Saturday, January 03, 2015

Part 1 - Bollywood movies in 2014 that made me think

Another year passed by. Arguably, a successful year for Bollywood in general. Many movies, albeit mindless and heartless, made a lot of money. Bollywood biggies released their movies to much fanfare. Shahrukh Khan had a “Happy New Year” released on Diwali. Salman Khan had a “Jai Ho” and a “Kick” while Aamir Khan had “PK”. Ajay Devgn established himself as an action star with “Singham Returns” and “Action Jackson” though with mixed success. A lot was expected from Pyaar ke Side Effects sequel, but I think its fair to say it didn’t live up to the expectations. Thanks to wikipedia, I came to know that a lot of movies with weird titles were released in 2014 – Babloo Happy Hai, W, Dishkiyaoon, Kuku Mathur Ki Jhand Ho Gayi, 6-5=2, Golu Aur Pappu. Interesting, isn’t it?

Anyways, there were some that mattered. Some movies were different from others. Something was different in a good way. It was maybe the concept, story, characters, actors or the director who made a difference to the end product. Some of the movies may not have worked commercially, but there was something that worked and can be explored in the future.

Following are some of the movies released in 2014 in the order of their theatrical release –

1. Dedh IshqiyaImagine a movie having star performers like Naseeruddin Shah, Madhuri Dixit and Arshad Warsi. Imagine a movie with a strong story. Imagine a movie which is of the “Ishqiya” brand. Imagine a movie associated with Vishal Bharadwaj. This had to work, isn’t it? And it did. What a way it was to start year 2014! Characters were developed with selfish desires and how they go after their own needs made this movie worth a watch. Although, I must admit that Ishqiya was much better and more unpredictable than this one.

2014 Bollywood movie Dedh Ishqiya Poster


2. Queen
Kangana Ranaut was getting stereotyped as a single character actor – who is good as a drunkard, but hardly anything beyond. With Queen, she proved her critics wrong. Queen has fast-tracked Kangana as one of the mainstream actress who is not only beautiful but can also deliver a power-packed performance. The elan in which she portrays the character of a fearful person in an alien country to somewho who’s comfortable with herself is worth applauding. Lisa Haydon and Rajkummar Rao are fine in their support roles. This is sure to be one of the best movies of 2014 but will have stern competition from Mary Kom and Haider.

2014 Bollywood movie Queen Poster

3. Ankhon Dekhi
The Rajat Kapoor gang (of the Bheja Fry fame) is back and this time they have made a movie that’s hilariously heart-warming. It’s a story of a 50-something year old man, Sanjay Mishra, who has a simple life and can only believe something when he sees it. Directing a movie with no “mainstream” actors is always risky and the movie / concept should be strong enough to guide the film. The film has a nice story, narrated in a wonderful way and has strong performances to back it up. I love it when this gang comes up with a new movie which is always different and is worth all the accolades on a shoe-string budget. Some movies don’t need money, lead actors and marketing to succeed, heart is enough it its in the right place. Ankhon Dekhi is one such film.
2014 Bollywood movie Ankhon Dekhi Poster

4. Hawaa Hawaai
This was the Iqbal of 2014, a movie of hope and achievement despite hardships. The father and son are awesome in this movie (Amol Gupte is the director and son Partho, an actor). Their last move together – Stanley ka Dabba – was wonderful too. The friendship angle in this movie reminds you of your childhood friends and everything we all went through to support each other in spite of hurdles. If you like Iqbal type movies, this one is a must watch.

2014 Bollywood movie Hawaa Hawaai Poster


5. Citylights

This is a simple story of a guy coming to Mumbai to realize his dreams. And his dream is to earn a living to feed his family. That’s where the simplicity of this movie ends. This movie touches upon the pressures of living in a metro and the circumstantial and unlawful decisions made to survive and eventually the consequences. The songs are heart-warming too. This is one of those movies which will make your tear glands work more than anticipated. CityLights is a bold attempt by Hansal Mehta who won a national award for “Shahid” last year. 

2014 Bollywood movie Citylights Poster

There are five more movies in the list. You can read about them by clicking here.

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