Sanjay ki Leela ka Raam, Sanjay ke Raam ki Leela!

I had given up on Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Not that I was ever a huge fan of his, but his last few efforts - the much-overrated Black, the dull and soporific Saawariya and the good but too-long-for-its-own-good Guzaarish had left a lot to be desired. Gone was the innocence and honesty of the free-spirited Khamoshi, the playfulness and youthful romance of the wonderful Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam or even the grandiose and drama of the resplendent Devdas. There was no hope and in fact, I had resigned and moved on.  And then, I happened to watch SLB's latest last week. And was I mesmerized or what!

 GKR Raam Leela or Raam Leela, for short, as it was originally intended to be called and as it should be called, some prudes in the country notwithstanding, is a fantastic movie with great dialogues, excellent direction and spirited performances. This movie reminds once again what a good director can achieve. SLB has done a great job writing and directing the film and has brought out the best in all his actors. I wasnt sure how Ranveer Singh would do in a complex role and cringed throughout his entry song. But he rose to the occasion and how! He is just fantastic and I cannot imagine many other actors who could have done his chichora-with-a-heart role so well. Deepika is delightful and dances with aplomb, and although she falls short of being brilliant like Ash in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam or Madhuri in Devdas, she is miles ahead of all actresses of the current generation (perhaps except Vidya Balan). Glad Kareena did not do this film. She would have got rid of all the intimate scenes with Ranveer which were essential to establish the attraction between the lead pair. The Ranveer-Deepika chemistry is outstanding! Supriya Pathak shines in an author-backed role and effortlessly chews the screen when she is in it. While you can see Deepika is putting in a lot of effort to carry off the role, and Ranveer is taking it easy, Supriya Pathak is completely effortless and that comes only with experience. All supporting actors do their bit well. Music is fantastic and beautifully used. Especially, Lahu Munh Lag Gaya, Ang Laga De and Laal Ishq are haunting; Ram Chahe Leela, Nagada Sang Dhol, Ishqyaon and Tattad Tattad are appropriately placed and lift the movie a couple of notches. Dialogues are superb and bring freshness and fun to the proceedings.

There are a few glitches in the script like the ridiculous contract scene in the end, and the movie could have been about 20 mins shorter, but with the rest of it being so enjoyable, you would be willing to gloss over the glitches. SLB is the real hero of this venture and now I am looking forward to seeing his next. He is back with a bang!

Goodbye 2012, hello 2013

The year is over and its time to wrap up with lists and awards. So, here they are :)

Movies I absolutely loved...
English Vinglish - Delightfully simple and well-told story with super acting by Sridevi
OMG Oh My God! - A difficult concept portrayed in an effective way
Kahaani - Taut, well-paced, suspense thriller
Barfi! - Fun, bitter-sweet movie with great acting by all leads

Movies I enjoyed...
Agneepath - Intense masala done well with very good performances
Vicky Donor - Novel concept executed with great impact
Rowdy Rathore - Massy masala done in the most entertaining way possible

Movies that were flawed but watchable...
Talaash - A very gripping suspense till the climax, after which the movie goes downhill
Cocktail - An on-off urban tale of relationships
Agent Vinod - An overlong spy story with some great scenes and movie references
Ek Tha Tiger - Decent first half, wayward second half; overall a dull but watchable Salman movie after years

Movies I thought were overrated...
Gangs of Wasseypur I - Over-indulgent, overlong and stupefyingly boring tale with a one line story
Gangs of Wasseypur II - Takes forever to come to the point and the point is excruciatingly stupid
Ishaqzaade - Waters down a crackling start and sparkling performance by Parineeti with some overwhelmingly stupid twists and a never-ending last hour
Dabangg 2 - Laziest sequel ever; nothing even remotely interesting happens in the movie

Movies I hated...
Kya Super Kool Hain Hum - As crass as it can get
Jab Tak Hain Jaan - As dumb as a story can get

Movies I decided to miss...
Housefull 2 - Could not bear the thought of watching John and Akki in a Sajid Khan comedy
Bol Bacchan - Ajay Devgan is terrible at comedy!
Joker - The trailer made things amply clear
Son of Sardaar - Ajay Devgan and Sanjay Dutt are both awful at comedy
Khiladi 786 - What crap!

And now for the awards....

Best Film
Kahaani
Agneepath
Barfi!
English Vinglish
OMG Oh My God!

Best Director
Sujoy Ghosh - Kahaani
Anurag Basu - Barfi!
Habib Faisal - Ishaqzaade
Karan Malhotra - Agneepath
Gauri Shinde - English Vinglish

Best Actor
Hrithik Roshan - Agneepath
Ranbir Kapoor - Barfi!
Irrfan Khan - Paan Singh Tomar
Akshay Kumar - Rowdy Rathore
Paresh Rawal - OMG Oh My God!
Ayushman Khurrana - Vicky Donor

Best Actress
Vidya Balan - Kahaani
Deepika Padukone - Cocktail
Priyanka Chopra - Barfi!
Parineeti Chopra - Ishaqzaade
Sridevi - English Vinglish

Best Supporting Actor
Rishi Kapoor - Agneepath
Boman Irani - Ferrari Ki Sawaari
Saurabh Shukla - Barfi!
Anu Kapoor - Vicky Donor
Abhay Deol - Shanghai
Akshay Kumar - OMG Oh My God!

Best Supporting Actress
Diana Penty - Cocktail
Ileana D' Cruz - Barfi!
Dolly Ahluwalia - Vicky Donor
Kareena Kapoor  - Talaash
Huma Qureshi - Gangs of Wasseypur II
Richa Chaddha - Gangs of Wasseypur I & II

Best Music
Pritam - Cocktail
Ajay-Atul - Agneepath
Amit Trivedi - Ishaqzaade
Pritam - Barfi!
Ram Sampath - Talaash
Amit Trivedi - English Vinglish

Best Song
Tumhi Ho Bandhu - Cocktail
Chikni Chameli - Agneepath
Pani Da Rang - Vicky Donor
Pareshaan - Ishaqzaade
Aashiayan - Barfi!

Best Male Playback Singer
Ayushmaan Khurana - Pani Da Rang (Vicky Donor)
Arif Lohar - Jugni (Cocktail)
Sonu Nigam - Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin (Agneepath)
Mohit Chauhan - Barfi (Barfi!)
Nikhil Paul George - Main Kya Karoon (Barfi!)
Phir Le Aya Dil - Arijit Singh (Barfi!)

Best Female Playback Singer
Shalmali Kholgade - Pareshaan (Ishaqzaade)
Kavita Seth - Tumhi Ho Bandhu (Cocktail)
Shreya Ghoshal - Chikni Chameli (Agneepath)
Neeti Mohan - Jiya Re (Jab Tak Hai Jaan)
Shreya Ghoshal - Radha (Student Of The Year)

Best Lyricist
Irshad Kamil - Luttna (Cocktail)
Irshad Kamil - Tumhi Ho Bandhu (Cocktail)
Javed Akhtar - Jee Le Zara (Talaash)
Amitabh Bhattacharya - Abhi Mujhe Mein Kahin (Agneepath)
Swanand Kirkire - Aashiyan (Barfi!)
Kausar Munir - Pareshaan (Ishaqzaade)
Ayushman Khurrana, Rochak Kohli - Pani Da Rang (Vicky Donor)

Best Story
Gauri Shinde - English Vinglish
Bhavesh Mandaliya, Umesh Shukla - OMG Oh My God!
Tigmanshu Dhulia - Paan Singh Tomar
Sujoy Ghosh, Advaita Kala - Kahaani
Anurag Basu - Barfi!
Juhi Chaturvedi - Vicky Donor

Best Screenplay
Gauri Shinde - English Vinglish
Sujoy Ghosh, Suresh Nair, Nikhil Vyas - Kahaani
Reema Kagti, Zoya Akhtar - Talaash
Shiraz Ahmad - Rowdy Rathore
Bhavesh Mandaliya, Umesh Shukla - OMG Oh My God!

Best Dialogues
Juhi Chaturvedi - Vicky Donor
Zeishan Qadri, Anurag Kashyap - Gangs Of Wasseypur I
Zeishan Qadri, Anurag Kashyap - Gangs Of Wasseypur II
Bhavesh Mandaliya, Umesh Shukla - OMG Oh My God!
Habib Faisal - Ishaqzaade

Previous years : 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 (lists and worst)