7 Small Budget Films of 2015 That Made Their Way To Fame

2015 has been a great year for Indian cinema. Small-budget and independent films received not just widespread national attention; but also recognition in international film festivals. Though the Indian audience still has a long way to give these small budget films the appreciation they deserve; this year was definitely a step in the positive direction. Here are some small budget films that made their producers rich.

1. Umrika: Itis an Indian comedy-drama film directed and written by Prashant. It stars Suraj Sharma, Tony Revolori, Smita Tambe, Rajesh Tailang, Pramod Pathak, Adil Hussain Amit Sial, Sauraseni Maitra and Prateik Babbar. The film was premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award.

2. Chauthi Koot: This small budget film was directed by Gurvinder Singh. The film is produced by Kartikeya Narayan Singh. It is screened at many major national and international film festivals. The film dramatizes the tense standoff between Sikh militants and the government authorities in the 1980s.

3. Killa-the Fort: This was also one of the small budget films that got released in the year 2015. The film revolves around an 11-year old boy who has a difficult time to cope with the death of his father as well as making new friends in an unfamiliar place after his mother gets a job transfer. The film was selected for the64th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Crystal Bear by the Children’s Jury in the Generation KPlus Selection.

4. Titli: Yet another great entry in the list of small budget films of 2015. The story is about Titli who is the youngest member of a violent carjacking brotherhood. He wants to escape the ‘family’ business. His struggle to do so is thwarted at each stage by his brothers, who are trying to get him married, so he settles down. But Titli finds an ally in his new wife, who was nurtured in her own frustrated dreams. They form a strange, mutually exploitative pact to break the stranglehold of their family roots. The movie was acknowledged and praised by many Indian audiences.

5. Aligarh: The film is based on the real-life story of Dr Srinivas Ramchandra Siras, who was a professor at the Aligarh Muslim University. He was suspended from his post because he was homosexual. After successfully appealing his suspension, he died in suspicious circumstances. The film premiered at the Busan International Film Festival, where it got standing ovation and had its Indian premiere at the JIO MAMI Film Festival held in Mumbai.

6. Masaan (Fly Away Solo): The list of small budget films of India also consists of Masaan, the much talked about film of 2015. The film won two awards and widespread critical acclaim. It tells two parallel stories—that of Devi, whose reputation is called into question when she is discovered having sex with a man in a hotel room by the police. Deepak, a Dalit corpse-burner, who falls in love with a Brahmin girl. The way it handled the topics of both gender and caste is remarkable, heartbreakingly beautiful.

7. Placebo-Mixed: This documentary is a chilling examination of one of the most competitive institutions in the world—All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Every year, thousands of aspiring doctors apply, but only 0.1% of the applicants can actually get in. Through the interviews of various students for a two-year period, director Kumar reveals that a student is overwhelmed with pressure from parents, faculty, administrators, other students, and themselves.

2015 was a genuinely wonderful year for independent cinema in India, with a variety of small budget films emerging from so many different regions. Let’s hope this trend goes on and gives us more exceptional, real stories in the coming years as a breather from big-budget “masala” entertainers.

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