1. MAIDAAN

What: This rousing sports drama and a remarkable tale of grit and passion chronicled the lesser-known story of Syed Abdul Rahim, the architect of modern Indian football, who coached a ragtag team of youngsters to global glory and heralded the “golden age” of Indian football. This Amit Ravindernath film, released after many delays, was well-made and inspirational and though it earned unanimous praise from critics and cine-goers alike, Maidaan, unfortunately, came a cropper at the box office.What worked: The film’s fiery spirit, a solid Ajay Devgn, assured performances from a strong ensemble cast, the viscerally shot football matches, the authentic look and feel, A.R. Rahman’s tunes.What didn’t: The three-hour-plus runtime, a shaky first hour.t2 review: Maidaan is a film with a difference. Authenticity is its backbone. It rarely falls prey to a false note. It teases tears without resorting to manipulation. It brings on laughs without falling back on silly tropes.Watch it on: Prime Video

2. DO AUR DO PYAAR

What: The official remake of the 2017 relationship drama The Lovers was a tenuous and twisted ‘Marriage Story’, propelled by humour and home truths. Do Aur Do Pyaar looked at a jaded couple (played by Vidya Balan and Pratik Gandhi) who seek companionship outside their marriage, only to fall back in love with each other.What worked: The strong feel of familiarity and relatability, authentic acts from Vidya and Pratik supported by Ileana D’Cruz and Sendhil Ramamurthy, the fresh and frothy Half One, the lived-in chemistry between the leads, some charming moments.What didn’t: A predictably heavy second half.t2 review: Marriage is hard work. One doesn’t need a film to realise or reiterate that fact. What films like Marriage Story, Anatomy of a Marriage and now Do Aur Do Pyaar do is reflect what feels instantly relatable to many. In the unravelling of a marriage on screen, you find familiarity, often too close for comfort.Watch it on: Disney+Hotstar

3. SRIKANTH

What: The real-life story — heartbreaking as well as inspirational — of visually-challenged braveheart Srikanth Bolla powered this biopic that was engaging in parts but was largely an uneven ride.What worked: Rajkummar Rao’s earnest and all-embracing portrayal of the titular hero, a script that did not shy away from showing the greys of its protagonist, hard-hitting lines like: “In this nation, two per cent people are blind and 98 per cent can’t see”.What didn’t: An uplifting story that sometimes forgets to be real, the film’s superficial treatment of its female characters, the grating background score employed to underline every mood and moment.t2 review: Srikanth’s journey from ‘Sri can’t’ to ‘Sri can’ seems a bit too artificial, with the screenplay glossing over what must have been confidence-crushing hurdles to get to where he is today. Life is a cakewalk for Srikanth for the most part and while that may make for a few feel-good moments, as a viewer, you do tend to feel a little shortchanged.Watch it on: Netflix

4. MR & MRS MAHI

What: An aspiring but average cricketer keeps his relationship with the game alive by coaching his more talented wife to the national team. Arriving three Fridays after Srikanth, Mr & Mrs Mahi — directed by Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl maker Sharan Sharma — once again presented Rajkummar Rao as a character with warts and all, with Janhvi Kapoor being the Mrs Mahi to Raj’s Mr Mahi.What worked: A feel-good film powered by its two leads, a top act from Rajkummar, Janhvi’s confident turn.What didn’t: Simplistic storytelling, doesn’t feel real in the way it tackles the complexities of marriage.t2 review: Mr & Mrs Mahi may not be as flawless as the sixes that Mahima lobs out of the ground but in the end, it is a film that leaves you warm and fuzzy. Which is more than we can expect in today’s times.

5. MUNJYA

What: This small-big film travelled from the Konkan plains to theatres around the world to craft a compelling horror story, tempered with comedy, built around the Maharashtrian folklore of the Munjya, an evil child turned evil spirit that tortures and torments at will. The sleeper hit of the season, Munjya is now a proud member of the Rs 100-crore club and counting.What worked: The global tone and treatment of a local story, director Aditya Sarpotdar’s keen eye for detail, young actor Abhay Verma’s solid turn as the lead, a welcome addition to the Stree-Bhediya horror-comedy universe.What didn’t: Some parts are neither scary nor funny, the Gollum-like Munjya is grating at times.t2 review: The first half hour of Munjya is solid and sets up the intrigue well. What Munjya lacks is a compelling message.Watch it in: Theatres

6. CHANDU CHAMPION

What: After chronicling Indian cricket’s first-ever World Cup win in 83, director Kabir Khan trained his sights on yet another sports biopic/underdog story — that of real-life hero Murlikant Petkar, who overcame hurdles both physical and emotional, to bring in India’s first Paralympics gold.What worked: A career-best performance from Kartik Aaryan as ‘Chandu Champion’, some emotionally rousing moods and moments, eschews the conventions of a biopic, makes formula feel fresh, Pritam’s soundtrack, especially Sarfira and Satyanaas, the viscerally shot war scene.What didn’t: Dull in parts, overlong.t2 review: Kabir Khan fascinatingly sets up the various stages of Murlikant Petkar’s life, maintaining a consistent ‘How on earth did he do it?’ wide-eyed wonder, inviting the viewer to embark on this extraordinary, albeit long, journey.Watch it in: Theatres

7. KALKI 2898 AD

What: Indian mythology met science fiction in this ambitiously mounted visual spectacle, reportedly made on a budget of Rs 600-crore. Drawing from roots as diverse as The Mahabharata to manga, Avengers to anime, director Nag Ashwin managed to craft an engaging narrative that continues to make and break box-office records globally.What worked: The spectacular visual effects, the larger-than-life canvas, a star-studded ensemble cast led by Amitabh Bachchan at the top of his game, a powerfully shot and enacted last hour, a deadpan Prabhas in his element, the delightful cameos — Vijay Deverakonda to Dulquer Salmaan, SS Rajamouli to Ramgopal Varma.What didn’t: Derivative in parts, too stretched.t2 review:Kalki 2898 AD is a visual extravaganza backed by an authentic narrative, a nod to diverse historical, philosophical, cinematic and pop-culture influences and inferences but managing to leave a mark of its own.Watch it in: Theatres

DIRECT TO OTT

8. Amar Singh Chamkila

What: One of the year’s best films so far did not even make it to the theatres. Imtiaz Ali’s Amar Singh Chamkila, based on the remarkable life and horrific end of the bold and brazen musician Chamkila, functioned as much as a portrait of society as it did as a biopic, with the filmmaker marking a return to form by experimenting with both melody and format. Amar Singh Chamkila, released directly on Netflix, is one of the highest-rated films of 2024.What worked: A standout and scene-stealing performance from Diljit Dosanjh as Chamkila, Parineeti Chopra lending good support, recasts the biopic genre, a narrative that moves seamlessly between past and present, the soundboard, comprising Chamkila’s own songs as well as Rahman’s melodies.What didn’t: Repetitive in parts.t2 review: Director Imtiaz Ali, aided by brother Sajid Ali as co-writer, the experienced scissors of editor Aarti Bajaj, Sylvester Fonseca’s unique ability to find soul and sublimity in every corner of every frame of the camera and A.R. Rahman in apogee form, crafts a story on the life and times of an ordinary man who lived an extraordinary life and is fittingly told in an unconventional manner.Watch it on: Netflix

Which was your favourite Bolly film in the second quarter of 2024?Tell t2@abp.in

Sarfira

Release date: July 12Akshay Kumar steps into the rather large shoes of south superstar Suriya in the Bolly adaptation of the Tamil film Soorarai Pottru. Based on the never-say-die entrepreneurial ambitions of real-life visionary G.R. Gopinath, the man behind Air Deccan, India’s first low-cost airline, Sarfira has Akshay sporting his look from Airlift and could well mark the Khiladi’s return to form after a rough patch. Radhikka Madan and Paresh Rawal co-star with Suriya co-producing and Soorarai Pottru director Sudha Kongara returning to direct.

Bad Newz

Release date: July 19If the film is even half as good as Vicky Kaushal’s moves in Tauba tauba, the good news is that Bad Newz may well be worth your time. The second film in producer Karan Johar’s ‘pregnancy in chaos’ universe, the Anand Tiwari directorial also stars Triptii Dimri and Ammy Virk. Let’s hope this remains a comedy and doesn’t veer into ‘horror’ territory. In Vicky, however, we trust.

Ulajh

Release date: August 2Director Sudhanshu Saria bands together an eclectic ensemble cast led by Janhvi Kapoor, Gulshan Devaiah and Roshan Mathew for this political thriller that traces the journey of a young IFS officer (played by Janhvi), belonging to a prominent family of patriots, who gets embroiled in a dangerous personal conspiracy while far from her home turf. Meiyang Chang, Rajesh Tailang and Sachin Khedekar co-star.

Stree 2

Release date: August 15‘O Stree, jald aana’. One of the most keenly anticipated films of the year marks the return of the iconic horror-comedy franchise that struck box-office gold with the first film in 2018. The original cast comprising Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana and Abhishek Banerjee return for this Amar Kaushik film that will release on Independence Day. Be ready to catch a glimpse of both Bhediya and Munjya — key players in this successful universe — in Stree 2.

Vedaa

Release date: August 15Taking on Stree 2 (as well as Akshay Kumar’s Khel Khel Mein) on the Independence Day holiday is Nikkhil Advani’s action thriller Vedaa, with Sharvari in the title role. John Abraham plays her ‘ally’ in the film that sees the actor team up with Advani five years after Batla House. Vedaa is reportedly based on true events.

The Buckingham Murders

Release date: September 13Kareena Kapoor Khan turns producer with this Hansal Mehta film that is front-lined by her. Predominantly shot in the UK, Kareena stars as a grieving police detective who is assigned to investigate the murder of a child. The first-look images from the film — that premiered at the BFI Festival in London last year — have piqued interest. Sign us up!