5. Seventeeners (Prithvi Konanur, Kannada)
Prithvi Konanur directs a film that thrives on his meticulous build up, as a small, private incident is blown out of proportion the more people learn about it and the more people get involved. In that fashion, the uploading of the video eventually becomes an issue of racism on the side of the school, before it becomes an issue of underage exploitation, all the while threatening the lives and the careers of everyone involved. The fact that no one manages to escape the case unharmed also creates a question, of who is the actual authority in India, with the eventual answer being a system that is so complicated and unfair, that can only harm all of its citizens. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
4. All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen, Hindi)
Unlike “Midwives,” however, “All That Breathes” is carefully crafted. Sweeping vistas of the open, but polluted skies expound upon the cured kites' freedom. Off-kilter long shots deliberate upon whispered conversations behind doors. A plethora of pans complement Saud and Shehzad's voiceovers, each of which almost feel more poetry than they do prose. Sen's fascination with the collision between the animal kingdom and city is clear. The camera gazes in awe upon the sheer force of urbanity in the Indian capital – and nature's ability to adapt accordingly. (Grace Han)
3. Kantara (Rishab Shetty, Kannada)
In a day and age when regional productions are incepted with a pan-India canvas in mind, it is rare for a film to release in its specific region, find critical and box office acclaim, be hastily dubbed into various languages, be released all over India with various language options and go on to find much bigger success across the country. And this is exactly what actor/director Rishab Shetty's “Kantara” managed to do! The feature, a heady mix of folklore, supernatural, religious and cultural themes and class difference, benefitted from superlative cinematography and sound design, along with commendable performances from Rishab Shetty in the lead and Kishore as the Forest Officer, even if it is bogged down at times by questionable gender politics. If for anything, watch “Kantara” for the two glorious scenes that bookend the narrative. (Rhythm Zaveri)
2. Gangubai Kathiawadi (Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Hindi)
Despite the fact that the movie ends up being a eulogy for Gangubai, who is essentially presented as a woman without any faults, the approach Sanjay Leela Bhansali implements results in a great biopic, of the quality similar Hollywood and Korean productions exhibit, both in terms of narrative and production values. Evidently, Gangubai's story was already a truly captivating one, but the way the director goes about highlighting it makes it as entertaining as possible, with the title retaining interest from beginning to end, to the point that its 152 minutes actually seem much less. The rather fast pace Bhansali's own editing implements also helps the most in that regard, in another great aspect of the movie. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
1. Malik (Mahesh Narayanan, Malayalam)
Mahesh Narayanan has obviously studied the works of Anurag Kashyap and Francis Ford Copolla, and if one looks a bit better, particularly in the first part of the movie, also Lijo Jose Pellissery, especially in the way his own editing implements a non-stop, frantic pace. The way the story unfolds, with the back and forths in time, highlights the fact, as much as the captivating story of the rise and fall of a man who wanted the best for his family, his friends and his community, and was willing to go to extremes to achieve it. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
