12. Advait Chandan’s Laal Singh Chaddha, Hindi: Most delightful, courageous, wise ‘mindie’ film (mainstream+indie); the slow witted Laal (Aamir Khan) holds a mirror to Indian society, in a heartwarming Forrest Gump adaptation. On Netflix.

13. Anmol Sidhu’s Jaggi, Punjabi: Striking debut feature, about a schoolboy who is brutalised because he is perceived as impotent or gay, with an extraordinary, wrenching performance by Ramnish Chaudhary. Won an Asia Pacific Screen Award (APSA, Australia) Nomination for Best Youth Film.

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14. Nandita Das’ Zwigato, Hindi:  Delivery man (Kapil Sharma) struggles to meet the targets of the delivery app Zwigato. When his wife (Shahana Goswami) supports him by getting a job in a mall, she gains a new-found independence. At Toronto, Busan festivals. Woman director.

15. Nikhil Mahajan’s Godavari, Marathi: Jitendra Joshi (also producer) plays a rent-collector living on the banks of the Godavari in Nasik, seething with rage and self-loathing. But a death and a chance encounter spur him to spiritual redemption. Produced by Jio Studios Marathi.

16. Harshavardhan Kulkarni’s Badhaai Do, Hindi: Shardul, a gay cop (Rajkummar Rao), and Sumi, a lesbian teacher (Bhumi Pednekar) have a marriage of convenience to get their conservative families off their backs. But it’s tricky going. Daring mainstream film that is unapologetic about homosexuality, and has its leads wrest happiness for themselves. Given right-wing India, salute! On Netflix.

Also Read: Top 20 All India Films of 2022

17. Rima Das’ Tora’s Husband, Assamese: As a businessman (Abhijit Das) struggles to keep his businesses afloat during the lockdown, he turns alcoholic and keeps vanishing at night. His despairing wife (Tarali Kalita Das) is in danger of being gaslit for complaining about a man who is publicly so kind, but the director won’t let him off the hook. Toronto and Busan film festivals. Woman director.

18. Jasmeet K Reen’s Darlings, Hindi: In her debut feature, Reen daringly pulls off a dark comedy on domestic abuse, with panache. Alia Bhatt plays the wife of Vijay Varma, whose frustration at work turns him alcoholic and violent towards his wife. She and her mother Shefali Shah plot revenge. Terrific performances. On Netflix. Woman director.

19. Anvitaa Dutt’s Qala, Hindi: An exquisite, lushly dark period film and psychological drama about a beautiful but mentally fragile singer Qala (Triptii Dimri). Desperate for appreciation from her tough mother (Swastika Mukherjee), she is gaslit, as the mother encourages Babil Khan, an orphan singer, over her. Produced by Clean Slate Filmz. On Netflix. Woman director.

20. Kartiki Gonsalves’ The Elephant Whisperers, Tamil: This charming documentary (41min short) is about Boman and Bellie, indigenous elephant caretakers in the Theppakadu elephant camp, Mudumalai. They adopt one baby orphan elephant Raghu, and later another, Ammu. With a death and a wedding, and adorable elephant babies, the film underlines how vulnerable these gentle giants are. On the Oscar shortlist for docu shorts. Produced by Guneet Monga and Achin Jain. On Netflix. Woman director. Woman producer.

More films I love—what a fab year!: M Manikandan’s Kadaisi Vivasayi (The Last Farmer, Tamil), Gautham Ramachandran’s Gargi (Tamil, SonyLiv), Gautham Vasudev Menon’s Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu (The Scorched Forest: Part 1 - The Kindling, Tamil), Mahesh Narayanan’s Ariyippu (Declaration, Malayalam), Rahat Mahajan’s Meghdoot (The Cloud Messenger, English), Anik Dutta’s Aparajito (Bengali), Gurvinder Singh’s Adh Chanani Raat (Crescent Night, Punjabi), Aamir Bashir’s The Winter Within (Kashmiri, Urdu), Pushan Kripalani’s Goldfish (English), Padmakumar ‘Paddy’ Narasimhamurthy’s Max, Min and Meowzaki (English), Rebana Liz John’s Ladies Only (documentary, Hindi, English, Marathi), Vinay Shukla’s While We Watched: Namaskar! Main Ravish Kumar (documentary, English, Hindi), Nisha Pahuja’s To Kill A Tiger (documentary, Hindi), Prithvi Konanur’s Hadinelentu (Seventeeners, Kannada), Romi Meitei Mayanglambam’s Eikhoigi Yum (Our Home, Manipuri), Ektara Collective’s Ek Jagah Apni (A Place of Our Own, Hindi, with two transwomen protagonists), Anshul Chauhan’s December (Japanese), Jaishankar Aryar’s Shivamma (Kannada), and Suchana Saha’s Priyo Ami (Dear Me, animation short in Bengali, SRFTI film). This isn’t some Biblical, watertight list; rather inviting conversations on the many good Indian films of the year, including features, documentaries, animation, and shorts in many Indian languages.

Meenakshi Shedde is India and South Asia Delegate to the Berlin International Film Festival, National Award-winning critic, curator to festivals worldwide and journalist. 
Reach her at meenakshi.shedde@mid-day.com