Sunday, April 1, 2012

2011's finest - The finer colors in Bollywood's Canvas!

........Well, to be fairly honest, a significant amount of work at college and a significant amount of laziness at work have put me away from being the keen movie enthusiast that I'd been......that and a dearth for theatres or mismatch in launch timings with my schedules and I'd left myself quite some catching up to do with the releases in Indian Cinema, specially from the *olly-woods of Telugu & Tamil for a major part of 2011........however, scouring through my memory, I managed to put up a list of the better Hindi ones of 2011, that have quite helped in retaining Indian Cinema's coming of age scene. Shortly, 2011 did manage to stage a platform for a lot of well scripted hyperlink movies, a genre I have a soft spot for, however, to dwell more into details, the list, not particularly in chronological order, is as follows....

  • Shaitaan - well now, it has become customary(thankfully) for the small cult of fresh & inspiring movie makers that has been founded & propagated by Anurag Kashyap and to a major extent now, produced by him, to shell out one properly good movie every year. It includes cast that has been spawned by him onto one of his earlier ventures, all talented newbies in the film fraternity, exceptional cinematography with principles imported from some of the finest from around the world, catchy OSTs that just rejuvenate an already well planned and scripted storyline! It is indeed ironic of me to begin the list with this Bejoy Nambiar directed venture, which I've not yet seen, but from what all I've garnered through reviews, tweets and promos, this is definitely one worthy addition to that cult!
  • Delhi Belly - if not to generate a stylish cult following, trying in his own way to produce quality cinema and garnering huge applaud from a wider audiences for his efforts in return is Aamir Khan. So much so that it almost tempts me to plead the Bachchans, & the other mighty Khans to learn a thing or two from him & his tastes. Albeit for a sense of 'acceptability' that his brigade has shown so far, this year Aamir Khan productions has gone the whole hog and started experimenting with cinema for the good of, well, cinema itself! This one stands out to be one of the best dark sarcastic comedies I've ever witnessed in Indian Cinema, with svelte dialogue(yes, expletives included), acerbic yet rib tickling screenplay & some of the most striking cinematographic trysts you would come across! With a tongue in cheek-ish OST too, I cant recollect another classy sarcastic hindi comedy where I was losing my bowels out of sheer laughter!
  • Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara - well this one was a cliche, albeit one that you dont find in the Indian Cinema front. A classic well shot romantic comedy 'travelogue'. It has all the ingredients going for it.....Spain, 3 childhood friends meeting, before one of them's getting married, for a long time re-union, some adventure sports, classic cars, 2 beautiful women who walk into the story, lots of tango and senoritas, d legendary tomantina & the bull run! It also has all the spot-on cinematic ingredients, Zoya Akhtar's deft direction & screenplay, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's beautiful OST, marvellous cinematography that Spain, in every inch and ounce, deserves, some crisp editing, dialogue & a stereotypical(albeit nice) storyline. For starters, for a class-movie-starved Indian cinematic scene, this brilliantly works & it worked! What also tugged at my heart more is a slightly superior notch in subtlety when it came to some of the screenplay, some of the OST's integration, (specially when characters had to overcome their fears, apprehensions & rediscover themselves...the splendour of the scenes only emphasized by Javed Akhtar's poetry) & amazing renditions by Farhan Akhtar & Hrithik Roshan
  • Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster - what grabbed me with this sinister tale of love, betrayal, revenge & caprice is the casting. Somehow, it struck a unique chord with the set of people on board for this project that it just embellishes the dialogue, screenplay and above all, the performances, more so, to be in fine tune with the story & the director's vision. Randeep Hooda, the quintessential crook is the only cliche among the lead trio, where Mahie Gill and Jimmy Shergill bring in a very fresh wickedness to the whole scene, that I've seldom enjoyed elsewhere. The movie is unrefined by a slight margin yet boasts of good cinematography and has the novelty of pristine wild locations & dialogue!
  • Shor in the City - To begin with a humble disclaimer, despite this being made by a set of young brilliant asst.directors from the Telugu Film Industry who happened to mesmerize me through an erstwhile Telugu hit, I impartially liked this film for its content and some very intriguing screenplay. The domineering screenplay, closely aided by brilliant cinematography and decent background score take this quintessential hyperlink drama to a sizzling level. In scenes like, when they prevent a kid from grabbing an exposed bomb or when the NRI grabs his chance to shoot the goons who've been pesking him, you are left gasping aloud, for they have been shot with utmost intensity. It does have underlying implications of dark humour, & is very much a tantalizing drama!
  • Not Another Love Story - RGV, a real crime-love story that recently came into light, Bollywood & the casting couch; & dead bodies cut into 'several' pieces! The perfect recipe for a classic Indo-noir thriller! Of late, it has become customary 'not' to expect a good movie from the RGV camp but if you look at it closely, those directed by himself have been truly scorchers for RGV & thriller fanatics in common(more on this in my other blog about RGV!) Interestingly, RGV tries experimenting with some other touches in this flick like montages, freeze frame shots & dark eroticism. As a final touch, trust Mahie Gill (who is seemingly becoming a noir favourite of mine) to oomph up things in just the right amount! 
  • Rockstar - there was noir, there was sarcastic comedy, there was good drama & there were hyperlink movies! As an outcry to all the finely established genres that Bollywood tried embracing last year(with much success too), Imtiaz Ali, gave us this! Perplexing, intriguing, fascinating, charming & bedazzling  to me, I was so impressed that I'd scripted a blog as an ode to this flick. So I'll save the accolades for elsewhere and briefly enumerate what all you should be watching this movie for! - Ranbir Kapoor, the music, the montages, production designing, the jagged screenplay, cinematography & above all, the intensity. The sheer intensity! Perfectly helps if you've loved (and lost too!)
  • That Girl In Yellow Boots - to be honest, I had humongous expectations for this one, which also falls into the erstwhile mentioned Anurag Kashyap genre of Indian films, what with its astounding critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival, Anurag's passionate homework & his dedicated casting of his wife & now, an acquired actor, Kalki. However, I surmise poor financing is the issue, the movie was a bit low on production values. Interestingly, the movie utilizes that to a raw-unfinished effect that emphasizes the undertone of an edgy intriguing thriller with a shocking revelation at the very end. Everything else appends to this rawness, shaky yet focused cinematography, flimsy dialogue & an OST derived from the forgotten hinterlands of India. In her silence, desperate and longing gazes, restlessness and patience in equal measures, Kalki revels and is a treat to watch. All the other unrefined bits, I surmise, are intentional!
  • Dhobighat(Mumbai Diaries) - For purist cinema goers & drama lovers who look for characters that aren't shallow and a plot that is layered with connections, hyperlinks & intimations, this is pop-corn material! A slow, sublime drama basing itself on a set of beautifully portrayed characters(much credit goes to the careful casting & the actors themselves) and nicely timed screenplay make it a riveting watch. Another good part is the way B/W & color cinematography(which also happens to be textbook purist material) are interspersed; it helps in layering the different stories vertically thus letting one comprehend and empathize with them well. Kiran Rao's debut venture is truly very thoughtful, sophisticated and pleasant! And yep, this comes from the Aamir Khan camp, and with that,another note of appreciation has to go to the only Khan of bollywood who's dedicated to quality cinema, the way it should be!
  • 7 Khoon Maaf - I dont want to be stereotyping a very nascent revolution of good movies in Bollywood already, but variety and similarity has me in a helpless state. As for this one, it falls into the Vishal Bhardwaj genre of cinema, which has over the time(okay, since d last 6-7 years) proved its worth. This is a man of miracle and exceptional talent. And very obviously, true love for cinema. Based on an acclaimed Ruskin Bond novel, this one is a lesson in cinema making! Every little element is so carefully crafted & tailored, that you can only draw comparisons with the finest of works on canvas. The details in the movie, both apparent & non-apparent technical stuff, are meticulously thought out & the exquisite brocade of them is polished with sophistication. Another exceptional point being Vishal's composition which is so befitting. Brilliant visuals, brilliant screenplay, terrific storytelling & Priyanka Chopra's (in my book, after Aishwarya, the best female actor Bollywood has) best performance till date sum it up! Unfortunately it also happens to be a highly forgotten and overlooked film.
The lesser favourites - 
  • I Am -  I am yet to watch this acclaimed hyperlink film which took the National Award for best feature film of 2011. Its a sociological drama, involving well written characters & storytelling,with some proven actors on the cast. Going by the early reviews & the award it bagged, it should be a treat to watch!
  • No One Killed Jessica - This one is a thrilling drama, based on d facts of a horrific crime committed in the national capital. Some of the performances in the film are worth noting for, while other good details like d cinematography make it a good watch. The director has lost to the temptation of adding a lot of emotional drama to the flick thus, in my book, slightly condensing the film's snob value. Vidya Balan, the acquired actor, who has proven time and again with her choices that she's a person of taste, delivers well in this, quite contrary to Rani Mukherji.
  • Tanu Weds Manu - Well before you cry foul, let me agree that this is just another plain jane romantic comedy with an abused story & Kangana Ranaut's over acting antics. Yet for the delicate use of dialogue, screenplay, cinematography and a very compelling OST, it stands out of the crowd as a peaceful watch. And Madhavan is truly adorable as he revels in that innocent character!
  • The Dirty Picture - Given Ekta Kapoor's other offerings in this year, I was hugely dissappointed with the unrefined way this movie has been treated. It had Vidya Balan bravely taking up a role others wouldnt even ponder, & a sizzling dialogue that left audiences crackling in theatres, yet a level of sophistication was much desired. However, Milan Luthria's interesting narration style, where he consummates the story perfectly at the end in the dialogue, (also seen in Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai) remains!

There you have it....my take on the finest Bollywood movies from last year! Apologies for going over the word limits in certain areas; accolades were surely required. I might have surely missed out a flick or two. Do feel free to append them in your comments, alongside whatever ranting that you might feel like doing. Here's to more from this year & here's to the mere gut of a film maker in a challenging Bollywood to make a good film that he believes in, against all odds!

P.S: Forgive the over-usage of the word hyperlink. A vocab rookie that I am, I've yet to discover a synonym for the word. Basically these hyperlink films have a set of stories interspersed with each other, each having a connection to the other, yet individual in nature. They usually make for the best of dramas!