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2Jan/080

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 
  • 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!
  • 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 
  • 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 
      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
      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
    • 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
      • 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
        • 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.



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