Best of Bollywood in 2008

My blog is fast turning into a Movie Blog! One of my new year resolutions will be to write less BC posts. Maybe 1 in two months. Anyways, here I present the list of noteworthy movies of 2008, taking forward the tradition I started last year by providing the readers with the Best of Bollywood in 2007. If you see last year’s list, you will be surprised by the number of low budget movies which have made it to the list this year and the stark variety of movies which Bollywood churned out. 

Also, I must point that this is a very personal list and is not in sync with the box office collection of various movies of 2008. If the movie was a huuuge hit and you don’t find it in the list, then that movie might be in the Average list down below. So, without much ado, here is the (alphabetical) list.

A Wednesday

Undoubtedly, the best movie which came out in 2008. The underdog which surprised everyone. Least publicized and without any big stars(just the veterans), this movie somehow restored my faith in the floundering standards which Bollywood displays now and then. A hardhitting script and well defined performances were enough to increase the momentum of the mouth of word publicity and making this movie a hit. I still get goosebumps when I remember the outburst of Nasser’s character in the climax.

Aamir

Another small budget movie which worked because of mouth of word publicity. Its an example of the fact that if a movie is good, it will always work. And, yes, it also underlines the fact that you can apply logic to Bollywood movies. Both Aamir and A Wednesday dealt with the issues of the plight of a common man and that was one more reason for their acceptance. My favourite scene will be the one in which Aamir tells the caller that the is a Muslim and a successful doctor, because he wanted to be and he worked hard for it. 

Bachna ae haseeno

Ranbeer Kapoor returned after the Blue Film – Saawariya. Now, don’t be a pervert. You know what I mean! 😛 Again a no expectation movie which worked because of its sweet and naive storyline, beautiful locations, melodious songs and the starcast. This movie reminded me of Jab We Met. I went to see both of them with an expectation that I might have to walk out by interval but they turned out to be something else. 

Dasvidaniya

Rumoured to be inspired from “The Bucket List”, this movie had another one of Vinay Pathak’s from the heart performance. This guy seems to be completely unstoppable. Vinay is definitely one of the best things that could have happened to Bollywood. 

Jaane Tu..Ya jaane na

Another dazzling debut after a long time(and an equally bad follow up, but lets not go into the murky waters). Imran Khan and his loony gang sucked in all the college going crowd who instantly connected with the movie. This movie will also go down in history for the mass hysteria created by the songs. Even my father knew about “Pappu can’t dance saala” and “Kabhi Kabhi Aditi”, which is a great achievement for Abbas Tyrewala. 

Jodha Akbar

A well deserving superhit of this year. Leaving aside the debates on the historical accuracies, the movie was a visual treat. The movie was made with a lot of detailing and love and it showed. The songs were beautiful and Aishwarya looked like a goddess. Hrithik and Ash share a beautiful chemistry and I found the movie very romantic. The song “Khwaja” was absolutely mesmerising. 

Maharathi

Paresh Rawal’s Marathi play which is playing from the past 21 years finally came to the big screen. The second half was a little slow but that’s all right when you get to see Paresh, Nasseruddin Shah and Boman Irani together. A different movie and a must watch.

Mithya

Don revisited but with an offbeat twist. I enjoyed the movie immensely mainly because of the assembled cast and the excellent portrayal of a small time actor by Ranvir Shorey, who is forced to impersonate an underworld don. Another zero expectation movie which turned into a pleasant surprise. Must watch.

Mumbai Meri Jaan

Based on the Mumbai train blasts and its aftermaths, this was one of the most relevant movies last year which stood out because of the performances by the lead actors. A very courageous debut of  Nishikant Kamat as the director who defied all the rules set by the masala movies and this is easily one of the best movie of 2008. A movie which made the audience stand up at the end and clap.

Oye Lucky Lucky Oye

A funky, popcorn flick with a difference. Abhay Deol is fast emerging as the obvious choice for offbeat movies and such roles do suit him. Dibakar Banerjee is a gifted director. His Khosla Ka Ghosla is a movie I have seen n number of times. And what is it with Paresh Rawal? He is rising like a Phoenix. Its high time that the so called mainstream directors understand his talent and give him roles matching his calibre.

Rock On

Another surprise hit! No one was expecting much from this movie but it caught the fancy of the young generation. The songs were instant hits and Magik was lapped up by the audience. I personally liked Prachi’s and Purab’s performances. A believable script and a complete entertaining package.

Average but Hits

Don’t kill me but I am aware that the movies I am listing below are the biggest hits of 2008, but I found them pretty average partly because of the masala element or stupid scripts or crude performances or some other reasons. This is just my personal opinion.

Rab ne bana di jodi

Negatives – A stupid script, over the top performance by Shahrukh as Raj. Positives – Good initial 30 minutes, Shahrukh as Surinder.

Ghajani

Negatives – A very flawed script, irritating background score. Positives – Asin.

Sarkar Raj

Negatives – Slow pace, wierd camera angles. Positives – Performances.

Dostana

Negatives – John’s butt, stupid script. Positives – Good songs, locations, a few good scenes.

Singh is King

Negatives – Another stupid script, crude comedy. Positives – an okay-ish first half, a few songs.

Race

Negatives – Too many dizzying twists and turns made the movie look like a soap opera. Positives – Songs, locations and some good performances.

p.s. BC means Bollywood Centric. What were you thinking? 😛

p.p.s Lets reduce that two months limit to one. 😛