SMD Top 20 All India Films of 2023

Here are my top 20 favorite films of the year. The first ten films were mentioned last week. The ranks of the films are continually changing and they range from fiction to documentaries and short films, including Indian films produced in Farsi, Nepali, and English.

11. "BE KUCHEYE KHOSHBAKHT," also known as "Towards Happy Alleys" in Farsi, is a moving personal documentary directed by Sreemoyee Singh, showcasing the fight for freedom of oppressed Iranians. This is a unique Indian film shot entirely in Iran and has been chosen as the Best Film at the BAFICI Argentina and Dharamshala film festivals.

12. "JORAM" by Devashish Makhija, a riveting thriller illustrating how India exploits its tribal people includes a notable performance by Manoj Bajpayee. The production is a collaboration between Zee Studios, Anupama Bose, and Devashish Makhija, and has been featured at the Rotterdam, Sydney, and Busan film festivals.

13. "GHAATH" directed by Chhatrapal Ninawe, also known as "Ambush," is an engaging thriller set amidst the civil war in India showcasing the police and the civilians caught in the crossfire in India's forests. The film was featured in the Berlin Film Festival’s Panorama and the Jio Mami Mumbai Film Festival.

14. "Family" by Don Palathara exposes the shielding of child sexual abuse perpetrators by the Church and community within a deeply religious Christian community in Kerala. The film was shown at the Rotterdam Film Festival.

15. Lubdhak Chatterjee's "Whispers of Fire & Water" is an impressive experimental film that comments on mining and the exploitation of nature using sound as a form of exploration. The film was showcased at the Locarno Film Festival.

16-20: The list continues with "Guras" by Saurav Rai, "Bahadur The Brave" by Diwa Shah, "Sapta Sagaradaache Ello" by Hemanth M Rao, "Joseph’s Son" by Haobam Paban Kumar, and "Kayo Kayo Colour?" by Shahrukhkhan Chavada.

Other notable mentions include Anurag Kashyap's "Kennedy," Kiran Rao's "Laapataa Ladies," Avinash Arun’s "Three of Us," Aamir Bashir’s "Maagh," Kanu Behl’s "Agra," Varun Grover’s "All India Rank," Karan Tejpal’s "Stolen," Achal Mishra’s "Ri," and others.

I would also highly recommend the following Indian short films - Yudhajit Basu’s "Nehemich," Reema Maya’s "Nocturnal Burger," Rishav Kapoor’s "Next, Please," Pranjal Dua’s "The Flamingos & Other Migratory Birds Tour," and Subarna Dash and Vidushi Gupta’s "This is TMI."

Overall, my list features films by ten female directors and producers.