ăbzee

Well, I can’t really say it’s that time of the year. I’m late. This ought to have appeared, max, by the last week of March. But given the multiplex-strike, I guess it’s not a bad time to look back at the year that was. From my point of view, of course!

We’ll all agree that the past year was a shockingly poor one for Bollywood. There were hardly a few films that were worth talking about, let alone be remembered. In a year such as 2008, I really wondered if I should even bother coming out with a list. I could really think of only 3 films that I truly liked. The others in my Top Ten would on any other year find themselves in my list of Honourable Mentions. But, being the true democratic that I am, I chose to compile these lists anyways- flawed as they may be.

So here it is. The nTNA rechristened in all its self-aggrandizing pomposity as the Abzee Awards! Look at it this way- read as AA, you could just dismiss all my choices and opinions as pathetic insights of a recovering alcoholic.

Once again, these are my personal choices, and do not necessarily reflect mass opinion.

You know the rules- I don’t consider performances by actors less than 18 years of age and the films have to be in Hindi and/or Bollywood productions. That eliminates The Last Lear. Also, I haven’t been able to catch Tahaan. Right then!

Here are my Top Ten Films of 2008(discussed in detail further below) 

01) MITHYA
02) MUMBAI MERI JAAN
03) JODHAA AKBAR
04) BACHNA AE HASEENO
05) TASHAN
06) PHOONK
07) JAANE TU…YA JAANE NA
08) RAB NE BANA DI JODI
09) SARKAR RAJ
10) GHAJINI

Honourable Mentions- Aamir, EMI, Fashion, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, Rock On!!  

Technical Categories-

Best Art Direction
JODHAA AKBAR (Nitin Desai)

This is the largest mounted film that Bollywood has seen in years, and much of the credit in accomplishing that successfully goes to Nitin Desai and his team who painstakingly created a world, with minute attention to detail, that allowed its historical characters to truly people those times- in ambience.

Honourable Mentions- Drona, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Best Cinematography
SARKAR RAJ (Amit Roy)

If there’s one aspect that Varma’s sequel betters its original in, it is in the cinematography. Roy’s moody work here often elevates the dark text and even rises above it, lending the narrative a deeply hued subtext underlined by the most aesthetic use and play of lights and shadows. Power was never this obnubilating!

Honourable Mentions- Aamir, Drona
 

Best Editing
OYE LUCKY! LUCKY OYE! (Shyamal Karmarkar)

This one would make the masters of montage proud. Karmarkar doesn’t bother himself with laying out a story, but instead weaves together a tapestry that functions like a carpet. Pick up any patch- and it makes sense; on its own and as a part of the whole.

Honourable Mentions- Ghajini, A Wednesday

Best Sound
PHOONK (Parikshit Lalwani and Kunal Mehta)

Not since Elippathayam have I seen the ’sound’ of a film function so strongly as an element. Of course, Adoor’s is an infinitely superior study of silence, while in Phoonk, Varma goes one step further than his Bhoot and uses our aural sensors not only for thrills, but to guide and goad our responses.

Honourable Mentions- Black & White, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!

Best Visual Effects
BHOOTHNATH (Biju Dhanpalan- B.R. PIX N TRIX)

This cute little film, apart from a fun turn by Amitabh Bachchan, featured some of the best visual effects seen this side of the Atlantic. Given its budget, it’s all the more admirable.

Honourable Mentions- Drona, Love Story 2050

Best Action
GHAJINI (Peter Hein)

Pure masala action, back with a vengeance! That is what Ghajini really was all about. A bit too violent for some, I loved everything from its raw punches to blood-oozing faucets.

Honourable Mentions- Jodhaa Akbar, Tashan

Creative Categories-
 

Best Story
MITHYA (Rajat Kapoor and Saurabh Shukla)

An imaginative take on Don, Mithya is a fabulously woven narrative that taps into our templates of stock Bollywood characters and surprises us with clever subversions. And whilst it does this, it also finds ways to incorporate Shakespeare and twist the seemingly simple text into an oblique study of duality and identity. Pure cerebral experience!

Honourable Mentions- Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Welcome To Sajjanpur

Best Screenplay
GHAJINI (A.R. Murugadoss)

Murugadoss’s screenplay, as was the case with his Tamil original, is a lesson in taking the narrative forward while keeping the audience’s interest invested. He uses the diary as a wonderful device to not only divide his narrative into definite acts, but also as a means to reveal information on a need-to-know basis; letting you in on only as much that is required to whet your appetite…leaving you wanting to know more. Oh, the joys of a well-written masala screenplay!

Honourable Mentions- Mumbai Meri Jaan, A Wednesday
 

Best Dialogues
JODHAA AKBAR (K.P. Saxena)

Employing the most poetic yet accessible of Urdu and mixing it with a dash of Hindustani, the dialogues of Jodhaa Akbar are a treat to the ears- rich and regal. Every character also has a specific voice, all the more important in period pieces where the need to suit the times can turn every character  sounding like the other. My personal fav- “Doobte huye suraj mein bhi tapish hoti hai!”

Honourable Mentions- Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, A Wednesday

Best Lyrics
JODHAA AKBAR (Javed Akhtar)

Range is what I admire. Akhtar here pens a coronation verse, a romantic song and two complimentary pieces- a Sufi number and a devotional lyric. His greatest achievement though is “In lamhon ke daaman mein” - fashioning words that encapsulate the physical consummation of Jodhaa and Akbar’s relationship. Masterful effort indeed!

Honourable Mentions- Aamir, Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na

Best Music
JODHAA AKBAR (A.R. Rahman)

Rahman had four amazing and vastly different albums, not counting his Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire. But for me, his work on Jodhaa Akbar is his best in years. There’s something very meditative and relaxed about the compositions- an unhurriedness that goes exceptionally well with the languid narrative. Also, Rahman seems to be in no pressure of being radical in orchestration, something that mars his otherwise wonderful work in Yuvvraaj.

Honourable Mentions- Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na, Tashan

Best Background Music
MUMBAI MERI JAAN (Sameer Phaterpekar)

A passive score really, I didn’t even remember it after my first viewing. But on subsequent viewings, I’ve realized how the score ‘compliments’…never wanting to dominate the proceedings or even boldly underline it. A very unassuming effort, it truly functions like an ‘accompaniment’ to the events unfolding. The best example- the music piece playing over Paresh Rawal’s final monologue.

Honourable Mentions- Mithya, Sarkar Raj

Best Playback Singer (Male)
Rashid Ali (“Kabhi Kabhi Aditi”- JAANE TU…YA JAANE NA)

I doubt if Ali’s capable of scaling the high notes. I didn’t fancy his voice the first couple of times I heard the track. But as I began hearing it over and over again, I realized that in Ali’s almost ‘unsure’ rendition, Rahman had found the perfect voice to the teenybopper generation. Ali’s choice here is more for his ‘different’ voice, than his singing skills per se of which only time will provethe merits.

Honourable Mentions- Vijay Prakash (“Manmohini Re”- Yuvvraaj), Sukhwinder Singh (“Haule Haule”- Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi)

Best Playback Singer (Female)
Shilpa Rao (“Khuda Jaane”- BACHNA AE HASEENO)

After “Saiyyan” in last year’s Salaam-e-Ishq, Shilpa returns this year with the same passionate notes. There’s a unique quality to her voice, of a girl who’s grown up but not quite. Reminiscent of the singer Poornima from the 90s, Shilpa’s singing here is a sensual invitation by a girl who might get you in trouble for statutory rape!

Honourable Mentions- Neha Bhasin (“Mar Jaava”- Fashion), Anusha Mani (“Lazy Lamhe”- Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic)

Best Choreography
RAB NE BANA DI JODI (Shiamak Davar and Vaibhavi Merchant)

In a weak year, the choreography was all the more unimaginative. My choice here is governed more by reasons of scope and efficiency and less by creativity. Compared to the aerobic moves of Race, etc. there was at least some effort and thought that went into the dances here. How imaginative they were, is a different question.

Honourable Mentions- Dostana, Jodhaa Akbar

Best Costumes
JODHAA AKBAR (Neeta Lulla)

Like the art, the costumes of this film were also very detailed. And mercifully, they didn’t come across as rent-by-the-hour takeaways from Maganlal Dresswala! What was good to see was that despite the restraints of being synonymous with the period, Lulla was creative enough to experiment with cholis and kaftans.

Honourable Mentions- Dostana, Rock On!!

Best Make-up
ROCK ON!! (Shabana Latif)

Not a very obvious effort, in that you don’t get to see disfigured faces. Latif actually, had her work cut out. She succeeds in creating before-after portraits of the same men, and gives them each peculiar touches.

Honourable Mentions- Jodhaa Akbar, Welcome To Sajjanpur

Popular Categories-

Top Five Performances (Female)
Honourable Mentions- Bipasha Basu (Bachna Ae Haseeno), Richa Chadda (Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!), Anushka Sharma (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi)

05) Ila Arun (JODHAA AKBAR)  

Deliciously devilish, Ila Arun essays her character with a menace that owes itself to the most melodramatic of Jacobean dramas. That she infuses her character with borderline incestuous concerns is to her credit, all the time elevating her interaction with Akbar and/or in the presence of Jodhaa to Oedipal levels.

04) Kangna Ranaut (FASHION)  

The go-to girl for damaged-goods heroines continues to deliver. Kangna may be a one-trick pony, but her command on that one trick is exceptional. Every time she appears in Fashion, she threatens to walk away with the film. Pulling us towards her destruction, she’s like a car-wreck you can’t take your eyes off!

03) Shahana Goswami (ROCK ON!!)  

The younger, and probably more talented, version of Konkona Sen Sharma. For a 23 year old, Shahana gives a mature performance and stands out as a woman, more ‘man‘ than the men, in this male-bonding film. She disallows her character from going down the easy ‘nagging wife’ route, and instead plays her as a character of substance, not running away from her predicament and living with her adjustments to suit it.

02) Priyanka Chopra (FASHION)  

Risky turns such as this by beautiful leading actresses are award magnets in Hollywood. Maybe they are beginning to become the same in Bollywood. Anyway, this perf is certainly one worthy of all the awards. As an ambivalent and susceptible soul, Piggy Chops displays her acting chops and makes us feel and empathize for her character.

01) Ratna Pathak Shah (JAANE TU…YA JAANE NA)  

Bollywood knows how to waste talent! Thankfully, every now and then a Bhardwaj or a Tyrewala provide the likes of Pankaj Kapur or Ratna Pathak Shah in this case with a platform to display their skills and reiterate their prowess at it. Ratna is a sheer delight to watch here. As the doting mom, never to the extent of suffocating her son, her loving rebukes and her eventual resignation to having lost her son to the ‘manliness’(she’d rather ‘ugliness’) of her husband’s Rajput family is an exercise in pitching the perfect comic note. Her best moments come when she indulges in word-play with her real-life hubby Naseeruddin Shah, engaging in banters with him dangling as a picture on a wall-frame. “Hinsak…MARD!!!”

Top Five Performances (Male)
Honourable Mentions- Prateik Babbar (Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na), Abhishek Bachchan (Dostana), Ranvir Shorey (Mithya)

05) Manjot Singh (OYE LUCKY! LUCKY OYE!) 

As the younger Abhay Deol, Manjot registers a refreshingly natural performance. Nothing, absolutely nothing, about him is fake or comes across as a put-on. Even after he makes way for Abhay to take over, we keep searching and finding the young Manjot in a reaction here and a response there. His is the charm that sets it all up.

04) Ravi Jhankal (WELCOME TO SAJJANPUR) 

Jhankal’s been playing inconsequential character roles for dog’s years in many films. In what is probably his first breakthrough role, he shines the brightest in the gallery of good actors that this ensemble boasts of. As the eunuch with a heart-of-gold, he lends the film with its most lively & poignant moments.

03) Akshay Kumar (TASHAN)  

It’s unfortunate that this film was, or will be, hardly seen by many. It features one of Akshay’s best and most complete performance. At the peak of his comic timing, he vows in his sensitive moments…revealing a softer side we never knew. And to top it, he signs off with action moves in true khiladi ishtyle!

02) Paresh Rawal (MUMBAI MERI JAAN)  

Reduced to a hammy comedian by Priyadarshan, Rawal the gifted dramatic actor resurrects himself in this tailor-made role. From his tapering speech to his slumped posture, Rawal is perfectly in character as the wise old constable who is also the resigned voice of a fast-crumbling city.

01) Vinay Pathak (DASVIDANIYA)  

Pathak is known more for his light comedy, but I vastly prefer him in dramatic outings such as Johnny Gaddaar and Manorama, Six Feet Under. Here, he does a fine act of balancing comedy with drama- comic melancholy, if you will. This is a pitch-perfect controlled turn, but one that doesn’t seem forced at all.

Top Three Directors
Honourable Mentions- Ajay Devgan (U, ME AUR HUM), Rajat Kapoor (MITHYA)

03) Ramgopal Varma (PHOONK)  

Varma continues to remain, alongside Vidhu Chopra and Rakeysh Mehra, one of the leading technically proficient director in Bollywood. Even on his way down, he achieves a harmony of audio-visual elements in Phoonk. Also, you’ve got to hand it to a guy who every now and then attempts a horror flick and executes it with great aplomb, rescuing the genre from dying a Ramsay death.

02) Ashutosh Gowariker (JODHAA AKBAR)  

While not quite India’s David Lean, Gowariker keeps putting out large canvasses, thankfully minus the grotesque opulence of a Bhansali. In Jodhaa Akbar, Gowariker is surprisingly unambitious content-wise but more than makes up for it with his masterly control over that which is on display. More importantly, he makes a convincing epic out of the Jodhaa and Akbar ‘romance’.

01) Nishikant Kamat (MUMBAI MERI JAAN)  

In light of the recent Firaaq, my estimation of Kamat’s work on this film has grown multi-fold. Kamat’s sensitivity is his greatest and most admirable of qualities. He also elevates this ‘local’ tale into one of macro humanity. Grounded and authentic are two words that come to mind when looking back at Kamat’s direction on Mumbai Meri Jaan.

Top Ten Films
Honourable Mentions- AAMIR, EMI, FASHION, OYE LUCKY! LUCKY OYE!, ROCK ON!!

10) GHAJINI (Banner- Geetha Arts; Producers- Tagore Madhu and Madhu Mantena; Director- A.R. Murugadoss)  

A taut narrative, masala elements, popular chartbusters and unabashed action. Ghajini is as unapologetic as entertainers come. Ultimately it wasn’t about Aamir’s packs or Asin’s butt; but how many butts those packed punches kicked!

09) SARKAR RAJ (Banners- Adlabs Films Ltd. and K Sera Sera; Producers- Praveen Nischol and Ramgopal Varma; Director- Ramgopal Varma)  

Varma subverted his original and surprised many in the process. But upon revisits, this is quite a dark and intriguing, if not entirely satisfactory, take on the natural law between sons & fathers.

08) RAB NE BANA DI JODI (Banner- Yash Raj Films; Producers- Aditya Chopra and Yash Chopra; Director- Aditya Chopra)  

This one grows on you over a period of time, and one sees that the psychological conceits aren’t accidental, but incidental. A rather bizarre mix of a Rajshri love-story and Kaufman-esque dual-identity conundrum.

07) JAANE TU…YA JAANE NA (Banners- Aamir Khan Productions and PVR Pictures; Producers- Aamir Khan and Mansoor Khan; Director- Abbas Tyrewala)  

I felt everyone just went a tad overboard praising this(and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!) to the skies. Nevertheless, compared to its peers, this is a neat quirky little romantic comedy. It is inconsistent yes, but strangely immensely satisfying when it concentrates on its supporting and peripheral players than the lead ones.

06) PHOONK (Banners- Ace Movie Company and One More Thought Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.; Producers- Parvez Damania and Azam Khan; Director- Ramgopal Varma)  

Nothing quite compares to an experience at a movie hall watching a genuinely scary flick. Phoonk was a sumptious treat in that regard. It was also, to a cinephile, a wonderful demonstration of sights & sounds and the medium’s potential at employing them effectively.

05) TASHAN (Banner- Yash Raj Films; Producer- Aditya Chopra; Director- Vijay Krishna Acharya) 

This film didn’t even get a second look. Unfortunate, because Tashan was a rather clever tribute to all things Bollywood, with a narrative that alluded even to its changed audiences and evolving dynamics. Moreover, it has a backstory at its center that is the finest piece of masala writing this side of the 90s.

04) BACHNA AE HASEENO (Banner- Yash Raj Films; Producer- Aditya Chopra; Director- Siddharth Anand)  

One could argue that the Ranbir-Minnisha track in this FFFM romcom was the basis for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Whatever; the deconstruction of the Yash Raj creation Raj- an overgrown loverboy, was hugely satisfying…and strangely cathartic as well. A rare smart and inward looking film from the makers of material fluff!

03) JODHAA AKBAR (Banners- Ashutosh Gowariker Productions and UTV Motion Pictures; Producers- Ashutosh Gowariker and Ronnie Screwvala; Director- Ashutosh Gowariker)  

Jodhaa Akbar is a missed opportunity in many ways. It could’ve been about so much more than just the royal courtship. Given that is what it is, it is still a gratifying film. The sets, the music, the performances make this one of last year’s best cinematic experience.

02) MUMBAI MERI JAAN (Banner- UTV Motion Pictures; Producer- Ronnie Screwvala; Director- Nishikant Kamat)

In its Dickensian Mumbai, this film makes many moving comments on the city and its people. It doesn’t resort to providing easy solutions, but instead respects its sensitive fragility and moves on. Adopting an elegiac tone, the narrative chokes you with overwhelming emotions on more than one occasion.

01) MITHYA (Banners- Planman Motion Pictures and Tangerine Digital Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.; Producer- Arindam Chadhuri; Director- Rajat Kapoor)  

Given the weak year, Mithya was the sole all-round entertaining experience I had at the cinemas. A small gem of a film, it vowed me with its intelligence and wit. With its tempo, dialogues and performances, this is just a complete film.

Now, some of my own categories-

Best Song
“Kaise Mujhe” (GHAJINI) Written by- Prasoon Joshi; Composed by- A.R. Rahman; and Sung by- Benny Dayal and Shreya Ghosal

This song doesn’t exist in the Tamil original. What a difference a song can make. Played at two critical junctures, the song lends a mood and gravitas to the relationship between the lead pair that makes their eventual fates all the more poignant. The words and the tune have a mystifying quality that tugs at your heart-strings and sets it free as well.

Honourable Mentions- “Haule Haule” (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi), “Jogi Mahi” (Bachna Ae Haseeno)

Best Scene
RAB NE BANA DI JODI- Surinder Sahni with the rose

A beautifully ‘personal’ moment, Suri’s hesitation to go ahead with a romantic gesture, becomes a ‘general’ truth. A small hesitant step for Suri represents a big step for the Indian common-mankind!

Honourable Mentions- Bachna Ae Haseeno (The ‘Yash’ Raj encounters the ‘real’ Raj in the jungle), Jodhaa Akbar (Akbar reveals his darker side by asking his aides to drop an already bloody traitor off the terrace)

Best Opening Sequence
SARKAR RAJ

The celebration outside, the business inside. The joy outside, the gloom inside. The prospect outside, the fate inside. The ‘father’ outside, the ’son’ inside! Varma begins the film with a dialectic bang!

Honourable Mentions- Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Welcome To Sajjanpur

Paresh Rawal’s monologue, played over vignettes of the different characters in the film, brings tears in the eyes everytime I hear and see it. Speaking with a resigned wisdom, his is the speech said at the city’s funeral.Honourable Mentions- Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Best Entrance

Akshay Kumar in TASHAN

Honourable Mentions- Abhishek Bachchan (Sarkar Raj), Kangna Ranaut (Fashion)

The reigning king of the masses, riding the junta-rath scooter, as a ten-headed monster, going by the name of a certain Ganga kinaare wala Bachchan! Entrances can’t get more iconic than this!

Best Exit
Manjari Phadnis in JAANE TU…YA JAANE NA

I’m talking about her pre-exit, technically. Anyway, the revelation of her character’s psychological need to look at things other than what they are as a defense mechanism, makes all her earlier actions seen in a sad, new light. In the process, she also becomes one of the most interesting and complex female characters written for mainstream consumption, lead or supporting.

Honourable Mentions- Boman Irani (Maharathi), Vinay Pathak (Dasvidaniya)

Best Cameo
Kunal Kapoor in BACHNA AE HASEENO

Before Shahrukh’s Suri act, there was Kunal Kapoor as the average Joe who loves his wife dearly but cannot penetrate her idea of a Mills & Boon meets Bollywood hero. Kunal is just heartbreakingly good in his limited screen time.

Honourable Mentions- Ranvir Shorey (Dasvidaniya), Rajesh Shringarpure (Sarkar Raj)

Surprise Performance
Mugdha Godse in FASHION

I was prejudiced. I thought models couldn’t act. I walked into Fashion expecting zilch out of Mugdha. But the girl surprised me, putting on a decent show as the only girl with clarity.

Honourable Mentions- Hiten Paintal (Bachna Ae Haseeno), Amisha Patel (Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic)

Best Ensemble
MUMBAI MERI JAAN

From Kay Kay’s Hindu fanatic to Madhavan’s upright professional, from Vijay’s seething constable to Irrfan’s resolved migrant, from Soha’s grief-stricken journo to Paresh’s superlative old-man act…this was not just a well acted, but a well cast ensemble.

Honourable Mentions- Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na, Mithya

Hotshot of the Year
Naseeruddin Shah

Naseeruddin Shah reminded us all what a great actor he is. When he wasn’t delivering solid dramatic turns in A Wednesday and Maharathi, it was nice to see him having fun in Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na and Mithya. One wishes makers went to him more often, and not just when Amitabh was unavailable.

Honourable Mentions- Aamir Khan, A.R. Rahman

Paisa Wasool Moment of the Year
The climactic action sequence in the derelict  tunnels from GHAJINI

When was the last time you witnessed a bloody action packed climax? If the action was great, the setting was even better. The derelict tunnels acted like some strange memory channels, manifesting the loose-ended maze of the protagonist’s mind.

Honourable Mentions- Abhishek Bachchan recounting his meet cute with John Abraham (Dostana),  Naseeruddin Shah’s angry monologue almost justifying his actions (A Wednesday)

Best Promotional Campaign
GHAJINI (Himanshu and Rahul Nanda- HR ENTERPRISES)

Aamir’s eight-pack, ushers with the Ghajini cut…the promotion of this film was as aggressive and nauseating as they come. But…it got asses on seats, and that’s what matters.

Honourable Mentions- Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na, Phoonk

And now for some fun- 

Disappointments
 

03) MY NAME IS ANTHONY GONSALVES

With Shahrukh producing it, a decent director like E. Niwas and a cast including the likes of Mithun Chakraborty and Pavan Malhotra, how could it all go this wrong? As it stands, this is just an average film…but with that title, it ought to have been better.

02) MAHARATHI

Again- a great cast assembled (Naseeruddin, Paresh, Om, Boman), a decent director (Shivam Nair) and a successful stageplay as its source. Still, the film never takes off and is unable to shrug off its inherent theatricality.

01) DRONA

A big budget ensured great sets and amazing special effects. What it couldn’t get was a gripping script and a star turn from its leading actor. One only imagines how good this Saagar Manthan story could’ve been if executed well.

Worst Couple
Salman Khan and Zayed Khan in YUVVRAAJ

This seemed like a contest of who acts worse. You’ve gotta hand it to Salman, he’s still in there fighting with the young guns! You can’t beat him at bad acting.

Dishonourable Mentions- Himesh Reshammiya and Urmila Matondkar (Karzzzz), Om Puri and Paresh Rawal (Mere Baap Pehle Aap)

Worst Performance
Himesh Reshammiya in KARZZZZ 

What was he so angry about? That he went from romancing an under-aged Hansika in his first film to a middle-aged Urmila in this one? Or that he was played by Dino Morea in his previous life? Or that his hair transplant had given him hair in unwanted unmentionable areas? From a bald 35 year old to a wavy-haired 25 year old, the curious case of Himesh Reshammiya is here to stay!

Dishonourable Mentions- Zayed Khan (Mission Istaanbul), Om Puri (Mere Baap Pehle Aap)

Worst Director
Apoorva Lakhia (MISSION ISTAANBUL) 

Can somebody please explain to me how he still gets to make films? He’s already roped in Amitabh Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt for his next! India’s reply to Uwe Boll indeed!

Dishonourable Mentions- Sanjay Gadhvi (Kidnap), Satish Kaushik (Karzzzz)

Worst Film
KARZZZZ (Banner-T-Series Super Cassettes Industries Ltd.; Producers- Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar; Director- Satish Kaushik) 

An inexplicably angry Himesh, a scary wide-grinned Shweta and a clueless heaving Urmila. Bad movies don’t get made this good. This one’s for mad, campy fun with friends.

Dishonourable Mentions- Kidnap, Mission Istaanbul

Thank you for enduring me.

Abhishek Bandekar

05/04/2009