Filmfare Nominations 2012

Best Film

Delhi Belly
Don 2
No One Killed Jessica
Rockstar
The Dirty Picture
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Best Director

Abhinay Deo – Delhi Belly
Farhan Akhtar – Don 2
Imtiyaz Ali – Rockstar
Milan Luthria – The Dirty Picture
Raj Kumar Gupta – No One Killed Jessica
Zoya Akhtar – Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Best Actor In A Leading Role (Male)

Ajay Devgn – Singham
Amitabh Bachchan – Aarakshan
Hrithik Roshan – Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Ranbir Kapoor – Rockstar
Salman Khan – Bodyguard
Shahrukh Khan – Don 2

Best Actor In A Leading Role (Female)

Katrina Kaif – Mere Brother Ki Dulhan
Mahie Gill – Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster
Priyanka Chopra – 7 Khoon Maaf
Vidya Balan – No One Killed Jessica
Vidya Balan – The Dirty Picture

Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Male)

Abhay Deol – Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Farhan Akhtar – Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Naseeruddin Shah – The Dirty Picture
Pitobash Tripathy – Shor In The City
Vir Das – Delhi Belly

Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Female)

Juhi Chawla – I Am
Kalki Koechlin – Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Parineeti Chopra – Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl
Rani Mukerji – No One Killed Jessica
Swara Bhaskar – Tanu Weds Manu

Best Music Director

A.R.Rahman – Rockstar
Ram Sampat – Delhi Belly
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy – Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Sohail Sen – Mere Brother Ki Dulhan
Vishal-Shekhar – RA.One

Best Lyrics

Gulzar – Darling – (7 Khoon Maaf)
Irshad Kamil – Nadaan parindey – (Rockstar)
Irshad Kamil – Sadda haq – (Rockstar)
Javed Akhtar – Senorita – (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara)
Vishal Dadlani & Niranjan Iyengar – Chammak challo – (RA.One)

Best Playback Singer (Male)

Akon & Vishal Dadlani – Chammak challo (RA.One)
Mohit Chauhan – Jo bhi mein (Rockstar)
Mohit Chauhan – Sadda haq (Rockstar)
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan – Teri Meri (Bodyguard)
Shafqat Amanat Ali – Dildaara (RA.One)

Best Playback Singer (Female)

Alyssa Mendonsa – Khwabon ke parindey (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara)
Harshdeep Kaur – Katiya karu (Rockstar)
Rekha Bhardwaj & Usha Uthup Darling (7 Khoon Maaf)
Shreya Ghoshal – Teri Meri (Bodyguard)
Shreya Ghoshal – Saibo (Shor In The City)



Out of all the actors performing on stage every year. Oops, I mean award shows. (Yes, they do claim to reward people for their work on a film.) Filmfare is the one award show that has a legacy that dates back to 1954. From 1989 onwards they awarded more commercial films. But then you could argue that in the 50s and the 60s the commercial and the award-worthy were not poles apart. Albeit, Filmfare have and can still manage to at least nominate some good films.

In 2009, easily the best year for Indian cinema after 2001, they grew a pair and nominated films like Kaminey, Dev D and Wake Up Sid. Love Aaj Kal and 3 Idiots were good films too. Obviously, 3 Idiots took the top prize and deservedly so.

I have loved only 3 Filmfare Best Film winners in the past decade, without any reservations. Namely, Lagaan (2001), Devdas (2002) and 3 Idiots (2009). Jodhaa Akbar (2008) was one of those films that I really wanted to love, but the giant mess of a film that it was, I couldn't champion it.

This year's nominees are almost as good as 2009's. There is a good range of films and some wonderful inclusions. This is a year I will definitely watch these awards FOR the awards. Firstly, kudos to the Filmfare jury to nominate Vidya Balan for No One Killed Jessica and not just The Dirty Picture. She should win for the latter, of course.

From this year's nods, I'm extremely happy for 3 films: Delhi Belly, The Dirty Picture and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. (These three happen to be my top 3 films of 2011). I also applaud the inclusion of No One Killed Jessica.

The other two. Well, Don 2. They could have done without it. But Filmfare are infamous Shah Rukh ass-lickers. So am I. (I preferred Ra.One - as you can read here). But if you do have to include a full blown commercial film, let it be Singham. But, then Don 2's release was well-timed and has the name "Farhan Akhtar" attached to it. That name has films like Dil Chahta Hai and Lakshya behind it. That helps.

The final film that I would talk about is Rockstar. Now this is the film that I would just not include here. As you can see in my review. I simply hated it. But Rockstar is exactly the kind of film that wins awards. It looks like a passion piece. It has all a love story, it is about music, it is about rebellion, it is about transcendence. It fails in each of these aspects and is quite a mess. It tries to succeed on each of these levels but is shamefully ignorant.

Delhi Belly, on the other hand is not a mess. It is a film with balls. It is a film which challenges mainstream cinema. It does things that haven't been done before on the Indian screen. It is cinema rebellion. Sadly, it is also a film that does not win awards.

Rockstar is the correct amount of grandiosity and ostentation and makes the audience feel they are watching something incredibly important. It has the box office behind it. It has a young talented actor who has the fanbase of a country-load of teenage girls. His performance is also showy enough to win awards just for himself. To make matters worse (or better, for the smitten), Imtiaz Ali hasn't been garlanded before. Taare Zameen Par took away the awards from Jab We Met.

But this is Rockstar's year. It will win most major awards. Film, director, actor, music director, lyrics, male playback. These 6 are guaranteed. It could also win female playback. An award I would gladly hand over to Alyssa Mendosa for Khaabon Ke Parindey. What a beautiful song. (Even Usha Uthup for that matter).

The one award I would have given Rockstar is for Best Lyrics for Kun Faya Kun. But Kun Faya Kun even failed to score a nomination. This is indeed where I rest my case. I just sit back and watch the show and go with that "happy to be nominated" feeling for Delhi Belly, ZNMD and The Dirty Picture.