Pyaar Ka Punchnama - The funniest tragedy I've seen!!

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Movie - Pyaar Ka Punchnama (Hindi)
Writer/Director - Luv Ranjan
Producer - Abhishek Pathak
Cast - Kartikeya Tiwari, Rayo Bakhirta, Divyendu Sharma, Sonalli Sehgal, Nushrat Bharucha, Ishita Sharma
Music - Clinton Cerejo, Hitesh Sonik, Luv Ranjan, Ad Boys
Cinematography - Sudhir K Chaudhury
Editor - Akiv Ali
Release Date - 20th May 2011

There have been n - number of movies in India which featured issues of exploitation (physical, emotional, social) of women by men. Pyaar Ka Punchnama addresses a different issue, which is important in its own way - the exploitation of the emotionally weaker sex, MEN, by women at so many different levels. There are so many people to speak for women, but what about men, who do not even acknowledge such problems to themselves, leave alone talk about it to others, just because they're supposed to be 'Men'. Luv Ranjan cleverly brings all this together in his brilliant satire on relationships, Pyaar Ka Punchnama soaked in sharp humour, something which 3-time National Award winning director Madhur Bhandarkar so miserably failed to do in his lousy attempt at romantic comedy, Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji. 

Rajat (Kartikeya), Vikrant Chaudhury (Rayo) & Liquid/Nishant (Divyendu) are 3 best buddies sharing an apartment in Delhi, each having his own boring job and list of frustrations, the biggest of them being that they are all single. And as their lives progress, Rajat falls for Neha (Nushrat), Chaudhury gets closer to Riya (Sonalli) and Liquid finds his first female friend in Charu (Ishita Sharma). Rajat moves on to a live-in relationship with Neha, Chaudhury helps Riya get over her break up with ex, Varun and Liquid tries to be an honest best friend to Charu who rejects his proposal. From here on, the lives of the 3 of them turn topsy turvy in ways they couldnt have imagined. 

3 different shades of modern day relationships are explored in the process of the narrative and its guaranteed that every guy who watches this movie would find at least some of him in either of the 3 characters. Be it Rajat, who tries to do everything to keep his complaining girlfriend happy or Vikrant who honestly tries to help Riya to get over her previous relationship; and the most honest of them - Liquid, who tries to be a support system for the manipulative colleague who is just interested in using him at her pleasure; being the biggest loser of them all . Many might have complaints that the movie has painted all its female characters completely evil. But hey, thats not true. The movie actually portrays how much more stronger they are compared to men, when it comes to the mind. They are confused most of the time;  but if they make their mind that they want something, they know the exact ways to get it done. The guys are not all white either. They have their own flaws and problems as well. 

[And even if the female characters are leaning towards negative shades, is that such a big problem? Dont men stay quiet when almost all of them are stereotypically depicted as lecherous creatures behind the woman's body in almost all of those female-oriented movies?? This movie tells how men feel about certain women who manipulate them. So take it like that, and if you cant handle it, then please dont watch this movie.]

The movie doesnt have your typical Hindi film romance or heroes or heroines. One of our heroes cries like a baby falling on her lap when she tells him that she's leaving him and another is terribly humiliated in his own office by someone for whom he remained a loyal dog. So if you are used to the Rajshri, Dharma, Yashraj kind of romances, stay away from this one, as this shows the real deal. Not all relationships may not be like the ones shown in this movie, but most of them do go through several stages which are depicted in this movie for sure. The movie tries to understand the toughest question of them all - 'What does a woman really want?' and fails in its quest by the end, just like our heroes. And director Luv Ranjan has done that with a confident and irreverent attitude by portraying many heartbreaking moments through such hilarity. 

The performances by the 3 guys are fantastic. Divyendu steals the show beyond doubt. Playing the desperate, seedha-saadha Liquid who is all talk but no action, he is just mindblowing. He gets the best lines in the movie as well. Kartikeya's hopeless lover who loses it after a point is brilliant in his own way. Watch out for him in his 6-minute long monologue (one of the best I've seen in Hindi), he's too good in it. Rayo plays the laid-back Chaudhury, in his undies whenever he's at home, with a guitar for company most of the time. He also makes a confident and impressive debut. Out of the ladies, it is clearly Nushrat who plays Neha who gets the maximum screen time and makes the most use of it as well. She plays her part so well that it is hard not to hate her. ;) Sonalli as Riya is neither attractive nor very effective, but since her character is written well, we dont mind it so much. Ishita is impressive playing the manipulative Charu effectively. And each of these actors should thank their writers for giving them such effectively etched-out characters. 

You're so immersed in the narrative of the movie that it is hard to notice the work of the rest of the crew. Sudhir Chaudhury's slick and flashy cinematography sets the right mood for the film. The bachelor pad created by the art director would make every guy wish to have one like it, even though its mostly in a mess. Akiv Ali has put together the 3 different tracks very well, but he could've sharpened the movie a bit more in the second half. Music and background score are super-effective, even though one or two songs unnecessarily slowed down the pace. The 'Ban gaya kutta' song has been used to hilarious effect in many scenes. 

Pyaar Ka Punchnama has more laugh-out-loud moments than all the mundane comedies that Bollywood has been producing over the past few years. And the movie makes sense too. Now, thats a rare combination in Bollywood. If Dil Chahta Hai set the benchmark on narrating stories on friendship and relationships in the last decade, Pyaar Ka Punchnama does that for this decade, without any star power to back it. The dialogues are howlarious, especially Rajat's monologue. [The constant beeps everytime there was the slightest of abuses, were really annoying. Will our Censor Board ever grow up?]

It is a perfect buddy film. And its also a tragedy in the sense that every man, be it Superman or Batman, was a dog to his woman at some point or the other. So guys, go catch this flick after a couple of beers with your best friends and have a great time. Hilarious scenes, great performances and a fresh take on relationships. What more could you ask for!! And please dont make the mistake of taking your girlfriends along, as it might lead to events of disastrous proportions. ;) 

If Woody Allen ever made a mainstream Hindi movie, it would be something like this. And yea, I think I can take some liberty and call Pyaar Ka Punchnama as the Dil Chahta Hai of this decade. It actually goes much beyond where Dil Chahta Hai went. Luv Ranjan and team, take a bow!! 

Bottomline - Launde log, is film ko dekh lena apne doston ke saath, immediately!! 

Stanley Ka Dabba is Delicious!!

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Movie - Stanley Ka Dabba (Hindi)
Writer/Producer/Director - Amole Gupte
Cast - Partho, Numan, Abhishek, Amole Gupte, Divya Dutta, Divya Jagdale, Raj Zutshi
Director of Photography - Amol Gole
Music & Background Score - Hitesh Sonik
Editor/Co-Producer - Deepa Bhatia
Production Designer - Sheetal Bapardekar
Sound Designers - Dwarak Warrier & Madhu Apasara
Release Date - 13th May 2011

In between all the star studded extravagances and mindless masala movies, comes Bollywood's first true-blue independent cinema Stanley Ka Dabba spreading a beautiful aroma and so many smiles around. Amole Gupte, whose brainchild Taare Zameen Par blew our minds and hearts not so long ago, scores yet again with his directorial debut. An original, genuine, sincere, simple and beautiful film, which is all heart - that is Stanley Ka Dabba. 

Stanley (Partho) is an enthusiastic and multi-talented child studying in Std IV F of Holy Family High School along with his friends Abhishek (Abhishek), Aman Mehra (Numan) & party. While all his friends feast on their dabbas during lunch breaks, Stanley doesnt bring a dabba and usually gets his share of lunch from his cool friends, most of whom are fans of him, and his stories. Trouble comes in the form of the terrifying Khadoos Varma (Amole Gupte), their Hindi teacher, who takes pleasure on eating food from others' dabbas, be it his students or his colleagues in the staff room. Stanley Ka Dabba effectively captures the routine school life of these children and their fight against the villain in their lives - the Khadoos Hindi teacher; and gives a shocking jolt by the end, which makes us see the entire film once again in another perspective. 

Amole Gupte is a brilliant storyteller, which was evident from his first screenplay Taare Zameen Par (which he was directing, until Aamir Khan took over). Stanley Ka Dabba is similar to TZP in many ways, yet so drastically different. Both films are essentially about children, and both tackle serious issues without being preachy as well and the similarity ends there. Stanley Ka Dabba makes us revisit the times when going to school, learning things, eating lunch with friends, getting a chocolate from the teacher, playing football during breaks and such small things were the biggest pleasures in life. School was such an important part of the growing up years of every single one of us and Amole Gupte takes us back to one of the classes in primary school and makes us feel like we're one among the students there. The film, which was shot completely on a digital still camera (Canon 7D, its the first mainstream Hindi film to use this technology) over weekends and vacations without disturbing the classes of any of its child actors, has captured the children at their most candid of moments, which makes the film so strikingly real and at the same time, enjoyable. None of the performances look like a performance, and never do you get a sense that what you are watching is actually a film which was written and made by a bunch of people over a period of time. You are sucked into the world of Stanley and his friends that you forget about everything else. Very rarely can a filmmaker achieve this. 

Partho is a brilliant actor. Amole Gupte's son proves that he might be as talented as his father at this young age itself. Those who loved Darsheel Zafary's Ishaan Nandakishore Awasthi, would adore Partho's Stanley Fernandez. Stanley is the complete opposite of whatever Ishaan was and he wins our heart right from the second he does his own version of Vishal Bhardwaj's Dhan Te Nan in the beginning of the film. Partho plays the enthusiastic, wide-eyed, talented and cute Stanley so beautifully that you cant help falling in love with the child. This is the best performance you would've come across in a Hindi film in a long long time and the best part is that it doesnt even look like its a performance. Partho is Stanley for everyone watching the film. Numaan Sheikh plays the chubby little Aman Mehra, the rich, but sweet kid who brings the tallest of dabbas and loves to share it with his buddies. Abhishek Reddy reminds you of your best buddy during school who would stand by you no matter what. The rest of the children are all so good that many of our leading men should take acting lessons from them. Anyone who has had the experience of shooting with children would vouch that it is one of the toughest things to do, but Amole Gupte has extracted some wonderful performances from a whole bunch of kids, which is indeed an enormous task. 

Divya Dutta plays the super-sweet English teacher whom Stanley has a major crush on. Lovely is too small a word to desrcibe her in the movie. Every grown up would have memories of a strict, no-nonsense and sarcastic teacher like the South Indian Science teacher Mrs Iyer, played perfectly by Divya Jagdale. And then there is the director Amole Gupte himself, playing the film's antagonist Khadoos Varma, who is as villainous as any of our iconic Hindi film villains, even when he snatches food from unsuspecting kids and teachers. His Varma actually mirrors Stanley's situation, but leaning towards the negative side of it. After Kaminey, Phas Gaye Re Obama and the Malayalam film Urumi, we get to see the wonderful actor having a ball playing a great character whom we feel both hatred and sympathy towards, at the same time. And then there's Raj Zutshi in a delightful cameo giving food for thought for Gupte's character. 

The routine school lives become so lively and energetic through Deepa Bhatia (Gupte's wife)'s clever and fantastic editing. Amol Gole, the director of photography has used the wonderful Canon 7D to its maximum potential and has captured children so beautifully and realistically, without many of them even noticing that they were being shot by a camera. Mixed with some real good DI work, nowhere does the film look like its been shot on a digital format, leave alone a still camera. This experiment has the power to revolutionize independent cinema in India and encourage more and more filmmakers to start making movies with the lowest of budgets. The film was shot completely on natural and ambient light which makes it look completely real. Dwarak Warrier & Madhu Apasara have captured the sound on location since it would be an enormous task to get all those kids to dub their lines; and they have done a great job with the sound design. Music by Hitesh Sonik is wonderful and the songs seamlessly fit into the narrative, thereby enhancing it. 

The charm of Stanley Ka Dabba lies in its simplicity and the nuances which the director has used to convey emotions through his characters. The ending might give you a shock, but yes, its a true fact which makes one think, after smiling throughout the movie. As the caption says, its a small story with a big heart. And this movie doesnt have the support or backing of a superstar like Aamir Khan, so its the responsibility for lovers of good and independent cinema to see to it that the film gets the viewership, success and recognition it deserves. And please dont deprive your children from the joy of seeing this movie. Make this film your vacation treat for your kids and its a given fact they would completely adore it. Rarely does a film which is so sincere and full of heart like this gets made in Hindi Cinema. Make sure you catch it immediately. The father & son are sure to win your hearts. 

To put it in Rosy Miss' words - 'Stanley, You Rock! ;-)'

P.S. - Carry lots of food with you when you watch this movie, it would come in handy, trust me. ;)

Bottomline - A heartwarming film which would make you smile throughout, and leave you with a lump in your throat by the end. MUST WATCH!!

Dhobi Ghat leaves you unsatisfied.

Movie - Dhobi Ghat (Mumbai Diaries) [Hindi, partly English]
Director - Kiran Rao
Producers - Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao
Cast - Prateik, Monica Dogra, Kriti Malhotra & Aamir Khan
Cinematography - Tushar Kanti Ray
Music - Gustavo Santaolalla
Editor - Nishant Radhakrishnan
Story, Screenplay, Dialogues - Kiran Rao
Release Date - 21st January 2011

Aamir Khan Productions was always associated with different and quality cinema and they had maintained that even in a commercial venture like Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, and during the promotions of Dhobi Ghat, Aamir was quite insistent that Dhobi Ghat is not your regular mainstream cinema, it belongs to the arthouse genre and is meant to watched seriously. He was quite right as Dhobi Ghat is not your regular movie. It is more about the city of Mumbai rather than a plot or its main characters. But the problem with the movie is that it never really grows beyond that, and remains an ode to the city which leaves one unsatisfied with the experience. 

Dhobi Ghat tells the story of four people - Munna (Prateik), a dhobi by day and a rat killer by night (he also has another embarrassing job, which if revealed would be a spoiler); Shaai (Monica Dogra), an NRI investment banker on a sabbatical to do her own thing of photographing of 'poor India, hungry India' in black & white; Arun (Aamir Khan) a reclusive artist who runs away from relationships and people as such, but intrigued by a discovery of a Yasmin (Kriti Malhotra)'s newly-wed life in Mumbai recorded on DV tapes as letters to her brother, which she never sent. And then there's the fifth character- the city of Mumbai itself which is the most important of all of them, as the movie is all about the effect the city has on these people. 

The movie begins as a romanticized account of the city of Mumbai and tries to shock us by showing the grim reality of the city by the end of its narrative. I'm not quite sure if that is the theme that Kiran Rao wanted to portray through this movie. There are way too many coincidences and the four different characters distinctly different by class and societal statuses, keep bumping into each other quite often in the movie. So many coincidences are hard to believe in a movie which is supposed to be realistic. Even the slight shocks that the director tries to give by the end of the movie does not really come across as shocking to the audience as it was already predictable. Even the underworld angle which is included towards the end of the movie does not fit into the movie. The major problem with the film is that its story does not have enough meat to be a feature film, even though its running time is just 95 minutes. 

But there are many other things that work in the film. First of all, the beautiful portrayal of India's busiest city in all its glory, shot at locations and angles which filmmakers havent explored prior to this one. Tushar Kanti Ray's exceptional camerawork gives a new perspective to the city of Mumbai - its busy streets, its beaches, its people, its monsoons and its dark nights. The video diary format used as part of Yasmin's excitement in moving to Mumbai was another great touch. There are some wonderful moments in the movie - like the one where Shaai's maid brings chai for the dhobi in an ordinary glass while its a porcelain cup for Shaai; Shaai's photoshoot for Munna who aspires to be Salman Khan someday;  the one where Munna chases her car towards the end of the movie and the shock on Arun's face when he's done with Yasmin's tapes. All these are great cinematic moments, but they are far in between in this slowly-paced movie. 

The performances are fantastic. There should be no more discussions or questions if Ranbir or Imran is the future, it is Prateik. This guy has enormous screen presence and that is something everybody realized with his delightful cameo in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na itself. As the dhobi Munna who lives multiple lives, Prateik is so natural and much at ease with his character. He definitely has inherited his acting genes from his exceptionally talented mother Smita Patil and there is ample evidence for that in his performance. Monica Dogra is wonderful and her subtle portrayal of Shaai who wants to explore the city on one hand and extend her relationship with Arun beyond a one-night stand was extremely effective. Kriti Malhotra was endearing, and during most of her screen time, she is talking directly to the camera thereby engaging the viewers in a direct way. Aamir Khan is not Aamir Khan, the superstar in this movie. He is just one among the characters in the movie, the one with the least dialogues and his restraint throughout the movie makes his character seem very real. The audience get to see a different Aamir Khan in the movie, stripped of all his superstar glory by his wife in her debut film. And of course, the brilliant actor gets to show off his acting capability in a great moment towards the climax, something which we already discussed. 

We've already talked about how effective the cinematography of the film is. In fact, even when the film turns out to be really tedious, the cinematography is what keeps our interest. The musical score by Academy Award winner Gustavo Santaolalla (Brokeback Mountain, Babel) elevates the movie and haunts you much after you leave the hall. Nishant Radhakrishnan could have made much difference in this multiple narrative story with his editing, but his editing hardly has any effect except for some very interesting cut-to-cut edits. The black & white still photographs of Mumbai are brilliant, but we've seen such stuff so many movies the latest being Wake Up Sid. The final painting done by Arun inspired by Yasmin's life is some form of modern art which is very difficult for the ordinary public (including me) to comprehend. 

On the whole, Dhobi Ghat is the love-child of Kiran Rao's love to the city of Mumbai. It fails to rise above that many a times and remains a weak screenplay which could have done with a little more drama and a concrete plot. It has some wonderful moments, has terrific work by the technical crew and flawless performances by its four leads. It is unusual, and not meant for the regular cinema going crowd. And by the end of it all, it leaves you unsatisfied despite having great potential. 

Rating - 3/5

Yamla Pagla Deewana - Mast Hai!!

Movie - Yamla Pagla Deewana (Hindi)

Director - Samir Karnik

Producers - Nitin Manmohan, Samir Karnik

Cast - Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Kulraj Randhawa, Nafisa Ali, Anupam Kher, Punit Issar, Mukul Dev, Sucheta Khanna & Emma Brown
Music - Laxmikant - Pyarelal, RDB, Anu Malik, Nouman Javaid, Sandesh Shandilya, Rahul Seth, Sanjoy Choudhury
Cinematography - Kabir Lal, Binod Pradhan
Editing - Mukesh Thakur
Background Score - Sanjoy Chaudhury
Action - Anal Arasu
Art - Jeetendra Karwa
Writer - Jasvinder Bath
Release Date - 14th January 2011

The movie begins with a narration by Ajay Devgn about how Indians love movies which have estranged families reuniting in the climax and takes the example of the umpteen hit movies with this formula in the 70s and 80s. Its been a long long time since such a movie has hit our screens, and YPD taps into that genre which inevitably leaves Indian audiences happy each time it is told on screen. And the director Samir Karnik had a winner in his hands when he managed to get the real life father and sons Dharmendra, Sunny & Bobby Deol to play the leads in this comedy. Bollywood loves this family, especially Dharmendra and Sunny Deol and that was why even a terrible movie like Apne managed to become a success. But unlike Apne, YPD is a very entertaining film that celebrates and spoofs the careers of its 3 leading men, with a certain tongue-in-cheek attitude. The trailer was loved by everyone and the movie is also turning into a hit thereby proved that if they get the right movie, the Deols still have it in them to strike box office gold. 

Paramveer Singh Tillon (Sunny Deol) is married to a Canadian national Mary (Emma Brown) and is settled there with his wife, 2 kids and mother (Nafisa Ali). His mother had been separated from his father Dharam Singh (Dharmendra) for a long 30 years because his father couldnt leave his profession as a con-man and he left the family taking her second son Gajodhar (Bobby Deol) along with him. Paramveer learns that his father and brother are now Benaras and sets out to India to bring them back to his mother. In India, Paramveer meets his brother and father, who is not ready to accept the truth. So he joins their gang and their activities and when his brother Gajodhar falls in love with a Punjabi girl Sahiba (Kulraj Randhawa), he decides to help him win his girl's hand against the oppostion of her army of brothers led by Joginder Singh (Anupam Kher). The fun and confusions that happen eventually forms the rest of the movie. 

Now, with that kind of a plot at hand, the director has had a lot of fun with his characters and the movie gets much more interesting when it shifts to Punjab in the second half a la DDLJ. But the movie works majorly because of the chemistry between the real life father and sons and their own brand of humour. The confusions and the bunch of interesting characters give rise to more fun in the second half, leading to a slapstick climax which again spoofs and celebrates the Deols. There are great Sunny Deol fights, lovely Dharmendra moments, 2 great songs and lots of fun. On the flipside, Bobby Deol's romantic portions dont work and there are another 2-3 unwanted songs which could've been done away with. The first half could've been tighter but as soon as the action shifts from Benaras to Punjab, the movie becomes much more exciting. Usually, it is in the second half that most movies falter, but YPD gets it right in the second half after a not-so-great first half. 

The Deols are nothing short of brilliant in the film. Sunny Deol takes the cake among the three. After so many years of appearing in mundane action flicks which people wish to forget, the National Award winning actor has clearly enjoyed his role as the lovable NRI Sardarji Paramveer Singh. We get to see a lighter side of the actor which hasnt been utilized by any of his earlier directors. Its a delight when he has fun at his own expense in many scenes in the movie. There's a laugh out loud moment in the climax where his famous roar shatters the entire building and throws away both the good guys and bad guys. It is delightful to watch Sunny Deol in form after a long long time and you cant help but whistle when he beats up the baddies effortlessly with those 'dhaai kilo ka haath's. Dharmendra has also had a ball as the con-man baap. He is constantly dressed in colorful and vibrant clothes and his performance is young and energetic. He is endearing in the comedy scenes and powerful in the emotional ones. And of course, he also has a lot of fun spoofing and being spoofed. I am a big time hater of Bobby Deol and his movies, but I must say Bobby, the youngest and the least talented of the Deols, has done extremely well in this movie. In fact, this would be his career best performance. He just stays back and has fun making fun of his dad and big bro most of the time and his comic timing has also improved tremendously. He does fairly well in the romance portions also but those scenes hamper the pace of this comedy film and do not work very well. Kulraj Randhawa is a beautiful young lady and by her performance in this film, it looks like she can act too. She is sure to go places soon. Anupam Kher in a comic role after a really long time is brilliant. Mukul Dev is superb and its a surprise that he wasnt working for such a long time. Sucheta Khanna is lovely as the 'Caneda' loving Poli. Amit Mistry, the funny guy from 99 is very good. Nafisa Ali was hamming a bit too much. There's Johnny Lever also in one funny scene. Emma Brown, the firang who played Sunny's wife was also very good. 

The music of the film is a mixed bag. It has two great songs - the remix of Dharmendra's biggest hit 'Yamla Pagla Deewana', which also serves as a theme track for the movie; and a beautiful Punjabi melody 'Charha De Rang'. The rest of the songs, including two item numbers do not work at all. The background score is very effective and peps up the proceedings. Cinematography by veterans Kabir Lal and Binod Pradhan is wonderful and showcases the beauty of Benaras and Punjab. Action by famous South Indian fight master Anal Arasu is kickass and Sunny Deol's fights are one of the highlights of the movie. Art by Jeetendra Karwa was also effective. Jasvinder Singh Bath's screenplay could've been tighter in the first half but is very effective in the second half with hilarious sequences coming one after the other. The dialogues are first rate. 

On the whole, YPD is a wonderful throwback to the good old masala entertainers of the 70s, 80s and 90s in this age of sophisticated movie-making. And it is also a celebration of one of India's most loved celebrity families - the Deols. They have had a lot of fun making this movie and that reflects on the audience too, making them have as much fun watching this movie, as they did making it. When Hindi Cinema has been making terrible films in the name of comedies and entertainers like Tees Maar Khan & No Problem, Yamla Pagla Deewana shows how its done the right way. Lets hope we get to see more of the Deols in such refreshing movies hereon. Watch it for the fun, the madness and of course, the Deols!! 

Rating - 3.5/5

Best Movies of 2010 - Hindi

And this is another year end special. Again, my attempt to compile the 10 best films of 2010 - Films which I liked, films which the masses liked and films which were genuinely good - I've tried to maintain a balance between all of them in this list. So, lets get started. 

10. My Name is Khan

Director - Karan Johar

Producer - Karan Johar, Shah Rukh Khan

Cast - Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Jimmy Sheirgill, Zarina Wahab

Writers - Karan Johar, Shibani Bhatija

Karan Johar tried to move away from candyfloss cinema to serious territories with his tale of an autistic man who sets out to prove his innocence to the President of America. Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol gave brilliant performances and the magic of India's most loved on-screen pair was still intact. But, as the director is Karan Johar, the film cant be far away from his sensibilities. The whole flood episode and the 'hum honge kamyaab' portions stuck out like a sore thumb from an otherwise well made movie. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's soulful music & Ravi K Chandran's spectacular cinematography deserve special mention. 

9. Tere Bin Laden

Director - Abhishek Sharma

Producer - Pooja Shetty, Arti Shetty

Cast - Ali Zafar, Piyush Mishra, Pradhyuman Singh, Sugandha Garg

Writer - Abhishek Sharma

This was a small movie which nobody knew about, but when it came, it became one of the most talked about movies of the year. A clever and witty comedy made with minimum budget and lesser-known actors, this movie wins you over with its completely original concept and the smart way in which it has been handled. Ali Zafar, the Pakistani singer made a great debut and is surely promising. Pradhyuman Singh as the lovable Osama look-alike, was hilarious. Abhishek Sharma is a director to look out for.

8. Love, Sex Aur Dhokha (LSD)

Director - Dibakar Bannerjee

Producers - Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor, Priya Sreedharan

Cast - Anshuman Jha, Shruti, Raj Kumar Yadav, Neha Chauhan, Amit Sial, Arya, Henry Tangdi 

Writers - Dibakar Bannerjee, Kanu Behl

Two-time National Award winning director Dibakar Bannerjee made his 3rd venture in a completely digital format, a rarity in India. The film, based on voyeurism, told 3 different stories using the digital camera in 3 different aspects to tell the story. The entire star cast of the movie didnt feature even a single known face and almost all of them acted brilliantly. The film went through a lot of controversy and it also had a nude scene, which was later trimmed and blurred by the censor board. The movie also featured a  kickass music score by Sneha Kanwalkar. LSD is now considered a cult classic and it also did reasonably good business during its theatrical run.  

7. Raajneeti 

Director - Prakash Jha

Producers - Prakash Jha, Ronnie Screwvala

Cast - Ranbir Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, Manoj Bajpai, Arjun Rampal, Nana Patekar, Katrina Kaif, Naseeruddin Shah

Writers - Anjum Rajabali, Prakash Jha

Now, this movie was BIG. In every sense of the word. One of the biggest hits of the year, Raajneeti featured a host of talented actors ranging from Naseeruddin Shah to Ranbir Kapoor. The movie's plot was an amalgamation of two of the greatest stories ever told - The Mahabharata & The Godfather, and the setting was Indian politics. This itself made for an intriguing watch and as a bonus, there were stellar performances from Manoj Bajpai, Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Rampal & Nana Patekar. Even Katrina Kaif was highly impressive in her Sonia Gandhi-inspired role. The only actor who got a raw deal was Ajay Devgn. The second half was problematic and the climax, too rushed and cinematic. But none of this could stop this mammoth movie from being one of the biggest moneymakers in recent times. 

6. Dabangg

Director - Abhinav Kashyap

Producers - Arbaaz Khan, Malaika Arora Khan, Dhilin Mehta

Cast - Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Sonu Sood, Arbaaz Khan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Anupam Kher, Om Puri.

Writers - Abhinav Kashyap, Dileep Shukla

Dabangg was a hurricane. It came, it conquered. A film which relied heavily on  Salman Khan's extraordinary star power, this movie was styled in a western-meets-South masala cinema kind of way. It had great action sequences, fantastic songs, hilarious comedy and everything that an Indian masala film is expected to have, in plenty. It also presented to us a heroine who reminded us how the quintessential Indian woman liked like, in these days of size-zero bimbettes - Sonakshi Sinha. But all these were just mere starters, as the main course was always Salman Khan in an unstoppable form. And he proved that he will always remain the darling of the masses. The film is reportedly the second (or third) highest grosser ever in the history of Indian Cinema. From the day the trailer was launched, Chulbul Pandey urff Robin Hood Pandey became an iconic character. And of course, there was MUNNI!!

5. Band Baaja Baaraat

Director - Maneesh Sharma

Producer - Aditya Chopra

Cast - Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma

Writer - Habib Faisal

A refreshingly lovable film, Band Baaja Baaraat was the story of 2 Delhi University passouts who start a wedding planning business on their own and how their friendship gets affected in the course of their business (or binness, as Bittoo would say). The film introduced us to a supremely talented Ranveer Singh, who had no acting backgrounds and who can give all the star-kids a run for their money. Anushka Sharma looked ravishing and gave an incredible performance as well. The chemistry between the two was unbelievably real and that added more authenticity to the movie. The film had a great musical score by Yash Raj regulars Salim-Sulaiman. Habib Faisal, who directed one of the other best movies of the year (coming shortly in this post) wrote this lovely movie for debutant director Maneesh Sharma. The film has helped Yash Raj Films to regain at least some of their lost glory. 

4. Ishqiya

Director - Abhishek Chaubey

Producer - Vishal Bhardwaj, Raman Maroo

Cast - Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, Salman Shahid

Writers - Vishal Bhardwaj, Abhishek Chaubey, Sabrina Dhawan

This was one helluva movie. With 3 supremely talented actors in the lead and the brand name of Vishal Bhardwaj associated with it, Ishqiya was a winner from the word go. Vidya Balan played the femme fatale role to perfection making her the most favorable candidate to sweep all the awards this year. Naseeruddin Shah is synonymous with brilliance and we get the same here too. Arshad Warsi also excelled as the lovable goon Babban. Abhishek Chaubey, long-term associate of Vishal Bhardwaj made his debut through this movie which was co-written by him, Vishal and Sabrina Dhawan. And of course, there was the magical soundtrack by Vishal Bhardwaj and Gulzar Saab with the all time classic - Dil To Baccha Hai Ji. 

3. Do Dooni Chaar

Director - Habib Faisal

Producer - Arindam Chaudhuri, Walt Disney Pictures

Cast - Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, Archit Krishna, Aditi Vasudev

Writers - Habib Faisal, Rahil Qazi

This was a gem of a movie. A Delhi middle class family's struggle to move from being owners of a scooter to a medium range car, is traced through some interesting incidents laced with a lot of  subtle humour. There was nothing extraordinary about this small film (except the acting by its lead cast) and yet it manages to make you feel unbelievably good. Rishi Kapoor delivers one of the year's best performances and Neetu Kapoor plays the perfect foil to his character. And other than these experienced actors, the new kids Aditi Vasudev and Archit Krishna are also exceptionally good and leave a solid impact. Every single person who has had a middle-class upbringing would relate to almost all the scenes of this movie and love it completely. 

2. Peepli [Live]

Director - Anusha Rizvi

Producer - Aamir Khan

Cast - Omkar Das Manikpuri, Raghubir Yadav, Malaika Shenoy, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Naseeruddin Shah

Writer - Anusha Rizvi

After watching this film, Salman Khan remarked that whatever Aamir Khan touches, it turns into gold. Well, that has been true for the past 4 yours now. A small budget satire about farmer's suicides, ex-reporter Anusha Rizvi's directorial debut became the talk of the nation upon its release. The only known faces in the movie were that of Raghubir Yadav and Naseeruddin Shah, but the tale of Nattha and his decision to take his own life for the sake of the suicide compensation money that his family would get, made people flock to the theaters, thereby making Peepli Live a grand success. Aamir Khan's excellent promotional strategies also played a key role in the movie's success. The movie has also been selected as India's official entry for the Foreign Language category in the coming Oscars. 

1. Udaan

Director - Vikramaditya Motwane

Producers - Anurag Kashyap, Sanjay Singh, Ronnie Screwvala

Cast - Rajat Barmecha, Ronit Roy, Ram Kapoor, Aayan Boradia, Manjot Singh, Anand Tiwari

Writers - Vikramaditya Motwane, Anurag Kashyap

Udaan was one of the films in the competition section for the Palm D' Or at the Cannes Film Festival this year, a rare achievement for an Indian film. The film got released on 16th July and turned into a flop despite getting rave reviews from almost everyone who saw the movie. The movie was a simple coming-of-age story of a boy in extreme situations. It was realistic, poetic and uplifting and had some amazing performances as well. Ronit Roy was a revelation as the terrible father and there was Ram Kapoor as the loving uncle as well. Rajat Barmecha stole everyone's hearts with his lovely performance and so did the young boy who played his kid brother in the film. Amit Trivedi's music made the film scale new heights each time a song played in the movie. Intricately written by the director Vikramaditya Motwane and producer Anurag Kashyap, Udaan is easily one of the best films of the decade. Too bad that it didnt do well at the box office. 

P.S. - There were several other good/great films which came out in 2010, but unfortunately didnt make it to this list. There was the dhinchak retro-gangster flick Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai, the clever and witty Phas Gaye Re Obama, Ram Gopal Varma's return to form through the Rakht Charitra series, Ashutosh Gowariker's Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's plagiarized but very good Guzaarish with a stunning performance by Hrithik Roshan and Priyadarshan's Mississippi Burning rip-off Aakrosh. And of course, there was the hurricane from down south called Robot, dubbed in Hindi.