9 BRILLIANT NATIONAL AWARD WINNING HINDI FILMS THAT YOU PROBABLY HAVEN'T SEEN BUT YOU SHOULD

By Harshit and Ahona

HAZAAR CHAURASI KI MAA

Awarded Best Feature Film in Hindi, 1998 (YouTube)

I must have been in high school when I read the story by Mahasweta Devi, the one that this film is based on. A though-provoking, heart-breaking portrait of a mother who tries to piece together the political context of her young, deceased son, Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa is a fictional, but harrowingly realistic document of the Naxalite period. It is film that goes beyond the divisions of political ideology, and explores generational distances, the impact of a personal loss, grief and memory.

MAYA DARPAN

Awarded Best Feature Film in Hindi, 1972 (YouTube)

Maya Darpan's beauty lies not only in its ability to portray the larger socio-political issues, but also the way in which those issues overlap and bleed into individual lives. Its conflicts - the inherited powers of the wealthy against the public influence of labour unions, the pressures of ancestral honour against the trials of renouncing class privilege - all of it is written into the figure of the protagonist, a young woman. It is a layered and honest portrait of individuality and womanhood caught in between systems of oppression.

PESTONJEE

Awarded Best Feature Film in Hindi, 1987 (MUBI)

Pestonjee continues to be one of the very few films that register the details of Parsi life. The film derives its imagery from its contrasts the ornate interiors of the homes, against the tedious interiority of the characters. It would have been easy to dismiss a film such as this one as a logbook of the Parsi way of life, had it not been so intent upon the striking individuality of its characters. It is like tracing where the influence of our cultures and communities end, and where we, as individuals, begin.

NEW DELHI TIMES

Awarded Best Debut Film of a Director, 1985 (YouTube)

One wonders if a film as bold and incisive as this one would have survived in this age. Part political drama, part whodunnit, New Delhi Times deep dives in the waters that flow from what actually happens, and what is reported. It shows you how reality is manipulated into news, how narratives shift and perpetrators exploit. It makes you feel like a cog in a larger machinery, one that runs with a mind and motivation of its own - one that is far bigger than what any of us can comprehend.

RAAKH

Awarded Special Mention (Feature Film), 1989 (YouTube)

Not many people know that this is one of the earliest Aamir Khan films, & possibly one of his most experimental projects till date. Directed by Aditya Bhattacharya, this film is one of the lesser recognised pioneers of the Mumbai neo-noir, possibly because Mumbai is presented here as an unnamed fictionalised city, infested with unchecked crime and brimming with a horrifying sense of melancholy, regret, insanity, hopelessness and loneliness, reminiscent of films

like Taxi Driver and Le Samourai.

RAGHU ROMEO

Awarded Best Feature Film in Hindi, 2003 (YouTube)

Unarguably one of the best & most inventive black comedies made in India, Raghu Romeo will amuse you, confuse you and leave you questioning your own moral compass by the end of it. Raghu is a deeply flawed character, but you also see him as a product of his circumstances. He's aspirational, delusional to the effect of Walter Mitty, & stuck in love. His actions are a reflection of the films & shows he's influenced by, but subliminally also a manifestation of the angst of the working class.

KATHA

Awarded Best Feature Film in Hindi, 1982 (Prime Video)

If there's one filmmaker who knew how to make great urban romantic comedies grounded in a semi-familiar sense of realism, it is Sai Paranjpye. Paranjpye's characters were eccentric but believable, archetypical and yet well- rounded. There's an odd gentleness and comfort in her films, her characters, their relationships, & her understanding of romance. Katha forms the perfect double feature along with Chashme Buddoor for this unique brand of cinema invented and championed by her.

FILMISTAAN

Awarded Best Feature Film in Hindi, 2012 (D+ Hotstar)

It's interesting that along with Raghu Romeo, Dharavi and fleeting references in Katha, Filmistaan is the fourth film in this list which studies this country's relationship with the movies. Cinema is such a fundamental part of our fabric that it often finds a place in the movies as well, offering an opportunity to explore more complex subjects. In Filmistaan, cinema doubles up as an agent of peace, a device to talk about the horrors of conflict, war, violence and terrorism. Also, it's a hilarious film. with some excellent performances. An absolute must-watch.

DHARAVI

Awarded Best Feature Film in Hindi, 1991 (MUBI)

The lesser appreciated Sudhir Mishra film but equally good, if not better, Dharavi is an incredible attempt to offer a peek into a Mumbai neighbourhood that has repeatedly attracted the gaze of movies and moviemakers around the world. Like the other films, it does focus on the misfortunes of the people of Dharavi, but it also hinges on their joys, their dreams, & attempts at breaking away from the clutches of their marginalisation.