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Will 2008 be remembered as the year of Bollywood? While Jodha Akbar and Aamir received rave critical reviews, the past six months have also produced some unforgettable duds.
Think over-hyped Tashan or the star-studded Sarkar Raj. tabloid!’s Bollywood buff Abdulla Mahmoud reviews the highs and lows of the Bollywood box office so far.
Best Films
1. Jodha Akbar: This magnum opus directed by Oscar Award Nominee Ashutosh Gowariker starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan reinforced the reputation of these talented stars as to why they are considered one of the best in the business.
The film was a magnificent cinematic experience that was not only a visual treat but also appealed to the mind and soul. Indeed a Bollywood that will be remembered.
2. Aamir: This film released in Indian cinema with literally zilch pre-release buzz but the film caught on like a wildfire simply because of terrific word-of-mouth reaffirming that content is king.
The film is one of the best Bollywood thrillers ever, tackling the subject of extremism and terrorism. Debutant director Rajkumar Gupta grabs you with his feverishly-paced narration that shakes you up by the time the film gets over.
This film unfortunately didn’t get theatrical release in UAE but it needs to be definitely caught on DVD shortly.
3. Race: This slick, multi-starrer blockbuster worked because of its riveting twists and turns in the storyline that had the audience guessing till the climax.
Race boasted of top-notch production values, eye-candy stars, great music and edge-of-the-seat thrilling moments that were packaged very well in this non-stop entertainer.
4. Mithiya: A small film starring the highly talented Ranvir Shorey was a total delight, thanks to its dark humour. The film was an ironic take on Mumbai’s underworld and it had a great supporting cast in the form of Naseeruddin Shah, Vinay Pathak and Saurabh Shukla.
5. U Me Aur Hum: Ajay Devgan’s directorial debut tackles the difficult subject of Alzheimer’s Disease that portrays his wife Kajol suffering this incurable illness.
Devgan’s sensitive direction left a powerful impact on viewers with a number of well-executed and heart-wrenching sequences.
Best Actors
1. Hrithik Roshan (Jodha Akbar): Roshan was awesome as Akbar. The scene where Roshan gets an epiphany and joins the Sufi dancers in trance during the Khwaja track left a mesmerising effect.
2. Rajeev Khandelwal (Aamir): TV actor turned Bollywood actor Khadelwal surprises you with an arresting performance. It is his nerve-wrecking act that holds Aamir together.
3. Ranvir Shorey (Mithiya): Shorey is one helluva of a brilliant actor and the way he pulls off a role of a don suffering amnesia in Mithiya is amazing leaving a bitter-sweet impact on us.
Shorey’s impeccable comic-timing makes him simply irresistible and probably Riteish Deshmukh’s hilarious act from De Taali comes close to his comic sequences.
4. Akshay Kumar (Tashan): Kumar was one of the best things of the disastrous Tashan. He simply rocked as Bachchan Pandey, the muscle man from the heartland of India.
5. Emraan Hashemi (Jannat): Hashemi is usually dismissed as non-actor who can only indulge in onscreen smooches but with Jannat he proves that he can carry a film with his performance.
Best Actress
1. Kajol (U Me Aur Hum): Kajol delivered a bravura performance in the complex role of a young woman suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
2. Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan (Jodha Akbar): Rai compliments her beauty with a brilliant performance in Jodha Akbar that is usually evaded in most of her films. She shares an electrifying chemistry with Roshan in the film.
3. Shefali Shah (Black & White): Shah is one of the most under-rated actresses and she once again pitches a fiery performance in Black & White that cannot be ignored.
4. Ayesha Takia (De Taali): Takia gets in form with her performance in De Taali after some lacklustre performances in previous flicks.
5. Minissha Lamba (Shaurya): Lamba breathes fire in the role of a war journalist but deserved more meat to her character.
Worst Actor
1. Suniel Shetty (Mr Black Mr White): Shetty’s decline as a lead hero can be exemplified with the role in this film where he plays a village bumpkin. Shetty is better off producing films running his chain of boutiques.
2. Upen Patel (One Two Three): Patel simply cant act. He is better suited showing off his well-toned body as he doesn’t have much else to offer.
3. Saif Ali Khan (Tashan/Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic): Khan plays a cool dude for the umpteenth time and that’s why he was lost in Tashan or maybe he was too preoccupied with Kareena Kapoor’s lime green bikini sequence. As far as Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic, he was simply humdrum.
4. Ajay Devgan (Sunday): Somebody needs to tell Devgan that he doesn’t look cute or appealing in typical romantic comic scenes.
5. Tushar Kapoor (One Two Three): Kapoor is best when he is playing dim-witted characters (like in Golmaal) but when asked to tackle a slightly more challenge role it turns into a nightmare like in One Two Three.
Worst Actress
1. Esha Deol (One Two Three): Deol’s dream of being one of India’s top heroines can just remain a dream if she chooses such bad roles. She was loud and unattractive in One Two Three and if she continues in this manner, she may be forced to find another career.
2. Katrina Kaif (Race): Kaif continues to look as gorgeous as ever while her acting skill continues to be as bad as ever. Watch out for the scene when Kaif hand over Saif some papers to sign on a terrace as she struggles to even react normally and come up with the right expression. All we can hope Kaif will attend an acting class — pronto!
3. Rani Mukherji (Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic): Mukherji as an angel was expected to be the soul of the film but she lets it down with a lifeless performance. In fact she needed help from an angel to infuse some vigour into her acting.
4. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Sarkar Raj): Poor Aishwarya as she had to spent most of the film either listening to her husband Abhishek Bachchan or father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan going jabber-jabber in the film while she had to maintain a fixed, lousy expression.
The only moment she had to act was her breakdown scene and maybe she wept because of her dull role.
Worst Film
1. Jimmy: This could go down as the worst launch vehicle ever for a star-kid and Mimoh Chakraborty, son of legendary actor Mithun Chakraborty will have to bear the brunt of such a disastrous film.
It is close to impossible to find anything good about this shoddy film. Did I write “film” as it may just be an insult to the word “film”? Jimmy raises a suspicion whether Mithun could be Mimoh’s step father as how else could any experienced actor allow his son to be launched so badly.
2. Tashan: Big banner, biggest stars, whacky humour and Quentin Torantino style of filmmaking couldn’t save this film as the clichéd Bollywood formulaic scenes spoil the party terribly.
The disappointment is huge since it was the most hyped flick so far and sadly the stars looked like clowns in some of the scenes with their outlandish attires.
The film’s low point is the over-the-top action sequences that can be termed as ridiculously stupid with Akshay Kumar suddenly turning into a Spiderman during these bizarre action scenes.
3. Bombay To Bangkok: The intelligent filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor makes his worst film of his career by attempting a Bollywood masala flick.
I can’t figure out what was running through his mind when he set out to make a corny flick trying to capture the so-called romantic escapades of a Thai massage girl and an Indian thief set in Bangkok.
Let’s hope Kukunoor doesn’t get another urge to experiment with a Bollywood masala flick and forget this film as a bad dream.
4. Krazzy 4: The film had an interesting premise that wasn’t explored at all and what is left is a mundane and uninspiring attempt at comedy. Having some known stars with a few good liners or occasional slapstick humour is surely not the definition of a good entertainer.
5. Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic: It can be nightmare sitting through a film, where you exactly know what’s going to happen next right from the word go and this was the biggest drawback of this non-magical film.
Worst of all is that director Kunal Kohli couldn’t make up his mind whether he wanted to make a film for kids or for adults, thanks to Ameesha’s uninhibited exposure popping up from nowhere amidst a predictable kiddie party.
Looking forward to
Kismat Konnection
Singh Is Kinng
Bachna Ae Haseeno
Drona
Roadside Romeo
Ghajini
Yuvraj
Chandni Chowk To China
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
Kambakht Ishq
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