The best Hindi films of 2022: From ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ to ‘Bhediya’

In a year when the Hindi film industry literally mapped both the ‘Gehraiyaan’ and ‘Uunchai’ of human emotions, here are some of the films that defined 2022 best

A taut pulp thriller that also makes more than a few astute observations on the quirkiness of life and human nature along the way, this Vasan Bala film is a delightful addition to the thin list of Indian noir. Its music is a hoot and the dialogues and performances of the ensemble cast will make it a cult caper in the years to come.

This is easily Sanjay Leela Bhansali at his best as he has been able to marry craft with content. For a long time, he has been trying to create a modern-day  Mughal-e-Azam; here, he attempts a  Pakeezah for the millennials and almost succeeds. In Alia, he has a muse who can depict multiple emotions in one frame through words, silences, and expressions. Be it the body language or dialogue, she minimises the element of acting in her performance. Watch her perform in  Meri Jaan as she crystallises the complex that sex workers don’t fall in the love that Ganga holds inside her in one song; she makes you cry, laugh and feel guilty simultaneously.

A disturbing moral drama that hits the conscience but refuses to run away, the Suresh Triveni film will be remembered for its gripping portrayal of guilt and inner conflict by two powerhouse performers, Shefali Shah and Vidya Balan.

Set in Bhartiya, a sleepy village on the outskirts of Mathura, the centre of  Braj culture in Uttar Pradesh,  Matto Ki Saikil  (Matto’s Bicycle) is a gutsy take on the lopsided development matrix that gently opens a window to the state of the welfare state, seven decades after we pledged to give ourselves an equal shot at destiny.

Rajat Kapoor’s crowd-funded meta-narrative delineates the ego of a storyteller, and, in the process, tells us our position in the universe. The seemingly absurdist tale carries more meaning and mirth than most big-budget tentpoles churned by Bollywood.

Anvita Dutta’s ethereal depiction of the mother-daughter conflict in the backdrop of a competitive music industry is a heart-wrenching portrayal of the Cuckoo’s curse that comes alive through a memorable soundtrack and credible performances.

Fusing disparate elements of football and magic to conjure up a convincing coming-of-age story, Sameer Saxena’s directorial makes us fall in love with the characters of Neemuch, a town on the Madhya Pradesh-Rajasthan border that is mad over football. The limpid writing provides a steady stream of  hasya rasa, a rich blend of folk and literary humour, that is diminishing by the week in Hindi cinema.