Bollywood cinema has had a decent year so far. Cruising into the second half of 2010, it is a good time to look over the successes and failures in this year, and to make some speculations about the future releases. In the recent past, the Indian film industry has seen the advent of an era of young and extremely creative film makers, who are slowly changing the outlook of the Indian audience. They have molded some innovative and thought provoking ideas into their films, and made the public think and act. Here’s a categorized display of some the movies released and to be released in the following months, with personal comments:
1. Huge expectations: HIT/SUPERHIT!
i. ISHQIYA After Kaminey, another Great piece of work in terms of acting, direction, screenplay, dialogues and music. The composition “Dil to baccha hai ji…” should bag the award for best song. A must-watch.
ii. MY NAME IS KHAN Great starcast and direction, melodious music, and some wonderful performances on screen. A good topic to highlight, goes with the current issues. A must-watch.
iii. KARTHIK CALLING KARTHIK Good story, a little predictable, but decently carried out. Great songs. Worth watching.
iv. ATITHI TUM KAB JAOGE Brilliant actors and good performances. But not enough matter to put on reel. A hit anyway. Watchable.
v. HOUSEFULL Nothing worth appreciating. Only good thing about the movie are its songs. Somehow a big hit. Not worth watching.
vi. BADMAASH COMPANY Good acting, nice songs, and interesting plot. Worth watching.
vii. RAAJNEETI The biggest hit of the year. Undoubtedly excellent in acting performances and direction. Similarity to the characters in Mahabharata. A must-watch.
viii. ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAI A well made movie of its genre. Good acting by the entire cast, stylish, and melodious music. Watchable.
ix. DABAANG The biggest blockbuster!! An exceptionally high earning film; very entertaining, stunts in style, cool songs, and Salman at its best. Definitely a must watch!
x. PEEPLI LIVE The Aamir Khan production is a mega hit, courtesy to his name. A decent movie with all the elements of sarcasm and pain of a poor farmer. But not exceptional as promoted. Watchable.
2. Not many expectations: but a HIT!
i. LOVE SEX AUR DHOKHA An excellent film in all respects. Defines a new genre of movies, a very happening thing presented in an extraordinary yet simple way. Should win some major awards. A must-watch.
ii. I HATE LOVE STORIES A simple romantic story well captured. Nice acting and some good moments to watch. Watchable.
iii. UDAAN A simple story nicely portrayed. Watchable.
iv. TERE BIN LADEN A well made movie. Comedy is up to its mark, and good performances by the entire cast. Worth watching for all the comedy.
v. AISHA Again a low budget movie, but well made and nicely presented on screen. Acting is good, songs are cool, and the story emotional to some extent. A complete family movie. Watchable.
3. Huge expectations ending in a DISASTER
i. VEER An epic drama, well composed songs, but not impressive. Watchable for the macho element.
ii. RANN First of its kind, and brilliantly presented. A revelation of truth, and very thought provoking. Somehow did not appeal to the audience. My opinion, a must-watch.
iii. PRINCE Good story, but no appreciable acting. Songs are amazing. Not actually a disaster but definitely a flop. Watchable for the style.
iv. PHOONK 2 The sequel of the much appreciated Phoonk was a complete mess. No story, no horror.
v. KITES All that glitters is not gold. Well made, but not entertaining enough. Good songs. Watchable for the romance.
vi. RAAVAN Well made, artistic presentation and creatively captured scenes. Great songs. But slow in pace. The characters hold quite a bit of similarity with Ramayana, and so does the title. But alas, Mahabharata wins over Ramayana for the audience. The biggest disaster perhaps till now.
4. Small expectations: FLOPS
i. CHANCE PE DANCE With Shahid kissing the stardom, his movies were not being expected to be a flop. Nothing in the movie worth appreciating except for the dance. Waste of everything.
ii. TEEN PATTI The BigB charm just didn’t work. A very lame story and not well made at all. Waste of some good ideas.
iii. TUM MILO TO SAHI Great actors and a simple story. But not powerful enough to create an impact. But watchable for the senior actors.
iv. JAANE KAHAN SE AAYI HAI A cool simple romantic comedy. Good entertainer. Melodious songs. Humor is good. Definitely watchable.
v. PAATHSHAALA Again the Shahid factor, and a good thought presented. But not well made. Watchable.
vi. KHATTA MEETHA Lack of everything, even the comedy. Nothing worth watching.
vii. LAFANGEY PARINDEY Decent story but not a very suitable starcast. Not impactful enough, even with a YRF banner. Watchable.
viii. AASHAYEN A big disaster for Nagesh Kukunoor, his name associated with biggies like Iqbal. Perhaps a poor casting and lack of entertainment.
5. Some unexpectedly well made movies
i. LAHORE Has the patriotic touch. Lacks a popular starcast, but reasonable good in its purpose.
ii. SHAAPIT A good movie of its genre. No great performances though, but watchable for the element of horror.
iii. WELL DONE ABBA An excellent film beyond doubt. Brilliant acting, exceptional on-screen presentation, intelligent and sarcastic humor, well directed. A must-watch.
6. Just released and to-be released movies: expected to be HITS
i. WE ARE FAMILY (Strengths : Production; Starcast)
ii. ANJAANA ANJAANI (Strengths : Starcast)
iii. GOLMAAL 3 (Strengths : Popularity of the prequels; Starcast)
iv. ACTION REPLAY (Strengths : Starcast)
v. GUZARISH (Strengths : Direction; Starcast)
vi. PATIALA HOUSE (Strengths : Starcast)
vii. KHELEN HUM JEE JAAN SE (Strengths : Direction; Starcast)
viii. TEES MAAR KHAN (Strengths : Direction; Starcast)
ix. DHOBI GHAAT (Strengths : Starcast)
7. Movies expected to be well made (Hit/Flop depends on audience response)
i. AAKROSH
ii. THE LEGEND OF THE MAESTROS
iii. NO ONE KILLED JESSICA
I am a big admirer of Bollywood movies. My personal favorites from the year releases so far include:
Movies : DABAANG, RAAJNEETI; LOVE SEX AUR DHOKHA; ISHQIYA; WELL DONE ABBA; RANN
Music: DABAANG; ISHQIYA; PRINCE; ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAI
Hopefully the industry will have much more to give to the audience, and perhaps better too.
