Five Best Bollywood Films of 2002

First questions first! Were there 5 good movies in the whole of 2002? .In a year which has seen recession, depression, rejection of almost anything to everything, films in Bollywood fared no better. While Bollywood saw the hits of some inanely stupid movies like Raaz, it also saw a perfectly good movie like The legend of Bhagat Singh not quite getting there. And in between, a movie geek like me who quietly devoured the one movie after another, quietly feeling the pain of losing so many dollars on them, was also treated some really good movies. Those movies are the movies, which I deem the best of 2002. Also, a warning – I have chosen the best of Indian cinema for me this year…because if I had to chose 5 best movies of Bollywood, that would have been very very difficult!!!

I had almost given up all hopes on Bollywood in the beginning of the year when a stupid hair-raising-ghost who makes the mistake of competing with the ultimate form of women in Indian cinema – urban-but-sati-savitri wife of the hero! What a movie it was! What a tragedy I thought. However I was saved soon, because of an ever dependable director named Ram Gopal Verma. He treads the gangster’s track again, and came up with a brilliant movie Company. Shot entirely like a docu-drama (a-la-traffic style), this was one helluva movie backed with excellent music, story and performances. The total effect of underworld and how much it has actually become part of lives is told in this brilliant movie loosely based on the lives of two dons Dawood and Chotta Rajan. Apart from Ajay Devgan’s awesome performance, this movie also has another incredible performance in Vivek Oberoi. I literally had the hangover of this movie for months!

And it was Ajay Devgan yet again who made me lose my hangover on Company. I was already expecting the Sunny Deol’s slam-by-the-dozen-thank-you-ma’am role as Chandrashekar Azad in Shaheed to be bad, and I wasn’t really disappointed that it was a bad characterization, and the movie itself was bad. However on the other hand, on the same day, another gifted director, who doesn’t quite use it, i.e. Raj Kumar Santoshi came up with a superb movie called , The Legend Of Bhagat Singh. Devgan comes up with an awesome performance, and so does the supporting cast. The direction and the way the story flows is superb, and it again proves the golden words- a good well researched script is always going to be a good movie. I was quite amazed that this movie didn’t really do well, for whatever reasons known to public, but I was truly impressed by this movie. Ajay Devgan convinced me that he ought to get the best actor’s award this time!

Changing tracks a little bit, in midst of the movies I watched from Bollywood, I didn’t miss ones from Kollywood (Tamil) or Tollywood (Telegu) either! And there I was treated to whom I consider the best director in Indian cinema - Mani Ratnam. After a very enjoyable Alaipayuthey (Saathiya in Hindi), he came up with what he does best – films on social issues. So he made Kannathil Mutthamittal, a brilliant film showing the outlook of Srilankan rebels and refugees. The story was heart moving, and at the same time, related the social issues of the freedom struggle in Sri Lanka quite beautifully. A girl searching for real mother who happens to be a rebel in Sri lanka is told with utmost care and effectiveness. Added to that some wonderful performances made this movie one of Mani’s best. My contender for the Oscars was definitely this movie, and I still think this movie is the one that should have been sent!

However, if Kannathil Muttamittal failed to impress the Oscar Committee, then there was a good reason too. An equally good, though not a better movie, had released in July. Budgeted at highest ever on Indian Cinema, and a superb star cast behind it, it had makings a good movie. The director had toiled years for the movie to give it the ‘perfect’ look, pulled off an effort, which enthralled so many of us till no end. Not since Mughal-E-Azam had such grandeur, such colors, such brilliant sets, such intricate costumes, and such Hugeness been associated with the movie. Based on a famous novel, the movie transported the whole setting of the novel to a new level-Something beyond imagination. Its to the directors credit that he made everyone look great and give their best performances. Some awesome music and dances made this movie forget all the flaws in the movie which anyone would have found. All credits to the director for having come up with such an imagination and creativity. Though a tragedy, there was jubilance in the tragedy of the movie. Need I say more?! Yes, it was Devdas which simply swept me off my feet. For more, read my review on the movie!

However the real problem began then! Devdas completely enthralled me to no end, and kept haunting me for days. To escape it, I again underwent my own tragedy of watching so many other movies. However, not ONE could come up to remove my hang over from Devdas! Humraaz showed the complete lack of acting by Amisha Patel, while Deewaange was too much a hotpotch to make it to my list. Kaante?. Holy cow! I mean, how did I think of it? That left me with only one other movie which doesn’t come anywhere near the above top 4, but did catch my attention - Saathiya. Though, quite a lame remake of Alaipayuthey, this was a pretty good movie, when compared to the other movies I mentioned above in this paragraph. Good performances and music saved the movie. And that’s the real problem folks I mentioned above - There don’t seem to be a good 5th movie I liked this year!.

So which are my top movies for 2002? Here goes!

And the Numero Uno # 1 – Kannathil Muttamittal