Picks of the decade...

Update : This post is a submission for the Reel-life Bloggers contest by wogma and reviewgang.

With the year 2010 coming a close and a new decade getting started, the media is rife with lists and bests and worsts and what-nots...So, I thought, why not do a list of Hindi movies, one for each year this past decade, which all lovers of Hindi cinema should absolutely not have missed....These may not be the biggest blockbusters for those years, nor the ones getting best RoI for their investors, nor the ones with maximum awards or critical acclaim...just plainly movies, that I think changed something in Bollywood for good...and of course, movies that were, by definition, enjoyable, at least in part! :)

2001 - Dil Chahta Hai

Although 2001 will probably be remembered as the year Ashutosh Gowariker got his first big blockbuster with the backing of debutant producer and Mr. Perfectionist Aamir Khan, the Oscar-nominee and immensely enjoyable Lagaan, the movie that really ushered a change in Bollywood was a much lesser hit in the form of debutante director Farhan Akhtar's Dil Chahata Hai. Yes, this was also the year Sunny Deol hit jackpot for his unabashed jingoism in Gadar, Karan Johar gave us the soppy drama with a whopping starcast in the form of the overtly melodramatic and yet partly entertaining K3G and Madhur Bhandarkar made a foray into serious cinema with the chilling Chandni Bar, which made everyone take notice of Tabu as a really fine actress after her previous superb outing in Astitva. However, the reason I find DCH a worthy pick is because it presented urban youth in a very contemporary way for the first time in Bollywood. Sure, we had seen youth stories before, but they were usually too cute to be true (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai). With DCH, what we saw was a peek into lives of people we could relate to, people who did not necessarily spout wittiest lines at the drop of a hat, people who had certain definitions about love and friendship, like normal, regular people do. No "dosti ki hai, nibhani to padegi hi" stuff. More like "You have crossed a line in friendship". Technically, it was the first movie to use sync sound, a technique in which audio is recorded at the same time as the video so that dubbing is not necessary for all scenes in post production. DCH showed us how effortlessly Aamir Khan can pull off a role he is 20 years too old for, it discovered the actor in Akshaye Khanna for us, it showed us a certain Saif Ali Khan had the ability to tickle our funny bone with his poker faced humor, and it made Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy a household name in a world monopolized by A R Rehman and Anu Malik! And most importantly, it showed us what being young and making mistakes and learning from them is all about! Kudos to the team for entertaining in such a subtle and classy way!

2002 - Company

A year that saw glamorous epic like Devdas and trite like Raaz take pole position at the box-office, one movie that didnt make a pot of money and yet managed to grab eyeballs was RGV's Company. This was back when he was still sane and not bitten by the I-want-to-take-the-biggest-movie-ever-in-India-and-give-it-in-the-ass bug. Company was an edgy thriller, almost a docu-drama on the Indian underworld and its equations, finely directed and enacted with some superb performances by Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi and Mohanlal. With Vaastav and Satya, Company forms a trilogy in my mind, and this is as good as movies in this genre can get in Bollywood. Of course, RGV could never repeat his feat, Vivek Oberoi miraculously lost all charm and acting chops thereafter and Ajay Devgan, although he continues to do well, has never been as acidic and effective while saying so few words. This one is the baap of crime dramas.

2003 - Munnabhai MBBS / Haasil

 A year ruled by Jadoo and Hrithik's different act as well as SRK's effortless charm in the wonderful Kal Ho Naa Ho, 2003 had a couple of little gems lurking in the background. While one of them - Munnabhai MBBS - at least made a decent amount of money and got lot of recognition, the other - Haasil - was reduced to a no-show at the Box Office and went largely unnoticed until a few months later, when it picked up on the DVD circuit and has enjoyed a cult following since. (I remember searching for the Haasil dvd in multiple stores in Bangalore for my cousin in 2007 and most of the store owners had no idea what movie I was talking about!).

Munnabhai MBBS, for me, is the most ultimate feel-good movie ever made. Its funny, its got a heart and in the right place, and there's something to take away, in fact, a lot! It is also the only movie to have done justice to Sanjay Dutt's acting talent apart from its wonderful sequel and Vaastav. Raju Hirani's debut film not only gave us jadoo-ki-jhappi but also a wonderful actor in Boman Irani. If you ever feel really down and out, just get a DVD of this wonderful movie and you are all set!

Haasil, on the other hand, is more grim and dark. Its small, has low-key production values and was probably made on a shoestring budget, but it doesnt fail to pack a punch! The dialogues, the innocence of Jimmy Shergill and most of all, the legendary performance of Irfan Khan, that earned him awards and recognition as an actor to reckon with, and of course, who can forget that memorable Abhijeet song "Aankhen Bhi Hoti Hain Dil Ki Zubaan". Haasil is definitely the best campus-politics movie ever made in Hindi cinema, although Gulaal challenged that claim in 2009.

2004 - Lakshya / Yuva

A year ruled by out-and-out entertainers like Main Hoon Na, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Hum Tum and Dhoom, 2004 produced two of the most relatable films for youth. Lakshya, Farhan Akhtar's follow-up to his amazing debut, was as much about a young man's journey to find his inner self, as it was about finding your ambitions in the unlikeliest of professions. Farhan and Hrithik portrayed the confusion resident in a young mind perfectly. I mean, who amongst us hasnt felt what Hrithik's character feels in his early 20's! It took him 24 years and 18000 feet to discover himself! Amazing movie that got overshadowed by the Kargil backdrop and did surprisingly poorly at the BO. These are moments when you want to shout out to the audience "For Gods sake, grow up!" :(

Yuva is, in IMO, Mani Ratnam's finest product this side of the millennium. A story about why and how Indian youth can and should enter politics, it laid the foundation for the Rang De Basanti kind of thinking. Technically sound and told from three character's vantage points, Yuva not only made us realize that Abhishek Bacchan in fact could act, it also gave us Sonu Sood and some brilliant techno music from the maestro. An inspiring story, Yuva should have been seen by more people, many more, but unfortunately, it made no impact whatsoever due to surprisingly bad reviews and critical panning. Totally under-rated!

2005 - Page 3

In a year, that saw the hilarious No Entry, the pathetic Bunty and Babli, the puke-worthy Salaam Namaste and that utterly over-rated monstrosity called Black hit Box-Office gold, along came a smart, small film about the rich upper class and their ways of life as seen by a Page 3 journalist. A gritty, at times gut-wrenching and witty saga about the rich and the famous, sans the glamour, Page 3 made Konkona Sen and Sandhya Mridul household names and catapulted Madhur Bhandarkar into the league of really good directors, a tag he was unable to keep later, after churning out horrific films like Traffic Signal, Fashion and Jail. Aided by a great ensemble cast performance, and some hard-hitting moments, Page 3 made us more aware of what goes on behind those super-rich closed doors and what we may not be envying them for.

2006 - Rang De Basanti / Lage Raho Munnabhai

2006 was an epic year in every sense - it marked the comeback of super-blockbusters in the form of super-trite but super-hyped Dhoom 2, superhits like Fanaa, Krrish, Don, KANK and Phir Hera Pheri (all flawed pieces of cinema, all huge hits!), delicious films like Khosla Ka Ghosla, Corporate and Omkara making their mark, and most importantly, the year when amazingly well-made message movies like RDB and Lage Raho struck a chord with the paying audience! 2006 was perhaps the most successful year for Bollywood in terms of creativity as well as economics.

The more I say about RDB, the less it will be. It is the most inspirational piece of cinema I have seen - stupendous script, brilliant performances from a huge cast, great dialogues, great music and a message that hits you like a ton of bricks - "Zindagi jeene ke do hi tareeke hote hain, ek - jo hota hai hone do, bardaasht karte jao...ya fir - jimmedari uthao use badalne ki". Brilliant parallels drawn with the pre-independence revolutionary movement and superb direction, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra and team nailed this one really really well! Hats off, is all we can say! Movies like these are made once in a long long time and we are lucky to have witnessed one in our lifetime!

Lage Raho Munnabhai, that lovable sequel to Munnabhai MBBS, which reminded us of Gandhi and how his values can still be safeguarded in today's materialistic world, is again a cinematic masterpiece that gets everything right - from the cast with Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi and Boman Irani revving it up even further, to the screenplay which is immensely enjoyable and relatable, to the subtly embedded comedy, to the social values it stands for, to the breaking of the sequel-jinx! While Munnabhai MBBS taught us how to live for ourselves, Lage Raho was a lesson in standing up for whats right, and in a non-violent way. Raju Hirani cemented his position as a master-director with this one! Superb feel-good cinema in all respects! If Gandhi were to come back, he would surely say "Aal Is Well" :)

2007 - Jab We Met

A true-blue rom-com as the most notable film of the year? Really? In the year that had Taare Zameen Par and Chak De India, not to mention Life In A Metro, Manorama Six Feet Under and Namastey London? Yes!! Because, nobody has done the boy-meets-girl story as wonderfully as Imtiaz Ali did, since perhaps DDLJ! The oddball pair of Shahid-Kareena worked wonders on screen with Kareena coming into her own as Geet while Shahid showed us he can be even more charming when he is not trying. Pritam hit the bull's eye after being just about there for a while and what we had on our plate was an unexpectedly delightful and super super fun ride that left us wanting for more!! Jab We Met is one of those rare films that brings a grin on your face even at the slightest mention of the name of the movie. A true entertainer that also subtly asks you to live life your way so you have no regrets later, this ones for everyone who's ever been in love or hopes to be!

2008 - A Wednesday

A movie with 50+, unconventional looking actors in the lead roles and no music - no chance at the Box Office right? Wrong! Indian audiences grew up and how! In the year that saw Ghajini smash all box-office records to smithereens, with super crappy stuff like Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Singh Is Kingg and Race making tons of money, while sensible and enjoyable movies like Rock On and Oye Lucky Lucky Oye thankfully also made their mark, A Wednesday rose above all, primarily on the basis of a rock-solid script and towering performances from Nasseruddin Shah and Anupam Kher , two actors who finally got their due at the Box Office! A film that vented the frustration seething in every Indian's mind in a very effective way, this was one heck of a thriller, that had a point to make, and that made it in a very very strong way! A Wednesday told us that movies without superstars and music and hotties dancing in skimpy wear can succeed!

2009 - Dev D / Gulaal

The world woke up to Anurag Kashyap and his creative bent of mind in 2009 with a bang! While neither Dev D nor Gulaal set the BO on fire, both made for some game-changing cinema that took the very concept of telling a story by its guts and doused it in new colors! Lets not forget, this was the same year that saw the biggest blockbuster ever in Bollywood - 3 Idiots - hit the screens, as also great stuff like Kaminey and Love Aaj Kal that saw huge turnout. Of course, there were crowd pleasers like Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani and Wanted and intellectual fare like Luck By Chance. But, all of them were overshadowed by the unabashedly bratty egoist Dev, the rustic and bindaas Paro and the uber-cool Chanda in a dopey twist on the original novel. With insane camerawork, some utterly genius stuff dished out by Amit Trivedi and true-to-the-core performances by Abhay Deol, Mahi Gill and Kalki Koechlin, Dev D was cinema on ecstasy and indeed, it gave a high to all and sundry! Devdas will never be made again, simply because it cant get any quirkier than this! Two thumbs up!

Gulaal, on the other hand, is grim, almost depressing. Again powered by an ensemble cast led by the wonderful Abhimanyu Singh and the ever-efficient Kay Kay Menon, with zany music by Piyush Mishra, Gulaal is a very real take on youth politics in erstwhile kingdoms and how it can lead to destruction of multiple lives. Visceral to the core, Gulaal explores the dark side of the human mind and gives violence a new meaning. Another gut-wrenching fare, this is not for the faint-hearted, but it packs a severe blow right in the solar plexus, where it registers the most! With Dev D and Gulaal, Kashyap showed us what he's capable of after the superb Black Friday and the eccentricity called No Smoking.

2010 - Peepli Live

In a year ruled outright by Dabangg, with not much else, except the wonderful Raajneeti, the triter-than-trite Golmaal 3 and the wannabe My Name Is Khan, registering much of an impact, Peepli Live was like a lantern that kept the sanity flickering in Bollywood along with movies like Udaan, Tere Bin Laden and Band Baaja Baaraat. This Aamir Khan backed vehicle - a political satire on plight of farmers in India - can be a brilliant case-study on how to market films that have no known stars and have no prospects at the BO unless marketed exceedingly well. Filled with spunky performances by an ensemble cast, notably Onkar Das Manikpuri and Raghuveer Yadav, Peepli Live was a realistic take on the Indian media's frenzy to make news out of anything and everything that succeeded in drawing accolades even from the media, which speaks volumes of its success. Not only that, it made thrice its initial investment, making it a smart little product with great RoI! Kudos to the team and especially Aamir Khan. Coz without the marketing, this could well have been like any other indie film that is great but goes sadly unnoticed!

That was my take on the last decade and its films. The format for this was inspired by a post on rediff, that mentioned top films of the last decade. Although I do not claim credit for the concept (best-of lists have existed since times immemorial!), I do claim credit for the stuff posted here coz its all my own :) Hope you enjoyed reading what I immensely enjoyed writing :)