10 Surprising Hits Bollywood Gave Us In 2016

2016 for Bollywood was a mixed bag. There were some bad films and then there were some good films to compensate. In short, 2016 was not a year to celebrate Bollywood cinema as it gave us a number of disappointments like ‘Fitoor’, ‘Fan’, ‘Azhar’, ‘Mohenjo Daro’, ‘Baar Baar Dekho’, ‘Mirzya’ etc., and the list is pretty long. But just like every year, 2016 also gave us a reason to rejoice. The list of movies which did surprisingly well is not too short as well. Here is a list of 10 such movies.

1. Neerja

Starring Sonam Kapoor, ‘Neerja’ was a film based on the real life of Neerja Bhanot, one of the flight attendants in the hijacked Pan Am Flight 73 in 1986. She, with her patience and presence of mind, saved the lives of 359 of the 379 passengers and the crew on board. While box office predictions of the film were not very favorable due to the bleak star power of Kapoor, but with excellent reviews and good word of mouth publicity, ‘Neerja’ became the second highest grossing film of 2016 after ‘Airlift’ at that time.

2. Kapoor & Sons

Directed by Shakun Batra, previously known for ‘Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu’, ‘Kapoor & Sons’ tells the story of two brothers (played by Sidharth Malhotra and Fawad Khan) who re-unite when their grandfather (played by Rishi Kapoor) suffers the heart attack. Also, starring Alia Bhatt, the film was hoped for a moderate success, but with relatable characters and unique treatment to the film, ‘Kapoor & Sons’ went on to become one of the best films of 2016.

3. Pink

Based in Delhi, the film tells the story of “the state of women” in the national capital. The plot revolves around three young independent women who get falsely implicated in a crime. Also, starring Amitabh Bachchan as a retired judge who decides to fight the case of the women. ‘Pink’ was directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury. ‘Pink’ was never supposed to be a box office success because of its being a courtroom drama. But with a practical approach and modern vision with which the film was made, it grew steadily at the box office. ‘Pink’ is a film which signals that Bollywood is changing for good.

4. M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story

The Biographical sports film, directed by Neeraj Pandey of ‘A Wednesday’ and ‘Baby’ fame. It was based on the life of Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni and starred Sushant Singh Rajput in the titular character. The box office predictions for the film were in the range of 60-70 crore. The initial buzz for the movie was more because of Dhoni rather than Rajput. With decent reviews and huge fan following of Dhoni, this film is now the third highest grossing Bollywood film of 2016. The film was the first blockbuster for Sushant Singh Rajput.

5. Udta Punjab

This crime drama based on the drug menace in Punjab was controversial even before its release. Thanks to its dark theme, the film got stuck with CBFC due to its bold content and had to pass only by the Bombay High Court but not before criticizing Sensor Board for its obsolete approach towards the film. With riding high on controversy and good word of mouth reviews, the film fared well at the box office.

6. Happy Bhag Jayegi

This Rom-Com is about a bride who on the day of her wedding runs away and finds herself in Pakistan. This sweet, simple and feel the good movie did exceptionally well on box office and found some favorable reviews too. Made on a budget of less than 20 crores, the film made more than 45 crores despite an average star cast.

7. Dear Zindagi

The buzz around Dear Zindagi was never as high as other Shah Rukh Khan movies simply because it was not a Shah Rukh Khan film. The film revolves around Alia’s character who suffers from depression and goes to Shahrukh’s Character for therapy. Made on a budget of just 22 crores, the film with excellent reviews and word of mouth made more than 139 crores internationally. This film was Alia’s third consecutive successful film in 2016 after ‘Kapoor & Sons’ and ‘Udta Punjab’.

8. Nil Battey Sannata

A story of a poor, illiterate Mother (played by Swara Bhaskar) who wants her daughter to excel in studies. Being afraid that her daughter is not doing well in her studies, she herself decides to join the school. Made on a very low budget, ‘Nil Battey Sannata’ did really well due to exceptional reviews and word of mouth. The film was endorsed by some Bollywood celebrities too.

9. Madaari

Starring Irfan Khan, ‘Madaari’ was about a common man who had lost hope in government and was frustrated with people’s attitude of “chalta hai”. Though Irfan’s star power is known to everyone, he can’t attract masses with this type of niche films. Still, the movie made more than its budget and was well received by critics and audiences alike.

10. Raman Raghav 2.0

The psychological thriller was based on real life incidents that occurred in Mumbai in the 1960s and was directed by none other than Anurag Kashyap. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who played the role of the serial killer Raman, Vicky Kaushal played the role of a cop, Raghav, who investigates these murders. The film was well received in the international festivals and despite its dark theme, the film recovered its cost. Critics also praised the movie for its realistic portrayal of its characters.