Anita's Roundup Review Of The Bollywood Movies In 2011
You guys might remember last year when I did a roundup for all the 2010 Bollywood films. Well, I'm about to do it again, this time for the 2011 movies!
Though my thoughts are not quite as negative as my 2010 roundup they are also not as positive as my 2009 roundup. I was somewhat disappointed but not intensely so. But being the optimist that I am I always start back up every single year ready and eager for the new films that are arriving!
Note: I have not seen Aarakshan (we own it), Force (not all that interested), Desi Boyz (another I'm not too keen on) or Ladies VS Ricky Bahl (will see it eventually), so they will not be discussed.
No One Killed Jessica
January 7
Rani Mukherjee, Vidya Balan
Good: Rani's performance blew me away, it was a great role for her; the story itself is compelling and bittersweet, unlike typical Bollywood films.
Bad: It gets a little dark, especially considering it's a true story, so it's not necessarily a feel-good film.
Dhobi Ghat
January 21
Aamir Khan, Prateik Babbar, Monica Babbar
Good: Great performances, a novel-esque view of various characters living in Mumbai. A nice, clean, quick film.
Bad: I really didn't like the ending, not going to lie. Plus it got a little TOO artsy for me at times, like it was trying too hard.
Patiala House
February 11
Akshay Kumar, Anushka Sharma, Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia
Good: It wasn't a bad film in that it had a plot and there weren't any stupid comedic moments, but it also wasn't a must-watch.
Bad: I found Akshay's character to be such a downer and that the whole first half of the movie was kind of dull because of it.
7 Khoon Maaf
February 18
Priyanka Chopra, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Naseeruddin Shah, John Abraham, Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma
Good: I really enjoyed this film, it was in fact one of my favourites this year. I thought Priyanka did an admirable job in a very difficult role and it was great seeing the various actors portraying her husbands.
Bad: The ending is a little odd, I will admit. My friends and I had a laugh in the theatres when we watched it. But everything before that part is great. I do advise not watching it with parents since it's a fairly adult film.
Tanu Weds Manu
February 25
Madhavan, Kangna Ranaut, Jimmy Shergill
Good: The songs are really good and the first half is rather fun.
Bad: The second half drags. Also, Manu has no life in him, he's the most lifeless character I've seen this entire year, and I love Madhavan!
Game
April 1
Abhishek Bachchan, Kangna Ranaut, Sarah Jane Dias, Jimmy Shergill, Boman Irani
Good: The first half was rather intriguing. I thought Sarah Jan Dias' track with Abhishek was nice.
Bad: As soon as Kangna Ranaut showed up it went downhill. It was like she sleep-walked through the entire movie. Even the final twist wasn't enough to redeem it.
Thank You
April 8
Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, Sunil Shetty, Irrfan Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Celina Jaitley, Rimi Sen
Good: There were some good songs that I ended up really liking and it was filmed in Toronto and Vancouver. The last fifteen minutes were somewhat enjoyable.
Bad: The problem I had with this movie was how fun it made infidelity look until the final few seconds of the film, which is just frustrating because all of those actors are married it just really really got on my nerves. I mean, what did their wives think when they watched Thank You? It made me feel like these celebrities were flaunting their cheating at the audience and then getting us to pay to watch it, ugh.
Dum Maaro Dum
April 22
Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, Prateik Babbar, Aditya Pancholi, Rana Daggubati
Good: This was actually a pretty decent movie that I wish more people had seen. Prateik was terrible in it for some reason but everyone else was good; there was romance and intrigue and a couple of good songs.
Bad: It's not the greatest movie ever but it's a nice little film that I think most people missed out on. 10 million times better than the next movie I'm about to review. :P
Ready
June 3
Salman Khan, Asin
Good: Character Dheela and Dhinka Chika. Seriously. That's it. But they are fantastic songs!
Bad: I hated this movie. It may be the film I hated most in the past five years it was that bad. Okay, probably on par with the terrible Bhool Bhulaiyaa but still...the second half made me want to shoot myself. I literally considered suicide for a split second there before logic kicked in, but really...BAD.
Bbuddah... Hoga Terra Baap
July 1
Amitabh Bachchan, Raveena Tandon, Hema Malini, Prakash Raj, Sonu Sood, Sonal Chauhan
Good: If you are a huge Amitabh Bachchan fan there are definitely things you will enjoy. It's basically Big B Does Masala. Was nice seeing Raveena Tandon and Hema Malini and Sonu Sood works well opposite Amitabh.
Bad: I did at times feel embarrassed for Amitabh - one of my all-time favourite actors - as it felt like he was clinging on furiously to his youth and in the process tarnishing his own legacy.
Delhi Belly
July 1
Imran Khan, Shenaz Treasurywala, Poorna Jagannathan, Rahul Pendkalkar, Vir Das, Vijay Raaz
Good: I liked it, was a somewhat funny little film. Nothing amazing but nothing not to like either. Was basically standard and fairly Westernized. Think The Hangover but a little less stupid.
Bad: The urban nature of the movie might throw some people off. There is sex, drugs, violence and tons of potty humour.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
July 15
Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Abhay Deol, Farhan Akhtar, Kalki Koechlin
Good: I loved this movie. My second favourite of the entire year, I think. It's meaningful with a good message and great friendship dynamics. The entire cast has great chemistry together, which makes the film very fun to watch. Also the songs are great!
Bad: Some people find ZNMD kind of slow. I didn't feel that way, but yes it does lean more on the artsy side than masala, that's for sure.
Singham
July 22
Ajay Devgan, Kajal Aggarwal, Prakash Raj
Good: The typical masala action film. A few nice songs thrown in to the mix.
Bad: It definitely drags out in the second half. Plus, this is nothing we haven't seen before over and over again. Maybe if you really like Ajay like I do give it a shot.
Bodyguard
August 31
Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor
Good: The songs and picturizations are wonderful. The last twenty minutes or so are entertaining, something a bit different.
Bad: Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor put in little to no effort for this movie. There's this grating side character who gets way more screentime than he could ever possibly deserve in the first half.
Mere Brother Ki Dulhan
September 9
Imran Khan, Katrina Kaif, Ali Zafar
Good: The movie is mostly fun and the song numbers littered throughout are entertaining.
Bad: Imran Khan and Katrina Kaif's characters are extremely selfish and unlikable. Plus a lot of the movie relies on referencing other films rather than coming up with new material itself.
Mausam
September 23
Shahid Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor
Good: Shahid and Sonam have a really cute chemistry and a few very sweet romantic scenes. The film is based entirely around their characters and they do a decent job holding it all together.
Bad: The movie does get long in parts, especially the end. The frustrating ways that they keep the two lovers apart does get to you after a while, but overall one of the better movies this year.
Ra.One
October 26
Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Shahana Goswami
Good: So I saw this film in theatres in 3D and half the joy was watching a Bollywood film in 3D, which was fantastic! I thought the special effects were great. Action sequences were as well. Shahrukh does a good job as a superhero and Arjun Rampal is an amazing baddie once again. The sci-fi backstory gives a creative origin that fans of the genre will enjoy. Overall it was a great concept that with a little bit of tweaking could have been outstanding.
Bad: Kareena does nothing in this movie. Shahrukh as a kooky South Indian isn't impressive. It does drag a bit in the first half and near the end.
Rockstar
November 11
Ranbir Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri
Good: I'd like to start off by saying that my family hated this movie. HATED it. My dad who likes EVERYTHING hated this movie. I think I liked it more than the rest but that's not even saying much... Anyway, it has a few nice moments post-interval and some of the songs are nice.
Bad: Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri's characters are also selfish and their actions are mostly inexplicable. There are some unbelievably ridiculous cliches in the second half. All Ranbir does is scream for most of the movie and Nargis is nothing to write home about. My problem was that they didn't truly explain how Ranbir rose to fame or how he and Nargis fell in love everything just sort of...happened. Overall it was boring; nobody is missing out having not seen this movie.
The Dirty Picture
December 2
Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, Tusshar Kapoor, Emraan Hashmi
Good: THIS was my favourite movie the year and it came out of NOWHERE. But I was thoroughly entertained every single moment. Vidya Balan sparkles on-screen in a way we have never seen her before. She literally carries the entire film on her shoulders and does an impeccable job of it. I don't even think I can properly describe why but I am in love with this movie and am so proud that it's raking in the dollars.
Bad: It does slow its momentum in the second half, but marginally so I'd say. It regains its footing in the last few minutes as well. Everything that happens in the first 3/4 of the movie is brilliant, that's for sure!
Don 2
December
Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Kunal Kapoor, Boman Irani, Lara Dutta
Good: If you're looking for a good action flick, Don 2 fits the bill perfectly. There were lots of great call-backs to the first film, which I really appreciated. Seeing SRK play a baddie is always a nice treat...for those of us who like baddies, haha. There's a very enjoyable guest appearance.
Bad: This is personal to me, but I don't like Don/Roma. I feel it weakens both of their characters as he was dismissive of her in the last film and only cares about himself, whereas she should hate him for killing her brother and using her once before. So I thought they laid it on a little too thick in that area, plus Priyanka and Shahrukh didn't have all that great chemistry as they have in other movies.
In conclusion, watch these films: No One Killed Jessica, 7 Khoon Maaf, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Mausam, The Dirty Picture. The rest are completely dependent on personal taste. For example, if you're a Shahrukh fan watch Ra.One and Don 2, if you're an Abhishek fan watch Dum Maaro Dum, etc.
Lemme know all of your thoughts on these movies if you happened to watch them.
Though my thoughts are not quite as negative as my 2010 roundup they are also not as positive as my 2009 roundup. I was somewhat disappointed but not intensely so. But being the optimist that I am I always start back up every single year ready and eager for the new films that are arriving!
Note: I have not seen Aarakshan (we own it), Force (not all that interested), Desi Boyz (another I'm not too keen on) or Ladies VS Ricky Bahl (will see it eventually), so they will not be discussed.
No One Killed Jessica
January 7
Rani Mukherjee, Vidya Balan
Good: Rani's performance blew me away, it was a great role for her; the story itself is compelling and bittersweet, unlike typical Bollywood films.
Bad: It gets a little dark, especially considering it's a true story, so it's not necessarily a feel-good film.
Dhobi Ghat
January 21
Aamir Khan, Prateik Babbar, Monica Babbar
Good: Great performances, a novel-esque view of various characters living in Mumbai. A nice, clean, quick film.
Bad: I really didn't like the ending, not going to lie. Plus it got a little TOO artsy for me at times, like it was trying too hard.
Patiala House
February 11
Akshay Kumar, Anushka Sharma, Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia
Good: It wasn't a bad film in that it had a plot and there weren't any stupid comedic moments, but it also wasn't a must-watch.
Bad: I found Akshay's character to be such a downer and that the whole first half of the movie was kind of dull because of it.
7 Khoon Maaf
February 18
Priyanka Chopra, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Naseeruddin Shah, John Abraham, Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma
Good: I really enjoyed this film, it was in fact one of my favourites this year. I thought Priyanka did an admirable job in a very difficult role and it was great seeing the various actors portraying her husbands.
Bad: The ending is a little odd, I will admit. My friends and I had a laugh in the theatres when we watched it. But everything before that part is great. I do advise not watching it with parents since it's a fairly adult film.
Tanu Weds Manu
February 25
Madhavan, Kangna Ranaut, Jimmy Shergill
Good: The songs are really good and the first half is rather fun.
Bad: The second half drags. Also, Manu has no life in him, he's the most lifeless character I've seen this entire year, and I love Madhavan!
Game
April 1
Abhishek Bachchan, Kangna Ranaut, Sarah Jane Dias, Jimmy Shergill, Boman Irani
Good: The first half was rather intriguing. I thought Sarah Jan Dias' track with Abhishek was nice.
Bad: As soon as Kangna Ranaut showed up it went downhill. It was like she sleep-walked through the entire movie. Even the final twist wasn't enough to redeem it.
Thank You
April 8
Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, Sunil Shetty, Irrfan Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Celina Jaitley, Rimi Sen
Good: There were some good songs that I ended up really liking and it was filmed in Toronto and Vancouver. The last fifteen minutes were somewhat enjoyable.
Bad: The problem I had with this movie was how fun it made infidelity look until the final few seconds of the film, which is just frustrating because all of those actors are married it just really really got on my nerves. I mean, what did their wives think when they watched Thank You? It made me feel like these celebrities were flaunting their cheating at the audience and then getting us to pay to watch it, ugh.
Dum Maaro Dum
April 22
Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, Prateik Babbar, Aditya Pancholi, Rana Daggubati
Good: This was actually a pretty decent movie that I wish more people had seen. Prateik was terrible in it for some reason but everyone else was good; there was romance and intrigue and a couple of good songs.
Bad: It's not the greatest movie ever but it's a nice little film that I think most people missed out on. 10 million times better than the next movie I'm about to review. :P
Ready
June 3
Salman Khan, Asin
Good: Character Dheela and Dhinka Chika. Seriously. That's it. But they are fantastic songs!
Bad: I hated this movie. It may be the film I hated most in the past five years it was that bad. Okay, probably on par with the terrible Bhool Bhulaiyaa but still...the second half made me want to shoot myself. I literally considered suicide for a split second there before logic kicked in, but really...BAD.
Bbuddah... Hoga Terra Baap
July 1
Amitabh Bachchan, Raveena Tandon, Hema Malini, Prakash Raj, Sonu Sood, Sonal Chauhan
Good: If you are a huge Amitabh Bachchan fan there are definitely things you will enjoy. It's basically Big B Does Masala. Was nice seeing Raveena Tandon and Hema Malini and Sonu Sood works well opposite Amitabh.
Bad: I did at times feel embarrassed for Amitabh - one of my all-time favourite actors - as it felt like he was clinging on furiously to his youth and in the process tarnishing his own legacy.
Delhi Belly
July 1
Imran Khan, Shenaz Treasurywala, Poorna Jagannathan, Rahul Pendkalkar, Vir Das, Vijay Raaz
Good: I liked it, was a somewhat funny little film. Nothing amazing but nothing not to like either. Was basically standard and fairly Westernized. Think The Hangover but a little less stupid.
Bad: The urban nature of the movie might throw some people off. There is sex, drugs, violence and tons of potty humour.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
July 15
Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Abhay Deol, Farhan Akhtar, Kalki Koechlin
Good: I loved this movie. My second favourite of the entire year, I think. It's meaningful with a good message and great friendship dynamics. The entire cast has great chemistry together, which makes the film very fun to watch. Also the songs are great!
Bad: Some people find ZNMD kind of slow. I didn't feel that way, but yes it does lean more on the artsy side than masala, that's for sure.
Singham
July 22
Ajay Devgan, Kajal Aggarwal, Prakash Raj
Good: The typical masala action film. A few nice songs thrown in to the mix.
Bad: It definitely drags out in the second half. Plus, this is nothing we haven't seen before over and over again. Maybe if you really like Ajay like I do give it a shot.
Bodyguard
August 31
Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor
Good: The songs and picturizations are wonderful. The last twenty minutes or so are entertaining, something a bit different.
Bad: Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor put in little to no effort for this movie. There's this grating side character who gets way more screentime than he could ever possibly deserve in the first half.
Mere Brother Ki Dulhan
September 9
Imran Khan, Katrina Kaif, Ali Zafar
Good: The movie is mostly fun and the song numbers littered throughout are entertaining.
Bad: Imran Khan and Katrina Kaif's characters are extremely selfish and unlikable. Plus a lot of the movie relies on referencing other films rather than coming up with new material itself.
Mausam
September 23
Shahid Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor
Good: Shahid and Sonam have a really cute chemistry and a few very sweet romantic scenes. The film is based entirely around their characters and they do a decent job holding it all together.
Bad: The movie does get long in parts, especially the end. The frustrating ways that they keep the two lovers apart does get to you after a while, but overall one of the better movies this year.
Ra.One
October 26
Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Shahana Goswami
Good: So I saw this film in theatres in 3D and half the joy was watching a Bollywood film in 3D, which was fantastic! I thought the special effects were great. Action sequences were as well. Shahrukh does a good job as a superhero and Arjun Rampal is an amazing baddie once again. The sci-fi backstory gives a creative origin that fans of the genre will enjoy. Overall it was a great concept that with a little bit of tweaking could have been outstanding.
Bad: Kareena does nothing in this movie. Shahrukh as a kooky South Indian isn't impressive. It does drag a bit in the first half and near the end.
Rockstar
November 11
Ranbir Kapoor, Nargis Fakhri
Good: I'd like to start off by saying that my family hated this movie. HATED it. My dad who likes EVERYTHING hated this movie. I think I liked it more than the rest but that's not even saying much... Anyway, it has a few nice moments post-interval and some of the songs are nice.
Bad: Ranbir Kapoor and Nargis Fakhri's characters are also selfish and their actions are mostly inexplicable. There are some unbelievably ridiculous cliches in the second half. All Ranbir does is scream for most of the movie and Nargis is nothing to write home about. My problem was that they didn't truly explain how Ranbir rose to fame or how he and Nargis fell in love everything just sort of...happened. Overall it was boring; nobody is missing out having not seen this movie.
The Dirty Picture
December 2
Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, Tusshar Kapoor, Emraan Hashmi
Good: THIS was my favourite movie the year and it came out of NOWHERE. But I was thoroughly entertained every single moment. Vidya Balan sparkles on-screen in a way we have never seen her before. She literally carries the entire film on her shoulders and does an impeccable job of it. I don't even think I can properly describe why but I am in love with this movie and am so proud that it's raking in the dollars.
Bad: It does slow its momentum in the second half, but marginally so I'd say. It regains its footing in the last few minutes as well. Everything that happens in the first 3/4 of the movie is brilliant, that's for sure!
Don 2
December
Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Kunal Kapoor, Boman Irani, Lara Dutta
Good: If you're looking for a good action flick, Don 2 fits the bill perfectly. There were lots of great call-backs to the first film, which I really appreciated. Seeing SRK play a baddie is always a nice treat...for those of us who like baddies, haha. There's a very enjoyable guest appearance.
Bad: This is personal to me, but I don't like Don/Roma. I feel it weakens both of their characters as he was dismissive of her in the last film and only cares about himself, whereas she should hate him for killing her brother and using her once before. So I thought they laid it on a little too thick in that area, plus Priyanka and Shahrukh didn't have all that great chemistry as they have in other movies.
In conclusion, watch these films: No One Killed Jessica, 7 Khoon Maaf, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Mausam, The Dirty Picture. The rest are completely dependent on personal taste. For example, if you're a Shahrukh fan watch Ra.One and Don 2, if you're an Abhishek fan watch Dum Maaro Dum, etc.
Lemme know all of your thoughts on these movies if you happened to watch them.