BOLLYWOOD'S BEST:2008

2008  has finally come to an end and 2009 is officially here. And so as it happens with each new year-we welcome it with open arms hoping for better times and analyzing the previous that just went by. Bollywood is no different. Its not been a great year by any means-at best its been average whether you take the box office receipts into account or the qualities of the movie themselves. Yet-despite the bad times, there have been some gems which stood out in a year where Bollywood at times seemed to have reached a new low. And though not all of these movies will be remembered even 6 months from now...yet taking the year into account, these were the movies which did at least make us smile although most of them left us with the feeling that perhaps there could have been something more there. And so-I bring my own list of the top 10 movies of this year influenced neither by box-office receipts nor critical acclaim but just by how much I enjoyed them. So here we go:

10. SINGH IS KINNG:

Yes-this was a masala movie. Yes-this was perhaps as brainlessly harrowing as Bollywood can get. Yes-the script was inane and with with loopholes. Yes-the director seemed to have lost complete track of the plot mid-way through the movie. Yes-the screenplay seemed to be all over the place. But to all this not so wrong accusations hurled at perhaps the most brainless movie of the year, there is only one answer: Akshay Kumar. Lets face it-this man oozes the screen presence like perhaps no star before him has. Shahrukh, Aamir and Hrithik may be more celebrated actors-but if there is one man in bollywood who oozes the presence and charisma of a star right now-then its Akshay Kumar. And simply by his presence-this horribly mediocre movie becomes perhaps one of the most entertaining and celebrated hits of this year. Singh is Kinng was all about what a superstar Akshay Kumar is and believe me, I wasn't complaining one bit.

9. SORRY BHAI:

If only Chitrangda Singh acted the way she had in Hazaro Khwaishein Aisi and Onir knew how to execute a climax. Then this movie could have been so much more. Yet-as it stands, we got a movie which despite its obvious flaws, managed to make us smile more than once through its easy on the eye narrative. There were no loud ha-ha moments in this romantic comedy, nor any scenes which really made us feel for the characters but backed by a superb performance from Shabana Azmi (which remains the strongest female performance of the year by a mile), and a light hearted script, Onir managed to make a movie that we didn't actually mind sitting through. In a year which saw the release of Love Story 2050 and Kidnap, Sorry Bhai isn't really anything to complain about. 

8. RAB NE BANA DI JODI:

If only Raj wasn't back. Raj has been the staple diet of Shahrukh Khan ever since Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge released, so much so that the actor himself claimed that he now sleep walks through these romantic roles. And in Rab Ne...it actually shows. As Raj, SRK seems to be wondering why is he playing the same role for the umpteenth time and the audience seems to wonder the same. It's time to let go of Raj. We loved him in DDLJ, adored him in Kuch Kuch Hota hai(as Rahul), cried with him in Kal Ho Naa Ho(as Aman) and somehow managed to smile with him in Dil To Pagal Hai, Chalte Chalte and Main Hoo Naa-but Raj I believe has used up his shelf-life and its time to move on. 

And embrace Surinder Sahni, a character so deliquently charming that its a wonder how the leading lady actually manages to fall for Raj instead of him. SRK as Surinder Sahni is an actor born again, pushing the envelope constantly as a middle-class moustached hero but as Raj, he somehow seems ill at ease wondering when can he get back to being Surinder Sahni. Thank God that Surinder Sahni wins in the end. And so does Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, which despite gyrating on the nerves at times(especially in the last 30 minutes), turns out to be quite an entertainer. Thank Surinder Sahni for that. 

7. TASHAN:

 

To those who are wondering what on earth is Tashan doing in the top movies of the year list I would suggest them that for once enter a cinema hall without listening to the critics and forming pre-concieved opinions about a particualr film and then tell me how the movie was. Perhaps then you may think differently. It has been one of the mose panned movies of the year and in these bad times for Yash Raj Films, Tashan has often been touted as its lowest point. I definitely disagree.

Tashan to me is a glorious celebration of a bygone era which though most people are happy that it won't return yet wish that they were there to actually enjoy those times. It's a movie that makes no bones about what it actually is-a masala movie right down to Kareena Kapoor's two piece act and every scene is there not to reach cinematic heights but to simply entertain. And it works. It has an over the top villain, a femme fatale who is hiding more than she is showing(yes-including that bikini), and a hero who lives a normal life but finds himself in abnormal circumstances. And all this centred around one of the most gloriously towering acts in a long long time-Akshay Kumar as Bachchan Pandey. The movie works on most levels but it is Akshay Kumar's act which brings Tashan to the 7th position in this list. Completely outshining his co-stars, he once and for all proves that who really is the 'Kinng' of Bollywood. More power to Akshay Kumar. Watch Tashan just to enjoy the most entertaining performance of this year. And beleive me, you won't be disappointed.

6.Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!:

If you don't fall in love with this movie, then you are definitely not human. Powered by the best screen play of the year-Oye Lucky takes you throught a journey of a thief who is almost as loveable as a poodle. Or perhaps even more. I can't remember a more loveable protagonist than Lucky and Abhay Deol gives a performance which won't be forgotten for a long time. It is a movie that livens you up, makes you smile and once you walk out of the theatre-you feel alive. It makes you wonder that if only there were more directors like Dibankar Banerjee in this industry. Bollywood would be a much happier place. Do yourself a favour-go watch Oye Lucky Lucky Oye Now. And you will realise just how good Hindi cinema can actually be if it doesn't take itself so seriously. This one is just pure magic-and I mean it!

5. AAMIR

Kaun bolta hai ke ek phone call aapki zindagi nahi badal sakta? Creepy, real creepy. And the movie even more so. But once you step inside the cinema hall and those lights dim, there is no escaping from Aamir and his issue. Its a movie which plays on your minds as much as it plays on its protagonists' and almost every frame makes you think-what next? We haven't had a movie do that to us in a long long time. Mumbai has never been shown as it is in Aamir-the city almost playing the second lead to Rajeev Khandelwal. And ladies and gentlemen-despite the more popular acts by Imran Khan and Farhan Akthar-here truly is the best debutante of the year. Rajeev Khandelwal oozes simplicity and fear in his role of a man torn between protecting his family or bowing down to terrorism and quite simply-Rajeev Khandelwal is Aamir. Despite its brilliant screenplay and direction, Aamir relies heavily on Rajeev Khandelwal and occupying almost every frame of the movie, he doesn't disappoint one bit. In a year full of disappointments-Aamir shown as a beacon and introduced us to a director and an actor to watch out for. A must watch!

4. A WEDNESDAY:

This year saw quite a few directors try and have their take on terrorism and though most succeeded-none of them really succeeded like A Wednesday. The most powerful movie of the year-what was so wonderful about it was a plot which almost seemed implausible at times but by the time the director played out his final cards-you had fallen hook, line and sinker for it. Naseruddin Shah is a genius is a fact that no one can argue against but what he does here is simply stupednous and compeltely beyond the capability of a normal human being. Playing the nameless common man, he is the heart and soul of A Wednesday and is an act which deserves all the awards it can get yet unfortunately in most likelihood will remain ignored. Not to forget Anupam Kher-an actor who is in the same league as the aforementioned genius yet is never counted as one. Well-this movie was a reminder of what a completely brilliant actor Anupam Kher is and how for so long we have been completely under utlizing him. For genuiness sake I hope Anupam Kher atleast wins the best supporting actor award for if he doesn't-it would just show how hollow Bollywood really is. Stand up and clap ladies and gentlemen-because this movie and its two absolutely brillilant lead performances-deserves nothing else. 

3. JAANE TU YAA JAANE NAA:

The most hippiest, zanniest and charming movie of the year and its worth every penny you spend on it. There is nothing more I can mention than I have already mentioned in my review and 6 months after its release-I am still completely in love with it as I was when I saw it the first time. A completely ordinary story made simply extra-ordinary by its narration, pitch perfect casting, refreshing performances by its two central characters, brilliant music(Kabhi Kabhi Aditi is probably the song of the year) and a certain Pappu. Imran Khan came out as a revelation and Genelia D'souza was wonderfully charming in a movie that relied completely on the feel-good factor. And feel good we did. Abbas Tyrewaala makes the best directorial debut in commercial cinema since Aditya Chopra did with DDLJ and here's hoping that we don't ever see him go down the Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi way. And I am still madly and completely in love and smitten by Meow. Genelia D'Souza really deserves all the best actress awards she can gather this year.

2. ROCK ON

Many have called it Dil Chahta Hai part 2 and though it never really manages to reach the heights that DCH does, it remains pretty close throught out. And that really is achievement enough. You couldn't have expected much from a movie starring a director trying his luck in acting(Farhan Akhtar) and an actor who had never really managed to do anything much to inspire hope this time around(Arjun Rampal) and directed by someone who had given us the completely abysmal Aryan(Aryan who? Don't blame yourself! You ain't the only one). And Rock On turned out to be such a pleasant surprise that we celebrated the fact that we had got it completely wrong. Heck-if we got a Rock On every week, we wouldn't mind being proved wrong again and again. It's a movie with so much of panache in it that you can't help but revel in the glory of Magik-the band that Rock on is all about. As Arjun Rampal makes by now that famous entrance with the long open hair and a Kurt Cobain inspired moustache in the climax-you are singing Sindbad The sailor along with the cast. This one really is Magik. In every sense of the word. Rock on indeed!!

1. GHAJINI:

Sue me if you want but I still maintain that Ghajini is undoubtedly the movie of the year. Many of you won't agree with me and many may even say I am biased because I am an unabashed fan of Aamir Khan-and though it maybe true I maintain that I found Ghajini as the best movie of the year from the heart. Nothing moved me this year like Ghajini did. I have watched it 3 times on the big screen now and my deceision remains unchanged.

It's a movie not to be seen with the eyes of cynicism or perhaps even practicality-but purely as the magic of commercial cinema. It may not be the most flawless plot you will find but it definitely remains the most flawless movie of the year which for its running time of 3 hours 4 minutes never once lets go of you once you have watched Aamir Khan's introduction scene. Then tension is numbly gripping in the action sequences and the flash back has one of the most refeshing romantic tracks in ages. The direction is top-notch and if you have scene the death scene of Asin then you will know what I mean. It is by far the most perfect scene of the year-everything ranging from the tension in the house to the direction and the acting by every one of the characters involved in that scene is purely flawless. Its the scene that shapes up the movie and takes us on the ride of 90 minutes of brutality and A R Murgadoss does absolutely no wrong here. Way after the movie is over, you can still feel the after effects of not just the movie itself but that one scene which changes Sanjay Singhani's life forever. It is a scene that stays with you way beyond the movie's end.

Yet-the one reason why Ghajini should never be missed is Aamir Khan. Here is an actor who for some time now has been giving us movies more for the mind than the heart but for once he decides to let his hair down and what a performance it is. His rage is almost palpable, his intensity never letting you go once as he beats down any one he can find even when there seems to be no reason. His Sanjay Singhania almost preys on animal-like instinct, his first reaction is to destroy anything that he finds unfamiliar and hence a danger to himself. It is a performance of a lifetime-the likes of which will probabaly never be seen by a Bollywood star ever again. Shahrukh, Akshay and Hrithik can only hope to reach the performance of this scale and magnitude-in fact they would be lucky if one of their performances was taken in the same breath as this. Quite simply-this is the best movie of the year backed by the strongest performance by a Bollywood star since Amitabh Bachchan in Deewar. Yes, that's right-Amitabh Bachchan in Deewar. And I ain't kidding!!