Skip to main content

2016 Favourites: Favourite Movies of 2016 {Hindi, Bengali and English}

Hello, Hello!

Today I will be sharing my Top 5 favourite movies of 2016. Since I watch movies in (primarily) three languages- Hindi, Bengali and English- it so happens that my Top 5 includes movies in all these languages. 2016 was a good movie year for me. I watched 120 movies in 2016! :O This includes tons of re-watching of course and new movies as well. I have love movies. Watching a good movie at the end of the day is one of my favourite things ever. I've always been a movie buff, movies were a huge part of my childhood. My parents are both massive movie buffs. My mother and several of her cousins were mad fans of Rajesh Khanna, something we never stop teasing them about. My father was the one who made movies a part of my life. We got a VCR (remember those?) very early on and once we had it our lives were never the same. We watched several movies over the weekend. Bollywood blockbusters, children's films from Hollywood and of course Bollywood classics and Bengali movies. Sitting in front of our TV watching movies with my family are some of the happiest memories of my life. :) I also loved that my parents never ever stopped us from watching any kind of movie. I mean I watched Omen at age 6! And 'It' at age 8, I have never looked at a clown the same ever again.

OK, enough reminiscing and on to my list!

In very a specific and deliberate order, here they are:


1. Dangal/// Very, very clearly and obviously hands-down the best movie of not only the year but, in my opinion, of the decade. Inspired by the true and mind-bogglingly awe-inspiring story of a father who trained his daughters to become India's first gold-medal winning wrestlers. Also, add to that the fact that these two girls- Geeta and Babita Phogat- are from Haryana. For those of you who don't know, Haryana is an India state with the worst sex ratio. It is a state where girls are killed before they are even born. So, keep that in mind and now look at the enormity of Mahavir Singh Phogat and his daughters' achievements! Dangal is brilliantly casted and each and every character performs brilliantly! Special mentions to the kids playing the young Geeta, Babita and Omkar- such naturals! Aamir Khan is brilliant, as usual.. he rises above his stardom and you see him just as Geeta's father. This movie is a total must-watch! I laughed, I cheered and I cried the make-up off my face. So good.




2. Praktan (Bengali)/// Praktan, which means 'former' in Bengali, is a brilliant little movie about relationships, love, adjustments, ego and compromises. It is a simple story, exes meeting after 10 years while travelling from Mumbai to Calcutta in the same train coupe... some may even say that the primary situation is a tad too convenient but worse coincidences happen in life all the time. This is such a brilliant movie! I loved the characters, the performances, the music.. the story.. the lessons learnt.. A must watch! I've seen it twice and loved it just as much on both viewings.



3. The Secret Life of Pets/// A movie that takes a gander at what people's pets could possibly get up to whilst their humans are away! What is not to love about that?! This movie is so adorable! All the animals big and small, good and evil, quirky or not are just so super-duper adorable! If you haven't seen this movie yet, go watch!



4. Finding Dory/// Finding Nemo was my jam when it released all those years ago. I had a mini Nemo toy from McDonalds that dangled off my backpack in college, which I sadly lost during my local train commute. :( My best friends very kindly bought me a massive Nemo toy for my birthday, which I still have! I loved the movie and like everyone else was waiting for a sequel. I loved Finding Dory too, I might have loved it even more than Nemo. I loved Dory's journey home and seeing where she came from and I loved the whales and her family. So good. I want to re-watch this soon!



5. Deadpool/// This movie was a laugh riot. And Ryan Reynolds is a delight. A delight! :) I love this man. And the humour in this movie was filthy and irreverent. A super-hero movie with a difference. Man, I can't wait for the sequel.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Magic of the Lost Temple by Sudha Murthy.

Book: The Magic of the Lost Temple Author: Sudha Murthy Pages: 163 Read On: Paperback How Long it took Me To Read: 1 day Plot Summary:   City girl Nooni is surprised at the pace of life in her grandparents' village in Karnataka. But she quickly gets used to the gentle routine there and involves herself in a flurry of activities, including papad making, organizing picnics and learning to ride a cycle, with her new-found friends. Things get exciting when Nooni stumbles upon an ancient fabled stepwell right in the middle of a forest.Join the intrepid Nooni on an adventure of a lifetime in this much-awaited book by Sudha Murty that is heart-warming, charming and absolutely unputdownable. General Thoughts: Ah! A happy little Children's Book! I wanted it the minute I spotted it in the bookshop. And I started reading it pretty much immediately. :)  I read it after reading a beyond dull and boring and soulless book. This book just cured my bookish blues. I l

Book Review: The Room on the Roof by Ruskin Bond.

Some snippets of the stunning art inside the book!  Book: The Room on the Roof Author: Ruskin Bond Illustrator: Ahlawat Gunjan Pages: 171 Read On: Hardback How Long It Took Me To Read: 3 days or so. Plot Summary:   Rusty, a sixteen-year-old Anglo-Indian boy, is orphaned and has to live with his English guardian in the claustrophobic European part in Dehra Dun. Unhappy with the strict ways of his guardian, Rusty runs away from home to live with his Indian friends. Plunging for the first time into the dream-bright world of the bazaar, Hindu festivals and other aspects of Indian life, Rusty is enchanted … and is lost forever to the prim proprieties of the European community.  General Thoughts: This book is super special. Not only this 60th anniversary edition an absolute beauty. This is also a signed copy I picked up from Mussoorie when I was in Landour earlier in the year. This is perhaps one of Ruskin Bond's most well kn

Review: Grandma's Bag of Stories by Sudha Murthy.

Book: Grandma's Bag of Stories Author: Sudha Murthy Pages: 176 Read On: Paperback How Long It Took Me Read: 2 hours Plot Summary:   When Grandma opens her bag of stories, everyone gathers Around. Who can resist a good story, especially when it’s being told by Grandma? From her bag emerges tales of kings and cheats, monkeys and mice, bears and gods. Here comes the bear who ate some really bad dessert and got very angry; a lazy man who would not put out a fire till it reached his beard; a princess who got turned into an onion; a queen who discovered silk, and many more weird and wonderful people and animals. Grandma tells the stories over long summer days and nights, as seven children enjoy life in her little town. The stories entertain, educate and provide hours of enjoyment to them. So come, why don’t you too join in the fun? General Thoughts: I've read quite a few Sudha Murthy books this year and really enjoyed them. I find them soothing, simple a