[Editor’s Note: This article was originally written in 2021 and has been archived here to celebrate a defining era of cinema.]
First the Oscars, then the Pandemic, and then life happened… all this meant this decade list got late by over a year. But it had to be done, since it’s the decade where I grew up watching a lot more Hindi films than I ever did before. It was also the time when I got interested in English movies to an extent that it’s very much on par with Hindi Movies now. Maybe the next decade could be one where I take a step into Regional and World Cinema.
Wonder what would have been my top picks for the 2000-2009 decade? Chak De India, Rang De Basanti, and Dev.D definitely would have featured in it.
The Decade That Changed Hindi Cinema
Coming to the 2010-2019 decade, it was a very uneven decade at theatres, with the last 3 years specially giving very few great movies. Inspite of that, I believe our films have been doing much better and taking up different interesting stories going the unconventional route, be it Piku, Lootera, Vicky Donor, Bala, Udaan, Band Baaja Baaraat, The Lunchbox, A Death in the Gunj, Anarkali of Aarah, Mukti Bhawan, etc. Even if some of them didn’t work fully for me, it was a delight to watch something fresh on the big screen.
Then there were some lovely biopics (was an overdose though with many turning out to be bad) like Dangal, Shahid, Neerja, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, MS Dhoni, Paan Singh Tomar, and Aligarh. Among the South Indian Remakes, films like Son of Sardaar, Simmba, Drishyam, Singham, Rowdy Rathore, and Kick were some of my guilty pleasures.
Directors Who Defined the Decade
Imtiaz Ali: Searching for the Self
Talking about the directors that matter, Imtiaz Ali started with a bang giving us Rockstar following it up with the likeable Highway and another impressive film with his ‘searching for himself’ template in Tamasha. He ended on a sour note with his weakest movie Jab Harry Met Sejal (I did like it though).
Anurag Kashyap: The Dark Visionary
I liked Anurag Kashyap’s The Girl in Yellow Boots and Ugly, but it was easily Gangs of Wasseypur I & II that stole the limelight. Also, worthy mentions would be Raman Raghav, Manmarziyan, and Mukkabaaz. His short stories in Bombay Talkies and Lust Stories were a bit average to my liking and Bombay Velvet was a total disaster.
Zoya Akhtar and Sanjay Leela Bhansali
I liked Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy a lot even though it felt very restrained. Something similar I felt in Dil Dhadakne Do too; would be nice to see her go all out or maybe that’s not her style. Sanjay Leela Bhansali remained in the news for his controversial history-based movies, starting the decade with Guzaarish that was okayish (Hrithik’s act didn’t work for me), Ram Leela (sparkling Ranveer-Deepika chemistry) that I loved, and followed up with Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat, both working in patches.
Anurag Basu and Rajkumar Hirani
It may sound odd but I madly loved Anurag Basu’s Kites then. I am sure that won’t be the case now; emotions get better sometimes in liking a movie more than what it deserves. I do however still love Barfi and even Jagga Jasoos I felt was a very nice movie despite the issues I had with it. Rajkumar Hirani impressed with PK minus the preaching tone at places, while Sanju was a Ranbir Kapoor movie I don’t wanna remember ever happened for the narration style that tried to show Sanjay Dutt’s mistakes in as positive a way as possible.
Maneesh Sharma and Abhishek Kapoor
Mixed decade for Maneesh Sharma, starting with brilliant Band Baaja Baaraat followed by average Ladies vs Ricky Bahl (but a positive, it gave us Parineeti Chopra), then a fun concept well executed in Shuddh Desi Romance but then a failed concept in Fan. Abhishek Kapoor gave a brilliant adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s novel in Kai Po Che (the debut of Sushant Singh Rajput), then a surprise with how bad Fitoor turned and ended with Kedarnath that was strictly okay.
Vikramaditya Motwane and Sriram Raghavan
Vikramaditya Motwane’s Udaan I didn’t love as much as many others do, but Lootera was awesome. Trapped was a little underwhelming for me while Bhavesh Joshi worked in bits. Sriram Raghavan totally disappointed in Agent Vinod but boy how did he turn it around with Badlapur and then Andhadhun.
Karan Johar and His Protégés
Karan Johar gave My Name is Khan that I loved then, not sure if I still do because of a certain actor involved. I totally enjoyed Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and also his short stories were fun to watch in both Bombay Talkies and Lust Stories. It’s the other directors Karan launched during the last decade that had a lasting impression and hope of many great films to come in the future: Shakun Batra with the interesting rom-com Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu and my very favourite Kapoor and Sons. While Ayan Mukerji followed up his great work of Wake Up Sid by giving us Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. Abhay Chopra’s directorial debut in the Ittefaq remake was a pretty good watch too.
Vishal Bhardwaj and Hansal Mehta
Vishal Bhardwaj also had a mixed kind of decade. 7 Khoon Maaf was a joy to watch though the majority didn’t like it. Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola suffered from poor leads casting (I still had fun watching it). Haider was easily his best of the decade and oddly it took me a 2nd viewing to love it. Rangoon was my most disliked movie of Bhardwaj and Pataakha had one of the most hilarious 1st halves I had seen in the last decade. Hansal Mehta was very much on the same lines, with a brilliant Shahid to begin the decade, CityLights that worked in patches as I found it too manipulative, Aligarh on the other hand was super and heartbreaking to watch. Omerta was very underwhelming and Simran was fun at places in what was otherwise a film that failed in the execution.
New Voices: Gauri Shinde, Meghna Gulzar, and More
Among new notable directors, Gauri Shinde made a mark with English Vinglish and a decent follow-up Dear Zindagi. Meghna Gulzar gave two brilliant movies Talvar and Raazi. I didn’t see Nitesh Tiwari’s Chillar Party while Bhoothnath Returns was fun in parts, but his next 2 movies Dangal and Chhichhore were so brilliant. He feels like a better version of Hirani with less manipulative narration and yet entertaining while delivering a message. Shoojit Sircar is another director that made his name giving some great movies working with talented writer Juhi Chaturvedi. Vicky Donor, Madras Cafe, Piku and October… they all worked very well for me. Could easily say the decade belonged to him with a 100% record.
Horror Films: A Step in the Right Direction
There were some interesting horror films, like Ek Thi Daayan, Aatma, Stree, Ragini MMS and arguably the best being Tumbbad with that terrific cinematography and a very fun story with a take on greed. However, there’s still a long way to go in this genre, certainly a right step from those Bhatt camp regular horror films that only work on cliché jump scares.
If you have been following my blog in this last decade then you would know that Rockstar was always gonna be my No. 1 movie of the decade. It was a pretty close battle for the 2nd spot though between Badlapur, Kahaani, and Dangal.
Since I have written in detail on most of these films before, keeping it a bit short this time. Here’s my list:
Top 10 Hindi Movies of the Decade (2010-2019)
Warning: Spoilers Ahead!
1. Rockstar (2011)
“Mujhe bilkul acha nahi lagta, main khud apne aap ko acha nahi lagta..”
Imtiaz-Ranbir-Rahman-Irshad-Mohit, each one of them came up with their best work giving a gem of a movie that I madly loved and still do. Easily, the best Hindi musical movie, and I had no issues with Nargis’ performance too… unlike the critics I wouldn’t have enjoyed any other actress. Imtiaz Ali uses a non-linear narrative showcasing Jordan’s journey of passion, fame, and destruction perfectly. Even today, I would still rate it 10 out of 10.
Fav Scenes:
- Jordan and Heer’s magic touch hug.
- Jordan telling Khatana bhai that he feels no happiness despite having the fame he always wanted.
2. Badlapur (2015)
“Log kehte hai apne dushman ko maaf kar dena chahiye.. main bhi yehi maanta hoon… Lekin, unhe tadpa tadpa ke maarne ke baad.”
Sriram Raghavan presents a brutal and insane revenge angle along with his routine way of using old film references at the right moments. Was fun watching Varun Dhawan in a non-comic role, and how his character slowly turns grey with a perfect ending. Nawazuddin was as always in super form, and the supporting cast of Vinay Pathak, Kumud Mishra, Divya Dutta chipped in with good performances. Lovely music by Sachin-Jigar.
Fav Scenes:
- Raghu doing a solo dance remembering Misha with the background of ‘Jeena Jeena’ track.
- Liak telling Raghu how he was never as cold-blooded a person as Raghu has turned into now.
3. Kahaani (2012)
“Kaun ho tum?” “Kya fark padta hai.”
Excellent suspense thriller from Sujoy Ghosh that delivers in its final act and there’s a high percentage chance that you won’t be able to guess the final twist coming. Vidya Balan in one of her best performances, and also introducing two great actors Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Saswata Chatterjee. Also, it’s the film that started the ‘Nawazuddin Siddiqui’ fame (Paan Singh Tomar to be more precise). Special mention to the crisp editing by Namrata Rao capturing the Kolkata streets very well.
Fav Scenes:
- Milan Damji’s final conversation with Vidya Bagchi.
- Bob Biswas scaring Vidya Bagchi after almost pushing her in front of a coming train at the metro station.
4. Kapoor and Sons (2016)
“Hum phir se khush nahi ho sakte?” “We can try.”
Of all the directors coming out from Dharma Productions, there’s only two that have made a mark and looked like they are ones to watch in future: Ayan Mukerji and Shakun Batra, who made this amazing movie that’s very close to my heart still. Based on a dysfunctional family mainly set up in the lovely surroundings of Coonoor, Shakun explores various family fights, love, and betrayals in a very non-melodramatic manner. Everything is so subtle and yet so full of emotions. Rajat Kapoor and Fawad Khan stole the show, however, I enjoyed the performances of the entire cast. Still in awe of that Nolan-kind moment (I don’t know if others feel the same way too) when Shakun cuts 3 parallel scenes together, revealing many secrets of characters.
Fav Scenes:
- The plumber sequence when the entire family is arguing.
- Harsh singing ‘Chand si mehbooba’ during one of the rare moments when the family is happy together.
5. Dangal (2016)
“Agar Silver jeeti toh aaj nahi toh kal log tanne bhool javenge. Gold jeeti toh misaal ban jaavegi. Aur misaale di jaati hai beta, bhooli nahi jaati.”
A sports drama with inspiring real-life events of Phogat’s family, masterfully directed by Nitesh Tiwari who very much falls in the league of Rajkumar Hirani and Aanand L Rai… entertaining throughout. Won’t term it as a biopic because of all the changes in the match scores done. Despite being predictable, the finale and the national anthem still give me goosebumps. Aamir Khan is splendid, be it the physical transformation or the kind of father he portrays so well… a character or person you should hate but you can’t. Zaira Wasim and Fatima Sana Shaikh, both playing young and adult Geeta perfectly. Girish Kulkarni with a one-dimensional filmy villain coach was the only weak link. Pritam’s music was lovable, specially the motivating title track.
Fav Scenes:
- Mahavir Singh Phogat having a dangal bout with his grown-up daughter Geeta Phogat who feels his moves are outdated now.
- Geeta Phogat remembering the advice given by her father in the past as she makes the 5 point daav to win the gold medal.
6. Band Baaja Baaraat (2010)
“Bread pakore ki kasam.”
Maneesh Sharma’s debut as director in a movie based on a wedding planning setup in Delhi, which is beautifully presented by Namrata Rao’s cuts. Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma’s chemistry was very sizzling. It was Ranveer’s debut and he just gave that feeling that he maybe the next big thing in our Hindi Films Industry which now holds very true. ‘Ainvayi Ainvayi’ and ‘Tarkeebein’ are my favourite tracks, and also some great dialogue writing too as I still remember that funny ‘bread pakore ki kasam’ line. It’s easily the only film in this list that grew on me in years much more than the 1st time.
Fav Scenes:
- Bitto Sharma convincing Shruti Kakkar for partnership in wedding planning, promising he won’t cross the line.
- Their conversation on the terrace in the climax sequence.
7. Piku (2015)
“Kamaal hai, aap har baat ko peth se kaise jodh dete hai..”
I am picky when it comes to enjoying lighthearted movies, but Piku was hard to not love as Shoojit Sircar delivered another masterful film on an unusual constipation theme. He tackles it in a fun drama screenplay with the help of Juhi Chaturvedi’s well-written witty but realistic dialogues and the trio of Amitabh-Deepika-Irrfan with performances that compliment each other completely. The film also deals with ideologies of parents and the aging problem when we develop a love-hate relationship with them due to their habits. Lovely to see Moushumi Chatterjee in a supporting role. I liked the simple ending.
Fav Scenes:
- Bhaskor singing a Bengali song on the road journey when Rana asks the meaning which he replies as ‘this journey should never end’, making Rana immediately ask him to sing something meaningful instead.
- Rana shouting at Bhaskor when he hears him argue with Piku for thinking he is a burden to her.
8. Kai Po Che (2013)
“Main ambani ban jayunga, Omi ko CM bana denge.. chal ab rickshaw pakadte hai..”
A very good adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s novel ‘The Three Mistakes of my Life’ by director Abhishek Kapoor based on 3 friends who go through events like the earthquake, Godhra train, and the riots. It could have been easily melodramatic, specially the scene where Ishaan dies, but Abhishek handles it in a very subtle manner yet there’s no lack of emotions. For me, the 1st half belonged to Sushant Singh Rajput (brilliant debut) as a father-like figure to Ali, obsessed in making him become a perfect cricket player, while the 2nd half to both him and Amit Sadh who would get manipulated a lot. Rajkummar Rao was effective as always playing a kanjoos friend. Hitesh Sonik’s background score along with Amit Trivedi’s music was the other highlight of the movie.
Fav Scenes:
- Omi asking Ishaan if he would come with him for Ayodhya yatra to which Ishaan replies ‘Tu jahaan kahega, chal padunga’.
- Govind introducing his son ‘Ishaan’ to Omi who gets emotional with the excellent theme running in the background.
9. Barfi (2012)
“Umeedein ho toh kaagaz ki chidiya ke bhi pankh hote hai..”
Anurag Basu’s sweetest movie that compliments the title Barfi with Ranbir Kapoor’s other finest performance playing a character that is deaf and dumb. Priyanka Chopra is lovely to watch calling ‘Buh fii’ or always holding the hand with the little finger which is her way of telling she trusts the person, as she played an autistic character. While Ileana D’Cruz in her debut showcased her acting skills in a well-written role. Enjoyed how Anurag develops comic situations like the Ranbir’s bulb test habits or running away from cop Saurabh Shukla. One of my fav feel-good movies that has heartbreaking moments in all the 3 lead characters.
Fav Scenes:
- Barfi heart-broken lets all his emotions and angst out at Shruti, then leaves but makes sure she has a smile on her face.
- The expression on Shruti’s face when she hears Jhilmil call ‘Buh fii’ just when they were about to leave the place in the climax.
10. Talvar (2015)
“Tumne insaaf ka murti dekha hai? Uss murti ke haath mein ek talvar bhi hai. Magar pichle 60 saalo mein uspe jang lag gaya hai.”
Based on the Aarushi Talwar Case, a double homicide that took place in Noida, 2008. Meghna Gulzar narrative shows both angles, one where you feel parents can’t have done this, and another where you think maybe they actually did it. However, you can easily see that she does take the side of parents in the story. I of course loved the film because I believe the parents didn’t do it. Konkona Sen Sharma and Neeraj Kabi as parents are spot on, going through a tough loss and then getting labelled as murderers with the constant media who grills on news channels. Irrfan Khan in top form as the CBI 1st team leading guy. Gajraj Rao as the casual inspector is also fun to watch. Tabu is the only weak link of the film, except for the final scene where she is watching news of Talwars getting arrested with Irrfan sleeping having lost the faith in the system.
Fav Scenes:
- Ashwin taking complete class of Inspector Dhaniram, totally angry at how poorly the scene of crime was handled by him.
- Ashwin and Ramashankar Pillai having a dig at the other CBI team telling how they came to a conclusion first and then searched for proofs to support their theories.
Special Mentions
Baahubali 1 & 2
“Mahishmathi chain ki saans lo.. mera beta aa gaya. Baahubali laut aaya.”
Seen hardly 4-5 Regional movies in the last decade, Baahubali (both parts) stands out as the best movie that very much tells how a masala movie should be done which our Hindi industry often fails at.
The plot revolves around a place ‘Mahishmathi’ where Baahubali (Prabhas) and Bhallaladeva (Rana Daggubati) face-off to get the throne. But both act differently to get it; Bhallaladeva is the real son of Sivagami (Ramya Krishnan) but very evil and believes in winning in any manner, while Baahubali grows up under Sivagami treating her like a real mother and always wants to make sure his people are safe and fine while fighting enemies.
Part 1 very successfully shows the son of Baahubali slowly learning about where he belongs and how Bhallaladeva has kept his mother, Devasena (Anushka Shetty), in chains since his birth. Love how Avantika (Tamannaah Bhatia) leads Baahubali to Mahishmathi even though at places she does ham. Devasena’s dialogue ‘mera beta aayega’ (I had seen the Hindi version first) totally reminded me of Karan Arjun in a good way. Almost every character is given good time to develop, whether it’s Bhallaladeva running Mahishmathi treating the people cruelly, or Baahubali eager to free Devasena, or Kattappa (Sathyaraj) who is bound to serve always. The flashback scenes and then how the battle happens leading to Baahubali getting the throne is super fun to watch, including the weird talking style of Kalakeya (Prabhakar).
Part 2 is a little cheesy for the portions where Kattappa and Baahubali disguise as small-town villagers at Devasena’s place. And there’s that unwanted Tree action scene, or the final cheesy dialogue of Bhallaladeva ‘aao Devasena saath mein mar jaate hai’. Also, Tamannaah got totally sidelined to my liking. Those are the only flaws in an otherwise very good end to the Baahubali series. Love watching the plotting Bhallaladeva and his father do in the mind of Sivagami who learns about the shyantra bit too late. Prabhas and Anushka Shetty share excellent chemistry, specially the romantic part.
Why Kattappa killed Baahubali was well known yet the scene is emotional when the time comes and then that dialogue: ‘jab tak tum mere saath ho, mujhe maarne wala paida nahi hua mama’. And love the touch they give when Baahubali dies, going with a high ‘Jai Mahishmathi’ chant. The final battle between Bhallaladeva and Baahubali (son) is well constructed too, never giving the feel of being lengthy.
Rajamouli succeeds in narrating this story largely because it’s so full of emotions; every time you are rooting for Baahubali. Two other factors that help are the visuals and music. Even the title credit comes on screen in a mega manner and is a total treat to the eyes, so are the scenes involving battles, elephants, ceremonies, and much more.
MM Keeravani’s music was so good that I even enjoyed listening to the Telugu versions. ‘Khoya Hai’ & ‘Jal Rahin Hai’ from Part 1 and ‘Jiyo Re Baahubali’, ‘Jay Jaykara’ and ‘Shivam’ from Part 2 were my fav tracks. Also, the background music was so good, with ‘WKKB’, ‘The King and His Sword’, ‘Mahishmathi Brace Yourself’, ‘Royal Love’, ‘Stoned Heart’ and ‘Lullaby of Death’ being favourites. I certainly have a slight preference towards Part 1, but in the end, I enjoyed both movies a lot with top performances from the entire cast.
Fav Scenes:
- Baahubali (son) enters Mahishmathi palace with background music and Devasena’s dialogue that follows.
- Kattappa running towards Baahubali (son) with a sword to kill when in the rain and darkness he sees his face finally realizing who it is followed by the foot of Baahubali on his head.
- Baahubali cuts off the head of one of Bhallaladeva sena who misbehaved with Devasena and other women.
- Sivagami announcing the new king as Baahubali’s son after the demise of Baahubali.
La La Land
“Welcome to Seb’s.”
I started watching English movies consistently by 2014 I think, which is why I am skipping the decade list for Hollywood. But there’s no way I won’t talk about La La Land which would have been my straightforward No. 1 movie pick.
The kind of musical movie I enjoy, first one from Hollywood, a romantic at core with the backdrop of jazz where Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone) got sizzling chemistry as they try to make their careers as pianist and actress respectively while facing the reality of letting their relationship go hand in hand become tough. There are still some conversations that happen through songs but they are far and few and even those worked for me.
Also, the fact that Ryan and Emma are not perfect dancers/singers gives that real feel. The story is narrated by Damien Chazelle in a very magical way that you almost don’t see the hard-hitting heartbreaking climax coming. ‘City of Stars’ (both versions), ‘Someone in the Crowd’ and ‘Epilogue’ were my favourite tracks. Like Rockstar, it’s a perfect movie for me that I can never get tired of watching.
Fav Scenes:
- Mia requesting ‘I Ran’ song as Sebastian makes angry expressions for not liking the choice of track.
- Sebastian’s ‘Welcome to Seb’s’ as he watches Mia come to his place with her husband.
