There are times when you don’t feel like investing too much of your mind to watch a movie. What you want is something that leaves you wondering about your life in a good way, like food for the soul. Because agree or not we often put too much pressure on ourselves due to whatever reasons and such films just makes us let go off that pressure and just be ok with what we are. Finding something relatable and honest is rare but there are some bollywood gems that will make you laugh and also take you on a journey of rediscovering yourselves.
Let’s begin…
Dear Zindagi (2016)
Platform – Netflix
This Bollywood flick has either fans for whom it is quite close to the heart or those who completely dislike it, finding someone in between is rare. The film follows Kaira (Alia Bhatt) who is talented at her job but is still struggling to find that breakthrough. Meanwhile, a heart break leaves her sleepless at nights. While visiting her parents in Goa, she accidentally comes across Dr. Jehangir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) a psychologist, whose unconventional methods help Kaira realise her true self. During one of the sessions, Jehangir tells Kaira that sometimes we choose the tough path because we think that to achieve important things we should take the tough path. We feel that need to punish ourselves, but why not take the easy route? More so, when one is not prepared to face the difficulties. Doesn’t that resonate with almost everyone? So, if you are looking for some soul searching then this is the film for you.
Directed by: Gauri Shinde
Qarib Qarib Singlle (2017)
Platform – Netflix
One can watch this film just to observe the brilliance of Irrfan Khan, but if you need more reasons then you are at the right place. It is the story of Yogi (Irrfan Khan) and Jaya (Parvathy Thiruvothu), who meet through an online dating website. But this is not your usual online couple. When Yogi asks Jaya to come along on a trip to his exes with him, after resisting initially she agrees. This journey of their’s is unique in all respects and one needs to watch it to know why. And yes after watching this delight you won’t be able to stop yourself from humming the track ‘Woh jo tha khwab saa kya kahein jaane dein…Yeh jo hai kam se kam yeh rahe ke jaane dein…’
Directed by: Tanuja Chandra
Wake Up Sid
Platform – Netflix
This coming-of-age drama set in Mumbai is all feels. Siddharth Mehra aka Sid (Ranbir Kapoor) is selfish, spoilt and indecisive about his career and life, causing tension to his parents. The only thing he feels passionately about is photography. On the other hand, we have the sensible Aisha (Konkana Sen Sharma) an aspiring writer from Kolkata. How their chance encounter at a party leads to a special relationship where Sid learns to be responsible and not be afraid of commitment, both personally and professionally, is what all of us need at times when life seems unfair. The songs, the setting, the performances, all of it makes you want to watch this film over and over again.
Directed by: Ayan Mukherjee
Khosla Ka Ghosla! (2006)
Platform – YouTube
Based in Delhi, Khosla Ka Ghosla! revolves around a middle class man Kamal Kishore Khosla (Anupam Kher) and his family. Khosla had bought a land, with all of his life’s savings, where he plans to build a house and settle down with his family. But when the family reaches there for the bhuoomipujan, they discover that their land had been captured by a goon, Kishan Khurana (Boman Irani). After taking the official routes and failing, they hatch a plan to take back the land. What follows is a hilarious turn of events. Khosla Ka Ghosla though not talked about much had received National Award and was also remade in Tamil and Kannada.
Directed by: Dibakar Banerjee
Dil Dhadakne Do (2015)
Platform – Netflix, Amazon Prime Video
Apart from serving as a virtual holiday aboard a luxurious cruise ship, Dil Dhadakne Do is a film that makes you understand that all that glitters is not gold. For their 30th anniversary celebration, Kamal (Anil Kapoor) and Neelam Mehra (Shefali Shah) plan a cruise holiday with family and friends. Though this trip is not just what it seems but also a way for them to save their drowning business through a matrimonial alliance of their son Kabir (Ranveer Singh) with their friend Lalit Sood’s daughter Noori. On the other hand is their daughter Ayesha (Priyanka Chopra) who though successful professionally has to deal with a controlling, narcissistic husband. The film is all about how this dysfunctional family realises that they have been living a superficial life by lying and hiding things from each other and how they reconcile later. Don’t worry its not all that serious as it sounds, the movie has doses of comedy apart from all the realisation aspect.
Directed by: Zoya Akhtar
English Vinglish (2012)
Platform – Amazon Prime Video
We Indians are literally obsessed with English and this movie brilliantly depicts it. How people including one’s own family members, ridicule a person for not knowing English language very well is the essence of this movie. When Shashi (Sridevi), a housewife and a caterer, after years of humiliation starts learns English in a foreign land, she comes to realise not only her true self but also her true potential. It also helps her reassert her value as a mother and a wife. It helps her earn that respect from her family which she should have gotten otherwise too. Sridevi’s performance in the film is just bang on, she proves her brilliant class yet again after so many years in the industry.
Directed by: Gauri Shinde
Karwaan
Platform – Amazon Prime Video
This one has a unique story where a man Avinash (Dulquer Salmaan) who does not love his regular job, and his friend Shaukat (Irrfan Khan), take on a weird journey where they get joined by a teenager Tanya (Mithila Palkar). The purpose of the journey is to exchange the dead bodies of family members that had been exchanged by mistake. But that’s not it, the journey is full of adventures that nobody asked for. The film will make you realise how everyone feels a like lost soul at some point of time in their lives but there also comes a time when you come to terms with it. Karwaan is like a beautiful emotional road trip. The film marks the Bollywood debut of Salmaan and is also the second last film of Irrfan Khan.
Directed by: Akarsh Khurana