The 18 Best Indian Movies of 2017

Unlike any other country, India has a number of film industries in itself based on many of its regional languages. Although Bollywood (Hindi) is seen as the main film industry of India and for sure, the biggest film industry in India, quality-wise, there are a number of regional languages film industries like Malayalam, Tamil, Marathi, Bengali, Telugu etc that are not at all below Bollywood but have been cast under Bollywood's huge budget and marketing. 2017 has been a year for Malayalam and Tamil language films as well as Bollywood for producing some of the best films in the country. 2017 has been a year for comparatively new directors in India. 8 of the films in this list are directorial debuts, another 5 by second-time directors and most of the rest are by directors who emerged in the last 10 years.

Being the country that produces the maximum number of films in the world every year, it is not easy or always comprehensive, to list the 18 best Indian films, nonetheless, here is the list.

(Some of the films premiered at film festivals in 2016 but theatrically released in India in 2017 have been included.)

(By clicking on the titles which are highlighted, you can read the full reviews)

18. Secret Superstar (Advait Chandan, Hindi)

Insiya a small town, Muslim teenager who aspires to become a singer starts a Youtube channel “Secret Superstar” through which she showcases her singing talents; although appearing in a burkha only, concealing her identity. “Secret Superstar” becomes viral in the country, while Insiya and her mother live in the fear of how they can explain it to her father if he finds out the fact. Dealing with issues like religion, patriarchal oppression of women and domestic violence, the film also shows a beautiful relationship between a mother and daughter. Aamir Khan's turn as an eccentric music director is also notable.

17. Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru (H. Vinoth, Tamil)

“Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru” tries to be an honest account of a true story through a fictionalized hero, while also catering to the mass masala audience to an extent. It is clear from the film that Vinoth has gone through extensive research on the Operation Bawaria Dacoity by Tamil Nadu Police. Theeran is a fictional character that has been inspired by real life Police officers. Karthi does an impressive job as the glorified hero Theeran and most of the film is carried by his character. Although at times the heroism is a bit too stretched that one may think that it would have been better if the sole focus of the narrative wasn't through the single character. The film is a solid crime thriller which compromises a little for commercialization, yet manages to be an impressive account of a brutal true story.

16. Tumhari Sulu (Suresh Triveni, Hindi)

“Tumhari Sulu” (“Your's Sulu”) stars Vidya Balan as Sulu an ambitious housewife who goes on to become a radio jockey. While films with similar plots have been made in Indian cinema several times, they all tend to be heavily melodramatic; even though the second half does take a turn into that area, it is well handled and never gets out of hand. Manav Kaul's character Ashok, the husband of Sulu, is the kind of character who's usually portrayed either as a hen peck husband or the kind who turns into a dominating guy at some point, but here his character is given enough respect. Even at times when he tends to go to either of those stereotypes, it's a completely fresh approach in Bollywood. Above all, Vidya Balan is fantastic as Sulu and won a deserving Filmfare award for the role.

15. Varnyathil Aashanka (Sidharth Bharathan, Malayalam)

Varnyathil Aashanka (“Confusion in Description”) tells its story through a group of small-time crooks who come together through a series of mishaps. They plan a heist together on a hartal (strike) day; an unemployed man enters into the scenario and proves to be more capable than the crooks in making his fortune. While the plot is simple enough, it's the approach that makes the film interesting. Referring and giving homage to various Malayalam classics throughout the film, there is not even a single dull moment. Each and every dialogue is driven by a clear political stand, while keeping it humorous. References to demonetization and the violence that is adrift between political parties are touched without provoking the said politics. The film is a political satire that has disguised itself as a heist comedy.

14. Maanagaram (Lokesh Kanagaraj, Tamil)

“Maanagaram” (“Metropolis”) is a hyperlink thriller that happens in the time period of two days in Chennai city. A job applicant who came to the city for an interview, a cab driver who's new in the city, an unemployed city youth who tries to woo a girl who is working as an HR manager in a BPO, and a group of crooks who plans a kidnapping are the different plots that lead the film which coincides with different points as the film progresses. The conflicts of these nameless characters make this a thrilling experience out of the situations that arise.

13. Take Off (Mahesh Narayanan, Malayalam)

Mahesh Narayanan's directorial debut is based on the true story of the rescue mission of Indian nurses working in Iraq from terrorists. While the protagonist Sameera is a fictionalized character created from the real nurses, most of the events in the second half is supposed to be authentic. Parvathy carries the whole film on her shoulders as the protagonist Sameera. While the first half of the film deals with the family problems, including her marriage which is shown through flashbacks and problems with her relatives, the second half deals with the terrorist attacks and the subsequent rescue operations.

12. Hotel Salvation (Shubhashish Bhutiani, Hindi)

A spiritual and inner journey of an ageing father and his middle-aged son as he decides to check in “Mukti Bawan” (“Hotel Salvation”), Varanasi on the banks of the holy river Ganges to attain Mukti (Salvation) believing it to be his last days. The film progresses with the self-discovery and reaffirming the relationships in the family with a pinch of humour spread around. While the particular hotel may seem absurd to some, the intriguing factor is that there really exists such a hotel in Varanasi where people come in their last days to attain Mukti.

11. Vikram Vedha (Pushkar-Gayathri, Tamil)

Inspired by the mythical tale of “Vetala Panchavimshati” to create the characters and narrative, “Vikram Vedha” was commercially and critically a huge success. “Vetala Panchavimshati” tells the story of the legendary king Vikramaditya who tries to catch the celestial spirit Vetala , but each time Vetala is captured, he tells a story to the King and asks a question at the end to confuse the King and escapes. The film follows a similar narrative where Inspector Vikram tries to catch the gangster Vedha, who follows the cue of Vetala to tell his own history which reveals a conspiracy, step by step, each time he's captured. The third directorial effort of the husband and wife director-duo Pushkar-Gayathri is a gritty crime thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seats.

10. Newton (Amit V Masurkar, Hindi)

India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, “Newton” shows that following rules exactly as they are is almost impossible in India and most people already accept that idea. The election duty of the titular character in a Maoist infested jungle sets the stage for the film. The show off in front of the media, especially the foreign ones is staged exactly targeting them. Through so many subtle commentaries and some straight questions, Masurkar has created a political satire that provides a realistic disillusionment on the government proceedings in India.