A Restless Mind

I bring you what I think are the best Bollywood movies of 2008 as a preview to the Filmfare Awards 2009. We have something for everyone hopefully! Here we go!

Jodhaa Akbar
This magnificent show-piece boasts an all-star cast and it's one of those movies which leave an indelible mark on you. We all know what Ashutosh Gowariker is capable of: he is, for me, the Spielberg of Indian Cinema. He knows how to harness the star image of his actors and their talents and build a powerful story around them. Jodhaa Akbar is the historical romance between the Moghul Emperor Akbar The Great, played by the impressive Hrithik Roshan and feisty Rajput Princess Jodhaa, portrayed by a radiant Aishwarya Rai. The scale itself is hollywoodian, what with the battles and fights and the majestic sets! Rahman composed a truly spell-binding soundtrack but he might pip himself to the Best Music award through one of his other masterpieces in 2008. Overall, a huge favourite for the major Filmfare Awards!


Ghajini
This movie will be remembered for the fiery eyes of a psychotic Aamir Khan. Although a few concepts are stolen from Memento, a Hollywood movie about a man who has short-term memory loss in search of the killer of his wife, this movie has everything, ranging from romance to action, via comedy. Asin, the South Indian actress who also acted in the tamil version of this movie delivers a very good performance in her Bollywood debut as the murdered lover while Jiya Khan does not even warrant a full item song and rightly so. But everyone else is overshadowed by the mind-blowing acting of the genuine King Khan who will be vying with Hrithik for the Best Actor gong. It is a huge contender for Best Music too with arguably Rahman’s most popular soundtrack of the year. I am actually torn between its soundtrack and that of JA for the best music of 2008, but I kind of feel like it just edges ahead of the classical tunes of JA. The only disappointment is that another director could have done even better, but it still is one of the movies of the year for the sheer emotions it engenders!


Aamir
A real underdog! It might not sweep the awards but despite the odds stacked against it, this movie proved to be very successful when it released. Directed by newcomer Raj Kumar Gupta, the movie introduced Rajeev Khandelwal, the popular Indian soap actor and what a debut it was! I do not remember the last time an actor had such an astounding solo performance on their debut. Dealing with the issue of terrorism, the story is well woven around the main character Aamir who goes through all kinds of negative emotions and dilemmas during the movie as a victim of blackmail. His plight and loneliness seem so genuine, which helps because in a film with no songs or indeed any happy moment, the performance of the actors and the story really have to carry the viewer through the movie. And boy does Rajeev stamp his authority on the proceedings! The last soap actor to try to burst onto the Bollywood scene was Amar Upadhyay a.k.a Mihir from ‘Kyunki Saas...etc’ and he was such a massive failure! But I think we have a very talented actor in Rajeev Khandelwal who is on his way to the top if his talents are well exploited. A great movie with a great climax! One of the highlights of the year!


Mumbai Meri Jaan
Another movie dealing with terrorism. A few well-known actors grace this movie, with Paresh Rawal, KK Menon, Madhavan and the impressive Irrfan Khan – one of the most underrated actors in Bollywood - delivering moving performances. Even Soha Ali Khan deviates from her usually mediocre acting. The story is based on the train bombing of July 2006 and tries to capture the post-attack change in the mindframe of Mumbai citizens, in a city where the slightest racial tension can escalate into anarchy. The way the movie portrays its characters affected in their own distinct way by the tragedy bears testimony to a very well-written script and a clever director. Kudos to the actors for really embracing their respective characters! A real trend-setter with probably the best acting ensemble of last year! It could ruin the party for the blockbusters at the awards!

Rock On
A group of close friends who share a love for music form a band and dream of becoming rock stars. But, somehow they get separated and never quite fulfil their aspirations. This movie narrates their redemption in a Dil-Chahta-Hai-esque fashion. A strong acting debut by talented director Farhan Akhtar-directed here by another debutant in the form of Abbas Tyrewala, lyricist-turned-director and who should be competing with Rajeev Khandelwal for the Best Debutant award – along with an equally strong supporting cast (especially Shahana Goswami who shows enormous promise as the tough wife trying to steer a rudderless household) and an amazing array of rock songs for the purists by genius trio Shankar Ehsaan Loy make this movie one of the movies of the year. Also, who thinks Farhan could be a shoe-in for the Best Male Singer award for his very professional rendition of most songs on the soundtrack? It's not impossible...


Fashion
I am not really a big fan of Priyanka Chopra’s acting, but she makes me eat my words with this Madhur Bhandarkar movie. This film charts the rise, fall and phoenix-like rebirth of a top model in the ‘glossy’ world of Fashion. Priyanka comes of age in this epic movie – she will be a hot favourite for a Best Actress award - while Kangana Ranaut reinforces her reputation as one of the most talented young actresses in Bollywood. As for Madhur Bhandarkar, after Page 3 and Traffic Signal, he comes up with yet another masterpiece and his reputation as one of the greatest directors in the industry for his in-your-face-blunt movies remains undiminished. An awesome watch!

Overall, Jodhaa Akbar stands out as the outstanding movie of 2008. No huge surprise really, but we had quite a few gems last year with a lot of raw young talent on display. Let’s hope we have some equally good or even better offerings this year! Also, let's hope Karan Johar sticks to his tv show...