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Best of Bollywood 2015 (10+1list)

Best of Bollywood 2015.

written by Souranath Banerjee

Bollywood cinema essentially means films made in Hindi language, generally produced and distributed in and around the Bombay Film Industry.

Last year 2015, according to me, was a good year for Bollywood.

Films, some of them of finest quality have been made or released, which successfully maintained the thin line between aesthetics and entertainment, and kept both the critics and the audience content.

And so, here is the list of Best of Bollywood 2015. Hope you agree with me on this. (If not, then let’s at least disagree on it)

10. Drishyam

Film Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuuX2j14NBg

Drishyam-posterA thrilling tale of a common man who by his intellect and imagination tricked everyone in order to save his family.

Directed by Nishikant Kamat, a south remake starring Ajay DevgnShriya Saran and Tabu.

A thriller that keeps you on the edges of your seat and doesn’t reveal the suspense till the very last shot of the film.

9. Bajrangi Bhaijaan

Film Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyX4toD395U

Bajrangi-Bhaijaan-posterA Salman Khan film, that has a realistic story line, enough scope for acting and most importantly high on emotions and less on dramabazi!

Directed by Kabir Khan, this one is about a big hearted man who went all the way to Pakistan to unite a cute little girl (who is also mute) with her parents.   

A perfect family entertainment clubbed with fun-filled sentiments.

8. Tanu Weds Manu Returns

Film Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGGmyaurjAI

tanu-weds-manu-returns-poster1With a double role (playing the sexy Tanu and the tomboyish Datto) Kangana Ranaut yet again shows that she is currently THE best actress in Bollywood.

(Click for the review)

Directed by Aanand Rai and written by Himanshu Sharma Tanu Weds Manu Returns guarantees a smile on the audiences face as they leave the theaters. And believe me that’s a huge achievement. 

7. Nh10

Film Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9icNqWlylw

nh10-poster1A perfect romantic trip turns into a nightmare.

(Click for the review)

Directed by Navdeep Singh, this is one hard hitting thriller where a urban woman experiences the brutal face of rural India, as she unintentionally becomes involved in a case of honor killing.

Raw, edgy, gritty and very much realistic, and undoubtedly Anushka Sharma‘s best performance till date.

6. Bajirao Mastani

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHOc-4D7MjY

Bajirao-Mastani-poster2A take on the life of Baji Rao Ballal Balaji Bhat, a Maratha general of the early 1700!

(Click for the review)

Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, there are rarely any Bollywood films (if any) that are so pleasing to your eyes that the story, content and characters almost get sidetracked by the sheer beauty of each and every frame.

5. Margarita, with a Straw

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YORjJiWBxAg

Margarita-with-a-Straw-posterDirected by Shonali Bose and Nilesh Maniyar this is an exceptional film about a young girl with cerebral palsy who is not afraid to fall in love!

(Click for the review)

Kalki Koechlin – her innocence, her vulnerability, her dialogue delivery, her body language, expressions, her smile – she is the reason to watch this film.

4. Talvar

Film Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQNMsw8Ljjc

Talvar-Poster2Directed by Meghna Gulzar, this one is a well researched version of the Noida Double Murder Case of 2008, also known as the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case.

(Click for the review)

A gripping tale that often makes it difficult for the audience to remember that after all, it’s a fictional representation of the dismal crime and its aftermath.

3. Piku

Film Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeiKUlUUNQ8

piku-poster1Directed by Shoojit Sircar, one of the best entertaining films of the year, emotional, real and so much fun.

(Click for the review)

Amitabh Bachchan as the selfish constipated dad,  Deepika Padukone as the devotedly caring yet tired of taking-care-of daughter and Irrfan Khan as the suitable suitor (perhaps).

2. Titli

Film Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOqiQiMkXDA

titliA family whose family-business is car-jacking, often violently abusing the passengers and looting their valuables. The youngest member of this family is named Titli, and this is his story of freedom.

(Click for the review)

Superbly directed by Kanu Behl, the film even got a nomination at the Cannes Film Festival!

  1. Masaan

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVZzYa0MxM8

masaan-posterBrilliantly directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, there is a certain honesty about Masaan that eventually grows on you and within it’s 100 min screen time, the film compels you to relate to it’s characters.

(Click for the review)

Shot in Varanasi, stories and incidents are threaded together like precious little pearls and the thread being the holy Ganges!

and (The ‘+1′ film is not necessarily the best but certainly the most crazy one. A must watch).

+1. Manjhi: The Mountain Man

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9KAoTQlEWs

mountain-man-poster-1Directed by Ketan Mehta,  a brilliant biopic of Dashrath Manjhi, a man who single-handedly (with only a hammer and a chisel) sliced open the mountain to make a passage through it, reducing the distance from his village to the nearest hospital to minimal.

(Click for the review)

It took him 22 years but he made the impossible possible.

Poster courtesy:  www.bollywoodmdb.com

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Piku (2015)

Piku review.

written by Abhikendu Deb Roy

Ratings: 4.5/5.

Shit happens, probably the reason Piku was ever filmed. There are certain films where one aspect of the script gets more importance than the characters present in the film. Shoojit Sircar, who always comes up with out-of-the-box ideas for his films, gives life to ‘Constipation’ in his new film ‘Piku’. Not only does the film explore more on bowel movement, it also sheds light on the beaut father-daughter relationship.

Piku-poster1To be honest, Piku doesn’t really have a story. It is simply an assemblage of the daily fights we have with our parents, the skip-a-beat moments when we receive romantic vibes from another person or maybe the arguments families have regarding property sale. It is these nuances which make the film highly relatable. You will, however, never feel the absence of a story, because the premise keeps you engaged all throughout the road journey from Delhi to Kolkata. Screenwriter Juhi Chaturvedi collaborates such moments and stitches a well knit script out of it.

‘Bhaskor Banerjee, Bangalee’ – the prudent selfish constipated 70 year old widower effortlessly emanates ‘Hypochondriasis’ or illness anxiety disorder from every organ of his body. Amitabh Bachchan delights us time and again, sometimes irritating us with his stubborn attitude and at times being the sweetest white-haired child ever. Deepika Padukone has proves herself again as ‘Piku’, her eyes emoting tiredness alongside care and affection for her dad. Piku is the sole person ‘Bhaskor Babu’ can depend on. Irrfan Khan is one of the gifts to Bollywood which shall be cherished for life. Jishu Sengupta and Moushumi Chatterjee get into the skin of their characters with ease, as well.

Cinematographer Kamaljeet Negi frames the locales of Delhi, the bylanes of Kolkata and the Ganga ghats of Banaras with utmost passion which is exhibited on screen. The scenic beauty of the Delhi-Kolkata Expressway does snatch your attention at times from the cute little fights between the father and the daughter. Editor Chandrashekhar Prajapati makes the film as crisp and tight as possible, limiting the duration to around 2 hours 5 minutes.

Piku-posterThe greatest gift of the film, after the cast, is its music. Anupam Roy’s first Bollywood work leaves us mesmerized. Each and every track comes up right at the correct situation, at the correct time. The Journey Song is the jewel of all the songs, the only complaint being that the full song is never played in the film. The background music, again by Roy, is apt for the film and sets the mood of the scenes quite justifiably.

Final Verdict: The ‘Bangalee’ biasness shall always remain. A certain ‘Ei Poth Jodi Na Shesh Hoye’ sung by Bachchan, the father-daughter duo dancing their hearts out to ‘Jibone Ki Pabona’, the ‘Angry Not-So-Young Man’ mouthing cuss words like ‘Shuorer Bachcha’, there’s too much bangalianaa screaming out from the pages of the scripts. This light-hearted family entertainer, which also allows us to learn to take responsibilities of your parents after a certain age, is the perfect mood fixer for the weekend. Go and watch the film, you shall walk out of the theatres mesmerized and ‘Bezubaan’.

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