In an uneven year for Bollywood, Nivedita Dey picks seven of the finest releases—films that combatted themes of patriarchy, politics, disability, religious fanaticism, and more.

Age and youth, love found and love lost, a city of excess and a city of scarcity—Sarthak Parashar examines the many contrasts balanced by Payal Kapadia in the acclaimed All We Imagine As Light (2024).

Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies (2024) is a film that makes serious societal commentary on the socio-cultural, economic, and governance aspects of women empowerment, wrapped within a multi-layered satire. By Kausik K. Bhadra

Told through the prism of a Shakesperean comedy of errors and mistaken identities, Kiran Rao’s Laapata Ladies (2024) explores the various paths to female self-determination in rural India. By Karan Madhok