2018 has been a year where many claim that content ruled over superstars, though I would not completely agree with that. This is a year where Baaghi 2 and Simmba are also hits and while Salman Khan and Aamir Khan's 2018 releases, Race 3 and Thugs of Hindostan respectively, were actually bad enough. As for Shah Rukh Khan, he is going through one of the worst phases of his career, and with the initial negative frenzy against Zero, the movie underperformed at the box office. Ranveer Singh in Padmaavat, Ranbir Kapoor in Sanju, Shah Rukh Khan in Zero - 15 Best Performances By An Actor in a Leading Role in 2018

But yeah the year belongs to the likes of Sanju, Padmaavat, Stree, Andhadhun, Raazi, Badhaai Ho et al, movies that were less about stars and more about characters and entertainment. We have already covered the best and worst of films in both Hollywood and Bollywood, the finest performances we saw in Hindi cinema last year both male and female. Deepika Padukone in Padmaavat, Alia Bhatt in Raazi, Rani Mukerji in Hichki - Celebrating 15 Best Performances By An Actress in a Leading Role in 2018

Now it is time to talk about some of the best scenes of the year that left an indelible impression in our minds that they keep playing in there on a loop even hours after the movie ended. So here are 15 such scenes from the Hindi films this year, box office status no bar! Also, let's remind you that the post ahead is filled with SPOILERS, so tread cautiously!

Padmaavat

Scene: Ratan Singh Deceives Khilji

Sadly, Shahid Kapoor doesn't get much to impress when you have a Ranveer Singh in a scenery-chewing mode on the other side. However, he is best used in the scene where Raja Ratan Singh and Alauddin Khiji come face to face for the first time, and both engage in mind games. An adamant Khilji insists on seeing Padmavati (Deepika Padukone)'s beauty IRL and outs out veiled threats. An unfazed Ratan Singh, in a rare moment of victory, fools Khilji in making him see a reflection of her that too for a second!

Pad Man

Scene: The Failed Experiment

When Akshay Kumar's Laxmi Chauhan fails to convince any women in his village to try the pads he made, he becomes his own guinea pig. Using animal blood and pumps, he places them inside his clothes over the pad to recreate the menstruation process. To see if his experiment works, he goes off on a cycle stroll across the village only for the blood to leak onto his clothes much to the embarrassment of his family members. It is quite a powerful scene, even though the rest of the film couldn't live up to it.

Raazi

Scene: Sehmat Khan's First Kill

The Kashmiri Sehmat (Alia Bhatt) who is married into a Pakistani army officer's family is a spy for India in disguise. As she leaks secrets to her camp, the family's suspicious help (Arif Zakaria) catches her in the act one night and runs towards the military HQ to reveal his findings. A worried Sehmat chases after him and when she gets the chance, she uses a jeep to run over him and kill him. This is the moment where she actually loses her innocence, and starts the downfall of a character whose spy games destroys the lives around her. Also, Alia is just too good in that scene!

Mercury

Scene: Make Noise and You Will Die

The silent thriller Mercury couldn't get the kind of appreciation that it deserves for its experimentation. There is no lack of thrills in this horror film, especially when a blind undead Prabhu Dheva hunts his mute victims. The director effectively uses silence to create a sense of foreboding doom. Which is evident in a scene where the entity corners two of his victims in a room and they have to silently tiptoe across him to save themselves. The cutting tension not only makes the characters sweat profusely but also the viewers.

Omerta

Scene: The Killing of Daniel Pearl

Omerta may not be the best of what Hansal Mehta has to offer but it has Rajkummar Rao delivering his most menacing performance as the real-life terrorist mastermind  Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh. The final scene of the film deals with Omar hacking away American journalist Daniel Pearl - a deed that got him incarcerated in jail for life. Though the camera doesn't show the bloodshed, the crunching sound design and Rao's expressions make us imagine the worst!

October

Scene: The final farewell

During the last conversation with Shiuli's mother at her quarters before she leaves, she confines her wish not to leave the Shiuli plant alone. Varun takes a pause sitting at the verandah and looks at the fallen Shiuli flowers. After 10 seconds he says, "Main le jaunga...Dont'worry. (I will take it along...Dont'worry)." Though the scene is not very loud in what it wants to portray, it saysa lot in its subtle undercurrent of emotions. It simply says  that a loved one could get detached (here Shiuli flower), but its essence (feelings) stays forever in the heart.

Sanju

Scene: Listening to Nargis' Taped Conversation

Sanju may be an exercise in emotional manipulation but Rajkumar Hirani and writer Abhijat Joshi have embedded some fine moments in the film. My personal favourite is that scene in the first half where Dutt (Ranbir Kapoor) runs away from his rehab to his friend's (Vicky Kaushal) house where he, surprisingly, finds his father Sunil Dutt (Paresh Rawal). As they sit across the table, a patient Sunil Dutt makes his son listen to a taped conversation of his mother Nargis (Manisha Koirala), before she passed away, that emotionally pinches Sanju. The clincher is the moment when Nargis in the tape asks for a glass of water, and Sunil Dutt immediately stands up with a glass only to sadly realise that it is of no use. Everything about this scene is terrific, from the acting to the writing and direction.

Laila Majnu

Scene: "Hafiz Hafiz" Song Sequence

I have written so much about Laila Majnu being one of the most underrated gems in my previous features. A modern spin to the classic folklore story of two doomed lovers, Laila Majnu benefits a lot from the picturesque locales of Kasmir and the lead performances, especially Avinash Tiwary. The highlight of both the film and his acting is the "Hafiz Hafiz" song sequence that delves into Majnu's gradual ascension into insanity over the fear of losing his love. If you don't get goosebumps by the end of this song, then you have never fallen in love!

Manmarziyaan

Scene: The Eloping Scene

Manmarziyaan's premise may be too inspired by Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, but the movie is more about moments and characters rather than a story. The characters feel so real, especially that of the rebellious Rumi (Taapsee Pannu) and aimless wannabe rapper Vicky (Vicky Kaushal). Their romance, with all its physicality, feels so real which is very evident in the scene where Rumi urges Vicky to elope with her. Mid-way of their running away, she gets her Moment of Truth when she finds out that Vicky has no clue about how to plan their life ahead, thereby doubting whether he is even the right man to marry. The whole sequence is light in nature but offers some stark truths about love and life.

Love Sonia

Scene: Pimping Out For a Half-lit Cigarette

I may have added this in the best scenes of the year, but, in fact, this is the most disturbing, affecting sequence in a film that is already an uneasy watch. After allowing Sonia (Taapsee Pannu) to meet her drugged out sister, the dastardly Faizal (Manoj Bajpayee) in whose brothels both sisters are trapped in, allows a total stranger to rape Sonia, just for a puff of a cigarette. The scene was never about his nicotine addiction but it was about his vindictive attitude to the girls under his roof whom he sees nothing more than a pound of flesh to be exploited. Thus, making Faizal one of the most chilling villains to be seen in a movie, more so because his cruelty feels so real.

Manto

Scene: 'Thanda Ghosth' story

Nandita Das' take on the controversial author late Saddat Hassan Manto is an interesting take on the censorship imposed on the works of arts. Some of Manto's short stories are also recreated in the film that reflects the author's state of mind then while also giving some of the best cameos of the year.  The recreation of his most controversial story, Thanda Ghosth (Cold Flesh) is also the best scene in the film, a premise that deals with the horrors of partition, including rape and accidental necrophilia. The segment also features some fine work from actors Divya Dutta and Ranvir Shorey.

Andhadhun

Scene: Covering A Murder With A 'Blind' Man in Room

I am sure the moment you actually fell in love with AndhaDhun is that one incredible scene when a pretending-to-be-blind Akash (Ayushmann Khurrana) is invited by yesteryear actor Pramod Sinha (Anil Dhawan) to play the piano for him and his wife Simi (Tabu) for their anniversary. When he reaches the flat, a reluctant Simi lets him in and he finds out that she and her lover (Manav Vij) are trying to dispose of the dead body of her husband. Since he is acting blind, Akash continues to play the piano as if nothing is happening, while Simi tries to enact as if her husband is still alive. Easily the most hilarious, dark and WTF scene of the year!

Tumbbad

Scene: Hastar's Intro

From the start of this excellent masterpiece, we keep hearing about the legend of Hastar, the forsaken firstborn of Mother Nature, banished to live in her womb with a pouch of never-ending gold around his groin. A greedy, obsessed Vinayak (Sohum Shah) manages to get the gold, but we never see how he does it. It's only when his doomed friend Raghav (Deepak Damle) follows him to the ruins on the ancestral that we find out to what extremes Vinayak goes to get the gold. And giving us the first proper, terrifying glimpse of Hastar himself, though Raghav doesn't live long to tell that tale.

Badhaai Ho

Scene: Welcoming the Baby

Badhaai Ho is an extremely delightful movie with a heartwarming premise and terrific performances of this cast. I was almost tempted to put Daadi's (Surekha Sikri) clap-worthy rant against her daughters in support of her pregnant daughter-in-law. But for me, the best scene remains the climax where the family sees the first glimpse of the baby. The scene doesn't involve any dialogue, only soft music and the loving expressions of the family members as they welcome the new addition in their family.

Zero

Scene: Babita Pushing Bauua Out of Her House

Zero may have suffered from widely divisive opinions, but one thing everyone agreed upon is how terrific Katrina Kaif was in the movie. The highlight of both Katrina and Shah Rukh Khan's performances in the film is when Babita Kumari drags an unruly Bauua out of her party and the building. Bauua keeps insisting that she insult him more and she obliges by throwing one taunt after another, as the shoving becomes almost intimate. It is then we realise that this altercation was a silent pact between the two so that Bauua can truly go where his heart really belongs and not with whom he was obsessed.

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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 31, 2018 06:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).