2012)

There are only a very few raw portrayals of real-life heroes in the silver screen in Bollywood. Most of them gets diluted,verging on becoming a mockery itself because of all the extra dramas and song and dance. The year 2012 was a good year for biographies in Bollywood. Earlier that year, Paan Singh Tomar was released to some success but what took the cake was Shahid. The movie was based on the life of Shahid Azmi – a slain human rights activist and a lawyer. The movie is packed with powerful performances, especially Rajkumar Rao who sort of spread his wings in terms of acting and got the National Award for best actor for that performance. Shahid is a true story of a lawyer’s courageous journey which is both thrilling and engrossing at the same time, keeping you at the edge of your seat from start to finish.

Margarita, with a straw (2015)

There are only a few stories among hundreds and hundreds of movies released every year that touches the heart and manage to stay with us for a long time. Margarita with a straw is one such movie that manages to ask very humane questions about love, loss and companionship. The movie is about a woman with cerebral palsy who moves into the US for studies after getting her heart broken. What follows is an exhilarating journey of self-discovery and a better understanding of her relationships with people close to her.