Team FC
Mani Ratnam brought politics into the cinematic mainstream by boldly telling the story of two of Tamil Nadu's most prominent statesmen through allusion and distortion.
Ram Gopal Varma made organised crime feel grimly and disturbingly lifelike in this portrait of the underworld's blue collar operators.
Rajkumar Hirani's buddy comedy sparked an important conversation about the state of higher education in India and also delivered wholesome entertainment to the masses.
Anurag Kashyap built upon the foundations of Satya (1998), which he co-wrote, and produced this epic intergenerational warring families saga set in the badlands of 20th century Bihar.
Jeethu Joseph reignited the interest in mystery thrillers that brought the viewer in close and told them all, thus keeping them engaged through subterfuge. Drishyam has sparked numerous remakes and also a sequel.
S.S. Rajamouli adopted the broad framework of the epic Mahabharata for this mammoth production set in a fictional ancient kingdom, revelling in all that makes Indian cinema typically Indian but doing it with such panache and skill that viewers were left wanting more.
Pa. Ranjith used the template of a sports masala flick to bring up the all-important caste conversation that films dodge all too readily, confronting it with the fearlessness of his protagonist.
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