Year-end Special: Maha-Review of Bollywood in 2013

Preface

And I SAY WHAT A YEAR this has been!

Well, okay, to be fair, we still had quite a lot of nonsense this year... but hey, you know we're speaking of Bollywood. With the "Great" comes the "not-so-good" movies!

On that note, let's proceed to the Top 10 highest grossers of Bollywood this year (List taken from Wikipedia on 29 December 2013)

1. Chennai Express
2. Dhoom 3 (still running at the time of the writing of this post)
3. Krrish 3
4. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
5. Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela
6. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
7. Grand Masti
8. Race 2
9. Aashiqui 2
10. Special 26

Which ones, for you, were deserving to be in this list? You can think about it, and most importantly, keep it for yourself. Ponder for a minute over what just happened. For all the undeserving ones, replace them with some new Hindi flicks you wanted to see there. Got my point? That is what criticism is all about. It is not about giving a movie 4 and half stars for the sake of the box office. Especially if that movie is something like a Ra.One. It is about giving a movie like Ram Leela 3.5 out of 5 (like Rajeev Masand did), because you believe in that opinion of yours and you expect it to be criticized by others.

The end of the year is always a weird period for me. I always look back at the year with a lot of regret, to be honest. This time, I will look at 2013 with a smile, a painful one. It has been a painful year, but I will smile in the face of the fear, in the face of the pain.

"Peace begins with a smile”

― Mother Teresa

Enjoy the post, friends! And smile at my jokes, even if they are bad. I try to make them funny, so do NOT feel that I am mocking anybody or any film or anything even. I am doing it purely for the Good of my most favorite type of movies. Hindi movies. Enjoy, ok? Cheerios.

Maha-Review of 2013

Watched and liked (or even « loved », depending the movies!)

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola

Vishal Bharadwaj in a very subtle style. Pankaj Kapur, Imran Khan, and Anushka Sharma. Very subtle and well-made satirical movie from VB.

Special 26

Not as good as A Wednesday, but Neeraj Pandey goes commercial with this one. Akshay Kumar finally comes up with something worthy of his own talent. Anupam Kher, Jimmy Shergill and Manoj Bajpai. A really nice story, a lot of comedy, but the suspense is brilliant.

Chashme Buddoor

Maybe not as good as the others in this list, but a very cheeky comedy flick by David Dhawan. A lot of nonsense involved, maybe. But still, it contains some sincerely funny perfomances by the trio - Ali Zaffar, Siddharth and Divyendu Sharma.

Aashiqui 2

This one was surprisingly excellent. I did not expect it to have such a big impact on me, but Aditya Roy Kapur shows that he can act, and how! Shraddha Kapur was very sincere and impressive in her own subtle way. The music? Beyond words. Go for this, if you like good music.

Bombay Talkies

The "Movie that marks 100 Years of Bollywood", and a really nice one. Four big directors. Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, and Dibakar Banerjee. They all make very impactful movies, and they might even shock you. Impactful and short films? That is a very good combo in my assessment. Do not miss this one. My personal favorite was Kashyap's film 'Murabba'.

Go Goa Gone

To be honest, it was very different compared to what the trailers tried to portray. It gives Bollywood, what "American Pie" gave to Hollywood. But to be honest, I feel this one is far more intelligent. The jokes are very cheeky, but intelligent. It might even gross you out at some point. But it is very "modern" in the sense that it is unlike Bollywood, to show such shocking, cheeky, funny, but well-shot scenes. Saif Ali Khan was hilarious! Different, but nice.

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

A lot of hype around this one, but the four leads do a very decent job. The message in this movie may not be as obvious and "put across clearly" like in Wake Up Sid (Ayan Mukherji's first and best directorial venture). But its colors and beauty will impress you in a different way.

Lootera

Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha. Amit Trivedi's music. Vikramaditya Motwane the director. Four names that make the movie a true cinematic delight. Go for this adaptation of the short story "The Last Leaf". To be frank, I was very moved by this one.

D Day

Rishi Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor. Yes, the supporting cast was amazing, but I just could not digest the way Mr. Kapoor excelled in this one. He truly creeps you out, and impresses you with his portrayal of India's most wanted Underworld Don. Nikhil Advani is back as a director, and how.

Want to watch (heard good or great things about them)

David -  Bejoy Nambiar being one of my favorite directors off late, have been very eager to watch this one. Vikram, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Vinay Virmani all playing three "Davids" in three eras, and made by the "director of Shaitan". What else, right?

ABCD: Any Body Can Dance - India's first 3D Dance Film, even though it can never be a "Step Up" sort of flick. But if Prabhu Deva, Remo D'Souza and Ganesh Acharya are involved in this one, then a dance lover like me is indeed very eager to watch this one. Lauren Gottlieb is also a favorite. I must watch it soon, just for the dance sequences!

Kai Po Che - Having read "the 3 Mistakes of my Life" by Chetan Bhagat, it is natural to be curious about the "film adaptation" of the book. Abhishek Kapoor also being a big favorite of mine ("Rock On" was a gem) But the trailer is what capture my attention. And also that soundtrack by Amit Trivedi.

Mere Dad Ki Maruti - May not be a "grand" flick like the others mentioned in this section, but a fun comedy flick is always welcome in my "Hall of Fame", so to say. Ram Kapoor as the father and Saqib Saleem as the son, and you just know you are in for some laughs!

Raanjhanaa - Dhanush's debut Hindi movie, Sonam Kapoor, and AR Rahman's music. Have heard way too many good things about this one, despite being directed by the "Tanu Weds Manu" director - Anand L Rai.

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag - Two words, Farhan Akhtar. Three more, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. If these two come together to make a movie about India's most famous athlete Milkha Singh, then you should catch it for sure. And that track "Zinda" by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy? Brilliant song. Need to watch this one soon. 

Ship of Theseus - Anand Gandhi makes a movie that is far from being "commercial" but that seemingly deserved to be one! Just check it on Wikipedia, I do not think I have the words to give you a preview of this one. This one looks like a "Dhobi Ghat" type of movie, a kind of movie I love, but that does not deserve to be merely called a "Bollywood movie". (Sorry, but that just had to be said. We should not "degrade" this movie any further...)

Madras Café - The director Shoojit Sircar made Vicky Donor last year. Now he ventures into a more serious genre with Madras Café. I am most keen to watch this one for John Abraham. When he goes for more dramatic and impactful roles, that is when you are in for a treat.

The Lunchbox - Irrfan Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Nimrat Kaur, in a movie that many people hail as the "best movie of 2013". I am really hoping this one releases in Geneva! A story built around a lunchbox involving three people, and if such a story can turn out to be an "amazing movie", then you know you should expect something special!

Shahid - Yet another serious and impactful movie, based on the story of the lawyer Shahid Azmi. And yet another movie that "deserved to be commercial", in my opinion. Nothing more to add...

Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela - Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, with an Indianized version of "Romeo and Juliet" as the backbone of the story. What else? (Don't sue me, Nespresso, please! Hehe)

The “No No NO” list (The movies that I may not have seen, but that I want to avoid altogether!)

If those were the "good ones", then we must mention the "horrible ones" no? Fair enough, let us proceed friends.

Race 2 - Worst sequel ever? There were many this year, so it is hard to say. Race was fabulous, but this one seems to be disappointing, hearing the feedback from sources all around me.

Nautanki Saala - After a successful start in Vicky Donor, Ayushmann Khurrana seems to go for something very weird. Avoidable again!

Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 - Ehm disgusting potty jokes involving gorillas and the three Deols? No thank you.

Ramaiya Vastavaiya - No offence, but the actor looks "too cute" to be an actor. I feel bad for Shruti Haasan, she did great in D-Day. Why Prabhu Deva, why??

Chennai Express - The promos offended me a lot, especially that joke of a tribute to Rajini sir. "THALAIVA!" Really, Honey Singh? Stop this ASAP, please!

Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara - Imran Khan, you deserve better! Why did you opt for this one?? Yet another silly sequel, when Ajay Devgan and Emraan Hashmi ROCKED the first part of this one.

Zanjeer - A remake of Amitabh's Zanjeer. Involving a newcomer that has a... erm... funny look. I'm being nice here. Sorry Priyanka, but even you must have known that this was not needed in your career.

Grand Masti - WHAT? A HUNDRED CRORES FOR THIS NONSENSE? Yet another horrible sequel? OK, sorry, but I cannot say more. Next, please.

Boss - A remake of the superhit Malayalam flick Pokkiri Raja, and you know that Akshay Kumar will be too cheesy in such a role. He CANNOT do a fraction of the job that Mammootty did in the original one, sorry AK fans. OMG Oh My God was good, but he should stick to movies like Special 26. Please stop being so "commercial", Mr.Kumar!

Krrish 3 - Why Hrithik, why? The trailer had ended up making me so excited... but then the spoofs made me laugh so much. I just cannot watch this despite being such a huge fan of yours. Sorry HR. Too much a fan of your talent to do this to myself.

Singh Saab The Great - Sunny Deol, you will be back soon. I sense a big movie soon, but do not go for movies like Singh Saab The Great please! You are way too awesome to do such movies...

R... Rajkumar - Shahid Kapur, WHY?! You did a Jab We Met and a Kaminey, and now you are opting for such a thrashy massy flick? You are too awesome, bro. Stop this and become silent, warna main violent ho jaoonga (Hehe)

Special Mentions

Best Music - Aashiqui 2

(Lootera was brilliant, it comes to a very close Second Position)

One that did not deserve all that criticism - Besharam

(Come on guys, Dabangg 2 was worse. Chennai Express seems horrible. Ranbir's acting was not "great", but it was an honest effort, and I watched this one in a theater. So I know what I am talking about)

The Could-Have-Been-Awesome movie - Aurangzeb

Prithviraj was amazing, Arjun Kapoor impresses. Jackie Shroff and Rishi Kapoor were good. Even the music was good. But the story was too stretched. A crisp screenplay would have changed a lot of things for this one...

The Is-It-Good-Or-Not movie - Ghanchakkar

I seriously do not know whose opinion to follow for this one. Maybe I should really give it a try. I am slowly turning into an Emraan Hashmi fan, he is really doing good currently.

The Most-Disappointing Release - Dhoom 3

Aamir Khan may be the best in the business, but the group of "mixed reviews" surrounding D3 is very disappointing to say the least. Let's see what he produces in Peekay, with Rajkumar Hirani again. Tempted to watch D3 for Katrina Kaif and Aamir Khan, but hoping for more from them in the future.

The biggest let-down of the year - Shahid Kapur

You can do better, and you know it Shahid! Phata Poster Nikla Hero and R Rajkumar... Come on, let us buck up for 2014, mate!

The Heroes of the Year - Ranveer Singh, Aditya Roy Kapur and Farhan Akhtar

Just check their movies this year. One from Farhan, two from Aditya and two from Ranveer. They certainly have a rocking year ahead.

The Heroine of the Year - Deepika Padukone

Four big hits in one year, she certainly knows what she is doing. Kudos to you, DP, you deserve this success!

The talents that seem very promising - Shraddha Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor

Way too many Kapoor's for my liking, but they are very good. Shraddha was very natural in A2 and Arjun knows how to act, no doubt about that.

Concluding Note

2013 was big, and 2014 looks massive. I am certainly looking beyond those "nonsense movies". Check these trailers out, few of many to come.