Aadukalam, Andhadhun, Sairat, Kammatipaadam, Mahanati, Village Rockstars: 100 great Indian films of the 2010s

Technically, as a friend pointed out to me this week, 2020 is not the start of a new decade, it is the final year of the decade that began in 2011. Still, it feels like a milestone and when the mind wants to look back, it will. So, here is a list of some great films that India produced in the 2010s. I say “great” and not “the greatest” simply to acknowledge the fact that India is the country that produces the largest number of films in the world and no critic, not even the most avid viewer, can possibly watch every single film released across our multiple film industries, so this is a list of my favourite films from among all the ones I watched and loved from 2010 to 2019. With a few exceptions, the list consists of films that got mainstream theatrical releases, and barring three, they are all fiction features. A majority are now available online, so if you missed them in the year they were released, you can still catch up. Here they are in alphabetical order. [caption id=“attachment_7863261” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Andhadhun, Sairat and Kammatipaadam are among the 100 great films of the 2010s.[/caption]   1. Aadukalam / Tamil / 2011 Director: Vetri Maaran   2. Aamis / Assamese / 2019 Director: Bhaskar Hazarika   3. Aaranya Kaandam / Tamil / 2011 Director: Thiagarajan Kumararaja   4. Anaarkali of Aarah / Hindi / 2017 Director: Avinash Das   5. Andhadhun / Hindi / 2018 Director: Sriram Raghavan   6. Angamaly Diaries  / Malayalam / 2017 Director: Lijo Jose Pellissery   7. Article 15 / Hindi / 2019 Director: Anubhav Sinha   8. Asuran / Tamil / 2019 Director: Vetri Maaran   9. Band Baaja Baaraat / Hindi / 2010 Director: Maneesh Sharma   10. Bulbul Can Sing / Assamese / 2019 Director: Rima Das   11. Chauthi Koot / Punjabi / 2016 Director: Gurvinder Singh   12. Court / Marathi / 2015 Director: Chaitanya Tamhane   13. Dekh Tamasha Dekh / Hindi / 2014 Director: Feroz Abbas Khan   14. Drishyam / Malayalam / 2013 Director: Jeethu Joseph   15. Dum Laga Ke Haisha / Hindi / 2015 Director: Sharat Katariya   16. Eeda / Malayalam / 2018 Director: B Ajithkumar   17. Eega / Telugu / 2012 Director: SS Rajamouli   18. Ee.Ma.Yau  / Malayalam / 2018 Director: Lijo Jose Pellissery   19. Elizabeth Ekadashi / Marathi / 2014 Director: Paresh Mokashi   20. Fandry / Marathi / 2014 Director: Nagraj Manjule   21. Filmistaan / Hindi / 2014 Director: Nitin Kakkar   22. G Kutta Se / Haryanvi, Hindi / 2017 Director: Rahul Dahiya   23. Goynar Baksho / Bengali / 2013 Director: Aparna Sen   24. Gully Boy / Hindi / 2019 Director: Zoya Akhtar   25. Haider / Hindi / 2014 Director: Vishal Bhardwaj   26. Hellaro / Gujarati / 2019 Director: Abhishek Shah   27. I Am / Hindi, English, Kashmiri / 2011 Director: Onir   28. Iewduh / Khasi / 2019 Director: Pradip Kurbah   29. Irudhi Suttru / Tamil / 2016 Director: Sudha Kongara   30. Jallikattu / Malayalam / 2019 Director: Lijo Jose Pellissery   31. Jigarthanda / Tamil / 2014 Director: Kathik Subbaraj   32. Joker / Tamil / 2016 Director: Raju Murugan   33. Kaadu Pookunna Neram / Malayalam / 2017 Director: Dr Biju   34. Kaaka Muttai / Tamil / 2015 Director: M Manikandan   35. Kaala / Tamil / 2018 Director: Pa Ranjith   36. Kahaani / Hindi / 2012 Director: Sujoy Ghosh   37. Kai Po Che / Hindi / 2013 Director: Abhishek Kapoor   38. Kaithi / Tamil / 2019 Director: Lokesh Kanakaraj   39. Kali  / Malayalam / 2016 Director: Sameer Thahir   40. Kammatipaadam / Malayalam / 2016 Director: Rajeev Ravi   41. Kapoor & Sons (Since 1921) / Hindi / 2016 Director: Shakun Batra   42. Kothanodi / Assamese / 2016 Director: Bhaskar Hazarika   43. Kumbalangi Nights / Malayalam / 2019 Director: Madhu C Narayanan   44. Kutrame Thandanai / Tamil / 2016 Director: M Manikandan   45. Lessons In Forgetting / English / 2013 Director: Unni Vijayan   46. Lucia / Kannada / 2013 Director: Pawan Kumar   47. Mahanati / Telugu / 2018 Director: Nag Ashwin   48. Maheshinte Prathikaaram / Malayalam / 2016 Director: Dileesh Pothan   49. Manhole / Malayalam / 2016 Director: Vidhu Vincent   50. Manjadikuru / Malayalam / 2012 Director: Anjali Menon   51. Mayaanadhi / Malayalam / 2017 Director: Aashiq Abu   52. Mukti Bhawan / Hindi / 2017 Director: Subhashish Bhutiani   53. Munnariyippu / Malayalam / 2014 Director: Venu   54. My Name Is Khan / Hindi / 2010 Director: Karan Johar   55. Naanu Avanalla…Avalu / Kannada / 2015 Director: B.S. Lingadevaru   56. Natasamrat / Marathi / 2016 Director: Mahesh Manjrekar   57. Neerja / Hindi / 2016 Director: Ram Madhvani   58. Newton / Hindi with Gondi / 2017 Director: Amit V Masurkar   59. Nil Battey Sannata / Hindi / 2016 Director: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari   60. Njan Prakashan / Malayalam / 2018 Director: Sathyan Anthikad   61. Noukadubi / Bengali / 2011 Director: Rituparno Ghosh   62. Onaatah / Khasi / 2016 Director: Pradip Kurbah   63. Ottaal / Malayalam / 2015 Director: Jayaraj   64. Ottamuri Vellicham/ Malayalam / 2018 Director: Rahul Riji Nair   65. Ozhivudivasathe Kali / Malayalam / 2016 Director: Sanal Kumar Sashidharan   66. Papanasam / Tamil / 2015 Director: Jeethu Joseph   67. Papilio Buddha / Malayalam / 2013 Director: Jayan K Cherian   68. Pathemari / Malayalam / 2015 Director: Salim Ahamed   69. Peranbu / Tamil / 2019 Director: Ram   70. Phobia / Hindi / 2016 Director: Pavan Kirpalani   71. Pizza / Tamil / 2012 Director: Karthik Subbaraj   72. Placebo (documentary) / English / 2015 Director: Abhay Kumar   73. Queen / Hindi / 2014 Director: Vikas Bahl   74. Raazi / Hindi / 2018 Director: Meghna Gulzar   75. Raman Raghav 2.0 / Hindi / 2016 Director: Anurag Kashyap   76. Ribbon / Hindi / 2017 Director: Rakhee Sandilya   77. Sairat / Marathi / 2016 Director: Nagraj Manjule   78. Salt N’ Pepper / Malayalam / 2011 Director: Aashiq Abu   79. S Durga / Malayalam / 2018 Director: Sanal Kumar Sashidharan   80. Ship of Theseus / Hindi / 2013 Director: Anand Gandhi   81. Shor In The City / Hindi with English / 2011 Director: Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK   82. Soodhu Kavvum / Tamil / 2013 Director: Nalan Kumarasamy   83. Super Deluxe / Tamil / 2019 Director: Thiagarajan Kumararaja   84.  Supermen of Malegaon (documentary) / Hindi / 2012 Director: Faiza Ahmad Khan   85. Take Off / Malayalam / 2017 Director: Mahesh Narayanan   86. Talvar / Hindi / 2015 Director: Meghna Gulzar   87. Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru / Tamil / 2017 Director: H Vinoth   88. The Lunchbox / Hindi / 2013 Director: Ritesh Batra   89.  The World Before Her  (documentary) / English, Hindi / 2014 Director: Nisha Pahuja   90. Thithi / Kannada / 2016 Director: Raam Reddy   91.  Udaharanam Sujatha / Malayalam / 2017 Director: Phantom Praveen   92. Unda / Malayalam / 2019 Director: Khalidh Rahman   93. Unmadiyude Maranam / Malayalam / 2018 Director: Sanal Kumar Sashidharan   94. Usthad Hotel / Malayalam / 2012 Director: Anwar Rasheed   95. U Turn / Kannada / 2016 Director: Pawan Kumar   96. Village Rockstars / Assamese / 2018 Director: Rima Das   97. Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa / Tamil / 2010 Director: Gautham Menon   98. Virus / Malayalam / 2019 Director: Aashiq Abu     99. Visaranai / Tamil / 2016 Director: Vetri Maaran   100. Walking With The Wind / Ladakhi / 2017 Director: Praveen Morchhale   ** Related links:  

(a) Best Bollywood Films 2019: Article 15, Gully Boy and a handful that shone in an otherwise annus horribilis (b) Best Mollywood Films 2019: Kumbalangi Nights, Virus, Unda and more in perhaps the best year ever for God’s Own Cinema (c) Bollywood Awards 2019: Rani or Kangana? Rap or Niyam ho? Ayushmann or Ranveer? A pick of the year’s best work (d) Mollywood Awards 2019: Parvathy or Anna? Uyiril Thodum or Jaathikkathottam? Mammootty or…? A pick of the year’s best work (e) Best Indian Films 2019: Poetry and courage across languages, from Assamese to Hindi, Khasi, Malayalam and more