This post is in continuation of the my list of best movies of 2007 . The first part of the post listing my top 5 movies can be read here.
6. Bheja Fry: A tickling movie made on a shoestring budget of 50 lakhs. (50 lakhs is, by no means, shoestring to me though). I watched this movie in my most overworked, stressed period at work. It was the only free day I had, and I had laughed away my mounting hill of stress by simply watching this movie. 🙂 Full marks to Vinay Pathak for playing such an endearing, funny fool.
7. Gandhi, My Father: A story about Father of Nation’s personal life that most Indians must be unaware of. Story is from the point of view of Harilal, who has to live up to the expectations of a great man, Gandhi.
It has some moving moments when Harilal can not even grieve for his father’s death in face of grief of a common man, a shopkeeper. This movie may not be entertainer for an average audience, but it certainly did have some excellent performaces by Darshan Jariwala (Gandhiji), Shefaly Chhaya (Baa) and Bhumika Chawla (shined through even in a small role as Harilal’s wife).
8. Jab We Met: Everyone on blogosphere seems to hate it. Cliçhed and nothing new, they say. My verdict, guilty on all counts. Yet wasn’t it an energetic and out-an-out entertainer? (certainly better than star-studded Om Shanti Om) And before I forget, what a chemistry between the lead pair! Pity the lead couple Shahid and Kareena broke up! 😦
9. Water: Star of the movie surely is little girl Chuhiya…who is shunned to a widow’s shelter at a age when she does not even understand the meaning of the word “widow.” Movie depicts the treatment of widows by Hindu scriptures in an Indian era when it was ruled by British.
Chuhiya was played by a Sri Lankan girl called Sarala. It was not easy for her to speak her lines in Hindi as Hindi was not her mother tongue. Yet she was wonderful. And did you know that it was Anurag Kashyap who wrote dialogues for Water?
10. TBD: I did not get a chance to watch some other amazing movies that came out this year: Parzania, Manorama Six Feet Under, The Darjeeling Limited, A Mighty Heart, Loins of Punjab, Dharm, Bourne Ultimatum and some other good movies. Therefore, I have kept the 10th slot empty. 🙂 Maybe will update my list later when I watch these movies. 😉
Other notable mentions of the year are I am Legend, Namesake, Namastey London and Guru. I liked the unique concept in I am the Legend and Will Smith was wonderful. Only I thought movie could be shortened as it became repetitive at times and it was bit unrealistic to strike a chord. As for Namesake, because I had read the book earlier, for me movie was a predictable affair. Looking back, nice movie yet did not etch in my memory 😦 . Namastey London and Guru (This one is more notable to me for the fact that I could bear a usually decorative-and-incompetent actress Aishwarya, for second time, in a movie 😛 ) were ok but they simply lost in competition with above-listed movies. 😉
Some over-hyped movies that I watched but do not figure on my top-10 list are Om Shanti Om (Starry entertainer with no story, Deepika was great introduction though), Laaga Chunri Mein Daag (Pathetic sob story with little credibility), Golden Compass (A visually great movie that was more a preparation of sequel), Partner (Pathetic remake of Hitch) and Welcome (Another brainless humor, humor it had though).
Visceral Observations 
Poonam, Bheja Fry was one of my favorite movies of the year and the only reason I didn’t add it because it’s a copy! I haven’t seen Gandhi or Water, but I saw Jab we met and liked it.In fact I mostly agree with your analysis of the bad movies too, as I didn’t like OSO or Welcome. However I liked Laga Chunari mein daag. Ofcourse not enough to make it one of my favorite movies. Same with Guru.
your list is very much agreeable on most accounts except for the JBW vs OSO teeny weeny blunder you seem to have committed 🙂
If OSO didnt have a story then neither did JWM (in terms of having nothing new to offer)
OSO at least was an honest flm in that it claimed nostalgia of the bygone bollywood era and delivered it..
it was like a positive spoof on seventies and everything (the twist, the climax) was befitting a known predictability that just said “GUYS! we are having fun! so join in!” … that song where ALL the stars ‘starred’, was like a culmination of the spirit of bollywood… i agree that the movie would be more endearing to a bollywood fan…
…but if you took it out of this “a tribute to bollywood” context, then it sure looses the charm….
@Nita: Hey, I did not know Bheja Fry is copy. It is special in memory because of the stressful time I watched it in. yes, neither laaga or guru were too good.
@Crimson Feet: ha ha..I was expecting someone to come up with this. I am glad you have. 🙂
I will not go into comparison of movies because, if you notice, all of the movie experience have personal touch. So I will only explain personal experience:
It was difficult for me to spend time in OSO in theater, I was bored. I hated shelling out my hard-earned money over a song with 31 stars that I had already watched on TV. Farah Khan’s movie rides on SRK’s star status. Pure and Simple. I was disappointed. 😦
With Jab We Met, I knew what to expect. A girl-meets-boy story. I went to watch exactly that. Its spontaneity was plus, no showshaw. A simple story delivered with great chemistry.
I would say Jhonny Gaddar pays better tribute to Bollywood than OSO. Have you watched it?
Thank you Poonam. I will use the info you provide for exploring Indian cinema (of course I will NOT watch *I am the Legend* although I like Will Smith very much. Guru? I think I saw it … but since the one I saw – it is Indian – is older maybe it is not the same movie
Bheja Fry was a wicked movie indeed, I really loved it. In fact this one and Khosla Ka Ghosla are two movies in which I was really impressed by Vinay Pathak and Ranvir Shourey’s acting. These guys are excellent comedians and can portray serious characters with equal amount of enthusiasm.
Gandhi My father, again I couldn’t watch that movie entirely. I watched some parts of it and Akshaye Khanna was good in whatever I saw him doing. I was really disappointed with the way it was treated by the critics though. Rajeev Masand said it was a disaster.
JWM was really good, the best ever I’ve seen Kareena and Shahid being. Poeple say Kareena was good in Omkara but I haven’t watched that one yet. But she was excellent in this one. It was difficult to imagine her being bubbly and Shahid being serious. Also I liked the way they treated the Punjabi’s, thank God for once those guys weren’t acting like insane people. Punjabi’s are like the way they’ve shown them. It totally kills a Punjabi character when they make a clean shaven sardar with a turban who speaks a mix of hindi and punjabi. That’s bad. Also, the soundtrack of this movie was real catchy.
I haven’t watched Water. I did watch Manorama Six feet under though. It was way too confusing but turned out very good in the end. Abhay Deol doesn’t seem like a Deol in this movie and that’s a good thing. He acted rather well. I saw A Mighty Heart too and thought it was brilliant. Made me realize Jolie is actually a good actress. The rest of them I’ve not watched.
I really liked Guru actually. I loved Abhishek in the movie and that’s a big deal because I hate him otherwise. Aishwarya too was bearable. Mithun Chakraborty was genuinely good in this one.
I didn’t really like “I Am Legend” much because as you said, it was too repetitive at places. Will Smith however was impeccable as he always is. He’s one of my favorites after Jim Carrey.
Manorama was good and i think you should catch if you can. Johnny Gaddar was probably the best of last year along with Chak de and Black Friday. Jab we met was good too.
Guru was probably Mani Ratnam’s worst movie ever. As for Abhishek, he is the perfect example of baniya ka beta baniya. As long as his father is alive, he will continue making movies. The day his father is not around, his career will take a nose dive.
Bheja Fry was good too. Its a copy of a French movie. I have seen the original. Water was crap. I hated it. I think, Deepa’s Earth and Fire were far better movies.
The most misunderstood movie of the year for me was No Smoking. 20 years down the line, am sure the movie will be cult classic.
@Manofroma: You can watch “I am the legend” because Will Smith is good in it, story is different too. Only bit unrealistic. You must have watched older Guru that was in English.
@Ish: I had liked Khosla ka Ghosla too. Rajiv Masand is one of my dependable reviewers. I didnt know he had dismissed Gandhi, My Father.
Made me realize Jolie is actually a good actress. What did you think of her before then? 😛
yes, Mithun and Will Smith were good in Guru and I am the legend respectively. I have finally come across someone who dislikes Abhishek. 🙂
@Liju Philip: I will catch up with all the movies I said and also Khoya Khoya Chand. I didnt find NO Smoking and do not want to comment on it before watching. I have seen interesting extreme reviews on it, so I am curious.
I don’t know but for some reason blogosphere has been harsh on Jab We Met. And yes, Earth was much better than water because it had universal message.
But what makes you think that with Amitabh’s demise, Abhishek’s career will go for a toss?
Yaar, your list contains all the movies which I had in my list ( except of course OSO..which I dont expect you to like anyways )
It seems as if you are following me now..lol
@lallopallo: Well, if you are talking about Bheja Fry and Gandhi, My Father..then any indian movie lover would have them on their list. These movies are best of mainstream movies. 🙂
Did you have Water/Jab We Met on your list too? As far as I know, these are very criticised movies on blogosphere.
Why don’t you expect me to like OSO? Did you watch I am the Legend and Namesake?
P.S: Waise bhi yuo copied my list from my drafts. huh! 😛
I loved Taare Zameen Par, Guru, Jab We Met, Chak De India and Bheja Fry… 🙂
Rajeev Masand gave Gandhi, My Father a thumbs down and two stars. I guess that means he didn’t like it. According to him, the movie was more about Gandhi and less about Harilal and it should have been the exact opposite of that. He says it was almost just another pro-Mahatma kind of a movie.
Earlier I used to think of Angelina as somebody who has a good body and lips as if they were swollen from wasp bites. I still maintain that, most people like her because they think she’s sexy and not because she’s a good actress.
I don’t like Abhishek yep, actually I don’t like any of the Bachchans that much. And with the additition of Aishwarya behen to their family, the hate factor has only grown. Have you seen the way she goes everywhere wearing a sari and stuff. Who told her to de-glamorize to that extent?
@poonam i am still awaiting high quality pirated file of Johnny Gaddar to show up on the net. Its on my MUST watch list. Especially now that you have ticked it as a better tribute to bollywood than OSO!!
I am ready to have a debate on anyone with why piracy isn’t a crime! 🙂
(The Finicky Error Pointing Perfectionist Self Of Me Says: The will smith movie is “I Am Legend”.. without ‘The’! :)… and i think its average)
@ Liju I agree to you on ‘No Smoking’. I’d add that it also seemed to be intentionally “meant to be misunderstood” in places. Still, I’d easily call it the bravest movie of 2007. I enjoyed it and I think it deserves a place among top 10.
(I thought for a moment that you had an uncanny similarity with sonali bendre… but then… 🙂 shucks..!!)
@ nobody & everybody i like the reactions that we people have towards stars that we hardly know. We seem to know their nature, their career progressions and their internal hidden secret drives and motives. Nothing against anyone, but the premise – or the lack of it – makes me wonder what drives us. I hate Salman Khan and Sourav Ganguly in general! Is it vacuous or is there more to it?
@Rupa: Only Guru from your list does not figure on my top 10. 🙂 Taare Zameen Pe is kinda famous with Indian educators, did you come across any such observations on the Web?
@Ish: Then I disagree with this one on Rajiv Masand. I usually agree with him.
Do ya know now actually there is instrument that can bloat lips for few hours. It is a rage. I read about this few days ago. Only kissing is prohibited till you have bloated lips.
Come on, how can you say such things about Ash. She is such a nice working, sushil bahu. You youngsters! Didn’t you se on news how she celebrated her karwa chauth?
@Crimson Feet: i am still awaiting high quality pirated file of Johnny Gaddar to show up on the net. haha
I will soon give you an opportunity to list all your reason why piracy could be good. 🙂 I will write an post on anti-piracy. 😉
As for disliking a celebrity without premise, I detest Aishwarya not for personal reasons but for what she stands. TO the best of assessment, here is a very beautiful woman who is a good model and dancer. She is incompetent actress, but she is brand oiled by a great PR. Her success is epitome of how medicrity survives with pushback of money, fame and PR.
I too dislike Saurav Ganguly for other reasons that are certainly not personal. Why do you dislike him?
I don’t have any problems with Aishwarya being a nice bahu but she doesn’t seem real. She seems fake in whatever she does and it seems as if she’s just doing this to prove that she’s a good bahu. And her celebrating Karwa Chauth being the breaking news is way over rated I tell you. It’s weird because theirs is not a family that’d ask Aishwarya to do a thing like that. They are all actors so they can let her be like she is. Going around wearing a sari isn’t gonna work very well for her image is it? It’s okay if she’s gonna play Abhishek’s wife in every movie she does from now.
i think i just dislike him. And then I make up reasons like, he seems childish, immature, unnecessarily aggressive, selfish, and as graceless as “a chidiya ki taang” when it comes to his onside shots. But then, I just dislike him and all these could be rationalisations.
The way you instinctively dislike Aish, and probably rationalise later (and this is subconcious) For eg. Her acting prowess is an extremely subjective opinion and there are people who believe she has actually become a good actress. You cant be anymore right/wrong than them. But you choose to opine on the negative side. Why? because you just don’t like her!!? could be!… and possibly you don’t have anything more than heresay to substantiate your claims.
“But what makes you think that with Amitabh’s demise, Abhishek’s career will go for a toss?”
Amitabh is great at playing politics. He knows how to pick and choose his friends and enemies. The most recent example is Amar ‘Butler’ Singh.
I sometimes wonder how he couldnt translate it into real politics. All the roles that Abhishek gets is just bcos Papa pulls the strings behind or just bcos people are in awe of Papa.
No papa…no need to give Abhishek any more respect. So, no more movies. Anyway, he cant carry a movie on his shoulders solely. All his hits have been due to anyone but him. His movies dont even get a decent initial like say Hrithik who competes with Aamir and SRK when it comes to movie openings.
Btw, Crimson Feet, my avatar pic is Sonali Bendre herself. Am a die hard fan of hers. All the years of my life, i loved only one actress and its her.
I would have loved to have a face like her’s. Unfortunately, am a guy… lol.
@ish: I do not think wearing sari is wrong. That is ok. And in a country like ours actresses’s dresses will continue to generate attention in media. Other day I read a piece that said Aish was wearing modern dress for first time after wedding! As you said, everything that she does is fake. That, precisely, is my problem too.
@Crimson Feet: Nope, in fact most people agree with me in my analysis that Ash is incompetent actress. Of 34 movies in her career, only 4 have been hit. 😉 And none of the movie was carried solely by her.
@Liju: Sure, Big B is very shrewd. Take how he has handled each of his controversy,, how himself has become a brand, I guess he learnt this from his brief political stint. But I kinda disagree that Abhishek can not handle a movie on his own: what about Guru? And he was good in Yuva?
That aside, I think he may have survived in this career because of his father after 11 flops in beginning!
@liju
i did realise that the pic is of ms bendre herself and that you are a guy. hence those expressions of disappointment – “…but then.. shucks!” :)…
…nice taste i must say!
@poonam
whether (people thank that) she is a good actress or not isn’t the point… the point is, how does that make her dislikeable?… all the actors that you like aren’t great actors…for eg. aamir khan is ONLY HIMSELF in all his roles… he hardly becomes anyone else ever… CARBON COPY looks rt from JJWS to TZP…. even in RDB he was so much himself… you see him speaking to media(or someone else) in real life and he sounds and acts exactly the same… the point is, there are many people, who aren’t exceedingly competent at what they do, but they dont attract universal hatred…
let me put it differently … are all the people, that you like, among friends and others, BEST at what they do? … is your liking always guided by competence?… if not, then why this dislike towards aishwarya for being a bad actress, if at all. If you liked her, you’d give her the room to make mistakes and improve rt?
Conclusion: We don’t dislike someone because they have dislikeable traits, but we see only the dislikeable traits when we dislike someone. This is called being prejudiced and judgmental and we ALL commit this mistake.
And when we like someone, all the dislikeable traits become invisible or forgivable. The world feels so much better that way! 🙂
@Crimson Feet: Your conclusion may not be wrong but it is not right in all the cases, either.
This Ash thingy can be very well explained by revealing a personal thought that I don’t usually reveal: I inwardly look down upon any person who is inefficient at what they do. Like at work, whenever I see that person, for me inwardly their identity is only their inefficiency. Of course, I am civil but I never make friends with them. If some of them are ever my friends that must be only because we did not meet through work situations. As in I did not have opportunity to witness their inefficiency or I feel that it does not concern me. But if you are working in my team and are inefficient, I certainly look down upon you in my heart. I may be professionally friendly only to get work done but you are never my personal friend. I hate inefficiency.
🙂
Bheja fry was the best movie of the year 🙂
Check my post on it!
i know, somehow many of them didnt like JWM….. i loved the movie…… water is another good movie….
see ya:)
Bheja FRY totally rocked!
Out and out “time-pass” movie.. enjoyed every minute of it! – Start to Finish! 😀
@kpowerinfinity: I read your review of Bheja Fry, the only thing I disagree with is that Milind Soman is a disappointment and that he has a wooden face. Well granted, his was not best performance of century, but he was not bad. And he has such a handsome face with deep, nice eyes 😛
@Shuz: Yup, Jab We Met was not liked on blogosphere. I liked it too, even though it was a predictable fare as others say.
@Amyth: I was wondering when you would come to Part 2. And I can’t help but notice you and kk have similar views. 😉
Poonam,
Happened to read ur favourite movie list. Seems like we have a similar taste for movies.hehehe. I found ur blog when u had left a comment in mine disliking Jodha Akbar.
Check out my top ten movies of 2007 and let me know-http://vimalsparadise.blogspot.com/2008/01/top-ten-movies-bolly-kolly.html
Except for no smoking, you will find the same movies in my list too.
But I dont know how Water found a position in yours. I saw the movie way back in 2006 and simply loved it. Guess, it hit the Indian market only last year.
Yes, I did check out your top 10 movies. They are quite similar. I did not see No Smoking yet. And yes, water was available to us in 2007. In fact, it was nominee for best foreign film from Canada in 2007.
But I think I should express my angst about Jodha Akbar by writing my own post. It was unbearable for me in the theater.
This Aishwarya thing. I am sorry to disagree with Poonam and Ish. Why always targeting her? Her acting capabilities are not so horrible after all (I’ve seen worse), and as far as beauty (which does count in movies, how can we deny it) she is special, at least seen from Europe. Never seen such a face before (not to mention the body, but face most of all). It can be, who knows, 30% fake, ok, but it is nonetheless absolutely beyond the ordinary, like a magic fairy. Also a little because of her (not only, of course, be assured of that) Indian movies are better known in places where they weren’t before. She has outstanding (plastic?) glamour. Ok, this maybe Ish and Poonam dislike. So maybe “they see only the dislikeable traits” because they dislike this (as Crimson Feet said so well). But in movies the common populace also needs this glamour, they need the dream, movies are illusion, and glamour we know is mainly constructed by the movie industry (like Marylin Monroe’s glamour). She is only a PR creature? Ok, maybe, but she also produces a lot of PR for your country. So why shooting at her so much?
One last thing. In case I wanted to see these top list movies, are any of them in English? Do they have subtitles in Enlgish? 😦
@manofroma: I strongly dissent. 🙂 I or Ish have never denied her beauty. She is a beautiful woman but a pathetic actress. And that is what I have always complained about. And I am not only one, she has had only 3 hits out of 33 movies she has done. Still she keeps getting legendary work. Any other actress in her place, with the opportunities she has had, would have established herself as a legend in acting.
I would prefer some gusto in women than picture perfect touch-me-not beauty. And she has certainly done some PR for India. Not for acting. Anyway, she certainly is not the India’s best foot forward. Only India’s most known foot forward. There is a difference.
I guess most of the movies above (except water and Ratatouille in Part 1 post) are in Hindi. But I am sure you can find them with English subtitles.
Will Smith has come a long way…I am Legend (there is no the) is nice but I,ROBOT is better!! Bheja Fry is best…his wrapping and unwrapping scenes are hilarious.
@Reema: Thanks for correcting that 🙂 I haven’t watched I, Robot. And for the life of me, I can not remember the wrapping and unwrapping scenes? Who unwrapped whom? Don’t worry, it could be, I have a selective amnesia problem. 😦
Ohh he used to keep his diary or song book (me too suffering from amnesia!) wrapped in paper with ribbon and in polythene bag.
Poonam: yes, now I remember. During his idiot meeting with Rajat Kapoor, he shows story of his lide made up with song. Yes, I remember that now. Thanks for reminding me. If I know something and can’t rememebr, I can’t rest in peace. 🙂
hey guys,
i partly agree to the list that you have put up. Chak de was indeed good, but it had nothing new in it. bheja fry was a great watch, and suprisingly it indeed was better than the original french versioin. full marks to vinay pathak, his verstality can be seen when we compare both the french actor and him. Khosla ka ghosla was again a copy of a french movie that i loved. in hindi they changed the premesis but i feel hindi version fell a bit when compar ed to the french one.