There is no denying that the year 2017 will down in history as the year where newer stories and smaller films took precedence over big-budget formula films. Filmmakers became brave in storytelling in 2017. From illicit romances to erectile dysfunction to falling in love at 40 to a middle-class housewife finding her voice in the most unexpected manner- filmmakers tried to tell newer stories this year. And while a lot of these films got appreciated by critics and masses alike- here is a list of films that did not get its due credit. Presenting the most underrated films of 2017.&nbsp; 
 
Haraamkhor:

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A story of a student falling in love with her teacher would make a lot of people uncomfortable. But filmmaker Shlok Sharma dealt with the story in the most subtle, nuanced manner. Coupled with strong performances by its lead- Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Shweta Triptha-Haraamkhor was a different take on love. Sharma could have gone overboard showing a romance that most deem as scandalous but he broached the topic in a sensitive, mature manner making the film a compelling watch. 
 
Anaarkali Of&nbsp;Aarah

<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jHFT_PdLh20" width="560"></iframe>

If Anaarkali of Aarah had released a year back, Aniruddha Roy Choudhary&#39;s Pink would have appeared flawed. Journalist turned filmmaker Avinash Das&#39; film spoke about consent, but in a society where the term is almost alien. Centered around Anaarkali whose profession is to sing songs full of sexual innuendoes, the film highlighted the plight of many such women who may sing raunchy songs for a living but are not ready to give sexual favours to men. Anaarkali&#39;s battle may have been a lonely one, but it sure resonated with a lot of women across the country and drove home a very important point- that a &#39;No&#39; means a &#39;No&#39;. While the film was lauded by the critics, its the audience which overlooked the film. Perhaps because of its look or maybe because it did not have a big name in the star cast- but it was a film that will remain relevant in the times to come. &nbsp;

 
Meri Pyaari Bindu

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Ayushmann Khurrana had multiple releases this year- making him, along with Rajkummar Rao, the new poster boy of the middle-class. And while people loved him in Shubh Mangal Saavdhan and Bareilly Ki Barfi- his performance in Akshay&nbsp;Roy&#39;s Meri Pyaari Bindu almost went unnoticed. Which is unfortunate because of all the three films, Khurrana was absolutely brilliant as Bubla Roy, the wry, angsty novelist in this film. Paired opposite the vivacious Parineeti Chopra, the film took a fairly realistic approach towards modern romances and heartbreaks. With a beautiful soundtrack, Meri Pyaari Bindu was perhaps the most subtle love story of this year with endering performances by not just the lead pair but the entire supporting cast- who are mainly known faces of Bengali film industry.

 
Death In The Gunj

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Konkona Sen Sharma&#39;s film was in English and a bit of Bengali, which is perhaps the reason that the film had less commercial viability. But the actress-filmmaker should be given credit for making a film that will remain relevant for decades to come. At the onset, it looked like a mystery thriller about a death in McCluskiegunj where a family gathers for a vacation- but the story ultimately was so much more than that. The film dealt with how a society perceives masculinity and how we always succumb to stereotypes. It had a superlative cast - each performing their character with absolute ease. More importantly, the film made a lot of people sit up and take notice of a fine actor called Vikrant Massey- who as the central character Shutu - gave one of the best performances this year.&nbsp; 
 
Trapped

<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RJaj39jI-qk" width="560"></iframe>

2017 can easily be called Rajkummar Rao&#39;s year. Not only did the actor get critical appreciation, but also tasted commercial success. With as a many as 5 releases this year, Rao got to showcase his versatility in each of his films. Among those films, Vikramaditya Motwane&#39;s Trapped was perhaps the most different of the lot. It was a tricky film, to begin with- with just one character trapped in a confined space- but Rao performance and a fine screenplay written by Hardik Mehta made Trapped the most unconventional film of the year.&nbsp; 
 
Jagga Jasoos

<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xtm48kJwL1I" width="560"></iframe>

Ranbir Kapoor&#39;s ambitious film had been in the making for a long time and people were sceptical that how relevant would it be when it finally releases. Yet director Anurag Basu made the film thoroughly entertaining. Made like a typical musical- which is a first for Bollywood- Jagga Jasoos was endearing for many reasons. The music, its camerawork, the way the story was narrated and of course Kapoor and Saswata Chatterjee&#39;s performances made the film thoroughly enjoyable. Basu&#39;s tribute of sorts to Satyajit Ray and Herge&#39;s Tintin was lauded by critics but the storytelling method was not taken well by the audience.&nbsp; 
 
Tu Hai Mera Sunday

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Milind Dhaimade&#39;s little film with a big heart was almost overlooked when it released in October. Primarily because the film released on the same day as Saif Ali Khan&#39;s Chef and also because it did not have a big star in it. But word of mouth publicity ensured that the film got more screenings in the coming days and eventually gave Chef a tough fight at the Box Office. Featuring TV heartthrob Barun Sobti, Shahana Goswami and a bunch of theatre and TV actors- Tu Hai Mera Sunday was a story of a motley group in Mumbai looking for space to play football on Sundays. The film, in its own subtle way, highlighted the grave space problem in an ever-growing city like Mumbai. With some endearing performances and breezy narrative- it was a film that a lot of people in the big cities could relate to.&nbsp; 
 
Mukti Bhawan

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A film on death and afterlife should ideally be morbid, no? But director Shubhashish Bhutiani&#39;s film was uplifting and refreshing in more ways than one. A story of a busy son who takes his father to Varanasi as the old man desires to spend his last few days near the ghats, the film was a poignant take on life and the little things we tend to overlook in our daily lives. With superlative performance by Adil Hussain, the film not only dealt with death but also highlighted the importance of celebrating life.&nbsp;

Filmmakers tried to tell newer stories this year and while a lot of these films got appreciated- here is a list of films that did not get its due credit. Presenting the most underrated films of 2017.?

There is no denying that the year 2017 will down in history as the year where newer stories and smaller films took precedence over big-budget formula films. Filmmakers became brave in storytelling in 2017. From illicit romances to erectile dysfunction to falling in love at 40 to a middle-class housewife finding her voice in the most unexpected manner- filmmakers tried to tell newer stories this year. And while a lot of these films got appreciated by critics and masses alike- here is a list of films that did not get its due credit. Presenting the most underrated films of 2017. Haraamkhor: A story of a student falling in love with her teacher would make a lot of people uncomfortable. But filmmaker Shlok Sharma dealt with the story in the most subtle, nuanced manner. Coupled with strong performances by its lead- Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Shweta Triptha-Haraamkhor was a different take on love. Sharma could have gone overboard showing a romance that most deem as scandalous but he broached the topic in a sensitive, mature manner making the film a compelling watch. Anaarkali Of Aarah If Anaarkali of Aarah had released a year back, Aniruddha Roy Choudhary's Pink would have appeared flawed. Journalist turned filmmaker Avinash Das' film spoke about consent, but in a society where the term is almost alien. Centered around Anaarkali whose profession is to sing songs full of sexual innuendoes, the film highlighted the plight of many such women who may sing raunchy songs for a living but are not ready to give sexual favours to men. Anaarkali's battle may have been a lonely one, but it sure resonated with a lot of women across the country and drove home a very important point- that a 'No' means a 'No'. While the film was lauded by the critics, its the audience which overlooked the film. Perhaps because of its look or maybe because it did not have a big name in the star cast- but it was a film that will remain relevant in the times to come. Meri Pyaari Bindu Ayushmann Khurrana had multiple releases this year- making him, along with Rajkummar Rao, the new poster boy of the middle-class. And while people loved him in Shubh Mangal Saavdhan and Bareilly Ki Barfi- his performance in Akshay Roy's Meri Pyaari Bindu almost went unnoticed. Which is unfortunate because of all the three films, Khurrana was absolutely brilliant as Bubla Roy, the wry, angsty novelist in this film. Paired opposite the vivacious Parineeti Chopra, the film took a fairly realistic approach towards modern romances and heartbreaks. With a beautiful soundtrack, Meri Pyaari Bindu was perhaps the most subtle love story of this year with endering performances by not just the lead pair but the entire supporting cast- who are mainly known faces of Bengali film industry. Death In The Gunj Konkona Sen Sharma's film was in English and a bit of Bengali, which is perhaps the reason that the film had less commercial viability. But the actress-filmmaker should be given credit for making a film that will remain relevant for decades to come. At the onset, it looked like a mystery thriller about a death in McCluskiegunj where a family gathers for a vacation- but the story ultimately was so much more than that. The film dealt with how a society perceives masculinity and how we always succumb to stereotypes. It had a superlative cast - each performing their character with absolute ease. More importantly, the film made a lot of people sit up and take notice of a fine actor called Vikrant Massey- who as the central character Shutu - gave one of the best performances this year. Trapped 2017 can easily be called Rajkummar Rao's year. Not only did the actor get critical appreciation, but also tasted commercial success. With as a many as 5 releases this year, Rao got to showcase his versatility in each of his films. Among those films, Vikramaditya Motwane's Trapped was perhaps the most different of the lot. It was a tricky film, to begin with- with just one character trapped in a confined space- but Rao performance and a fine screenplay written by Hardik Mehta made Trapped the most unconventional film of the year. Jagga Jasoos Ranbir Kapoor's ambitious film had been in the making for a long time and people were sceptical that how relevant would it be when it finally releases. Yet director Anurag Basu made the film thoroughly entertaining. Made like a typical musical- which is a first for Bollywood- Jagga Jasoos was endearing for many reasons. The music, its camerawork, the way the story was narrated and of course Kapoor and Saswata Chatterjee's performances made the film thoroughly enjoyable. Basu's tribute of sorts to Satyajit Ray and Herge's Tintin was lauded by critics but the storytelling method was not taken well by the audience. Tu Hai Mera Sunday Milind Dhaimade's little film with a big heart was almost overlooked when it released in October. Primarily because the film released on the same day as Saif Ali Khan's Chef and also because it did not have a big star in it. But word of mouth publicity ensured that the film got more screenings in the coming days and eventually gave Chef a tough fight at the Box Office. Featuring TV heartthrob Barun Sobti, Shahana Goswami and a bunch of theatre and TV actors- Tu Hai Mera Sunday was a story of a motley group in Mumbai looking for space to play football on Sundays. The film, in its own subtle way, highlighted the grave space problem in an ever-growing city like Mumbai. With some endearing performances and breezy narrative- it was a film that a lot of people in the big cities could relate to. Mukti Bhawan A film on death and afterlife should ideally be morbid, no? But director Shubhashish Bhutiani's film was uplifting and refreshing in more ways than one. A story of a busy son who takes his father to Varanasi as the old man desires to spend his last few days near the ghats, the film was a poignant take on life and the little things we tend to overlook in our daily lives. With superlative performance by Adil Hussain, the film not only dealt with death but also highlighted the importance of celebrating life.

Yearender 2017: The most underrated films of this year

Actor-turned-director Konkona Sensharma said though she feels at home in the space of independent cinema, it is difficult for her style of filmmaking to succeed without an alternative marketing strategy. 
 
The 37-year-old filmmaker, who presented her directorial debut A Death in the Gunj&nbsp;at this year&#39;s Dharamshala International Film Festival, said small budget independent films need to work out a viable business model so that they continue to be made in future. 
 
&quot;I think I would be comfortable in this zone. I don&#39;t see myself making something big in that sense. I&#39;d like it to be small. But I&#39;d like it to be worthwhile for the people who are putting so much effort (giving their time to a film like this) at one time. It is after that when you&#39;re going in for distribution and PR that it begins. 
 
&quot;How can you compete with films who have so much budget? And it&#39;s done through songs, that&#39;s the format. You have to come out with a song to reach out to people. So we have to find other ways to advertise a film without songs,&quot; Sensharma said. 
 
She was speaking at &#39;The State of Independents&#39; panel discussion at the sixth edition of DIFF yesterday. The director said she did not expect anyone to finance her film. 
 
Sensharma said she visited a lot of studios to tick them off her list. She said they eventually refused to fund the script, despite appreciating it. 
 
&quot;Even while developing the script, I never thought it will get made because I know the world we live in. We know what gets money what doesn&#39;t. It&#39;s always been like this. I didn&#39;t think anyone will give me money. So that kind of freed me to do whatever I wanted to do. 
 
&quot;Independent is, I guess, alternative kind of content. Filmmaking is a particular space with certain conventions. If you don&#39;t follow that, you don&#39;t get any funding. That it got funds, I guess I got fortunate as it was easy for me to put foot in the doors and get a meeting with producers as I was a well-known actor. So I was privileged to get my film made. I was lucky to come across some people who agreed to give me some money,&quot; she said. 
 
Other directors present on the panel were Bornila Chatterjee, Puloma and Maheen Mirza from Ektara Collective, Rima Das, Pushpendra Singh and Karma Takapa. 
 
The indie filmmakers were in conversation with The Hungry co-screenplay writer Tanaji Dasgupta along with actor Sayani Gupta. 
 
While Das reiterated that she worked on her critically- acclaimed Village Rockstars, which closed the DIFF, all on her own and after having a tough time to find finances, so &quot;with anger within&quot;, she decided to self-fund the movie. 
 
Takapa, who presented his Nepali language film based in Sikkim Ralang Road, said, &quot;I think smaller budgets are easier to control and I would prefer that. For me, the process goes backwards. You don&#39;t write what you can&#39;t afford.&quot; 
 
Maheen said that when one thinks that a film should be independent, it is also necessary that it should belong. 
 
&quot;It has to belong to the people who watch it, irrespective of the audience it is meant for and especially to the people who made it. It&#39;s important for us not to go away from them.&quot; 
Puloma, however, said introducing indie films as low- budget ones is a worrying trend. 
 
Singh, director of Ashwatthama, said he went ahead as he wanted to make a film, irrespective of the baggage that comes with being an FTII graduate. 
 
An award-winning Filipino filmmaker told him that he worked with three-four people who multitask. 
 
&quot;He said he wanted to tell his story, no matter the medium to do that. That really motivated me. I work with smaller crews, who are often amateurs, and within a controlled budget.&quot; 
 
Bornila said the cast and crew of The Hungry&nbsp;were perhaps lucky as they received a grant to make their film.

Konkona Sensharma says it is difficult for her style of filmmaking to succeed without an alternative marketing strategy.

Actor-turned-director Konkona Sensharma said though she feels at home in the space of independent cinema, it is difficult for her style of filmmaking to succeed without an alternative marketing strategy. The 37-year-old filmmaker, who presented her directorial debut A Death in the Gunj at this year's Dharamshala International Film Festival, said small budget independent films need to work out a viable business model so that they continue to be made in future. "I think I would be comfortable in this zone. I don't see myself making something big in that sense. I'd like it to be small. But I'd like it to be worthwhile for the people who are putting so much effort (giving their time to a film like this) at one time. It is after that when you're going in for distribution and PR that it begins. "How can you compete with films who have so much budget? And it's done through songs, that's the format. You have to come out with a song to reach out to people. So we have to find other ways to advertise a film without songs," Sensharma said. She was speaking at 'The State of Independents' panel discussion at the sixth edition of DIFF yesterday. The director said she did not expect anyone to finance her film. Sensharma said she visited a lot of studios to tick them off her list. She said they eventually refused to fund the script, despite appreciating it. "Even while developing the script, I never thought it will get made because I know the world we live in. We know what gets money what doesn't. It's always been like this. I didn't think anyone will give me money. So that kind of freed me to do whatever I wanted to do. "Independent is, I guess, alternative kind of content. Filmmaking is a particular space with certain conventions. If you don't follow that, you don't get any funding. That it got funds, I guess I got fortunate as it was easy for me to put foot in the doors and get a meeting with producers as I was a well-known actor. So I was privileged to get my film made. I was lucky to come across some people who agreed to give me some money," she said. Other directors present on the panel were Bornila Chatterjee, Puloma and Maheen Mirza from Ektara Collective, Rima Das, Pushpendra Singh and Karma Takapa. The indie filmmakers were in conversation with The Hungry co-screenplay writer Tanaji Dasgupta along with actor Sayani Gupta. While Das reiterated that she worked on her critically- acclaimed Village Rockstars, which closed the DIFF, all on her own and after having a tough time to find finances, so "with anger within", she decided to self-fund the movie. Takapa, who presented his Nepali language film based in Sikkim Ralang Road, said, "I think smaller budgets are easier to control and I would prefer that. For me, the process goes backwards. You don't write what you can't afford." Maheen said that when one thinks that a film should be independent, it is also necessary that it should belong. "It has to belong to the people who watch it, irrespective of the audience it is meant for and especially to the people who made it. It's important for us not to go away from them." Puloma, however, said introducing indie films as low- budget ones is a worrying trend. Singh, director of Ashwatthama, said he went ahead as he wanted to make a film, irrespective of the baggage that comes with being an FTII graduate. An award-winning Filipino filmmaker told him that he worked with three-four people who multitask. "He said he wanted to tell his story, no matter the medium to do that. That really motivated me. I work with smaller crews, who are often amateurs, and within a controlled budget." Bornila said the cast and crew of The Hungry were perhaps lucky as they received a grant to make their film.

Konkona Sen Sharma says independent films need viable business model

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Yearender 2017: The most underrated films of this year

Konkona Sen Sharma says independent films need viable business model