Dibakar Banerjee birthday special: Exploring filmmaker's highest-rated projects
What's the story
Dibakar Banerjee is the jack of all trades. A director, producer, and writer, he is hailed for his experimental and avant-garde cinematic approach. Not the one to sugarcoat anything, he is known to portray raw, real cinema and his films often deal with brutal truths, however uncomfortable they may be. On his 53rd birthday, let's look at his highest-rated projects as per IMDb.
#1
'Khosla Ka Ghosla!' (IMDb: 8.3/10)
Khosla Ka Ghosla! (2006) stands mighty tall in Banerjee's oeuvre. His debut as a feature film director, the Boman Irani-Anupam Kher starrer masterfully painted a heartfelt picture of a next-door Indian middle-class family. Not only did the film delight audiences due to its relatability quotient, but it also went on to bag the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.
#2
'Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!' (IMDb: 7.7/10)
Its palindromic title is not the only catchy thing about the Abhay Deol-Paresh Rawal starrer Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008). The comedy film is loosely based on the life and times of Devinder Singh alias Bunty, a "super thief" from Delhi's Vikaspuri area. Replicating the critical and commercial success of Khosla Ka Ghosla, it also bagged the National Film Award for Best Popular Film.
#3
'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!' (IMDb: 7.6/10)
Starring late actor Sushant Singh Rajput in the titular role, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (2015) failed to do well at the box office but immediately charmed critics. The mystery-action thriller was an adaptation of Bengali writer Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay's character Byomkesh Bakshi. With this film, Banerjee endeavored to give India its own detective and had also expressed his desire to work on a sequel someday.
#4
'LSD: Love Sex Aur Dhoka' (IMDb: 7.2/10)
Upon its release, LSD: Love Sex Aur Dhokha (2010) was considered a bit "inappropriate" for Indian audiences. It focused on three grave themes—MMS scandal, honor killing, and sting operations. To lace it with a more authentic approach, LSD was shot using Handycam, amateur, underwater, and spy cameras. The anthology drama starred Rajkummar Rao in his debut and Nushrratt Bharuccha in her breakthrough role.
#5
'Shanghai' (IMDb: 7.2/10)
Emraan Hashmi, Abhay Deol, and Kalki Koechlin headlined Shanghai (2012). In addition to being the in-charge behind the lens, Banerjee also co-produced and co-wrote the film. A critics' favorite, it was termed "off-beat," "super-smart," and "a politically astute film." A remake of the 1969 Algerian-French film Z, it won Banerjee the award for best direction at the IRDS Film Awards in 2012.