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Planet Bollywood – Hits/Flops 2007

2007 was a great year for the Hindi film industry. BestDesi team chooses  top 10 films.

• This year Fresh new faces made an appearance, old talents resurfaced, and already successful actors moved out of their comfort zone.
• 2007 gave us Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor (both in Saawariya), Deepika Padukone (Om Shanti Om) and Darsheel Safary (Taare Zameen Par) – the bright new faces of tomorrow's Bollywood.
• We saw Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan take on roles they've never done before: Shah Rukh giving up his mannerisms (in Chak De India!), Aamir becoming a director (in Taare Zameen Par).
• Madhuri Dixit and Govinda both made their comebacks, pleasing their huge fan followings no end.

2007's ten best films, in no particular order:

• Gandhi, My Father 



Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Bhoomika Chawla 
Plot: The film focuses on Harilal, the son of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Its message: The father of the Indian nation failed as a father to his son.
Why it's special: A very bold and sensitive storyline was taken forward by exceptional acting, particularly by Akshaye Khanna as the disturbed son of the Mahatma.

• Chak De India!


Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Malvade etc.
Plot: A disgraced former Indian hockey captain bounces back to lead the women's team to international victory, against all odds.
Why it's special: Based on the real-life story of Mir Ranjan Negi, a former coach of the Indian women's hockey team, the film saw Shah Rukh Khan rise spectacularly above his mannerisms. The film proved that a Hindi film can work without any singing around trees. It also helped rekindle public interest in the national sport of hockey.

• Om Shanti Om 


Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone etc.
Plot: Inspired by the Eighties classic Karz, the film revolves around revenge and re-incarnation, with Shah Rukh in a double role with a twist.
Why it's special: The film dares to make fun of Seventies' and Eighties' Bollywood, including Big B, yet is always in good taste. Brilliant music, acting and costumes all around. Model Deepika makes a pretty good impression in her first film.

• Aaja Nachle 
  
  Cast: Madhuri Dixit, Akshaye Khanna, Kunal Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma
  Plot: A dancer returns to her roots and forces her city to sit up and take notice.
  Why it's special: Madhuri Dixit's comeback movie may have not done well in the box office, but it proved — again — that Madhuri is beautiful, talented and an exceptional dancer. The fairy-tale plot let the otherwise good movie down.

• Bhool Bhulaiya
  
  Cast: Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Shiney Ahuja

Plot: A psycho-thriller, the movie revolves around a "haunted" house, an ancient family and its many complications.
Why it's special: Remake of a classic Malayalam film, Bhool Bhulaiya moves quickly with edge-of-seat action. Vidya Balan shines in a role of many shades.

• Guru


Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, R. Madhavan, Vidya Balan, Mithun Chakraborty
Plot: A rags-to-riches story, arguably inspired by the life of Indian tycoon Dhirubhai Ambani.
Why it's special: A taut storyline that saw exceptional acting by its cast. The director dared to deglamorise Aishwarya and re-introduce Mithun, a senior actor languishing in B-grade movies.

• Partner


Cast: Salman Khan, Govinda, Lara Dutta, Katrina Kaif
Plot: A remake of Hitch, the story's all about falling in love – and its many complications.
Why it's special: A fun movie, it marks the re-entry of Govinda as an A-list actor with perfect comic timing.

• Taare Zameen Par


Cast: Aamir Khan, Darsheel Safary, Tanay Chheda, Tisca Chopra
Plot: A young boy with dyslexia grapples with life, until he meets his mentor — an art teacher also with dyslexia.
Why it's special: "Perfectionist" Aamir Khan's directorial debut, this film is exceptional in its story-telling. Truly sensitive, minus melodrama and highlighting an often-ignored condition, Taare may also have given Bollywood a new generation star, Darsheel, 11.

Big super flops

The year 2007 has also been marked by some spectacular flops, many of them from celebrated directors.

• Sanjay Leela Bhansali's musical, Saawariya, did poorly at the box office, despite the much-hyped debut of star kids Ranbir and Sonam Kapoor; the film has a look alike of a ballet with only colours of blue.
• Pradip Sarkar's Lagaa Chunari Mein Daag had a hackneyed storyline and crippling melodrama. The film died naturally, despite the presence of stars such as Rani Mukerji, Abhishek Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan.
• Another huge failure was Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, a poorly-judged remake of Sholay – a top Bollywood film of all time. Even the presence of Amitabh Bachchan, this time as villain, failed to lift it.

Quote of the day:
If you cannot convince them, confuse them. - Harry S Truman

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