Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Singham Again, to Crack - 10 worst movies of 2024

The world of cinema is tricky and random because no one clearly has control over it. No one knows what formula works; no one knows which is tested. Sometimes the ones that are proven strong turn out to be abysmally bad, and very rarely, something that is never tried is suddenly the flavour of the season. Over the past 12 months, we have seen a range of movies released, but the theme of the year was clearly nostalgia and machismo worshipping. That aside, there were some very good films too. But what will tell you the worth of the good ones more? The bad ones. 2024 has been peppered with some of the most astonishingly badly made films, like every year, and it seems like there is no way we are safe from these.

There was propaganda that was visible without any layer of hesitation, a movie that looked at the world of reality gaming with the most bizarre lens. A filmmaker who has given some of the most prolific stories strangely went very wrong with a sequel to one of his most interesting films. So very clearly, 2024 was very dramatic when it came to films that did not drive the point home and ended up being really pointless beyond a point. So today, as we list down 10 films that did not work for us, let this also be the list about how not to make a film.

(PS: The films and shows are mentioned in the order of release month and not liking.)

Crakk

Vidyut Jammwal stars in a movie where he is a rogue guy pulled into a game that is a dangerous reality show. Think of Squid Game, but made by a rookie filmmaker who is trying to act cool by showing an influencer who wears the most uncomfortable clothes to vlog right between these deadly stunts. Logic takes a back seat as the world watches the live stream of an ‘illegal’ reality show, even the police, but no one complains or takes action.

Bastar: The Naxal Story

The troop of telling stories from a manipulative gaze and voice found momentum in the last couple of years, and it still continues. While some worked, some suffered the fate of Bastar: The Naxal Story, a movie so outright propaganda that you need no political genius to decode it. Sheerly made for shock value and no gist of storytelling, this is a movie that does more disservice to the cause than profit because the audience might be momentarily blind, but they are not fools. Someday this facade will break.

Bade Miyan Chote Miyan

A complete misfire from all directions, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan never rises above the one-tone idea it starts with, even as someone has invested a monstrous amount in it. One of the most expensive films of the year, this Akshay Kumar starrer is bizarre in all possible ways. No storyline makes sense, the weird sci-fi obsession feels comical, and nothing really connects well to become one. There are stereotypes peppered throughout, and this is far from an Ali Abbas Zafar brand of cinema.

Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan almost played a Gangster in a Martin Scorsese movie opposite Leonardo DiCaprio - Di d you know?

Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2

I would have never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever name a Dibakar Banerjee directorial in this list. Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2, which is a sequel to the first LSD, tells the story in a similar blueprint with multiple storylines meeting their end regardless of positive or negative. The sequel did not feel like an informed and researched telling of a story, but more like a desperate, half-educated attempt at exploring some of the most complex themes from society. The movie does no good to anyone involved.

Ruslaan

I wish the makers had taken at least as much effort in shaping this film as someone took in defining it on IMDb. That description makes the Aayush Sharma starrer look like it is a John Wick equivalent for India. But it turns out that is not the case. It is multiple reels of Aayush Sharma taking his shirt off, walking in slow motion, and saying the most boring dialogues compiled to make a movie.

Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video

Raaj Shaandilyaa made the most controversial movie of the second half of 2024, and it turns out there was literally nothing in the movie to support the buzz around. Labelled regressive and stuck back in time, the film has nothing to offer even when it tries hard. A convoluted mix of ’90s humour and the desperation to be woke kills the entire vibe this one tries to create. Add to it there is a Stree reference that does even more harm.

Do Patti

Kanika Dhillon had two releases this year, and both in the race to be the worst. Do Patti has to be the most clueless movie of the year that pretends to be clever but is highly predictable from the word go. It is just Kriti and her good acting that works in the movie, and nothing else is even convinced to make it better. Do Patti has nothing fresh to offer and neither does the stereotypical job well.

Naam

A film that released two decades after it was made, makers of Naam thought they would mileage on Anees Bazmee’s latest success and Ajay Devgn’s relevance. But who is going to talk about the relevance of the movie? Naam doesn't even give us the room to give it the benefit of the doubt that it was made twenty years ago. It is bad even by the then standards. Ajay Devgn literally loses his memory by getting shot in the back. He realises he has no memories of his past, hugs his doctor, and gets married to her in five minutes. The rest is a mess no one would want to decode.

Singham Again

Rohit Shetty decided now is the right time to create an Endgame-equivalent to his cop universe because franchise films are working. He brought everyone he could and made the most bizarre spoon-feeding mess he has ever created. Everything is too dramatic, nothing makes sense, and people act like they are in a school play, making this movie the most irrelevant watch in the entire cop universe saga.

Bhaiyya Ji

Yes, there is a Manoj Bajpayee film on the list too this time around. Apoorva and Manoj made Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai and then thought, how do we now ruin the good momentum we have generated? They made a film that is so weird that it tries to build a Mirzapur with the heart of Gangs Of Wasseypur, but turns into nothing but the most unnecessary duplicate of both. The movie is so weakly edged and paper-thin that nothing at all lands well.

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Also read: Singham Again Review: Logic on vacation, brakes fail as Ranveer Singh plays life support to this fading cop drama