# 10 Dum Maaro Dum
What I liked most about Rohan Sippy’s DMD was that there was no main protagonist in the film. Abhishek Bachchan could easily have been the hero around which the film revolves, but here the story in central. Everyone is just playing a character. An interesting take on the drug trade in Goa. I have also memorized a few of the dialogues from the film.
# 9 Chillar Party
There used to be a time when a child actor used to be the weakest link in a film. Annoying and screechy, directors never gave them their due. But here’s a film that has a cast comprising of only school kids. And whaddya know, they are awesome actors too. Directors Nitesh Tiwari and Vikas Bahl lose it in the last segment, but otherwise, this is a very entertaining film.
# 8 Pyaar Ka Punchnama
Some may call this film sexist. I call it shot purely from the male point of view. Three friends in three different kinds of relationships with their girlfriends. Some introspection, a lot of hilarity. Kartik Tiwari, Rayo Bakhirta and Divyendu Sharma are memorable in the lead roles. On similar lines, Dil To Bachcha Hai Ji released earlier in the same year did not have the same spunk.
# 7 Sahi Dhandhe Galat Bande
Chances are you haven’t seen this film. Then make good your loss, immediately. A quartet live off petty crimes in a small town somewhere in North India. Then one day the government comes in on a land acquisition spree. Their conscience is awakened and they support the rebels, albeit, silently. Pravin Dabas is a better director than actor. The film has a certain rustic charm that’s rubs onto you. Good music too.
# 6 Stanley Ka Dabba
Amol Gupte kicked this off as a workshop for kids which has snowballed into this innocent film which is as light as a snowflake. A simple storyline with a nice ensemble cast. The end borders on preachy-ness, but that can be forgiven. In the lead role, Partho (Gupte’s son) is a gem.
# 5 Mujhse Fraandship Karoge
Hollywood churns out plenty of such films each year. Fast and witty and about the trials and tribulations of college life. The story can be ‘whatever’, the finished product looks the same. YashRaj ventures into this zone and comes out trumps. There’s never a dull moment in this film. And if you don’t the joke, you probably belong to the previous generation.
# 4 I Am Kalam
The third film in this list starring child actors. A kid from an aristocratic family befriends another kid who works at a roadside dhaba. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship for both of them a rewarding experience for the viewer. Uniformly good performances and a good directorial debut by Nila Madhab Panda.
# 3 Delhi Belly
Delhi Belly is a watershed event in Indian cinema. Too profound a statement but consider this - no film before this has been as irreverent AND managed to capture a mass audience. Curses flow about freely, scatological humour is commonplace and no joke is too cheap to crack. Most of it is funny too. This I believe is the shape of things to come.
# 2 That Girl in Yellow Boots
Trust Anurag Kashyap to break new ground with every film. He eschews something vaguely described as “Indian sensibilities” and gives us a film that may make you recoil in disgust. What a lovely feeling that is. A film has generated an emotion in you. A girl comes to India looking for her absentee father and takes up work with a seedy massage parlour to fund her search. The end is not much of a revelation, yet it’s beautifully plotted.
# 1 Zindagi Na Mile Dobara
Call me crazy for naming this as the best film of the year. But I could not find anything much wrong with it. Why even Hrithik and Katrina don’t get on your nerves. Three friends (the others being Farhan Akhtar and Abhay Deol) are off to a holiday in Spain with excess baggage. The leave rejuvenated as different people. Solid performances, measured direction by Zoya Akhtar and peppy music. What else do you need?
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