My Top 10 films of 2009…

Omissions: KURBAAN, waiting on a decent print…

1) 3 IDIOTS : Hirani does it again! Aamir does it again (cliché)! The “blockbuster” of the year has arrived in true “desi” style, laughing and crying away in Manmohan Desai “ishtyle” this is no doubt the “feel-good” film of the year which drives it’s message home loud and clear with a big fat smile!

2) ROCKET SINGH: SALESMAN OF THE YEAR : The most badly marketed film of the year, ROCKET SINGH is an absolute gem of a film, and one that has become an instant favourite of sorts. The film is a quiet one which speaks volumes with it’s silence. The portrayal of a Harpeet has been handled with utmost sincerity without turning him in to a mere caricature. If the Happy Singh in SINGHH IS KINGG was a zinda-dil, loud, crude, sing-songing, buffoon, then Shimit Amin and Jaideep Sahni’s Harpeet Singh is the guy in the cinema watching that buffoon sheepishly clapping away at the caricature! The sensitivity that’s gone in to the characters here is incredible and requires emotional investment from the viewer. I would put this in same category as SWADES, not sure if I like the film as much yet, but it’s a tue-blue classic!

3) PAA : A musical fantasy of a man-boy? Amitabh Bachchan as a 13 year-old lovable giant? Abhishek and Vidya playing their parents? This could’ve been the biggest “gimmick” of the year had it not been Balki’s sensitive direction at hand who elevates this in to a whimsical musical which makes us laugh and cry. More remarkable is the fact that he completely “deglamourises” the phenomenon that is Amitabh Bachchan that he’s totally unrecognizable!! Quiet a feat! A final nod of appreciation to Illaiyraja’s superlative music! Also a success for ABCL finally!

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