Bollywood Directors Who Pleasantly Surprised Us With Their Experiments in 2018

If there is one word that can sum up Bollywood in 2018 perfectly it is probably surprising. The year 2018 has been the testament to the rapidly changing taste of the audience and the content and star dynamics in Bollywood.

It is not just about small films doing well, but it is also about film and filmmakers getting the right feedback for their work which paves the way for a Bollywood which has a much clearer idea of what the audiences really want.

It is perhaps with this vision that so many directors this year not only chose a path they have traversed before but also made it work and how. From redeeming themselves of horrible films in the past to proving that talent is not bounded by genre, these are 5 directors who pleasantly surprised us with their experiments in 2018.

Anubhav Sinha- Mulk

Just to refresh your memories, this is the director who has painfully bad films like Ra.One and Cash. But recently he accepted in an interview that those films in no way reflected his opinions or taste for that matter. And you know what, we believe him. In Mulk this year, you could see a strong voice and a conviction that only comes when you sincerely believe in what you are trying to communicate. Anubhav Sinha has truly been able to convince us that he is a force to be reckoned with in Mulk.

Amit Ravindernath Sharma- Badhaai Ho

One of the biggest surprise hits of the year, Badhaai Ho had every mark of a quality filmmaker. Director Amit Ravindernath Sharma came across like a director with crazy attention to detail and a crystal clear vision. It was almost difficult to believe that this is the same director who made a cringefest like Tevar. But honestly, after Badhaai ho we are more than willing to completely erase Tevar from our memories.

Anurag Kashyap- Manmarziyaan

The fact that Anurag Kashyap is one of the most talented directors that Bollywood has ever produced is not exactly news. But for everyone who thought that Anurag Kashyap was made for only a certain kind of cinema, he surely shut them up in style. With Manmarziyaan, he proved that he is as capable of pulling off a complex, heart-touching love story with same finesse with which he pulled off the most epic neo-noir revenge saga of our times.

Siddharth P Malhotra- Hichki

Apart from Rani Mukerji’s performance, credit for Hichki should be reserved for Sidhharth P Malhotra for the way he handled a tricky subject. The director’s track record include films like Shhhh… which is mostly an unknown entity and We Are Family which turned out to be a disappointment. Clearly, Malhotra has come a long way as a director.

Reema Kagti- Gold

Reema Kagti had made a name for herself for reflecting complexities of life and relationships with films like Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd or Taalash. The last genre we expected her to dabble into was a patriotic sports drama with Akshay Kumar. But with Gold, Kagti proved that she is not only capable of doing it but totally capable of nailing it as well.