My 10 favourite Indian films of 2015

Dum Laga Ke Haisha

Yash Raj Films (YRF) may not have had a fantastic year on the fiscal front but the studio got out of the commercial mould and took a big creative leap with Sharat Katariya’s second film. With fantastic performances by its two leads, Ayushmann Khuranna and Bhumi Pednekar, as the newly married couple struggling to click, the charming film makes a convincing case for finding love in an arranged marriage. It also had the best ensemble of the year and also the best cameo in Kumar Sanu.

Also read: Dum Laga Ke Haisha: Size doesn't matter in Bollywood, finally

NH10

To writer-director Navdeep Singh, editor Jabeen Merchant and actress-producer Anushka Sharma goes the credit of making the most unnerving film to watch in theatres this year. Focusing on a trip gone terrifyingly wrong, a friend working in Delhi walked out of this edge-of-the-seat thriller midway because it was "too real". Not an easy watch but an essential one.

Court

Shekhar Kapur called it the "most stunning Indian film I've seen" in two decades and compared writer-director Chaitanya Tamhane's "cinematic power" to that of Satyajit Ray. The debutante director fully deserves this praise for a terrific film which cleverly and quietly highlights all that's wrong with the Indian judicial system.

Also read: Five reasons why #Court was the right pick for the Oscars

Piku

Writer Juhi Chaturvedi and director Shoojit Sircar are becoming one of the most dynamic partnerships in Hindi cinema. A portrait of a dysfunctional family, a charming romantic comedy, a fun road trip film, a movie about kids with ageing parents struggling to find a fine balance between work and family, and the troubles of old age… Piku is all of these things but above all a thoroughly entertaining film.

Also read: Piku, our loveable, modern day Jo March

Kaaka Muttai

Two young, poor brothers are determined to get their hands on a pizza. The story is simple and straightforward but it is topped with endearing moments, great soundtrack and dynamic performances by two amateurs.

Labour of Love

Love lies in everyday gestures and routines and not words in Aditya Vikram Sengupta's lyrical romance set in Kolkata, which has never looked this pretty.

Killa

That cinematographer Avinash Arun's directorial debut is a beauty to the eyes is undeniable. What's impressive about this Marathi film is that it also strikes the right chord in the hearts of the viewers. A chunk of the credit goes to its wee cast.

Also read: What Marathi film Killa can tell you about being homeless

Baahubali: The Beginning

The best commercial blockbuster of the year. The best action spectacle to come out of India in years. SS Rajamouli knocked it out of the park with that hour-long battle sequence. 2016 is worth waiting for because the nation wants to know: Why did Katappa kill Baahubali?

Also read: Five political lessons from Baahubali

Titli

Kanu Behl's debut is the much-welcomed antithetical take to the Barjatya philosophy that we belong together. Collaborating with writer Sharat Katariya, Behl dramatically illustrates that how breaking free is sometimes a good alternative. Perfectly cast with Shashank Arora and Shivangi Raghuvanshi making a fine debut, it featured an ensemble that is on par with that of Dum Laga Ke Haisha.

Chauthi Koot

Deserved winner of the India Gold prize at the Mumbai Film Festival, this Gurvinder Singh-directed drama didn't have a theatrical release this year but put it on the list of ones to watch out for in 2016.

Set in the turbulent Punjab of the early 1980s, Singh's second feature beautifully looks at the moral dilemmas a family faces in time of conflict. It also has the best canine performance in a while. Move over Tuffy, Tommy has arrived.