*DISCLAIMER:The following review is based entirely on personal experience and BOX OFFICE success(or failure) has no bearing upon it.
*So, here I go.Honestly speaking, 2007 has not been a great year for the Hindi film industry, but there have been a few good(if not great) films this year.So this is my top 10 for the year 2007
10.NO SMOKING:If you had seen Black Friday you must have been warned that Anurag Kashyap’s world does not care for stereotypes, that it only has room for villains with varying shades.Now add to that his films may not take the start middle end format, instead take you through a labyrinthine byzantine route and treat you to a tale of freedom(of choice/expression), existentialism, nicotine et al.Cool Special effects and an outstanding soundtrack make it one worth possessing on DVD.If only the actors were upto the mark.
9.Manorama Six Feet Under:So, finally we can make thrillers without plundering Hollywood DVD’s.This homage to Roman Polanski’s Chinatown and the noir genre may have been too long a film for its aspirations and might have butchered perhaps one of the best songs of the year(tere sawaalon ke jawab), but it does pack in enough of a puch for you to admire it for its achievements.Abhay Deol proved that he is one actor who is maturing with each film(and so is his choice of films), and Navdeep Singh adds his name to the list of intelligent film makers in the Hindi Film Industry.
8.1971:Wonder how many people saw this one?And how ironic is this to the story which Manoj Bajpai(in the film) says was never told.Again, a low budget robbed this film of what it could have been but some sparkling performances(Deepak Dobriyal and Ravi Kissen), and neat story-telling make it a noble effort.Certainly deserved better.
7.Jab we met:Romances have been butchered to death in the film industry, so when Imtiaz Ali followed up his little gem of a film Socha na that with Jab we met, this fresh feel good film was bound to take you by surprise.when Ali writes scenes and dialogues, he’s in no hurry to get to the point(which, I guess, may explain my affinity to his work). Where there’s a possible shortcut, he always chooses the scenic route, veering off on tangents about karate and call-girls and sugarcane and rape and safe-deposit boxes, and these detours add so much flavour and fun to what’s going on .An excruciatingly long second half not withstanding this film with outstanding turns by Kareena in the first half(and one brilliant scene in the second) and Shahid right through certainly makes Imtiaz Ali one my directors to watch out for in the future.
6.Johnny Gaddar:Alright, I didnt like this one as much as I liked Ek Hasina thi, but our desi-master of dark arts or is it Tarantino? certainly stamped his authority all over this film.Cool performances by debutante Neil Nitin Mukesh(his toothless attempt at mimicry not withstanding), Ashwini Kalsekar, Zakir Hussain and Vinay Pathak this desi-pulp with multiple homages wrapped up in multiplex garb make this one worth its place in the top 10.
5.Chak de India:Cliches, stereotypes and mouthfuls galore this one sure made headway.Jaideep Sahni proved his mettle as a scriptwriter with Chak de India, and Shahrukh Khan revelled playing the underdog pariah with icy steadfastness unleashing an intense and nuanced Kabir Khan.Shimit Amin might not have managed as gritty a film as Ab tak chappan, but surely made a film for the masses(perhaps ironically proving that one dish cannot cater to every taste, so you must make more in order to please em all).With the usual monopoly that YRF has at film awards this one is bound to win them all this year.
4.Eklavya-the royal guard:India’s official entry to the Oscars.Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s over hyped magnum opus, and a big BOX OFFICE dud at that.In my opinion the one film that got the worst intellectual shallowness from most film critics as no review(from among those I read) managed to dig into Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s highly surrealistic contrast between the Sun(the royal house’s symbol) and the moon(what with those repeated shots of the moon and the onl song in the film being called Chand Re), Dharma(in its perception by Saif, revealed in daylight[under the sun] and Amitabh Bachchan, revealed in moonlight) and perhaps some of the most hair raising scenes from any film this year.Natraj Subramaniam’s photography, Amitabh Bachchan’s brimstone, Saif’s restraint, Boman’s sniveling depravity, Jackie’s resonating madness, Vidya’s nuance make this one a worthy entry to the Oscars but perhaps not the most deserving one.
3.Life in a metro:A woman standing before a mirror, putting on lipstick to prettify herself for her man. A woman in bed, getting kissed on the lips by her lover, and waking up the next morning being spooned by him, in the afterglow of a night spent in his arms. And get this – a woman so giddy in love, she runs out into the rain in a white sari, getting drenched in the process. No, don’t ho-hum just yet – for this woman I’m talking about, she’s a senior citizen.These were images I never thought I would see on the Indian screen.But Anurag Basu brought them to our screen and how!Fantastic turns by Kay-Kay(as always), Shilpa Shetty, Konkona Sen, Irrfan Khan and Dharmendra with a wonderful soundtrack by Pritam made this affecting tale about love lost and found a special one.
2.Taare Zameen Par:To childood with love.This is what Amole Gupte must have intended Taare to be.And Aamir if not completely to a large extent manages to make it just that.The Pink Floydish soundtrack, the small slice of life moments and the sensitive labyrinth of a child are captured with fascinating simplicity.Darsheel Safary’s Ishaan(a composite of Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes and Antoine Doinel from the 400 blows) steals his way into your hearts and at the same time his struggle brings forth an important message for those "jo sheher ki daud mein bhage ja rahe hain".He wins my vote for the best actor over all performances this year.No two ways about it.And Aamir with his directorial debut is very impressive, for I do not remember a film(atleast to which I have been) which got a standing ovation at half time(and not for his entry).Well, perhaps he knows no other way than perfection!
1.Black Friday:I said Eklavya was not the most deserving entry because the reels for this particular tale were not even sent, and that in itself is a minor tragedy.An intense, compassionate affair that merely observed and revealed people as mere victims of viccistudes where actions are mere outcomes of these circumstances.It stages conversations like no film ever, the violence, torture are shown in a manner as never before.A sprawling, densely layered premise is elevated further notches by a superb ensemble cast( with Pawan Malhotra, Kay Kay Menon and Aditya Srivastava).And finally Anurag Kashyap finally announced his arrival as a director(after the unreleased Paanch and the shelved Allwyn Kalicharan)in a manner like no one has ever done before.