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The Best of 2007
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Which were the best Hindi and English films made in 2007 and why? SUDHISH KAMATH draws up his list
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Frames of success (Clockwise from top left) “Taare Zameen Par”, “Jab We Met”, “Chak De India”, “Johnny Gaddaar”, “Om Shanti Om”
BOLLYWOOD
We've never had 25 films
worth talking about in a
single year in a very long
time. 2007 has yielded a
rich harvest for Hindi cinema.
While rating them, not only the
primary function of Indian cinema
- that it has to entertain a
diverse audience - is taken into
account but also factors such as
intention of the filmmaker, originality,
repeat viewing and fatigue,
quality of writing,
inventiveness of story-telling,
devices employed, scale of production
and star appeal. Since
different people look for different
things from cinema, it is impossible
for any two people to
agree on the same list. With that
disclaimer in place, let's start
from the bottom.
No.5 Jab We Met
This is Dilwale Dulhaniya's sequel
in spirit. If Dilwale tried to
define Indian-ness by procuring
parental consent for love, Jab We
Met goes deeper into the heartland
of the country and tries to
understand relationships in the
context of a highly self-centric India
where love blurs right and
wrong. With fine writing, top-rate
performances aided by the Shahid-
Kareena chemistry, this has
to be among the top five films
despite its rather slow second
half.
No.4: Om Shanti Om
Has there been a more irreverent
film in the history of Indian
cinema? One that does not take
anything, including itself, seriously
while paying tribute to an
era of implausible plots, melodrama
and revenge themes. Just by
sheer quantity of laughs and goofs
and quality of style and choreogcinema
raphy, Om Shanti Om, despite the
silly twist in the tale towards the
climax, is a colourful musical that
celebrates cinema.
No.3 Chak De India
Because Shah Rukh Khan is not
Shah Rukh Khan, only for the
third time in his career after Kabhi
Haan Kabhi Naa and Swades
Because, the girls are amazing.
Because Jaideep Sahni has written
a script that combines girlpower,
women's liberation and
the importance of team-spirit in a
convincing underdog drama with
authentic sporting action, gorgeously
shot. Near flawless but for
the predictability associated with
the sports genre.
No.2 Johnny Gaddaar
Here comes a quality suspense
caper after ages. What's more,
it's slick and stylish. It's a rollercoaster
of a mind-game. Never
has a tribute film been this exciting
with all the cheeky referencing.
Not only is it unpredictable, it
also has a brilliant ensemble cast.
Also, because it has Dharam Paaji
show us what a fantastic actor he
is even today.
No.1 Taare Zameen Par
This one's hardly perfect but it is
so full of life and innocence that
it makes you laugh, cry and take a
re-look at life and children, effortlessly.
Films are where reality
meets fantasy and no other film in
a long while has walked these two
worlds at the same time, often
blurring the lines associated with
the distinctively different genres
while also tripling as an effective
social commentary. No Indian
film has ever captured childhood
like this before
The Others
No.6 Ek Chalis Ki Last Local – A rare whacky neo-noir comedy
No.7 Life in a Metro – A ‘Closer’-like candid look at relationships
No.8 Loins of Punjab – Have you ever laughed more this year?
No.9 Honeymoon Travels – A refreshing, modern look at marriage
No.10 Cheeni Kum – But for the climax, this offbeat romance ought to rank higher.
No.11 Apna Aasman – Promising debut conveniently resolved.
No.12 Manorama – If this weren’t a remake, this mystery would rank higher.
No.13 Khoya Khoya Chand – Soha’s miscast in this time machine to the 1960s
No.14 Black Friday – Though authentic, loses pace structured like the book
No.15 Water – Talk of bad casting and location ruining a great script
No.16 Dharm – Pankaj Kapoor, you are God!
No.17 Eklavya – The cinematography is sheer poetry
No.18 Namastey London – A surprisingly endearing Katrina-Akshay romantic comedy
No.19 Bheja Fry – But for Vinay Pathak’s brilliance, a shameless rip-off
No.20 Partner – Govinda-Salman work their magic in this remake of Hitch
No.21 Salaam-e-Ishq – This mushy overdose worked for Valentine’s Day
No.22 Apne – This boxing drama has Dharam Paaji’s heart
No.23 Saawariya – Strictly for world-class cinematography and some of the music
No.24 Dil Dosti Etc – A daring gutsy anti-thesis to Dil Chahta Hai
No. 25 Aaja Nachle – For Madhuri Dixit alone.
HOLLYWOOD
Flicks that clicked (Clockwise from left) “Bourne Ultimatum”, “Die Hard 4.0”, “The Namesake” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”
Considering that some of the best English films don’t release here the same time as they do around the world, this is a tough list to compile since we are limited to films that actually released here in India – and that includes all the s
equels, the tri-quels and mass-based action entertainers. Not that they are silly or easy to make, but lavish assembly-line productions get by with a microchip-thin script being just an excuse to unleash a spectacle.
No.5 Pirates of the Caribbean
Yeah, Gore Verbinski and team seemed to have made it up as they went with the convoluted twists and turns but then, we are so fanatically obsessed with the world that harbours Captain Jack Sparrow that we don’t mind this spectacular improvisati
on with possibly the best finale sequence ever this year.
No.4 Die Hard 4.0
Good old John McLane came back to do some serious butt-kicking, taking on the big villain of our times: Technology. This was among the best of comebacks, ranking right up there with Rocky Balboa.
No.3 A Mighty Heart
Maybe because this is closer home and since we all followed the Daniel Pearl case with great concern, A Mighty Heart sucks us into the turbulent aftermath of the disappearance, putting us right into the shoes of his widow. Plus, th
e performance of her career from Angelina Jolie.
No.2 The Namesake
Tabu and Irrfan Khan show us once again why they are world class. In a shrinking global village, how do you arrive at what your identity is? ? Mira Nair’s The Namesake tries to give us some serious answers.
No. 1 Bourne Ultimatum
Paul Greengrass gave us a reckless chase film that moves at breakneck speed, every bit living up to the high standards set by the first two in the Bourne franchise. We watched two hours evaporate in no time.
The Others
No.6 I am Legend - Moody apocalyptic drama with eerily real visual effects
No.7 Superbad – Because Knocked Up didn’t release here this year.
No.8 Oceans 13 – Danny Ocean and crew return to form
No.9 Ratatouille – Nearly flawless animation of a deliciously wicked script
No.10 Zodiac – Seen a better serial killer movie this year or in recent times?
No.11 Disturbia – For keeping you hooked to all of one room (for the most part)
No.12 Beowulf – For the brilliance of animation and Angelina’s Golden Globes
No.13 Transformers – Visual effects, fun and action
No.14 Shrek The Third – The more the mayhem, the merrier
No.15 Music & Lyrics – For being the only decent romantic comedy this year
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