Cinemania’s Top 10 Bollywood Films of 2022
Last updated: 27 December 2022
The Hindi film industry has experienced a challenging year with a number of big-budget and most-anticipated films underperforming at the box office.
For the first time in the history of Indian cinema, 4 out of the top 5 highest grossing-Indian films worldwide in this calendar year, including the top 3 grossers, are from the South Indian film industry. Only three Bollywood films managed to earn more than ₹300 crores in ticket receipts globally – The Kashmir Files, Brahmastra and Drishyam 2.
Regardless of the box office status, there have been several good Hindi films this year including some remakes (Vikram Vedha, Drishyam 2, etc), some that skipped the theatres and released directly on streaming platforms (India Lockdown, Monica O My Darling, Blurr, etc) and some that underperformed in theatres but received widespread acclaim and trended for multiple weeks when they released on OTT (Laal Singh Chaddha, Doctor G, Goodbye, etc).
Below is Cinemania’s pick of Top 10 Hindi original Films in 2022:
10
Film: Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva
Directed by: Ayan Mukerji
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan, Mouni Roy, Nagarjuna Akkineni and Shah Rukh Khan
Produced by: Dharma Productions and Star Studios
Release Date: 9 September 2022
Streaming on: Disney + Hotstar
Cinemania’s rating: ★★½☆☆
Epic fantasy action-adventure, directed by Ayan Mukherji (Wake Up Sid, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani) follows Shiva (Ranbir Kapoor) – a young man who is immune to fire – and his girlfriend Isha (Alia Bhatt) who come into possession of a piece of an object called Brahmāstra that holds extreme energy that could potentially destroy the world when joined with other broken pieces. The duo, while being chased by an evil woman Junoon (Mouni Roy) and her accomplices who possess supernatural powers, have to reach an ashram headed by Raghu (Amitabh Bachchan) in the Himalayas and find a way of subduing the Brahmāstra before all hell breaks loose.
Brahmāstra presents an excellent visual spectacle with world-class special-effects, good background music (Simon Franglen), slick editing (Prakash Kurup) and well-shot action sequences including a stunning car-chase scene on a hilly road, despite the film being let down by its screenplay and dialogues.
9
Film: Uunchai
Directed by: Sooraj R. Barjatya
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Danny Denzongpa, Parineeti Chopra, Neena Gupta and Sarika
Produced by: Rajshri Productions, Mahaveer Jain Films and Boundless Media
Release Date: 11 November 2022
Streaming on: TBC
Cinemania’s rating: ★★★☆☆
Directed by Sooraj R. Barjatya (Prem Ratan Dhan Payo), buddy film Uunchai follows three elderly men and friends, and a tour guide (featuring an ensemble cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani and Parineeti Chopra) who set off on a trek to the base camp of Mt. Everest in memory of their deceased companion (Danny Denzongpa).
Despite its excessive runtime and lethargic screenplay in the second-half, Uunchai delivers a heart-warming tale of friendship whilst making its audiences go through a wide range of emotions along its beautiful journey.
8
Film: Rocketry: The Nambi Effect
Directed by: R. Madhavan
Cast: R. Madhavan, Simran, Shahrukh Khan
Produced by: Tricolour Films, Varghese Moolan Pictures and 27th Entertainment
Release Date: 1 July 2022
Streaming on: Voot
Cinemania’s rating: ★★★☆☆
Directed by R. Madhavan and starring himself in the lead role, Rocketry is the based on the life of Indian space scientist Nambi Narayanan, who was accused of espionage by the Indian government and later acquitted.
The film begins with television presenter (played by Shah Rukh Khan in one of his finest cameos in recent years) interviewing Nambi (R. Madhavan in the best performance of his career to date) as the space scientist recalls his journey to India’s premier space institute followed by the espionage charges levelled against him and how he overcame those challenges.
The excellent performances in Rocketry are aided by a fantastic screenplay (R. Madhavan) and make the film a compelling watch despite the mediocre VFX and lacklustre background score.
7
Film: An Action Hero
Directed by: Anirudh Iyer
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Jaideep Ahlawat
Produced by: T-Series, Colour Yellow Productions
Release Date: 2 December 2022
Streaming on: Coming soon on Netflix
Cinemania’s rating: ★★★☆☆
Directed by Anirudh Iyer in his directorial debut and produced by T-Series (Dhokha: Round D Corner) and director Aanand L Rai (Raksha Bandhan), An Action Hero follows an actor Maanav Khurrana (Ayushmann Khurrana) who is caught up in an accident on the set of his film in Haryana and escapes to the UK with a ruthless cop from India (Jaideep Ahlawat) hot on the heels.
Despite the two male leads taking up the overwhelming majority of the screen time without giving other supporting actors a chance to perform, An Action Hero serves ample twists and turns with its witty and entertaining screenplay (Neeraj Yadav) and hilarious, whistle-worthy dialogues as the cat-and-mouse chase shifts from India to the UK.
6
Film: The Kashmir Files
Directed by: Vivek Agnihotri
Cast: Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Pallavi Joshi, Chinmay Mandlekar, Bhasha Sumbli
Produced by: Zee Studios, Abhishek Agarwal Arts and I am Buddha Production
Release Date: 11 March 2022
Streaming on: ZEE5
Cinemania’s rating: ★★★☆☆
The Kashmir Files shocked trade experts earlier this year when it emerged as a sleeper hit in India and overseas on its way to amassing ₹407 crores at the worldwide box office.
Directed by Vivek Agnihotri (The Tashkent Files) and starring Mithun Chakraborty (The Tashkent Files), Anupam Kher (Bend it like Beckham, Hotel Mumbai), Darshan Kumar (Mary Kom), Pallavi Joshi (The Tashkent Files), Chinmay Mandlekar (Bhavesh Joshi Superhero) and Bhasha Sumbli, The Kashmir Files depicts real-life incidents about the armed insurgency in Indian side of Kashmir in the early 1990s leading to the exodus of Hindus from the valley.
Unlike other films of the past that dealt with this sensitive topic, The Kashmir Files laid bare in graphic detail the atrocities committed against the minorities in that region with excellent performances and impressive cinematography (Udaysingh Mohite).
5
Film: Bhediya
Directed by: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, Abhishek Banerjee, Paalin Kabak and Deepak Dobriyal
Produced by: Maddock Films and Jio Studios
Release Date: 25 November 2022
Streaming on: TBC
Cinemania’s rating: ★★★☆☆
Varun Dhawan delivered the best performance of his career to date in werewolf horror-comedy Bhediya. The scene in which the actor transforms into a werewolf will be remembered for years.
Directed by Amar Kaushik (Stree) and also starring Kriti Sanon (Mimi), the core theme of Bhediya is human-nature conflict that is explored in an interesting way through a horror-comedy.
Varun Dhawan plays a Delhi-based contractor who is tasked with overseeing a road construction project that runs through middle of a forest in Arunachal. Why he gets bitten by the werewolf and who that is forms the crux of the story.
Apart from Dhawan, Bhediya also has terrific performances from Abhishek Banerjee (Stree) and Paalin Kabak, brilliant cinematography by Jishnu Bhattacharjee capturing the natural scenery of Arunachal Pradesh’s Ziro, top-notch editing by Sanyukta Kaza and excellent visual effects of the werewolf by Moving Picture Company.
4
Film: Runway 34
Directed by: Ajay Devgn
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Amitabh Bachchan, Rakul Preet Singh, Boman Irani, Aakanksha Singh and Angira Dhar
Produced by: Ajay Devgn FFilms and Panorama Studios
Release Date: 29 April 2022
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Cinemania’s rating: ★★★½☆
Aviation thriller Runway 34, directed by and starring Ajay Devgn (Drishyam 2), Amitabh Bachchan (Uunchai), Rakul Preet Singh (Doctor G) and Boman Irani (Uunchai) revolves around a genius and overconfident pilot Captain Vikrant Khanna (Ajay Devgn), who puts the lives of his passengers in danger after making an erroneous decision to land at an alternative destination that is on the verge of being struck by a cyclone.
Ajay Devgn and Amitabh Bachchan (who leads the second-half of the film) delivered stellar performances in this suspense-thriller turned courtroom-drama with impressive special effects and mostly gripping screenplay (Sandeep Kewlani and Aamil Keeyan Khan).
3
Film: Badhaai Do
Directed by: Harshavardhan Kulkarni
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Bhumi Pednekar, Sheeba Chaddha, Chum Darang, Gulshan Devaiah
Produced by: Junglee Pictures
Release Date: 11 February 2022
Streaming on: Netflix
Cinemania’s rating: ★★★½☆
Badhaai Do is one of the best LGBTQ+ movies to come out of India. Directed by Harshavardhan Kulkarni (Hunterrr) and starring Rajkummar Rao (The White Tiger) and Bhumi Pednekar (Shubh Mangal Saavdhan), the comedy-drama follows a gay police officer (Rajkummar Rao) and a lesbian teacher (Bhumi Pednekar) who enter a sham marriage to pacify their families, however things gets complicated when the teacher’s new girlfriend (Chum Darang) moves into their house.
Unlike other LGBTQ+ Indian films of the past that have made a mockery of homosexual relationships, Badhaai Do deals with the subject in a matured manner and is elevated by terrific performances from Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar.
2
Film: Monica O My Darling
Directed by: Vasan Bala
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Radhika Apte, Huma Qureshi, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, Sikandar Kher
Produced by: Matchbox Shots
Release Date: 11 November 2022
Streaming on: Netflix
Cinemania’s rating: ★★★½☆
Neo-noir comedy crime-thriller Monica O My Darling, directed by Vasan Bala (Peddlers), revolves around a talented robotics engineer Jayant (Rajkummar Rao) who is promoted to a board member position in a tech company. He also dates the CEO’s daughter Nikki (brilliantly performed by Akansha Ranjan Kapoor). Jayant has an affair with Monica (Huma Qureshi), the personal secretary of the CEO, leading her to become pregnant, resulting in Jayant resorting to reputation-control measures, getting involved in crimes and surviving blackmails while also trying to dodge the witty ACP Naidu (Radhika Apte).
Monica O My Darling, despite its lack of logic in certain scenes, keeps the viewer entertained largely due to Vasan Bala’s impressive direction that brings the best out of every actor, Yogesh Chandekar’s screenplay that is filled with unexpected plot twists and hilarious dialogues and Achint Thakkar’s background score.
1
Film: Gangubai Kathiawadi
Directed by: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Cast: Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Vijay Raaz and Shantanu Maheshwari
Produced by: Bhansali Productions and Pen India Limited
Release Date: 25 February 2022
Streaming on: Netflix
Cinemania’s rating: ★★★★☆
Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Padmaavat) and based on the 2011 non-fiction crime novel Mafia Queens of Mumbai by S. Hussain Zaidi, Gangubai Kathiawadi tells the tale of a young woman Ganga (Alia Bhatt) who is tricked by her conman boyfriend and sold off to brothel in Mumbai where there is no going back.
With no other option left, Ganga changes her name to Gangu and adapts to her new life, however she cleverly uses the resources available to her (including help from a local don Rahim Lala, played by Ajay Devgn), to rise to power in that region of Mumbai and eventually uses her power and position to fight for equal human rights for sex workers.
Gangubai Kathiawadi benefits from an excellent screenplay with terrific dialogues (Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Utkarshini Vashishtha), good background score (Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara) and impressive cinematography (Sudeep Chatterjee) and production design depicting the buildings and bylanes of Kamathipura as well as the intricate details of the lives and living conditions of sex workers in that region – with all technical aspects elevated to the next level by an outstanding performance from its lead Alia Bhatt.