Ever since I started writing my year-end Top 10 since 2005 here at Mouthshut, this is first year I am having hard time excluding films from my Top 10 list. Indian film industry is changing and every year brings new hope and new kind of films. If 1990s was all about love stories and feel good comedies, this millennium is all about experiments. Its great to see that things turned out promising for multiplex generation. In terms of fresh ideas, unique concepts, and fascinating projects, it was year of creativity at its best in recent times. Let’s start counting Top 10 best movies of 2007.
- Black Friday(10/10)
*Black Friday is Anurag Kashyap’s answer to the aftermaths of terrorism where no one wins - An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Anurag’s remarkable film is the recreation of 1993 serial Bombay bomb blasts and investigations following bomb blasts adapted from same name book written by journalist S. Hussain Zaidi. It’s a raw, grim, gritty, and relentlessly hard-hitting intellectual film. Tight and taut screenplay, captivating script, and in-your face camerawork makes it arguably one of the most compelling films of the new millennium.
*2. Taare Zamin Par(9/10)
*Aamir Khan’s remarkable masterpiece could have been best of year if Black Friday didn’t locked itself at the top of the list. It’s about how every child is a special one. It’s a story of intelligent child with dyslexia disorder, how he fights his demon in normal people’s world, how he is been forced to compete normal kids, and how one person changes his life the way it should have been. Darsheel Safari, Aamir Khan the actor and director, Amol Gupte the creative director, Ishaan’s family animation diary, and wonderful lyrics of “Maa” makes it one of the most delightful, touching, moving, motivating, and thought-provoking films of this year.
3. Khoya Khoya Chand(9/10)
Sudhir Mishra’s nostalgic reflection on the golden era of Indian cinema is the story of ever changing film allegiance, aspiring yet arrogant scriptwriter who was ahead of his time, successful yet lonely actress who yearn for love and respect, and behind the screen world of superstars. Sudhir’s brilliant script unearthing the ghosts of Bollywood past, masterful soundtracks, and wonderful lead performances especially Soha Ali Khan makes it one of the most misunderstood(critics and audience hated it) films of this year.
4. Guru(9/10)
Mani’s take on Dhirubhai Ambani’s biography. Guru traces story of simple yet visionary, Gurukant Desai’s rise from simple villager to Indian business tycoon. Its complex drama of visionary man’s success at any cost be its unethical, corruption, or maneuvering government laws to break into the once pre-liberalization Indian business sector. Gripping screenplay, Rajiv Menon’s Cinematography, Abhishek Bachchan’s powerhouse performance, Aishwarya Rai, Mithun Chakraborty, and Madhavan are unforgettable pillars of this modern classic.
5. Chak De India(8/10)
Shrimit Amin’s CDI is arguably Shahrukh Khan’s best movie to date(other being Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa). It has story of the underdog - person who fight for their values. Jaideep Sahani’s classic story of discarded man’s quest for women’s hockey world cup by uniting players from different regions, different locals, and different culture is a magnificent film. Amazingly it had a great similarity with Indian Man’s cricket team’s ICC T20 world cup 2007 triumph and its no wonder that theme song of the tournament was none other than Chak De India.
6. Johnny Gaddar(8/10)
Shriram Raghvan’s second outing in thriller genre after his debut film, Ek Haseena Thi is the tribute to classic Hindi cinema thrillers of 70s. Movie opens with the five men getting together for a deal that could make them millionaires. Little they know, one of them was Gaddar and we as an audience witness something what characters in the film couldn’t. Shriram takes viewers on ultra-motion and fast-paced roller-coaster ride. It was true film-noir at its best.
7. Blue Umbrella(8/10)
Vishal Bharadwaj’s lyrical fable against material life based on Ruskin Bond’s short story is the story of small girl’s Japanese umbrella for who umbrella is symbol of pure joy, villagers for whom umbrella is symbol of attraction, and greedy old man who loves to steal children’s pretty items, for whom umbrella was of the symbol of power. Vishal takes viewers into sunny and wintry Himalayan hilly landscapes with brilliant mixtures of nature and colorful umbrellas. Great film and this is the one film Satyajit Ray would have been proud of.
*8. Life in a Metro(8/10)
*Anurag Basu’s brilliant look at the metropolitan adult life in India. He proves that his last year’s The Gangster wasn’t a fluke. Six interconnected stories of nine person playing kathputlies in modern concrete world craving for life, money, lust, sex, power, promotion, peace, and existence is brilliantly depicted in this 2 hour non-stop drama. Powerhouse performances from all leading actors, Anurag’s multi-layered dialogues and screenplay, and Pritam’s soundtracks make it one of the most adult Indian movies in recent memory.
9. Manorama 6 Feet Under(7/10)
Every one of us deep inside is detective and curious about things happening around us. Navdeep Singh’s debut film inspired from Roman Polanski’s Chinatown follows temptation of voyeurism and tells the story of the unsuccessful novel-writer mixed-up into intriguing mystery. Even though it has clichéd climax, it’s brilliant cinematography of Rajasthan locales, wonderful jigsaw puzzle-like screenplay, unhurried approach, powerhouse performances of leading actors especially Abhay Deol makes it one of the finest films of this year.
10. Ghandhi My Father (7/10)
It’s an honest attempt with the story of one of the most celebrated Indian, Mahatma Ghandhi and his troubled son, Haribhai. After watching film, it’s hard to judge who is right – one who put forth country ahead of his family and other who questioned his father’s ideology. Touching story, true to unknown historical facts, magnificent Akshay Khanna along with boring screenplay and unconvincing Ghandhi forces me to put this one of the better movies of this year at the bottom of the ladder.
*Honorable Mention - Om Shanti Om (7/10)
*Om Shanti Om is the SRK and Farah Khan’s homage to classic 70s bollywood film industry. Loosely based on Kenneth Branagh’s Dead Again, OSO is the fascinating puzzle transpiring in the two different time frames. Farah Khan’s take on 70s film industry, hilarious screenplay, brilliant soundtracks, and Deepika Padukone debut performance are the highlights of this film. Doesn’t matter if it’s a great circus for average Indian moviegoers or stupid entertainer for niche audience, it’s a Bollywood masalas at its best.
Other list
*Close contenders for Top 10, unfortunate to miss out: 50 Lakh(7/10), Bhool Bhulaiyaa(7/10), Dharm(7/10), Eklavya(7/10), and Jab We Met(7/10)
Could have been Masterpieces: 1971, The Namesake, Parzania, and Risk
Enjoyed but missing a mark: Bheja Fry, Dhokha, Heyy Babby, Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd., Raqeeb, Shoot Out at Lokhandwala, Strangers, and Welcome
Biggest Disappointments: RGV’s Aag, No Smoking, Saawariya, and Traffic Signal