'Gangubai Kathiawadi' to 'An Action Hero': The best Hindi films of 2022

Bollywood seemed to have redeemed itself in the fag end of 2022. Three incredibly different films released last week each pushing the envelope with its story and performances. Kartik Aaryan turned creepy killer in Shashanka Ghosh's 'Freddy,' while Ayushmann Khurrana was on the run in 'An Action Hero' and Tripti Dimri fought inner demons and past traumas in Anvita Dutt's 'Qala'. Here is our take on these three films. Which one did you watch?

Critically Speaking- Wion's take on 'Qala,' 'An Action Hero,' and 'Freddy'

<p>Ayushmann Khurrana breaks out of his sub-genre in Anirudh Iyer's 'An Action Hero.' A film that centers around a film actor who plays action-oriented characters in films, the film is starkly different from the film one usually associates Ayushmann with. But while the actor is out of his comfort zone, he doesn't seem out of place playing the quintessential Bollywood hero in the film.</p>

<p>Ayushman plays superstar Manav who is known in the country for his action-hero avatar on the big screen. He goes to a remote village in Harayana to shoot. He is a self-absorbed star, who is not keen on the frills that are attached to stardom and take his action-hero avatar very seriously. And so he refuses to play a gangster on screen because he doesn't want to set the wrong example as a youth icon, he also is not ready to entertain the hanger-ons on set- namely Vicky Solanki who has been waiting for hours at the set to get a photo clicked with him.</p>

<p>Solanki is the brother of local municipal councilor Bhoora, and is planning to contest the election this season and so a selfie with a Bollywood star will just be the right boost to his campaign.</p>

<p>Vicky follows Manav out of the set when the latter doesn't oblige him with a meeting. An altercation on an empty stretch just outside the village leads to Vicky's death. Manav panics and leaves for the UK hoping to fight the legal battle from there as a UK citizen. But Bhoora, a small time goon and influential politician of his area takes it upon his ego and follows him to Uk to avenge his brother's death.</p>

<p>A cat-and-mouse chase ensues and the two meet more characters on the way as Manav tries to dodge Bhoora.</p>

<p>The film's slightly chaotic in its pace, but that's what keeps you hooked till the end. With snarky one-liners and a dark comedic underline theme, it's difficult to put 'An Action Hero' within any set genre. Action thriller - dark comedy, perhaps. But Iyer, who also has written the story, creates a stunning ambiance where the chase and the quirk seem endless. You start enjoying the clash between Bhoora and Manav almost making it a deeply engaging narrative</p>

<p>Ayushmann Khurrana who has mostly played the common man in social films and created a genre out of it gets to experiment with a completely new avatar in this film. One doesn't associate the actor with such a larger-than-life character and so it takes time to take him in as an action hero. But Khurrana thanks to his talent gets you immersed in his world. He plays a man with an ego and starry tantrums well. Giving him company on screen in a completely different character is Jaideep Ahlawat. Playing a man from the hinterland comes easy to the actor and he is demeanour language and attitude is typical of a local Harayana leader who knows how to flex muscles more than using the brain. The two characters - Bhoora and Manav are similar in some ways. Both alpha male and both egoistic to the core and the actors complement each other on screen.</p>

<p>The film's writing is superb. Not only does Iyer and screenplay writer Neeraj Yadav understand the pulse and the ways of how a remote district in Haryana functions but they also use humour in the right way. There is a delightful cameo by Akshay Kumar, there are jabs at prime-time TV anchors who also play narrators on the screen( special mention to the guy who plays Arnab Goswami on screen) and there are snide references to Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallaya- as all fugitives end up taking asylum in the UK. Watch out also for the scene where Haryana police interact with the local media over the murder. Caricaturish and so well performed.&nbsp;&nbsp;The background score by Sunny MR is also praiseworthy and&nbsp;in tune with fast-paced narrative- edgy and spunky.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I did find the film long. the chase sequences feel unending after a point and I wish the film was slightly shorter. But despite its 132 minutes runtime, Iyer delivers a thoroughly engaging and entertaining film where both its leading men -Ayushmann Khurrana and Jaideep Ahlawat shine.</p>

<p>'An Action Hero' releases in theatres on December 2.</p>


Ayushmann Khurrana breaks out of his sub-genre in Anirudh Iyer's 'An Action Hero.' A film that centers around a film actor who plays action-oriented characters in films, the film is starkly different from the film one usually associates Ayushmann with.

Ayushmann Khurrana breaks out of his sub-genre in Anirudh Iyer's 'An Action Hero.' A film that centers around a film actor who plays action-oriented characters in films, the film is starkly different from the film one usually associates Ayushmann with. But while the actor is out of his comfort zone, he doesn't seem out of place playing the quintessential Bollywood hero in the film. Ayushman plays superstar Manav who is known in the country for his action-hero avatar on the big screen. He goes to a remote village in Harayana to shoot. He is a self-absorbed star, who is not keen on the frills that are attached to stardom and take his action-hero avatar very seriously. And so he refuses to play a gangster on screen because he doesn't want to set the wrong example as a youth icon, he also is not ready to entertain the hanger-ons on set- namely Vicky Solanki who has been waiting for hours at the set to get a photo clicked with him. Solanki is the brother of local municipal councilor Bhoora, and is planning to contest the election this season and so a selfie with a Bollywood star will just be the right boost to his campaign. Vicky follows Manav out of the set when the latter doesn't oblige him with a meeting. An altercation on an empty stretch just outside the village leads to Vicky's death. Manav panics and leaves for the UK hoping to fight the legal battle from there as a UK citizen. But Bhoora, a small time goon and influential politician of his area takes it upon his ego and follows him to Uk to avenge his brother's death. A cat-and-mouse chase ensues and the two meet more characters on the way as Manav tries to dodge Bhoora. The film's slightly chaotic in its pace, but that's what keeps you hooked till the end. With snarky one-liners and a dark comedic underline theme, it's difficult to put 'An Action Hero' within any set genre. Action thriller - dark comedy, perhaps. But Iyer, who also has written the story, creates a stunning ambiance where the chase and the quirk seem endless. You start enjoying the clash between Bhoora and Manav almost making it a deeply engaging narrative Ayushmann Khurrana who has mostly played the common man in social films and created a genre out of it gets to experiment with a completely new avatar in this film. One doesn't associate the actor with such a larger-than-life character and so it takes time to take him in as an action hero. But Khurrana thanks to his talent gets you immersed in his world. He plays a man with an ego and starry tantrums well. Giving him company on screen in a completely different character is Jaideep Ahlawat. Playing a man from the hinterland comes easy to the actor and he is demeanour language and attitude is typical of a local Harayana leader who knows how to flex muscles more than using the brain. The two characters - Bhoora and Manav are similar in some ways. Both alpha male and both egoistic to the core and the actors complement each other on screen. The film's writing is superb. Not only does Iyer and screenplay writer Neeraj Yadav understand the pulse and the ways of how a remote district in Haryana functions but they also use humour in the right way. There is a delightful cameo by Akshay Kumar, there are jabs at prime-time TV anchors who also play narrators on the screen( special mention to the guy who plays Arnab Goswami on screen) and there are snide references to Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallaya- as all fugitives end up taking asylum in the UK. Watch out also for the scene where Haryana police interact with the local media over the murder. Caricaturish and so well performed. The background score by Sunny MR is also praiseworthy and in tune with fast-paced narrative- edgy and spunky. I did find the film long. the chase sequences feel unending after a point and I wish the film was slightly shorter. But despite its 132 minutes runtime, Iyer delivers a thoroughly engaging and entertaining film where both its leading men -Ayushmann Khurrana and Jaideep Ahlawat shine. 'An Action Hero' releases in theatres on December 2.

'An Action Hero' movie review: Ayushmann Khurrana, Jaideep Ahlawat's film is a fun ride 

<p>Ayushmann Khurrana's first out-and-out action film is also aptly titled 'An Action Hero'. The trailer of the film was dropped on Friday and shows Khurrana pitted against Jaideep Ahlawat.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Ayushmann shared the trailer on Instagram and captioned it as, "CUTTING STRAIGHT TO THE CHASE! #AnActionHero Trailer Out Now! Catch this Thriller with a twist only in cinemas on 2nd DECEMBER 2022!."</p>

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<p>In the trailer, Ayushmann plays a famous actor Manav, who could be seen in an action-packed chase against a cop, played by Jaideep Ahlawat.<br />
<br />
Helmed by Anirudh Iyer the film is produced by Anand L Rai and Bhushan Kumar.The film is all set to hit the theatres on December 2, 2022.<br />
<br />
Bollywood diva Malaika Aroa will be seen having a special item number in the action thriller film.<br />
<br />
Soon after the trailer was out, fans flooded the comment section with red hearts and fire emoticons."WHATTA BOMB TRAILER!," a fan commented.Another fan wrote, "HANDS DOWN THE BEST TRAILER IN RECENT TIMES."&nbsp;"We can ignore the Bollywood but can`t ignore his movies," wrote another fan.<br />
<br />
'An Action Hero' is Ayushmann's third release of the year 2022 after 'Anek' and 'Doctor G'. Ayushmann will be also seen in an upcoming comedy film 'Dream Girl 2' alongside Ananya Panday, Paresh Rawal, Annu Kapoor, Manoj Joshi and Vijay Raaz and the film will release on June 2023.&nbsp;</p>


Ayushmann Khurrana's first out-and-out action film is also aptly titled 'An Action Hero'. The trailer of the film was dropped on Friday and shows Khurrana pitted against Jaideep Ahlawat.

Ayushmann Khurrana's first out-and-out action film is also aptly titled 'An Action Hero'. The trailer of the film was dropped on Friday and shows Khurrana pitted against Jaideep Ahlawat. Ayushmann shared the trailer on Instagram and captioned it as, "CUTTING STRAIGHT TO THE CHASE! #AnActionHero Trailer Out Now! Catch this Thriller with a twist only in cinemas on 2nd DECEMBER 2022!." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ayushmann Khurrana (@ayushmannk) × In the trailer, Ayushmann plays a famous actor Manav, who could be seen in an action-packed chase against a cop, played by Jaideep Ahlawat. Helmed by Anirudh Iyer the film is produced by Anand L Rai and Bhushan Kumar.The film is all set to hit the theatres on December 2, 2022. Bollywood diva Malaika Aroa will be seen having a special item number in the action thriller film. Soon after the trailer was out, fans flooded the comment section with red hearts and fire emoticons."WHATTA BOMB TRAILER!," a fan commented.Another fan wrote, "HANDS DOWN THE BEST TRAILER IN RECENT TIMES." "We can ignore the Bollywood but can`t ignore his movies," wrote another fan. 'An Action Hero' is Ayushmann's third release of the year 2022 after 'Anek' and 'Doctor G'. Ayushmann will be also seen in an upcoming comedy film 'Dream Girl 2' alongside Ananya Panday, Paresh Rawal, Annu Kapoor, Manoj Joshi and Vijay Raaz and the film will release on June 2023.

'An Action Hero' trailer: It's Ayushmann Khurrana vs Jaideep Ahlawat in this quirky thriller

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'Gangubai Kathiawadi' to 'An Action Hero': The best Hindi films of 2022

Critically Speaking- Wion's take on 'Qala,' 'An Action Hero,' and 'Freddy'

'An Action Hero' movie review: Ayushmann Khurrana, Jaideep Ahlawat's film is a fun ride

'An Action Hero' trailer: It's Ayushmann Khurrana vs Jaideep Ahlawat in this quirky thriller