We are nearing the end of yet another year, and as is the norm at this time of the year, its the time to pen down the list of the BESTS and WORSTS of the year. So, why would Bollywood be left behind???? Below are my choices for the TOP 10 BOLLYWOOD films for the year.
But, before jumping into the list, I must say this has been a really difficult list to come up with. No, Its not because I had the problem of plenty. In fact, the reason is that it has been an abysmal year for Bollywood. There has been only a handful of films which would be etched in the memory of the viewers by the end of the year, and maybe only a couple which would be remembered even 5 years down the line. The gap between ECONOMICS and CREATIVITY kept on increasing as was the case last year. Many of the highly anticipated films were utter disappointment (BANG BANG being a major culprit) , and the 200 Crore club kept on growing (Though the lukewarm response to JAI HO and ACTION JACKSON was a welcome relief, if only temporary).
But all is not lost. There is always a silver lining and there were things to cheer about as well. The greatest among them being probably the rise of Alia Bhatt. She completely turned around her image- from a Dumb Plastic girl to a woman with elegance and maturity. It was shockingly pleasant. She gave 3 of the greatest leading performances of this year and a YOUTUBE VIDEO which was the ultimate icing on the cake. Other than that, some smaller films prevailed among the numerous big budget mess which were offered to us week after week. And right at the end of the year, Anurag Kashyap proved to us once again why he is regarded so highly by fans like us. So, let me dive into the list without further delay......
10. FILMISTAAN
Majority of this vast country called India is united by two things - Cricket and Cinema . Many of us call ourselves film buffs, but have we really infected our heart and soul with the film bug? Filmistaan is the story of one such guy - Sharib Hashmi as Sunny. His only lifeline at the face of a major adversity is his love for movies and his friendship with a salesman of Pirated DVDs .At its core, Filmistaan is a heartwarming story of how films bind two warring nations India & Pakistan. It has some funny as well as heartwarming moments which explore the sentiments of the people of both the nations well. There are numerous well acted and genuinely hilarious moments and Sharib Hashmi gives a stellar and utterly grounded performance. Go and watch this movie before it is forgotten with time.
9. MARDAANI
It is always good to see one of your favorite actors to come back after a while, and it is even more satisfying if the comeback film is a good one. I have been a fan of Rani Mukherjee , and to see her give a strong and raw performance as inspector Shivani Shivaji Rao in Mardaani was welcome relief . It was special on two counts - one being the thought that AIYAA was really an aberration and secondly that she has still got the acting chops to carry out a very different role than what she has usually been portrayed on screen. The film itself was a gritty one handling the topic of girl trafficking via a well scripted screenplay which played out as an edge of the seat thriller. A special must be made for the chief antagonist - Tahir Raj Bhasin - who did a wonderful job.
8. MARY KOM
After the success of BHAG MILKHA BHAG last year, we were presented with yet another biopic this year. This time it was the turn of the story of the famous puglist Mary Kom to grace the silver screen. There was a lot of Buzz about Priyanka Chopra playing the titular character and the hard work she has put in for the role. At the end of the day, it must be said that she did justice to the character and gave a strong performance. As for the film, its nothing spectacular, but certainly motivating and better edited than its counterpart last year. The songs are good and one of the few films this year which sort of lived up its hype preceding its release.
7. 2 STATES
We all appreciate what Chetan Bhagat has done in the literary world of Indian fiction. It can be argued that his stories are rather a hit or a miss nowadays, but there is no denying the fact that 2 States is one of his finest novels and it was semi autobiographical too. So, it was natural that sooner rather than later, this would be made into a movie. The result is the wonderful film which truly keeps true to the book and is helped with fine acting from all involved and specially Alia Bhatt who had already proved her talent by then with HIGHWAY. This is a complete masala movie with wonderful light hearted moments and touching bits all aided by some wonderful songs and the narrative style of the movie.
6. HUMPTY SHARMA KI DULHANIYA
This one was a surprise for me. The trailer of this movie was not too exciting and I was still reeling from the acting of Varun Dhawan in MAIN TERA HERO. To top it all, it was projected as a new take on DDLJ which was sort of blasphemous in its own way. But, it turned out to be fun. The story was DDLJ , but there was so much more to it. Varun Dhawn proved that he can be great comedic actor if given a right script. And we got to see Ashutosh Rana after a long time giving a stellar performance. He could have been the only one to step into the shoes of Amrish Puri, it seems. I know many of you reading this would not agree with this choice, but this movie was a fun ride which I was glad I took.
5. UGLY
There is a reason some of us wait eagerly for the next film by Anurag Kashyap. He is a master of the dark tales. He makes us realize that there are two sides of every human being and it is important to showcase the Black and the Grey shades of our species. The result when put to film may not be pleasant viewing, but is necessary nevertheless. The plot of Ugly is very run of the mill to start with. A young girl goes missing and we are left guessing who is the culprit. But this is a study in human psychology and deceit. it is about how far can our ego take us - for better or for worse. It comes to a point where the missing girl is just a background for all the shockingly ugly characters to show their true color. This is not a film for everyone, but true film lovers would find the gem in this piece.
4. QUEEN
Another one of the surprise hits of the year. Who would have thought that a film with Kangana Ranaut as the main lead would garner such critical and box office success. We knew she could act, but she went a step further with Queen. Her portrayal of the simple Punjabi girl Rani would strike a chord in the viewers heart right from the start. It is wonderful how we discover things we can achieve when placed in an alien situation.This is a story of self discovery and realization of dreams. Its fun to go on a journey with Rani where we don't know what would she do next We all cheer at her triumphs and feel sad at her loss. Wonderfully simple tale told in a superb way. And if you are not yet satisfied, it helps that it also has the amazingly hot Lisa Haydon appearing in a sizzling cameo
3. HAIDER
Vishal Bhardwaj can do no wrong when adapting the work of the Bard. This time he has taken on Hamlet, and his choice of Kashmir as the backdrop was a stroke of pure genius. While not as fast paced as his other adaptations Maqbool or Omkara, this one is probably his most nuanced film which tries to study the multi dimensional and unpredictable character of Hamlet through the portrayal of the titular character played by Shahid Kapoor who gives a restrained performance.Haider not only serves as a decent adaptation of Hamlet, but it also proves to be a powerful socio-political commentary on Kashmir of the 1990s. Also, it was great to see Tabu in a role tailor made for her and her awesome acting which was certainly one of the high points of this film.
2. HIGHWAY
Not many of us knew what Stockholm Syndrome was before this film. Not many of us knew Alia Bhatt would turn around her career with such elan with this film. Not many of us knew that our country can look so beautiful in film.Kudos to Imtiaz Ali for bringing us this tale of love and self discovery as experienced by Veera and Mahabir played by Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda respectively. These two find love in the most unlikeliest of places and most unexpected situation. Imtiaz Ali once again excels in his knack of presenting us with a different kind of love story and this film has been one of the standout movie of the year based purely on its script. It was so rewarding to take the journey on this Highway.
1. PK
As I stated earlier, this list was hard to compile due to the poor qualities of film churned out this year. Thus, it is a no brainer that PK is the number one film of the year. But having said that, I can not honestly say that this was a great movie. Aamir Khan was outstanding in the film and his depiction of PK was nothing short of brilliant. It further re - iterated\the thought in my mind that he signed Dhoom 3 in a state of intoxication and it was just a small blot in his CV. But the movie had very less to offer other than him. Surely it is a fun watch, but we kind of expect so much more from the collaboration of Aamir khan and Raj Kumar Hirani. It did not help that we had already watched and enjoyed OMG last year which tackled the same theme and in a much smarter way. So while PK is surely head and shoulders above the films released this year, it just about sums up the tragedy that was 2014 for Bollywood.
