Top 10 Bollywood Movies of 2010

As we are in 2011 and past 2010, I will list my top ten movies of Bollywood.

10. Aakrosh

Priyadarshan made a movie on a serious issue after a long time ann boy, I must say I was very impressed. This is Bollywood's first movie tackling the issue of 'Honour Killing' and its quite an entertaining movie. You witness 140 minutes of pure suspense and thrill as the movie unfolds. Ajay Devgan and Akshaye Khanna as the two CBI officers searching for three missing medical students have done a commendable job. Paresh Rawal as usual shines as the bad guy and gives the best performance in the entire movie. A pretty good job by the entire cast.

7/10

9.Tera Kya Hoga Johny

The movie is about the journey of a boy Johny whose only dream is to go to the city of dreams Dubai. Johny is the central character and all the other characters revolve around him. The other characters have their own struggles, dreams and ambitions that are linked with each other and Johnny finds himself involved in their mess. Kay Kay Menon, Shahana Goswami and Saurabh Shukla give powerful performances while the debutant Sikandar Agarwal is impressive. Neil Nitin Mukesh and Soha Ali Khan support others well. Though many movies like Sirf, Life in a Metro, Mumbai Meri Jaan and Firaaq follow multiple sorylines within, the concept of all characters being linked to Johny is refreshing and we would want to winess the fate of all characters. The movie has got the best possible ending due to which it is in my list.

7/10

8. My Name Is Khan

MNIK starts on a very good note. SRK plays Rizwan Khan who suffers from autism or commonly known as asperger's syndrome who is married to a single mother Kajol. However due to the events of the time their relationship is destroyed and Rizwan innocently sets out on a journey to clear his name. The first half succeeded in being fluent and tightly knit, whereas the second half begins to become more far-fetched and loose. While watching the movie, I could associate SRK's performance with Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind. This movie forces us to think about the classification of our society into different religion,classes,communities & genders. A must watch movie which, though flawed, gives us good lessons.

7/10

7. Phas Gaye Obama

Everybody in this movie have done justice to their role. Rajat Kapoor played his trademark NRI role effortlessly. Sanjay Mishra as Bhai Sahab is brilliant as always and there is a hint of sarcasm in almost all his serious dialogues. Neha Dhupia as a man-hating Sculptor-Gangster tried to look her part but is overshadowed in her comparatively smaller role. Amol Gupte got a smaller screen space but didhis best. But the star of the film is Manu Rishi, who is perfect in his role of Anni and has his heart set on moving to America, and watches reruns of Obama's famous 'Yes we can!' speech repeatedly. I won't spoil your fun by revealing the storyline. 'Phas Gaye Re Obama' is unpredictable, brilliant and one of those rare Hindi films that is smart & hilarious at the same time. Watch this film and do yourself a favor.

7.5/10

 

 

 

6. Ishqiya

"Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned"

Ishqiya is thoroughly enjoyable with the appropriate amount of humour, lust, lure, suspense and treachery.  With every scene, the story opens up a bit more and till the end of the movie you will still be guessing what and why are all these things happening. The dialogue is witty and makes you chuckle non-stop. Every scene of Naseeruddin Shah is nothing short of pure awesomeness. As Mr. Bachchan rightly acknowledged "When Naseeruddin Shah speaks, you simply bow your head and listen". Arshad Warsi has really hilarious lines and he delivers them with aplomb. It is time that the industry gives him the roles, which he is worthy of. The Naseer-Arshad combination is mindblowing and hilarious. No other Bollywood actress could have delivered the role of 'Krishna' the way Vidya Balan did. Everything could be read from her emotions without her saying anything. She is the show-stealer of the movie. It has wonderful music by Vishal Bhardwaj and lyrics by Gulzar. Dil toh bachcha hai by Rahet Fateh Ali Khan will linger in your head even after hours of viewing.

7.5/10

5. Once upon A Time In Mumbaai

 

"Beyond the myth, lies Mumbai's greatest betrayal."

Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai talks about the entry of mafia for the first time in Mumbai. It talks about the rise and subsequent fall of the King, and the emergence of the Prince. Who isn't thrilled with stories of Underworld dons? 2010 has been Ajay Devgan's year without a shadow of of doubt and he delivers a powerhouse performance in his portrayal of Sultan Mirza. He is well supported by Emraan Hashmi as 'Shoaib Khan'. Here the plot of the movie resembles with that of film Company. The movie is power packed with lovely metamorphical one-liners. Director Milan Luthria takes us to the 70s era and credit must be given to costume designers who successfully give the actors & actresses the accurate 70's / 80's look. Perhaps there hasn't been a more worthy tribute to the real Dons of yesteryear than Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai. A must watch for all cinema goers.

8/10

 

4. Love, Sex Aur Dhokha

LSD is a dark and disturbing movie where you need some time to settle into the movie. Once you feel the movie, you will start appreciating it. Three carefully interwoven stories (the love story of two film making students; centred around a couple of supermarket employees; revolving around a sting journalist, a wannabe model and a pop-star) contain all the elements of its title love, sex and dhokha(deceit). The way the first story ends sets the tone of the entire movie. You realise that you will be treated to an ugly side of life and you are not disappointed. The way the whole movie goes is really outstanding. Dibakar Banerjee is a genius and one of India's most promising filmakers. All actors are newcomers and have tried their level best. 'Tu Nangi' is the most controversial song of 2010 and it is vulgarity personified. LSD will go down in Bollywood history as one of the gutsiest film ever made. 'Love, Sex Aur Dhokha' is a future Cult Classic, hands down.

8.5/10

3. Dabangg

Dabangg is really taporish and complete Bollywood masala movie, which never disappoints. It's an age old story of step brothers, father-son rivalry, villain killing mother and son's revenge. But it's presentation & execution is off the hook. Its direction ia almost perfect, dialouges are witty, action is mind blowing, music melodious. Salman Khan, the man who made all the difference to an otherwise ordinary film. He showed amazing star power and awesome body language you have never witnessed from him before. The character of Chulbul Pandey is one of the most charismatic that I've seen coming out of Bollywood. Not every actor has natural charisma, but Salman Khan here oozes plenty. Salman shows an intensity that is never seen before. Reviewing dabangg is like reviewing Salman Khan himself. Enough said Dabangg would not be Dabangg if it weren't for Salman Khan.

9/10

2. Robot

Oh I know when you people saw Dabangg in the 3rd spot, you must have realised that RAJNIKANTH has something to do with it. I know, I know. I haven't given Rajni's movie the 1st spot and so I should pack my bags and run for my life. 2010 was the year we all will definitely remember as the year of Rajnikanth jokes. Everyday we got to read some new really awesome joke about the Superstar of India. With this much hype, there was no way Robot would falter. The 1st half of the movie builds the storyline and you get to see India's finest superhero in 'Chitti'. You will absolutely love the way Shankar made Chitti do stuffs, we Indians can easily relate to. In the second half, the storyline virtually stops after the entry of Rajni in villain role and what a villian he is. If 1st half showed India's finest superhero, the 2nd half showed the totally cool ultra-villian that we haven't seen in years. And thereafter the movie fully revolves and ends around Rajni with mindblowing visual effects. Aishwariya Rai and Danny Denzongpa do contribute with nice performances but these performances are shadowed by the performance of Rajnikanth throughout the movie. In the last 45 minutes of the movie, the entire cast of the movie was Rajni, Rajni and Rajni alone. Playing THREE different shades in Robot and essaying each one of them with ease makes Rajnikanth who he is. Amazing action sequences, plot, music and RAJNIKANTH makes Robot a MUST WATCH. So go watch it if you haven't. Obviously you wouldn't dare missing a Rajnikanth movie now, would you? Or should I remind you of the consequences?

9.5/10

1. Udaan

So now all of you must be wondering what Udaan is doing placed above Dabangg and Robot. Is that possible? Well actually it is. In fact, there shouldn't even be a doubt in the minds of anyone. 2010 has been an year where small budget movies with very good scripts excelled like Udaan, LSD, Phas Gaye Obama, Tere Bin Laden & Peepli LIVE among others. What makes Udaan stand out from all other movies. The answer lies in its story and the way it is presented. Last to last year, 3 idiots had a similar storyline and the masses could easily connect to it. But Udaaan did something more. It actually showed the pain a person undergoes where he is restricted to do what he likes and forced to do stuff beyond his ability. Udaan shows this feeling in a manner that will leave all viewers wanting for more.

Udaan is realistic, simple, emotional, inspiring and deeply moving story about a boy in a small town, living with his disciplinarian father. The way the entire movie is depicted is brutally honest and disturbing at times. Udaan perfectly captures the adolescent days of a young teenager, his dreams and his perception of life. Each one of us has felt teenage angst, and has known the feeling that we are not understood by the people who should know us the best. For the most part we have kept silent and let our lives be led as our parents wanted. We feel as if this movie is shot with a handy-cam, capturing the lives of a real family. But that doesn't make this one bit boring. I'm sure everyone one of us would be able to relate to this film in some way or the other. While some may say it is a bit slow in pace, according to me it's thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating and it kept me on the edge of my seat. Every scene is brilliantly shot. The portrayal of relationships is also aptly done here.

The high point of the movie is the performances by the wntire cast.

Ronit Roy tries to bring up his son as per the ideals that he has developed. He works tirelessly, spends time and energy in earning money to finance the study of his children in the best colleges. He represents every middle-aged Indian who believes his money represents his love for his child. He is a tyrant and also a defeated man, whom you feel sorry for as much as you hate him. He's acted so well, that you can feel it when he is drunk, you even get scared when he is angry, that good is his screen presence.

Rajat Barmecha has done a very good job in portraying a kid, who has lived his life in one of the best boarding schools of India and now is stuck in a small town. He does the usual, sneaks out at night for drinks and smoke, steals his fathers cars for doing so, but still makes it on time in the morning for his daily run with his dad.

Aayan Boradia is so cute that you just fall in love with him.

And then lastly Ram Kapoor as Ronit's younger brother brings a very good contrast between his authoritarian brother and his practical chilled out of sorts character.

Music from Amit Trivedi has a fresh feel. Not to mention the opening and closing tracks and the beautiful poetry which only enhance the spirit of the film. This movie will remain a benchmark for the upcoming year.

I hope we get to witness more movies of similar calibre. But the disappointing and cold response to Udaan shows us exactly why such movies are hardly made in Bollywood. I hope this trend changes in 2011 *fingers crossed*

10/10

Honourable Mentions :

 

Rajneeti

Band Baaja Baaraat

Anjaana Anjaani