After a blockbuster in 2022, Indian cinema has been relatively low-key in 2023. Few releases gained widespread attention, and concerns about a Bollywood crisis persist. However, the year’s top Bollywood hits reflect a return to older trends, featuring thought-provoking family dramas, grounded comedies, and a revival of classic romances. Hindi filmmakers are reconnecting with audiences by embracing diverse storytelling styles. Here are the top 10 Bollywood movies of 2023.
10. Kathal
Among Indian comedies, Kathal sticks out since it is based on real-life events. Even though the genre has been on the decline during the 2000s, this movie excels thanks to its original concept and well-regarded performances by Rajpal Yadav and Vijay Raaz. Leading the way as a police officer navigating local life is Sanya Malhotra. She must utilise her abilities to recover valuable jackfruits that have been taken from a local political figurehead; this turns the movie into a humorous parody of Indian politics.
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9. Gulmohar
It wouldn’t be too much to say that Gulmohar is a film that will endure in the years to come. This family drama, which is directed and co-written by Rahul V. Chittella, masterfully reveals the hidden tensions that exist inside a family while they spend a few days together. A distinguished cast that includes several National Film Award winners—including the seasoned Sharmila Tagore and Manoj Bajpayee—helps Gulmohar tell its narrative.
8. Mission Majnu
With aspects ranging from nuclear weapons to undercover spies, Mission Majnu embodies Bollywood’s penchant for crafting spy thrillers. In the years following the 1971 India-Pakistan War, Sidharth Malhotra gives another outstanding performance as Aman Singh, a deep-cover RAW operative. Although there are certain subtleties in the performance, Malhotra’s portrayal strikes a chord with viewers, elevating the spy thriller to a gripping film.
7. Bloody Daddy
With Bloody Daddy being the most popular streaming movie and Farzi being the most watched Indian streaming series, Shahid Kapoor quietly marks a successful year in 2023. Known for playing dramatic parts, Kapoor excels as a police officer forced by a drug lord to return drugs that were seized in order to save his son in the action movie Bloody Daddy. With a lot of twists and turns, the film demonstrates Kapoor’s skill to manage insane people during a long night of fierce gunplay.
6. IB71
With its high stakes and realistic setting, the spy thriller IB71 captivated viewers with its original and captivating plot. The 1971 India-Pakistan War’s political struggle serves as the backdrop for the film. Agent Dev (Vidyut Jammwal) recommends enacting an air embargo when the Indian Intelligence Bureau learns of an imminent attack on the nation. To provide a plausible justification for the air embargo, he devises the novel idea of masterminding a commercial Indian plane hijacking.
5. The Kerala Story
Though its religious theme caused political controversy when it was first released in May, The Kerala Story was well received by viewers. The story, which is loosely based on actual events, centres on three wives who accompanied their husbands to join ISIS. Shalini, played by Adah Sharma, is presented as an innocent person who fell prey to religious fanaticism. It has garnered praise from critics despite utilising erroneous data regarding religious conversion, as evidenced by its status as the third highest-grossing Hindi film of 2023.
4. Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga
At its core, Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga is a gripping heist thriller that features two intertwined criminal stories. The film’s principal couple, Sunny Kaushal and Yami Gautam, are both in debt as business owners and flight attendants, respectively. When the two decide to organise a large-scale diamond heist as a means of repaying their debt, what starts out as a traditional romance eventually develops into a criminal alliance. But when another crew of crooks hijacks the same flight, the scheme goes haywire.
3. Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, which marks Karan Johar’s return from a seven-year absence, captures the traditional Johar components that were popular in Bollywood in the 2000s. The cast of the movie is unusual and includes Shabana Azmi and Jaya Bachchan, two Bollywood icons.
The title pair, Rocky and Rani, played by Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, come from different family backgrounds but are brought together by love. They make the decision to live apart from their respective in-laws in order to evaluate how well they get along with each other’s families. The film plays out as a big investigation of patriarchal conventions against the dramatic backdrop of intricate family dynamics befitting a Karan Johar production.
2. Kuttey
Despite its association with revered filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj, Kuttey, an outlandish action thriller with black comedy elements, failed to attract an audience. Arjun Kapoor plays a corrupt police officer entangled with a local crime lord. After a scandal, he is suspended and must pay a hefty sum to be reinstated. To raise the funds, he plans a heist on a security truck transporting cash to ATMs. Little does he know, other forces are also eyeing the same money on the same night.
1. Lost
Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s most recent film, Lost, is a thriller that stars Yami Gautam as a crime reporter who starts looking into the case of a 16-year-old boy who was a theatre activist before going missing. Gautam’s character is the only one prepared to put their life in danger to solve the mystery surrounding a seemingly straightforward case of disappearance, which leads to connections to numerous dubious aspects of politics and crooked governance.
These are the the Best 10 Bollywood Movies of 2023 which are really good to watch at once in your life.
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