It’s that time of the year again, we list down the best movies of 2022. The year Tom Cruise almost single-handedly revived cinemas across United States and the world. The year when an OTT release was probably the most fun movie of the year. It was also, the year of the dog – A cute labrador leading the way into cinematic salvation.
Yet it was a year like no other, ominous with foreboding for big-screen cinema.
Multiplexes in India may soon go the way music compact discs went – Down and out due to refusal to change and cater to music lovers.
I barely watched a movie in a packed hall this year.
No, not even the revolutionary-in-technology-lacking-in-convincing-story Avatar: The Way of Water. (Psst…that it was an opening day, weekday afternoon 2D show is another thing altogether.)
Do Indian multiplexes need to slash prices? The answer was showcased on National Cinema Day, September 23 this year. About 6.5 million mortals (attempting dry humour here) went movie-watching across India, just because tickets cost a flat INR 75 each instead of the regular INR 180-300.
Do we need a single theatre resurgence? Yes, and as the great Aamir Khan pointed out in a pre-release Laal Singh Chaddha interview this year – Permitting OTT channels to screen the movie within a month of theatrical release is game over for Indian cinema halls. The producer’s gain is short-term, compared to the long-term damage the early OTT release is causing, Aamir added.
Cut to the 9PM Best Movies of 2022 list.
This is no comprehensive list (deliberately placed in alphabetical order), picks from what we enjoyed from the year’s releases across languages, on OTT, and in theatres.
We still have to catch up on many of the 2022 releases, so do share any recommendations. We shall gratefully watch and need be – Update this list.
A man-dog bonding movie that is slightly undone by some underwritten parts, but this Rakshit Shetty-starrer has a lot going for it.
The role reversal of the great Indian epic Mahabharat finale involving a dog and death is the prime force of Kiranraj K.’s heartwarming drama.
A great attempt at cinema, look out for the Charlie Chaplin nods, and watch out for Rakshit Shetty’s forthcoming flicks, he is clearly taking the road not taken.
Antakshari, the ultimate Indian family/friends non-karaoke singing pasttime before mobile addiction did us in, as a police inspector vs. serial killer premise?
Director Vipin Das with co-writer Renjit Varma set to tune a crispy, crackling, sparkling tense thriller. Not without loose ends, great cinematography, an effective stark score and a top performance from Saiju Kurup propel Antakshari to ultra-engaging mode.
Gargi | Tamil | Director –Â Gautham RamachandranDialogue-less scenes playing to Govind Vasantha’s score and Sraiyanti Premkrishna’s cinematography are a major triumph of this searing, calm-minded take on the rape of a minor, media as vultures, a daughter’s determination to salvage her lower-middle-class family.
Sai Pallavi is superbly balanced as Gargi, while Kaali Venkat is wonderfully cast as the hapless junior lawyer.
A new assured voice in realistic Tamil cinema.
Watch out for the yellow dress symbolism in a black & white flashback, a nod to the girl in the red dress in Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List (1993).
Attention-grabbing big-screen watch from frame one, Kantara immerses us in the world of forests, village folk, government authority, gods, deities, greed, deception, love, and life, while retaining the familiar, manly dominating hero arc.
My favourite part is how the hero evades his killers while high on local weed. That is some action sequence, funny and unexpected, never seen before in Indian cinema. A lot in Kantara is as fresh and fiery.
Seventeen years after his sparkling debut in Nagesh Kukunoor’s Iqbal (2005), cricket again plays a part in getting the immensely talented Shreyas Talpade a much-deserved, long-due lead in an engaging biopic – Kaun Pravin Tambe? (Who Pravin Tambe?).
Much like Tambe’s long battle for his passion, the makers keep the proceedings grounded, without opting for any overdone rousing heroics. The result is a rarity – a Hindi biopic done right.
Applause also for writer Kiran Yadnyopavit.
Monica, O My Darling | Hindi | Director – Vasan BalaA madcap celebration of Hindi movie cliches, Bala jazzes up co-writer Yogesh Chandekar’s deliciously twisty-curvy adaptation of a Keigo Higashino novel, with a nod to Sriram Raghavan’s Johnny Gaddaar (2007), Vijay Anand and Hindi film seventies musical vibes.
The result is a fun dive into office affairs, rogue robots, murder, revenge, doublecross, snakes, accountants, and leopards, with a karma boomerang finale.
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| Nna Than Case Kodu | Malayalam | Director –Â Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval |
Nna Thaan Case Kodu (Sue me then!) is a brilliant satire that even had the Kerala chief minister ruffled last year.
Why?
The protagonist blames potholes for his problems and sues the PWD (Public Works Department) minister. What follows is the director’s superbly contrasting follow-up to his lovely robot social drama debut Android Kunjappan Version 5.25.
About time we sue governments for potholes? Definitely.
A big screen experience and a contrast to S.S. Rajamouli’s joyfully flamboyant anything-goes RRR spirit, Mani Ratnam masterfully aces this first part adaptation of a popular Tamil historical fiction series, diverging from his usual style to tell a character-crowded story with endearing screenplay intelligence and flair.
Kudos to the lively Ravi Varman cinematography.
A.R. Rahman’s golden age may be done, but he still kicks a punch with the background score and song situations, can’t wait for the concluding part, releasing in April 2023.
Oscar or no Oscar, RRR is my favourite big screen rewatch of the year, how S.S. Rajamouli convinces us to believe in the unbelievable and the illogical is sheer genius.
This deliberately over-the-top action drama fictionalizes two real-life freedom fighters, celebrates exaggeration for entertainment, ‘brohood’, and how to painstakingly choreograph a man fighting a thousand men, among multiple outrageous action set pieces.
Applause to all departments, shout out to the excellent score and songs by M.M. Keeravani.
Tom Cruise has almost singlehandedly resurrected the Hollywood action genre with this long due much-superior sequel, where the dedication to capture and execute as many real fighter jet flights on screen, made me yearn for the standard-setting, risk-taking Hollywood of old.
Not cinema gold, but a robust, competent, high-quality, highly satisfying big-screen pleaser.
Trust the veteran Howard in anything showcasing real-life survival stories.
After all, our man has got Tom Hanks safe back home in Appolo 13 (1995) and saved Chris Thor Hemsworth from a whale ‘In the Heart of the Sea‘ (2015) hammering.
The incredible against-the-odds unfolding of the 2018 Thailand football team cave rescue is brought home by stunning recreation of atmosphere, location and understated emoting by Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell and others.
Thirteen Lives screams for a big screen re-release.
Mental health and feminism become a delightful concoction in Qala, Dutt’s dark downfall chronicling follow-up to Bulbbul.
Tripti Dimri simmers as the sidelined, fragile singing prodigy, as her mother (Swastika Mukherjee) yearns for a male singing heir.
Beautifully designed, never has tragedy looked as alluring, adorned in Amit Trivedi’s superb soundtrack, Qala is an echo of generations, beautifully set to tune, deserved a theatrical release, also featuring an assured debut by Babil Khan.
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Best movies of 2022: Special mentionsÂ
Aparajito – The Undefeated | Bangla:Â Anik Dutta’s lovely black & white take on how Satyajit Ray’s cinema gold Pather Panchali (1955) got made, mitigated by lack of major drama.
Jana Gana Mana | Malayalam: Dijo Jose Anthony’s uneven, mass audience court and police procedural rests on a clever anti-hero diversion, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Suraj Venjaramoodu’s performances, and bravely echoes the present regressive state of India.
Laal Singh Chaddha | Hindi: Flawed but heartfelt Advait Chandan remake of Forrest Gump (1994), despite gravely missing the satirical bite and boldness of the original.
Malayankunju | Malayalam:Â Sajimon Prabhakar stops short of pulling off a genre-bending survival tale with an admirable within-a-landslide setup but can’t pull off a fully satisfying completion. Fahadh Faasil is epic though, marks A.R. Rahman’s evocative return to Malayalam soundtrack after three decades.
Pada | Malayalam: Kamal K.M.’s consistently watchable real-life inspired drama thriller required sharper editing, sleeker cinematography, and clear location detailing to be hard-hitting cinema.
Thallumaala | Malayalam: Khalid Rahman’s super creative edit transitions showcase violence in relentless colourful, bubblegummy bursts – Almost succeeds in conveying how violence cascades into endlessness, but for the overloaded irreverence, the non-serious non-consequences.
Uunchai | Hindi: Engaging and pleasantly surprising Sooraj Barjatya (His best-directed movie yet) family drama, lessened impact due to three-hour length. That lovely new-age Amit Trivedi soundtrack – The last thing I expected in a Barjatya movie.
(Article by Snehith Kumbla)