2003 and movies, every news magazine is saying how much flush with money has it left our industry with. In simple terms, there were quite a few films which left a mark at Box Office. And surprisingly enough number of characters and performances too made a mark. This is my collection of the best performances. What I have tried to do is assess the performance and not the character. I have tried to keep it short, so it may not be detailed but a lot has been written about these performances in all probability in first place. The classification is from the mainstream movies only, I have avoided off beat cinema since I did not catch much of it and nor am I a big fan of it either. And I know I am a nerd, zombie and martian all put together, but this is the best classification anyone could come up with and if you dont agree with it well then go eat dinosour meat:@
1. Amitabh Bachan: Baghban - Superb, proves that despite short comings in the script, can still carry a film on his shoulders. The final scene encore was effortless, spontaneous and emotion laden, deserves best actor award for sure.
2. Manoj Bajpayee: Pinjar - Another actor discovers the depths his eyes can convey without speaking. Given an almost uncontrollably difficult role with directors attention focussed on Urmila, Bajpayee reaffirms the faith that actors are born, not created.
3. Urmila Mantodkar: Bhoot - Bhoot was cliche, it was routine and it would have been boring as well save for Urmila who turns in a performance that is surely the best thing to come from mainstream cinema in a long time. Her intensity and consistency amazes as does her final shedding of marathi accent in Hindi.
4. Preity Zinta: Armaan - Its not easy to get an irritating character and still be liked by audience. Remember Poo of K3G? It was easy for her to get lost in the loud louder loudest dialogues she had to mouth, but despite getting on nerves, there was a certain innocence in her approach, which makes it the best performance in negative role this year. It had an emotional undercurrent. (* And no there is no biasing here:p *)
5. Boman Irani: MMBBS - Superlative, classy and definitely from the top drawer. Boman Irani had already done an encore with DMH but this time he excells even himself, his dialogue delivery is impeccable and his use of facial muscles minimal, his performance is out of the real top bracket.
6. Hrithik Roshan: KMG - He gets a dream role, and he plays it on like a dream. Right from preparations of physical appearance to dialogue delivery to dancing, the Hrithik in the movie was consistent through out the movie save for few minutes in climax. But still on, he chugs at your heart and does what other contemporaries are still dreaming of doing, become India’s foremost star actor.
7. John Abraham: Jism - Sonia Khanna had the author backed role, she had the camera following her and she had the costumes, yet it was her hubby who got the acting going. As a burnt out missionless bachelor who treads the wrong path, John turns in a performance that many star sons can only dream of doing.
8. Saif Ali Khan: KHNH - Karan Johar movie and you outshine SRK, thats the power of Saif’s performance. Although it is to be fair that Karan did write Saif’s part well but still despite a huge DCH hangover, Saif adds an emotional non-chalance to the role so much so that he actually forms better chemistry with Preity in the film. His performance in the climax is the best.
9. Hema Malini: Baghban - She looked gorgeous and acted even better. She got a more difficult role than Amitabh Bachan in the film. Not only had she got to look good but she also had to tug on with tear buds, and she does it with a restraint which screen mothers usually dont do so. Watch for her performance on her son’s birthday scene, she just eats Aman Verma and Suman Rnagnatham.
10. Preity Zinta: KHNH - Naina Catherine Kapur was a most boring character any heroine could play. Wear specks for 80 percent of the movie, dress in non-glamorous clothes for most of the movie save for three songs and on top of that, marry the wrong guy. Yet, Preity added the special urbane flavor to the film. Needless to say, it was her and Saif’s performance which added to the fresh factor in the film and is keeping its run sustained in multiplexes.
Some of the other performances which I liked are:
Ajay Devgan in Bhoot was the best thing in the film along with Urmila and in some scenes post interval does an impeccable job.
Paresh Rawal in Hungama was wonderful and nuanced in his over the top performance.
SRK finished much of KHNH without his trademark emotional twitching.
Urmila in Pinjar forgot the Punjabi accent but still made it up by her eyes.
John Abraham followed up Jism with a sincere and consistent performance in Saaya
Amitabh Bachan was one of the best things in Armaan till he was there.
Gracy Singh sizzled in Armaan with her sweet next girl role and a simple yester year performance.
Sanjay Dutt in MMBBS provides the best performance from his side in a million years.
Preity Zinta in KMG gets additional brownie points for playing the 2003’s best typical heroine role with aplomb and looking oh so cute.
Jaya Bachan in KHNH reminded us that natural performances are still her forte.
And finally along with Amitabh Bachan in Baghban, the one performance that has changed our perception of Indian cinema.
Bipasha Basu literally seduced an entire nation into collective hypnotism with her no holds barred portrayal of a sex bomb and throwing the traditional Hindi heroine role out of the window. If Amitabh Bachan insured that from now on, 60 year olds will get roles written for them, Bipasha Basu insured that heroines from now on would be different and demanding.
I have missed some names and I will update it as I remember them. And I may not have watched movies like Tehzeeb, Dhoop(completely) and Haasil(again completely).