2021 rewind: 4 Hindi films released on Netflix this year that you should watch

Everything that follows exposes the extent of corruption—both systemic and within—and how our choices have the power to make or break us. It’s difficult for a film to dabble with issues as serious and controversial as terrorism, morality, and public responsibility in 104 minutes. Dhamaka achieves the rare feat. Aryan as journalist Pathak, desperate to reclaim lost glory, is in top form. This film is unlike anything he’s done before and is a terrific testament that he has outgrown his Punchnama days.

Largely shot indoors within a newsroom, Dhamaka is a fantastic example of how films don’t need the frills if they have the core in place. If you intend to watch only one film in whatever remains of this year, let it be this.

It’s the film adaptation of Aravind Adiga’s 2008 Man Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name. Though principally shot in English, it also has the option to change the audio to other languages, including Hindi. It stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Rajkummar Rao in important roles, however, The White Tiger is an Adarsh Gourav film. He is brilliant as Balram Halwai, the driver of an exploitative zamindar’s younger, America-returned son.

The White Tiger is a thought-provoking commentary on the caste and class fissures that divide our country so deeply that there is no breaking out unless you bribe, steal, or kill. It is also a poignant depiction of what it actually means to be a servant in India and how freedom can sometimes cost you your conscience and even soul. Filmmaker Ramin Bahrani's adaptation is thrilling, but watch it after you’ve read the book. The experience will be a lot more enriching.

Kriti Sanon’s third outing with co-actor Pankaj Tripathi and second with filmmaker Laxman Utekar, Mimi is a charming watch. Sanon plays the eponymous Mimi, a small-town dancer from Rajasthan who aspires to become a Bollywood heroine. But in her quest to materialise her dreams, she ends up becoming a surrogate to an American couple wanting to have a baby through IVF. But except for the pregnancy, little goes as planned.

Tripathi and Sanon have effortless, affable chemistry. Tripathi is as rock-solid as always. It is Sanon who is the real surprise. Mimi marks her arrival as an actor. It shows how much she has evolved as a performer since Bareilly Ki Barfi. Sanon plays Mimi, a young woman who didn’t choose her fate but grows to accept it with all her heart, with such sincere conviction, her travails break your heart. She makes you root for her. Her wins feel like your own. You must also watch this social comedy for its supporting cast—especially Manoj Pahwa and Supriya Pathak who play Mimi’s parents. They are a delight to watch and contribute immensely to making Mimi what it is.

It’s the coming-of-age story of a young woman—newly married and freshly widowed. A quirky critique on arranged marriages, death, and extended family dynamics, Pagglait banks heavily on Sanya Malhotra. And she does not disappoint. As the young widow who finds it difficult to grieve the untimely passing of a husband she knew little, Malhotra says a lot in this film without saying much at all. In trying to find out more about her dead husband, she unexpectedly ends up finding herself. Also featuring Ashutosh Rana, Sheeba Chaddha, and Sayani Gupta, this dramedy successfully cements Malhotra’s position as one of the most exciting actors working right now.

Although it suffers from a hackneyed plot and a sagging second half, Meenakshi Sundareshwar is a well-made film. You should watch it for Sanya Malhotra’s endearing performance, Justin Prabhakaran’s glorious background score, and Debojeet Ray’s enchanting cinematography.

Some of the scenes, in which it’s just the three of them at play, are brilliant. The frames, the colour palette, the poetic camerawork, and Malhotra’s uncontainable effervescence as Meenakshi enthuse life into this otherwise barebones story that doesn’t have much to say.