Best Films
Apaharan: Prakash Jha returned to the black hole of Bihar to bring out another powerful gem—flawed but shining all the same. Actor Ajay Devgan seems to be Jha’s muse and perfect alter ego.
Anandabhadram: This limited release Santosh Sivan film, based on a Sunil Parameswaran novel, has magic, romance, folklore and Sivan’s camera making Kerala look like paradise.
Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Mara: If originality and simplicity have any value left in Hindi cinema, then Jahnu Barua’s tribute to the Gandhian ideal has to be on the list.
Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi: Mishra got the language and attitudes of the ’70s generation just right and made a film that is socially and politically relevant.
Dombivli Fast: Anyone who has commuted in Mumbai’s local trains understands the murderous rage of the common man. Nishikant Kamat’s Marathi film is a moving and angry film, taking an idea from Joel Schumacher’s Falling Down, but making it uniquely Mumbai.
