Delhi, December 23, 2024: As the year draws to a close, your favourite Indian actors have selected the films from 2024 that inspired or moved them. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Kareena Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Rajkummar Rao, Shabana Azmi, Kani Kusruti, Anna Ben, and Pratik Gandhi shared their favourite Indian movies of the year.
Kareena Kapoor
Kareena selected three films, the first being her Laal Singh Chaddha co-producer Kiran Rao’s “beautifully directed” Laapataa Ladies, which was India’s official entry for the Oscars, though it did not make it to the shortlist. The film, backed by Aamir Khan Productions, stars newcomers Pratibha Ranta, Nitanshi Goyal, and Sparsh Srivastava, alongside Ravi Kishan. Kareena’s second pick was her brother-in-law Kunal Kemmu’s “supremely funny” directorial debut, the blockbuster buddy comedy Madgaon Express, starring Pratik Gandhi, Avinash Tiwary, and Divyenndu. Her third pick was her own film, Hansal Mehta’s crime thriller The Buckingham Murders. Kareena mentioned, “She’s biased, but actually not biased because I think it was brave to make the film 70% in English and 30% in Hindi.”
Vicky Kaushal
Vicky selected Stree 2, a horror comedy directed by Amar Kaushik, which became the only Hindi film to cross ₹600 crore at the Indian box office. The film stars Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor among others. Vicky’s other favourites included two South films – Nithilan Saminathan’s Tamil action thriller Maharaja, starring Vijay Sethupathi, and Chidambaram S. Poduval’s Malayalam survival thriller Manjummel Boys. Vicky mentioned that these are the only three films he has seen this year.
Rajkummar Rao
Rajkummar, known for his role in Stree 2, also picked Madgaon Express, along with C Prem Kumar’s Tamil dramedy Meiyazhagan, starring Karthi and Aravind Swamy, and Blessy’s Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life. He praised Prithviraj Sukumaran’s performance in the Malayalam survival drama, calling it “mindblowing.”
Pratik Gandhi
The actor from Madgaon Express listed All We Imagine As Light, Payal Kapadia’s Golden Globe-nominated bilingual film, his Scam 1992 and Gandhi director Hansal Mehta’s The Buckingham Murders, and Maharaja among his favourites.
Shabana Azmi
The veteran actress shared her love for Shuchi Talati’s coming-of-age film Girls Will Be Girls, available on Prime Video India. The film marks the production debut of Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal’s Pushing Buttons Films. Shabana described the awakening of the girl’s sexuality as being portrayed “without the slightest exploitation or vicariousness.”
Anna Ben
Anna also picked Girls Will Be Girls, calling it “an absolutely wonderful film,” along with Rahul Sadasivan’s Malayalam period folk horror film Brahmayugam, starring Mammootty, and Maharaja.
Kani Kusruti
The actor from All We Imagine As Light and Girls Will Be Girls recommended Christo Tomy’s Malayalam film Ullozhukku, starring Parvathy and Urvsashi, Anand Ekarshi’s Malayalam film Aattam, and the yet-unreleased Sister Midnight, a genre-bending comedy directed by Karan Kandhari, starring Radhika Apte.
These top picks offer a glimpse into the diverse tastes of these renowned actors, highlighting both mainstream and independent films.
Summary: Kareena Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Rajkummar Rao, and Shabana Azmi reveal their top picks for Indian films in 2024, offering insights into their preferences.