Movies to watch on New Year's Eve

As the year draws to a close, it's time to rewind the tapes, sit back with a packet of popcorn and binge on some of the best films of 2018. If a party is not on your mind, and a snuggle fest on the couch is the way you'd like to end the year before running headlong into the new year, here are our picks of movies you should watch as we all brace ourselves for another entertaining year of romance, drama, historial flicks and a lot more biopics.

The Sanjay Leela Bhansali magnum opus, 'Padmaavat' featuring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor must feature on your watch list if you haven't watched it already. The visual masterpiece that was mired in controversy long before and even after its release, is undoubtedly a page in the history books worth revisiting. Apart from Ranveer's menacing act that had all the ladies drooling, the stunning war scenes, captivating visuals and beautiful music compositions made this a complete and fulfilling cinematic experience.

The espionage thriller, ‘Raazi’ directed by Meghna Gulzar and produced by Junglee Pictures and Dharma Productions, saw Alia Bhatt go undercover and become an Indian spy who marries a Pakistani army officer during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. The film that also stared Vicky Kaushal, Soni Razdan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Rajit Kapur and Shishir Sharma in important roles was met with rave reviews and positive response from the audience and critics alike, making ‘Raazi’ one of the best movies of 2018.

Just when everyone thought Bollywood had squeezed the biopic genre dry, Ranbir Kapoor presented his film 'Sanju', where he stepped into the shoes of actor Sanjay Dutt. Although met with stiff criticism for allegedly "whitewashing" Dutt's tainted image, critics lauded Ranbir's performance as one of his best works yet. His stunning metamorphosis into Dutt met with an entertaining and emotional retelling of the actor's tumultuous life, won over the audience and box office.

Drifting away from the starry casts was director Amit Sharma's 'Badhaai Ho', that went on to become the surprise hit of 2018. Starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Surekha Sikri, Neena Gupta, Gajraj Rao and Sanya Malhotra in key roles, this was no ordinary family drama, as it brought to the big screen the unusual topic of a middle-aged couple getting pregnant whilst their eldest son, preps up for his wedding. Presented by Junglee Pictures in association with Chrome Pictures, the film directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma and produced by Vineet Jain, Aleya Sen, Hemant Bhandari and Amit Ravindernath Sharma and co-produced by Priti Shahani, received a terrific opening at the ticket window. The positive word of mouth around the film subsequently helped it generate great box office results and in turn become Ayushmann's first film to reach the Rs 100-crore mark.

The Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor starrer, 'Stree' was a recipe for success, with director Amar Kaushik delving into the horror-comedy genre, something that has not been explored in Bollywood. With enough thrills, chills and humorous scenes to tickle everyone's funny bone, this film garnered all the appreciation and love from the audience and worked wonders at the box office.

The most expensive film in Indian filmmaking history deserves a watch at the year end, don't you think? The Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar starrer, which released amidst much hype and anticipation, hit theatres in November, after a long delay. With state-of-the-art VFX, an interesting storyline and of course, the return of Rajinikanth's loveable character Chitti, this film was a sure-shot hit which went on to become one of the highest grossers of 2018. Directed by S Shankar, the film that is a sequel to the 2010 blockbuster 'Enthiran', marked Akshay’s debut in Tamil cinema. While the film reportedly crossed the Rs 750-crore mark globally, its Hindi version collected over Rs 185 crore.

Ranveer Singh started the year with a bang and closed it with as much gusto with his latest offering 'Simmba'. From playing the menacing Allaudin Khilji to a corrupt cop turning on a new leaf, the star's transition from pure evil to the hero in Khaki uniform had the audience coming back for more. The Rohit Shetty film that also features Sara Ali Khan and Ajay Devgn in a cameo, has provided the audience with enough adrenaline to send them zooming into the new year with a conscious check on their morales.