2018 has been the year of small budget movies and non-mainstream actors who made it big at the box-office. This year we saw filmmakers dealing with many unconventional and lesser talked about themes like menstruation and mid-age pregnancy. In addition, many filmmakers used off-beat cinematic styles to deliver the perfect stories. As the year comes to an end, here’s looking at some off-beat and unconventional movies released in 2018 that kept us hooked to the screens.
1. Andhadhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan | Starring: Tabu, Ayushmann Khurrana, and Radhika Apte
An action-thriller where a blind man gets in trouble trying to report a murder that he did not witness, and everything that follows. With Ayushmann Khurrana as the protagonist, paired with Tabu and Radhika Apte, this movie is complete with strong performances and an equally engaging storyline.
2. Bhadhaai Ho!
Director: Amit Ravindernath Sharma | Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Neena Gupta, Sanya Malhotra, Gajraj Rao, Surekha Sikri
The year has surely been a great one for Ayushmann Khurrana, with two of the most successful releases of the year but it is Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao who stole the show. A story of a quintessential middle-class Delhi couple and parents to two adult boys, who get pregnant unexpectedly, creating a ruffle in the family. The film conveys a strong message about mid-age romance and how middle-class families are often riddled with their own set of values and social systems. Sanya Malhotra in a joyful, girl-next-door character won many hearts!
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3. Stree
Director: Amar Kaushik | Starring: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana
Based on the urban legend of ‘Nale Ba’ that went viral in the city of Bengaluru in the 1990s, where an evil spirit abducts men at night leaving their clothes behind, the movie is a perfect combination of horror and comedy. The film stars some of the most promising actors of the industry and the story will definitely keep you at the edge of your seat.
4. Mulk
Director: Anubhav Sinha | Starring: Tapsee Pannu, Rishi Kapoor, Prateik, Ashutosh Rana
The story revolves around a Muslim family who is left to defend themselves after the youngest son is found accused and encountered in a terrorist attack in Banaras. The family drama hits hard on some burning issues in the society, including prejudice and the socio-politic divided between communities. The film also throws light on how people fall prey to politic agendas intended at diving the country based on ‘us’ and ‘them’.
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5. Raazi
Director: Meghna Gulzar | Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, Rajit Kapoor, Shishir Sharma
Alia Bhatt’s powerful performance as ‘Sehmat’, an Indian spy married to a Pakistani Army officer’s son with Gulzar’s excellent direction Raazi was equally loved by the critics and the audiences. The film induces a feeling of patriotism while also breaking the audience’s hearts. It gave us an insight into the life of an undercover agent, who are often the unsung heroes of war and made us question the repercussions of war.
6. Padman
Director: R. Balki | Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Apte, Sonam Kapoor, Jyoti Subhash
Menstrual health and hygiene is one of the less talked about yet necessary-to-talk about topics in our country. It is a problem that needs to be addressed and this Akshay Kumar starrer does exactly that. The film is an account of the real-life story of Arunachalam Muruganantham, a man from Coimbatore, played by Akshay Kumar. He brought a social change by inventing a machine to make sanitary napkins at low cost so that it could be made available to women who could not afford the expensive disposable napkins and resorted to and resorted to dirty and unhygienic cloth, which may cause health issues.
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Apart from these, there were many other movies that made it big at the box-office this year. Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s ‘Manto’ based on the life of the controversial 20th-century author and novelist Saadat Hasan Manto, fantasy thriller ‘Tumbbad’, Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Manmarziyaan’ and Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Gold’ are some of the examples of the same.