How the Dilwales, PRDPs overshadowed some good Bollywood films in 2015

Bollywood has had a packed year. Audiences were treated to gems like NH10, Masaan and Piku - to name a few - while also being forced to endure atrocities like Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Hate Story 3 and Dilwale.

Films like Talvar, Titli, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Margarita with a Straw have been featured on numerous lists of 'Best Bollywood films of 2015'. But their Box Office collections do not seem to mirror the acclaim - mostly due to a box office clash with better-marketed, glossier films that drew audiences instead. Here's what audiences chose to watch when these films were in theatres.

January

What drew crowds: Akshay Kumar's Baby, a thriller that found favour with, you guessed it, Akshay Kumar fans. And some critics.

What lay forgotten: Rahasya. The first of this year's films based on the double murders of Aarushi Talwar and Hemraj. This Kay Kay Menon, Tisca Chopra starrer, directed by Manish Gupta, won acclaim, but failed to draw much attention from crowds.

February

What drew crowds: One of the best crime thrillers of the year, Varun Dhawan-Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer Badlapur.

What lay forgotten: Badlapur sent the cash register ringing, overshadowing one of the best films of the year - Qissa, a haunting tale of a man and the lengths he will go to to have a son.

Honourable mention: Audiences were spoilt for choice in February, which saw a number of good films, including Ayushmann Khurana, Bhumi Pednekar starrer Dum Laga Ke Haisha.

March

What drew crowds: The Om Puri, Mallika Sherawat film Dirty Politics, which collected over Rs 1.25 crores on its opening day.

What lay forgotten: Debutant director Manu Warrier's Coffee Bloom, a film Rediff called "a reflective and beautifully shot film... a unique coming-of-age story."

April

What drew crowds: Mr X - which collected Rs 13.99 crore in its opening weekend alone.

What lay forgotten: Kalki Koelchin's Margarita With A Straw, which collected close to Rs 4 crore in total.

Honourable mention: Although it doesn't technically count as a Bollywood film, Chaitanya Tamhane's stunning debut, Court, released the same day as Mr X and Margarita With A Straw. Despite its rave international reviews, India's official entry for the Oscars drew only Rs 15 lakhs on its opening.

May

What drew crowds: The Deepika Padukone-Amitabh Bachchan-Irrfan Khan starrer Piku, which opened to Rs 5 crore but saw a steady increase as word of mouth spread about the film.

What lay forgotten: Piku restored our faith in Bollywood as it managed to effortlessly overtake Sunny Leone's Kuch Kuch Locha Hai, which thankfully drew negative reviews and saw empty theatres. How bad could it be, you ask? Watch the trailer to find out. You have been warned.

June

What drew crowds: The heavily-promoted Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor dance caper sequel to the Prabhudeva brand of dance films - ABCD 2.

What lay forgotten: Uvaa. A film that the The Times of India credited with offering a credible solution to fight crime. High praise, had the daily not lamented the film's shoddy execution.

July

What drew crowds: Masaan, which piqued domestic interest after having winning international acclaim.

What lay forgotten: As if Masaan wasn't enough to make a dent on the collections of India's first ever carbon-neutral film Aisa Yeh Jahaan, remember that Salman Khan's mega-blockbuster Bajrangi Bhaijaan was still showing at multiplexes. We feel for you, Aisa Yeh Jahaan team. We really do.

August

What drew crowds: The Akshay Kumar-Siddharth Malhotra film on Mixed Martial Arts, Brothers. The film has been in the news since its announcement last year and reaped the benefits of the Khiladi's massive fan base.

What lay forgotten: The Anant Mahadevan-directorial Gour Hai Dastan, starring a delightful Konkona Sen Sharma, which left much to be desired but made for an interesting watch.

September

What drew crowds: Kapil Sharma cashed in on his popularity to lure audiences to watch his terrible Kis Kis Ko Pyar Karoon - a film about him romancing three women.

What lay forgotten: Time Out. While this Rikhil Bahadur film about a gay teenager in Delhi had a few loose strings, it touched upon a seldom discussed topic.

October

What drew crowds: Singh is Bliing. Because Akshay Kumar. 'Nuff said.

What lay forgotten: Talvar, the much-acclaimed film on the Aarushi-Hemraj double murder - the second of its kind this year.

November

What drew crowds: Because Salman Khan is who he is, the saccharine Prem Ratan Dhan Payo went on to earn Rs 200 crore.

What lay forgotten: All the shiny clothes and sanskaar overshadowed the rather intriguing anthology, X: Past is Present.

December

What drew crowds: Sex for the most. The plotless erotic film Hate Story 3 earned Rs 27 crore in its first three days alone. What was that again about audiences and quality content?

What lay forgotten: Zarine Khan and Daisy Shah pouted, and audiences flocked to watch Hate Story 3 - ignoring Kajarya, a 2013 docu-drama by Madhureeta Anand on female infanticide that was finally released in India this year. Dilwale and Bajirao Mastani released the week after, cementing Kajarya's doomed Box Office run.