Leaving behind Thappad and Tanhaji The Unsung Warrior;Panga, winner of Best Film in the first half of 2020.

Not many films were able to see the light of day in theaters during the first six months of 2020 due to the corona virus pandemic, which resulted in a complete lockdown, where theaters across the country still remain shut even after certain other enterprises have resumed. But, among the few that did release and others which made their way directly to OTT platforms, it’s our job to separate the best from the rest. So, according to our #BLBestOf6 poll, which we conduct after the first half of the year, Kangana Ranaut starer Panga, directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, has steamrolled its competition to be declared as the Best Film in the first half of 2020.

The other nominees included Ajay Devgn-Saif Ali Khan starrer Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior directed by debutant Om Raut, Disha Patani-Aditya Roy Kapur-Anil Kapoor-Kunal Kemmu starrer Malang directed by Mohit Suri, Taapsee Pannu starrer Thappad directed by Anubhav Singa, Sanjay Mishra starrer Kaamyaab directed by Hardik Mehta and Amitabh Bachchan-Ayushmann Khurrana starrer Gulabo Sitabo directed by Shoojit Sircar. And among such popular titles, with two of them (Tanhaji and Malang) also being the only Bollywood to emerge successful at the box office, it’s Panga that has been chosen as the Best Film, and that, too, by a mind-boggling 70% of the votes.

Tanhaji comes in at a very distant second with 11% of the votes, followed by Thappad (hitherto 2020’s most critically acclaimed film) and Malang at second and third with 8% and 6% votes. Kaamyaab and Gulabo Sitabo, with the latter choosing the OTT route, languish at the bottom with 3% and 2% of the votes. Panga didn’t work at the box office, but certainly seems to have struck a chord with the audience once it made its way to digital and satellite platforms.