Movies that made Bollywood proud!

SHIP OF THESEUS

Odds are that you'd have heard of or seen this one too, directed by Anand Gandhi. The film was actually a pretty deep one, high on philosophy and principles and was critically acclaimed in India. It was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and was touted as 'the hidden gem of the year'. It was also screened at other film fests, including BFI London Film Festival, Hong Kong International Film Festival and more.

THE LUNCHBOX

Apart from the fact that the film got rave reviews in India, it was also screened during the International Critic's Week at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. It went on to win the Critics Week Viewers Choice Award and was also screened at the 2013 Toronto Film Festival.

MARGARITA WITH A STRAW

Well, this is a recent one and we're sure you must be familiar with it. Based on the life of a girl with cerebral palsy who has a confused sexuality, it received rave reviews in India and was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was also screened at a bunch of other international film fests including at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia, BFI London Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF).

LIAR'S DICE

Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Geetanjali Thapa, the film throws light on the issue of migrant labourer exploitation. The film is India's Official Entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the 87th Academy Awards, but then it didn't end up getting nominated. It was screened at the Pesaro International Film Festival, Sofia International Film Festival, and more, and whisked away quite a lot of awards too.

i AM KALAM

Here's another flick you guys must have heard about. The film deals with the life of a poor kid who wants to make it big in life while his mother keeps discouraging him from studying. The film was applauded by both the audience and the critics and was screened at Transilvania International Film Festival in 2011. It also won a bunch of awards at various international film festivals.

GATTU

Produced by India's Children's Film Society in 2012, Gattu received rave reviews from the audience and the critics. Based on a kid's life who is passionate about kite flying, Gattu received a special mention under Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk category at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, which is a rarity for any Indian film.

DHANAK

Nagesh Kukunoor's film Dhanak was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival and was honoured with The Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury for the best feature-length film at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival. It also received a special mention from Kids Jury at the festival. The film shows the story of a young girl and her blind brother who travel across the state of Rajasthan to fulfill a promise the girl makes to her brother.

MISS LOVELY

Miss Lovely is a rather well known indie film as compared to others that often are unable to garner as much attention. Perhaps it was because of the fact that the film was based on Mumbai's C-grade horror porn industry! This was screened at the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes Film Festival in 2012.

CHATRAK

Chatrak is a 2011 Indian Bengali film which was screened at the Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. It was also screened at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and the Pacific Meridian film festival in Vladivostok, Russia. But it's yet to see a theatrical release in India, probably because of its high voltage sexual content.

TITLI

A co-production of Aditya Chopra and Dibakar Banerjee, this was screened at the Un Certain Regard section of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, and at a ton of other international film festivals as well. It's slated for a mid-year release in India, and has picked up numerous awards at international film fests including Seattle South Asian Film Festival, Gijón International Film Festival in Spain and more!

JAL

We all know the man in this picture, right? Purab Kohli. But not many of us have heard about this gem of a movie called Jal. The film is set in the Rann Of Katch and deals with the life of a water diviner. It received special mention at the "New Currents" section of the Busan International Film Festival 2013 and was also short listed as a contender for the Best Picture category at the 2014 Oscars.

SHUTTLECOCK BOYS

Indie director Hemant Gaba's Shuttlecock Boys had a first-timer cast and crew. The film deals with issues in the lives of four young boys in Delhi from lower middle-class families. The film has been screened at a bunch of international film festivals with amazing responses, including Australian Festival of South Asian Arts, Seattle South Asian Film Festival, and more. It even got its theatrical release at PVR cinemas in 2012.

MUMBAI CHA RAJA

Director Manjeet Singh's debut film, this one won many hearts when it first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Based on the life of street kids, it was screened later at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival and Palm Springs International Film Festival as well.

MASAAN

Indian indie film Masaan, directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and guess what, it received a 5-minute long standing ovation from the audience. The Indian connect  is pretty strong this time at the coveted film festival, and what makes this gesture from the audience even more special is the fact that this is, in fact, director Ghaywan's first film! Starring superb character actors like Sanjay Mishra and Richa Chaddha, Masaan captures various stories of different people from small towns in India and the complexities in their lives.