In the wake of the pandemic, cinemas found OTT platforms as their new home. Cinephiles have loved some movies with all their heart and rated them the best. The wide variety of films that were released this year ranged from patriotic to women-centric, romance to rom-com. On one hand, some movies covered serious topics such as casteism, corruption, etc. On the other hand, some gave us butterfly moments.
So here’s our list of some movies that we found best in 2021.
Shershah
Director: Vishnuvardhan
Writer: Sandeep Shrivastava
Cinematography: Kamaljeet Negi
OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Videos.
It is a biographical war film based on the life of Kargil war hero Vikram Batra. ‘Shershah’ focuses on the valour with which Vikram Batra fought the war of Kargil. Sidharth Malhotra featured as Major Batra code-named, Shershah and was paired with Kiara Advani. Their onscreen chemistry was terrific. The soundtracks, cinematography and execution of the film were almost perfect. The movie won hearts and fans can’t stop humming the tracks from the film.
Sardar Udham
Director: Shoojit Sircar
Writer: Ritesh Shah
Cinematographer: Avik Mukhopadhyay
OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Videos.
It is a period drama based on the struggle for Indian independence. It is biographical in nature showcasing the life story of Sardar Udham Singh who assassinated General O’Dwyer to avenge on Jallianwalabagh massacre. The film had been critically acclaimed for the performance of the cast. Vicky Kaushal played the role of the protagonist. Amol Parashar played the supporting role of Bhagat Singh. The movie holds a mirror to our national history depicting the brutality of the British Raj and the determination of our freedom fighters.
The White Tiger
Director: Ramin Bahrani
Writer: Ramin Bahrani
Cinematographer: Paolo Carnera
OTT Platform: Netflix
Based on the novel by Aravind Adiga of the same name this movie features Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Rajkumar Rao, and Adarsh Gaurav. The movie highlights some important social evils such as patriarchy, misogyny, casteism, etc. It was released worldwide and is available in Hindi and in English. It is dark and a powerful tale of ambition, corruption and class. It has received many awards and is even ranked as one of the most popular films on Netflix.
Haseen Dilruba
Director: Vinil Mathew
Writer: Kanika Dhillon
Cinematographer: Jaya Krishna Gummadi
OTT Platform: Netflix
This romantic mystery thriller film stars Taapsee Pannu, Vikrant Massey and Harshvardhan Rane. Inspired by Roald Dahl’s short story ‘Lamb to Slaughter’, it glorifies violent, manipulative love. The performance of the actors was critically acclaimed but the movie received mixed reviews. It is more of an erotic thriller, predictable but engrossing.
Jai Bhim
Director: T.J. Gnanavel
Writer: T.J. Gnanavel
Cinematographer: S.R. Kathir
OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
It is a Tamil language legal drama dealing with repression of the backward classes and police brutality. The movie tells the story of a harsh reality prevailing in our society related to untouchability and difference in classes. Suriya is the protagonist of the film. The film has become so popular that it is the most-watched film beating classics such as ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ (1994) and ‘The Godfather’ (1972).
Pagglait
Director: Umesh Bist
Writer: Umesh Bist
Cinematographer: Rafey Mahmood
OTT Platform: Netflix
This is a woman-centric film dealing with the life of a widow who lost his husband within months of marriage. It won the Asia Academy Creative Awards for Best Screenplay and Sound. Sanya Malhotra, Sayani Gupta were the leading ladies in the film. As the plot unfolds, the concept of family preferences, marriage and career, love and personality development, loss and empowerment is seen.
Tribhanga
Director: Renuka Shahane
Writer: Renuka Shahane
Cinematographer: Baba Azmi
OTT Platform: Netflix
It is a female-centric movie that touches on important subjects such as sexual harassment, toxic relationships, the complexity of the mother-daughter bond and the consequences of choices. The movie featured Kajol, Tanvi Azmi and Mithila Palkar. The film marked Kajol’s debut on OTT. The film and the performance of the actors have been critically acclaimed. The film received multiple Filmfare nominations.
Shiddat
Director: Kunal Deshmukh
Writer: Dheeraj Rattan, Pooja Surti, Shridhar Raghavan
Cinematographer: Amalendu Chaudhary
OTT Platform: Disney+ Hotstar
It is a romantic drama dealing with star-crossed lovers. The film stars Sunny Kaushal, Mohit Raina, Radhika Madan and Diana Penty. There are two passionate love stories, one between a married couple, who grew apart because of ideological differences and an overzealous lover boy who literally tried to cross the English Channel ocean to unite with his beloved. The movie might seem unrealistic but there is not one shred of illogical drama in it.
Meenakshi Sundareshwar
Director: Vivek Soni
Writer: Vivek Soni, Aarsh Vohra
Cinematographer: Debojeet Ray
OTT Platform: Netflix
The movie shows a newlywed couple in a Tamil family who are struggling in their long-distance arranged marriage. This is the first collaboration between Abhimanyu Dasani and Sanya Malhotra. ‘Meenakshi Sudareshwar’ is a romantic comedy with a brilliant performance of the actors. The soundtracks are also received a wonderful response from the fans.
Mimi
Director: Laxman Utekar
Writer: Laxman Utekar
Cinematographer: Akash Agarwal
OTT Platform: Netflix
The film received mixed reviews but Kriti Sanon and Pankaj Tripathi’s performance was highly appreciated. It is a comic drama dealing with surrogacy. The film is being remade in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. The movie is emotional with a twisted end.
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