Bollywood 2008: So Far, So Bad
Going to the movies this year has largely been a mind-numbing experience. I had just criticized Kismat Konnection a few weeks back, but compared to the fare that the next few weeks offered (Ugly Aur Pagli, Singh Is Kinng), it really feels like a criminally underrated classic now.
Till now, there have hardly been any films this year that were good or satisfying to an extent:
Mithya, I thought was excellent, even if only for Ranvir Shorey’s superbly funny and poignant performance that blew my mind totally. The film was nice and edgy, terse and full of dry wit, and yet it touched the heart. (Though some people I know happened to find it very ‘pseudo’, for some reason 
)
Aamir was thoroughly gripping, tense and a pleasure to watch. Kudos to everyone behind this brave little gem- especially Rajkumar Gupta, Rajeev Khandelwal and DOP Alphonse Roy- all of who did an outstanding job. The climax though, did become a bit of a downer for me, but that was probably because all I had heard about it escalated my expectations way too high.
Jodhaa Akbar was a disappointment, but still not too bad I thought- it did have its points, and Gowariker’s Amar Chitra Katha style epic more or less worked for me despite huge flaws. Hrithik was genuinely good for a change and gave a very charismatic performance, even if it lacked a lot of depth, like the movie. I confess I can’t ever be too harsh on Gowariker- after Lagaan and Swades (I am so sorry, especially to Dpac for not having completed my article yet 
) even if he put shit on celluloid for the rest of his career, I would still hold him in high regard.
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na was admittedly silly, but it had plenty of good moments and its share of smartness, and was excellently held together by an outstanding supporting cast- The Shahs and Khan brothers rocked it.
The only other films that didn’t give me a complete headache this year were Bhoothnath (decent kiddie flick until Baghban syndrome struck in the second half), Mission Istaanbul (pure So-Bad-It’s-Brilliant® cheesy delight, consistently and unintentionally howlarious) and (I’m ready to face the brickbats, but I have to say this) Tashan- agreed, it was bad- but hell, atleast it tried and was an unpretentious and interesting watch.
Sadly, there doesn’t seem to be too much to look forward to during the rest of the year either. Here I list some of the films releasing this year that look promising to me- do write in if I have missed anything potentially good in your opinion:
I haven’t seen Dombivli Fast, but what I have heard of it definitely heightens my expectations from Mumbai Meri Jaan. A solid and potentially gut-wrenching theme, the high voltage cast comprising Madhavan, Paresh Rawal (who’s finally being seen in the right kind of roles and films for a change), Kay Kay Menon, Irrfan Khan, Vijay Maurya and Soha Ali Khan and excellent pre-release buzz make Nishikant Kamat’s Bollywood debut worth watching.
Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye is an interesting name for Dibakar Banerjee’s second film after Khosla Ka Ghosla (which is among my all time favorite films). We don’t know the story yet, but the film starring Abhay Deol, Paresh Rawal, Archana Puran Singh does click with the title and director- though there’s no Jaideep Sahni here, and KKG was as much (if not more) his film too.
Dev D is the film that perhaps sounds the most exciting to me at this point in time, and my imagination is running wild with what Anurag Kashyap and Abhay Deol could have made of Devdas. Am keenly anticipating the first look of the film- am expecting something totally eccentric and psychedelic.
Apart from these there are Chandni Chowk To China (which looks it may be that rare ‘big ticket entertainer’ in Bollywood this year that might actually entertain), Dilli 6 (Will Rakeysh Mehra deliver again?), Har Pall (Jahnu Barua attempts a mainstream romantic film with Preity Zinta and Shiney Ahuja) Imitiaz Ali’s next and Mumbai Cutting and for some strange reason, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Beyond this year, of course then there is Vishal Bhardwaj’s tentatively titled Kaminay, Ishqiya, Sriram Raghavan’s next with John and Aishwarya plus Agent Vinod (just the name gives me an adrenalin rush) with Saif Ali Khan, Chenab Gandhi (only for you, Vidya) and many more.
Here’s hoping for the best.
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How about Aamir’s Ghazini (I am sure it would be better than original), Anurag’s Gulal, and Sudhir Mishra’s Tera Kya Hogga Johnny..
I can’t wait to see second half unfolded…
And, I do share same as you as far as what happened to bollywood until now.. Although, I was impressed by Aamir and Climax was the best part for me..
Nik
Hey I am waiting for Madhur’s Fashion and of course after Life in a Metro….Anurag Basu’s Kites.
btw i think sikandar by sudhir mishra should be releasing before tera kya hoga johhny
Rock On!! will be the next cult film!
I think Rock On and Nagesh Kukunoor’s Aashayein would both be excellent.
oh wow..
for a critic..u sound as crazy as any other movie crazy fan Pratim.. “will be the next cult film!!”.. i surely hope you have already seen it..my expectations from it are so high.. it’s kinda scary..
Ya Rock On is something I am also waiting for.You know this year looks even bad when you compare with 2006.Lage Raho Munnabhai,Rang De Basanti,Fanaa,Khonsla Ka Ghosla,Omkara,Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna(not great but looks like a classic compared to this year’s releases),Sarkar….I guess there were more…I am forgetting….In 2006 I was thinking if this is the present the future is going to be better…The future is here …2008 and I am disappointed big time..
Sikander is a young actor in Tera Kya Hoga Johnny. There is no movie called Sikander. TKHJ looks good- in the footsteps of Salaam Bombay.
I’d add Sarkar Raj to the list. It was a good watch especially the second half.
I dont think Aashyen wud be any gud…specially post Bomay to Bangkok .. better to get a review on PFC befor spending $10.25 on Asshayen
So far so right my friend… So not impressed… not even 1 good movie/mth… this is by far the WORST year for films… but you’ve named the good ones… personally I liked Jodha Akhbar.. Mithya was awesome, best film of the year so far… Jaane Tu Yah Jaane Na was pretty good as well.. and everything else was either mediocre or outright crap..
Haven’t seen Jannat or Aamir yet (got the DVDs sitting at home though, so will try to watch them soon.. heard they’re both good..)
Got to agree with Anindya… 2006 was a great year that left many promises for a better filmi future.. that, unfortunately, never came to fruition…
Being an optimist, I’m looking fwd to the latter part of the year… Chandi Chowk to China looks entertaining… I personally have high hopes for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi as well as Ghajini… As yourself and others here have mentioned, there’s about another half-dozen films that look promising… let wait and watch with fingers crossed…
ROCK ON !!!
This is the one to wath out for !!!
Trust me … Farhaan is going to rock the pants off of Bollywood ..
What Music … it has been playing incessantly on my I POD since i heard it first a few days back …
Guys how can u all forget ‘Maan Gaye Mughal e Azam’.
Sorry sorry for the joke.Ah pls pls pls dont thrash me.
Mummy bachao aah……………..
Agree with ur tally so far…Aamir and Jodha Akbar were the only films that clicked with me this year…haven’t watched Mithya yet…JTYJN did not at all work for me…and Jannat and Race the two big hits so far were utter crap…..thankfully have skipped most of the duds..did not have to waste time or money…the two best theatrical experiences this year were The Dark Knight and Kung Fu Panda…miles ahead of anything Bollywood this year…later this year the Coens are coming back with Burn After Reading…. :):)
I agree with ur film choices, except for ‘Mission IstanBULL’!
That really was so lame!
Viveck Oberoi was the best thing.
‘Tashan’? Yup, I liked that too!
Mindless fun. But the makers had already told us that, so I didn’t feel cheated.
Phew, I’ve finally finished ‘Manorama’ last night!
Oh, ‘Ugly Pagli’ was alright too.
I haven’t seen the Korean version, but Ranvir and Mallika pulled it off.
Mallika was quite good!
I guess these types of roles suit her…
The music was terrible though!
going by the trailers Rock On will click with the urban working class .
maybe inspire some to leave their clerical jobs and do what they like ,or maybe I am getting too optimistic.
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OMG!!! Dare I say that I agree with every single film you have on your list of non-headache inducing experiences?!?! I may have liked them for completely different reasons - MI for the hunk factor of Vivek Oberoi as a Turk and Tashan for… what else, the Ishtyle! - but still. Thanks for a wonderful and thoughtful article. I’ll look for future ones to help me sort through the films I should and should not watch!
@Nik Patel- Yeah, Ghajini might me good, but I have my doubts. TKHJ is definitely promising- just don’t know whether it’s coming this year or not.
@Nina- I thought everything about MI was laughable including Vivek- I actually feel embarassed of the fact that we are from the same school now!
@Steve- Mission Istanbul was indeed ‘bull’, but it was so unintentionally funny! Ugly and Pagli gave me a migraine- it was terrible and a very bad remake.
@Anindya- Fashion might be good, but frankly I haven’t liked anything from Bhandarkar after Chandni Bar, which had a soulful quality to it, as opposed to his other very voyeuristic, sleazy and exploitative films that he seems to have made a formula out of. ‘Kites’ is from Rakesh Roshan’s banner- that itself makes me shudder.
@Subhashish- Don’t expect much from Aashayein, but yes, it could be a nice film.
@Pook- Tried, but couldn’t get myself to watch Sarkar Raj. Am severely allergic to the sounds of ‘Govinda, Govinda’- they almost trigger off cardiac arrest.
@Pratim da, Subhashish, Ankur, Avi, Anindya: (edited- what i really meant/ should have said) I am surprised to see so many so excited for ‘Rock On’. It looks like it may be trying a bit oo hard and not really succeeding. Coming from Abhishek ‘Aryan’ Kapoor, I have my doubts- though the movie looks rather well shot. The songs are quite bad IMO- Farhan can hardly sing (but I guess in a studio you can make anyone sound decent). The overall OST is quite average and disappointing coming from SEL. And the lyrics are the pits- shouldn’t have got them written by Javed Akhtar. They are lifeless, and very been-there-heard-that- Socha Hai sounds like it belongs to Taare Zameen Par:
‘Aasman hai neela kyon?
paani geela geela kyon?
gol kyon hai zameen?
silk mein hai narmi kyon?
aag mein garmi kyon?
do aur do paanch kyun nahin?
ped ho gaye kam kyon?
teen hai ye mausam kyon?
chaand do kyon nahin?
duniya mein hai jung kyon?
behta laal rang kyon?
sarhadein hai kyon har kahin?
socha hai… ye tumne kya kabhi?
socha hai… ki hai ye kya sabhi?
socha hai… socha nahin toh socho abhi
Watching crowds actually sway to this song in the film is unbelievable- if it was a non-celebrity band singing this song they would be pelted with rotten eggs and tomatoes!
The Last Lear should be interesting too…
@ Jahan - re: The Last Lear - I was not impressed. It has great moments but there is a pseudo intellectual air to it that made it seem pompous and forced to me. I’ll be curious to read your thoughts about the film.
Love every word on the Rock On soundtrack… Love every song… Yes Avi it’s on repeat mode in my iPod too…
Jahan, try and hear the best of rock n roll songs in the West and go through the words… Simplicity is the key. Listen to Beatles… Whoah, we danced through the night,
And we held each other tight, And before too long I fell in love with her. Now, I’ll never dance with another, When I saw her standing there… Will you say it’s Taare Zameen Par as well?
Javed Akhtar has completely rocked it… You don’t need pile pile se jungle mein behta dhuan everywhere… It’s what the demand of the soundtrack is… That is the toughest bit for a lyricist. A rock anthem needs simple words… sannata sunai nahin deta aur hawaein dikhai nahin deti… socha hai kya kabhi? Remember hum hain naye toh andaaz kyon ho purana? That is music… not to pluck out the toughest words in the Urdu dictionary and slam it on an acid rock album which only a handful will listen after doing a round of coke.
It’s turning out to be a post… will stop here…
Ghajini, Rock On!!, Dilli 6, Gulal,Agent Vinod will be some I would be definetely on the look out for. But I would also have to watch “Bachna ae Haseeno” & “Rab ne bana di jodi” courtesy my better half.
So far liked “JTYJN”, “Tashan”(IShtyle, I found it better than Dhoom 2 and Race).
Awful cant stand movies of the year “Sarkar Raaj” yes the sound and the camera angle did it for me within 15 minutes of the start of the movie.
Would do well in giving some credit to Javed Akhtar. A man with so much of work behind him sure does know what he is getting into. It is not like “Honda thayyar hai, ek sau do bhukhaar hai, aaja meri bul bul, tera intezaar hai”. May be this track in Rock On! comes in at a phase where the band *is* known for its juvenile, “TZPish” lyrics bordering on puerile, and funnily getting away with it with the crowds swaying to them. And then may be there is a transition! The biggest joke is this writer crying “pseudo and wannabe”..
ha ha ha ha!
Pratim Gupta! thanks boss. couldn’t agree with you better
@Jahan
Cmon man ,it’s a movie based on a rock band ,what will Javed Akhtar do there ?
It’s like asking Gulzar to write lyrics for Metallica……IMO Rock On rocks already……loved the music ,and Farhan is right ,you do not need madhur awaaz for rock music. It’s about the guitar ,the drums and the mood and somewhat the lyrics as well. It’s definitely not about the singing.
Somehow I don’t see you as a fan of Pink Floyd or Linkin Park ,so unless you love rock music you can’t appreciate a movie like that…..
Jahan you are right about Madhur Bhandarkar’s “formula” which does’nt seem to be working after Corporate.He is slowly turning into “I can shock you with this” type director.But still there is something about his films that makes me watch them at least once.Regarding Rakesh Roshan even I am scared of his films but this time it is Anurag at the helm which gives me some hope.Other films I forgot to mention are Vishal Bharadwaj’s Kaminey and White Feather’s Paankh.
ram gopal varma’s PHOONK..releasing 22ND AUGUST!
Via darjelling was quiet good.
For me definitely better than any this year except Mithya!!
@Pratim Da: Okay, I confess i am no rock music expert/ lover, so may be I shouldn’t really be commenting on the music and lyrics. But the music just doesn’t hold me. As for the lyrics- you misunderstand me- i don’t mean to say that they should be full of complex smoky metaphors that no one understands, but I really found the words dull- it sounds to me as if javed saab hasn’t really put his heart in it- just my opinion- you are free to love it, people.
@Santosh Kumar TK: Hey man, I totally respect Javed Akhtar and have loved his work in several films, so there is no question of undermining his credibility. The point you make about the lyrics is very presumptious though- i am still not clear whether you actually think they are good lyrics if you don’t consider that *possible* situation in the film. I am sorry for using the word ‘pseudo’(too many conversations with kartik krishnan makes the work stick in your head), but it wasn’t used with ref to the music or lyrics. The film still feels wannabe to me- whether it will be or not, we’ll know when it releases, but yes, I do hope it’s good and my wishes are with the team at Excel for trying to think outta the box.
Vineet: I don’t mean to say you need a ‘madhur awaaz’ for rock music. And i guess i might as well concede farhan doesn’t sound too bad on the soundtrack, but i had heard him singing live at the music launch and he was terrible, believe me. Somehow that seems to me stuck in my head.
All in all, maybe it’s my doubtful and hence a little biased mindset towards the film that makes me cynical- but i can objectively say that i think the music could have been a lot better.
@Nina, agree with you totally, but looks nice visually, and am still hopeful. Am interested in seeing preity Zinta in her new second innings in B’wood- Last lear, har pall, Deepa mehta’s next (forgot the name)… se seems to be going in an all new direction!
@Jahan
Since you heard Farhan on stage it maybe the case because to sing on stage you really need a powerful voice and there is no space for error,especially in Rock where you have to scream at the top of your lungs.
But such is not the case in recording studios ,where you can do anything with the voice ,tone it up ,down ,left ,right ,good editors are able to make you sound like madonna.
Farhan sounds good on CD and I guess we can thank the sound editor for this.
If Farhan is really that bad then I just hope he doesn’t take his singing too seriously and limits it to movies .
(Jahan replies)- Agree with you about the stage singing.
And looks like there’s atleast someone who shares my sentiments on the soundtrack- it’s almost exactly my thoughts!
Rock On music review by Raja Sen
You have missed out on a film called “A Wednesday” (Not your fault, nobody’s been talking about it really… as yet).*ing Naseeruddin Shah, its releasing 5th September. Its written and directed by Neeraj Pandey (his debut feature film) and co-produced by UTV. I’d suggest that everyone reading this chk out the theatrical trailer of the film on you tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI3E1jneWvg
I have seen the trail of the film and i can assure you that this is not a film worth missing. Seeing the success of Aamir, im feeling hopeful!
@Alankrata: Have heard of ‘A Wednesday’ and have also seen the trailer- it showed with Kismat Konnection’. Yeah, looks pretty interesting- it’s just that I’m not *too* excited about it, but it could spring a pleasant surprise, yes.
@ Pratim Da: And yes- ‘Socha hai’- (gulp) a rock anthem? Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Hehe
Oh yes, and reading your comment again I came across the ‘Koi Kahe’ lyrics: ‘hum hain naye toh andaaz kyon ho purana’ which I think stand in stark contrast to the Rock on lyrics. That is what I call vibrant, or if you say so, ‘anthemic’ lyrics. The line itself immediately strikes a chord with me and gels so well with the movie which itself broke out of moribund Bollywood representation of people and youth. I’d anyday rock on to ‘Koi Kahe’ than to this ‘Socha Hai’ tripe. Or maybe I’m wrong- maybe it actually isn’t as bad as it sounds.
@Nina: The Preity Zinta- Deepa Mehta film about an abused Punjabi housewife is called ‘Heaven on Earth’.
Wat abt “DRONA”……….???
Ya well, i dont think the trailer of A WEDNESDAY is even half as good as the film
@Alankrata: How do you know- have you seen the film? Or is it your gut feel?
@Rajeev: Are you kidding- have you seen the trailer? It’s horrendous!
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=zudjh9UWprA
my fav. films so far have to be-
Aamir
Race
Jannat
sarkar raj
Jaane tu ya jaane na
im looking forward to dilli 6..Mehra is a brilliant filmmaker and look forward to another great performance from abhishek after one of my favourite movies guru..
Drona looks like garbage.
singh is kinng was decent. good for a few laughs, way to overhyped.
Kidnap looks like it could do good, with Sunjay dutt and Imran Khan.
mumbai mere jaan looks brilliant.looking forward to watch that one.
the family film of the year has to be thoda pyar thoda magic..Rani mukherjee comes back on her feet. this movie was a flop but didnt dissapoint me.