Bollywood is as colorful and diverse as the country it represents. There have been several noteworthy movies in 2016 and some outstanding performances by stars. Here we list the Top 5 Best Bollywood Movie Performances of 2016.
Amitabh Bachchan in PINK
Confusing, serious, curious and questionable – the Big B drama of 2016 in Pink made audience gripping with excitement as to what this blunt and straight-forward movie had in store for them.
What worked for the audience: When 3 women who are harassed by a man are accused by that very man of a crime, an aged lawyer steps in to their rescue in Amitabh Bachchan. The movie works on many levels but to name a few aspects – 1) the script doesn’t hold back from controversial yet true remarks – it paints India the society that it is; it questions women’s right to freedom, not men’s. Bachchan’s performance along with the supporting cast sure packed a punch.
Watch Pink Trailer
source: YT / Times Music
Manoj Bajpai, Aligarh
Questioning the judgements of the society and the right to privacy and freedom, Aligarh is not your conventional Bollywood movie.
What worked for the audience : the Indian movie audience is not used to seeing movies on such strong subjects, presented with such finesse. In Bajpai, the movie finds honesty and dedicated acting that questions the paradox of a society that on one hand is a democracy and on another questions a man on his sexuality and violates his right to freedom. The performance of Bajpai and movie, both got praises for it’s non-commercial line of cinema.
Watch Aligarh Trailer
source: YT / Eros Now
Akshay Kumar in Airlift
Cased on a true story, there’s only so little artistic freedom that you can take. The movie follows a businessman and his journey to evacuate Indians from Kuwait (during Sadam Hussein’s invasion).
What worked for the audience : Crisp writing, strong acting and a screenplay that keeps you at the edge of your seat – the movie has drama, suspense and a sense of compassion to humanity – and how people come together in crisis. Akshay Kumar yet again puts forward his case as an actor who has made a huge leap from a commercial – action hero to a serious dramatic actor. His portrayal has moments of pain, anguish, desperation and helplessness – the way these emotions are carried out make you feel equally vulnerable as an audience, as the character on screen.
Watch Airlift Trailer
source: YT / T-Series
Sonam Kapoor, Neerja
Another biopic but hugely different from Airlift. Neerja is about Neerja Bhannot, a flight attendant who put her life at stake to protect people in Pan AM flight 73 in 1986 – hijacked by terrorists.
What worked for the audience : Blossoming from a girl-next-door image to play a strong braveheart whose sheer will power is a testimony to the power of a human being- the movie begins with Sonam Kapoor credited as herself but ends with her truly fitting into the character of Neerja.
Watch Neerja Trailer
source: YT / Fox Star Hindi
Shah Rukh Khan in and as Fan
It’s hard to even compare the movies that we’re used to seeing Shah Rukh Khan in, and how Fan is different from them – there’s no similarity. Fan is perhaps an ice-breaking movie in Shah Rukh’s career that has probably not seen the success it should’ve in the last 5-6 years – purely due to commercial choice of movies, which is fine but it may not necessarily always please audience; who can be very strict critics.
What worked for the audience : Playing 2 roles simultaneously, one of fan and other of this huge superstar from Bollywood – Khan does justice to both the roles, in fact he plays the Fan better than the superstar, which he actually is in real life. The audience noted the efforts of Shah Rukh and even though the movie wasn’t a major box –office success, it gave Shah Rukh the much needed critical acclaim.
Watch Fan Trailer
source: YT / YRF