2012 has been a good year for the Indian movies. Here are is my top 10:
1. Barfi!
2. Gangs of Wasseypur 2
3. Talaash
4. Kahaani
5. English Vinglish
6. Arjun: The Warrior Prince
7. Ferrari Ki Sawaari
8. Vicky Donor
9. Agneepath
10. Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu
2. Gangs of Wasseypur 2
3. Talaash
4. Kahaani
5. English Vinglish
6. Arjun: The Warrior Prince
7. Ferrari Ki Sawaari
8. Vicky Donor
9. Agneepath
10. Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu
One film to rule them all: EEGA (Since it wasn't a Hindi film, it didn't feature on the top 10)
Honorable mentions: Chittagong, Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana, Paan Singh Tomar and Supermen of Malegaon
I still can’t believe the backlash Barfi! received in the guise of of insipid plagiarism charges. I honestly don’t care. All I remember is the first time I saw this film (or the second or the third), I was under its spell like no other film this year. It made my heart soar. Ranbir’s performance and the music alone lift it out of the cinematic purgatory it seemed to tread. Talaash and Kahaani were top-notch thrillers. I liked the former more just because when I saw the films again I found that Kahaani cheats while Talaash plays. Both do it well, of course. Vidya Balan gave the best female performance of the year, only rivaled by Sridevi in English Vinglish. I don’t remember the last time I came out of a film and felt it was made for my mother. It’s no surprise that many of us shared this thought about English Vinglish. A film any mother would hate would be Gangs of Wasseypur. The first film was bloody good but it was Part 2 that went the distance and was bloodier and better. The revenge was served cold and slow. He told us and took it, all right. A film equally blazing and violent, which also happens to be my only commercial Bollywood selection, is Agneepath. The granddaddy of all masala films, Eega (Makkhi, if you may), showed us why Hindi cinema is constantly looking for refuge in Tollywood’s bosom and why it should stop trying.
I couldn’t find enough reasons to include Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Ishaqzaade on my list but they deserve mentions regardless. Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu was the romantic comedy of the year with an ending, which hits the sweet spot. A heart-wrenching father-son story charmed me in Ferrari Ki Sawaari. Two period films, Chittagong and Paan Singh Tomar, had their pluses and minuses, but also boasted rousing revolutionary hearts. Two comedies that defied clichés were Vicky Donor and Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana. I’d like to round this up by mentioning an animated film that went largely unseen- Arjun: The Warrior Prince and a documentary- Supermen of Malegaon. Both in their own way, remind us of our golden treasure of stories hiding in plain sight that we have failed to acknowledge over the years. 2012 was most definitely a terrific year for Indian movies.
(First published on Desimartini)
