Recap 2018 : Best Hindi Films, Dissappointing and Worst!

In comparison to last 10 years, this was probably my least no of seen movies in theatre (if counting only Hindi) which ended at 45 movies. But, I also saw 10 movies on Netflix/Prime, and also RajmaChawal (was good in parts) along with 3 series, Ghoul, Lust Stories and Sacred Games, all of which didn't fully work out for me.

Turned out to be a pretty good year, unlike whats been the case for past 2 years, still you can say we have got lots of improvement to do, specially the big stars who had a very off year.

Well, time to give out my list for 2018, and sorry once again that it will not be detailed, again busy with personal life. Not promising but hoping 2020 changes and brings back the old me that was always blogging, Cheers!


Here's my list of Top10 Hindi Movies of 2018 : 

1. Raazi
2. October
3. Mulk
4. Andhadhun
5. Laila Majnu
6. Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz
7. Padman
8. Pataakha
9. Karwaan
10. Mukkabaaz

Also, liked Badhaai Ho, Stree and Pari that miss out.


My list of Top5 Worst Hindi Movies of 2018 :

1. Race3
2. Paltan
3. Thugs of Hindostan
4. Sanju
5. Zero

One of those years where all the big guns misfired, and very badly! Satyamev Jayate and Baaghi2 were very close to being in that list too.


My list of Top5 Disappointing Hindi Movies of 2018 : 

1. Omerta
2. Gold
3. Sonu ke Titu ki Sweety
4. Blackmail
5. Aiyaary

While, Kedarnath, Love Sonia and 2 Point 0 were some of the other movies that didn't live upto my expectations.

Monthly Songs Challenge - Part1

Day 1 : A song you like with a color in the title 
• Kaala rey (Gangs of Wasseypur 2)

Day 2 : A song you like with a number in the title 
• Do pal (Veer Zaara)

Day 3 : A song that reminds you of sunshine
• Tum hi ho bandhu (Cocktail)
• Another day of sun (La La Land)

Day 4 : A song that reminds you of someone you would rather forget 
• All izz well (3 Idiots)

Day 5 : A song that needs to be played loud 
• Dum maaro dum (Hare Krishna Hare Ram)
• Love the way you lie (Eminem) and We will rock you (Queen)

Day 6 : A song that makes you want to dance
• Khalbali (Rang de Basanti) and Chaiyya Chaiyya (Dil Se)
• I ran (A Flock of Seagulls)

Day 7 : A song to drive to 
• Der na ho jaaye (Henna)

Day 8 : A song about drugs or alcohol
• O pardesi (Dev.D), Hungama ho gaya (Queen) and Chitta ve (Udta Punjab)

Day 9 : A song that makes you happy
• Masakalli (Delhi6) and Tu hai wahi (Yeh Vaada Raha)

Day 10 : A song that makes you sad
• Kya main zinda hoon (Zinda), Haan judai se darta hai dil (Kareeb), Awarapan banjaarapan - kay kay (Jism), Jaa sanam (Na Tum Jaano Na Hum), Dil kehta hai (Akele Hum Akele Tum) and Tadap tadap (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam)
• Hanging tree (Hunger Games : The Mockingjay Part2), Someday we will know (A Walk To Remember)

Day 11 : A song you never get tired of 
• Ek pal ka jeena (Kaho na Pyaar hai) and Tumse hi (Jab We Met)
• City of Stars (La La Land)

Day 12 : A song from your preteen years
• Tu cheez badi hai mast mast (Mohra), Buddha mil gaya (Sangam), Ek ladki bheegi bhaagi si (Chalti ka Naam Gaadi), Aadhi raat (Parampara) and Tu pyar hai kisi aur ka (Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahin)

Day 13 : A song you like from the 70's
• Tere bina zindagi se koi shikwa (Aandhi), Dum maaro dum (Hare Krishna Hare Rama), Ruk jaana nahin (Imtihan), Chalte Chalte (Chalte Chalte), Haaye re haaye tera ghunghta (Dhongee), Yeh duniya yeh mehfil (Heer Raanjha) and Kya khoob lagti ho (Dharmatma)

Day 14 : A song you would love to be played at your wedding
• Emosanal atyachaar (Dev.D) and Bharo maang meri bharo (Sabse Bada Khiladi)

Day 15 : A song you like that's a cover by another artist
• Tu tu hai wahi (Jonita Gandhi), Pehla Nasha (Alaa Wardi) and Dua Saware Mixtape (Salim-Neeti)

Day 16 : A song that's a classic favorite 
• Ek ladki bheegi bhaagi si (Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi), Roop tera mastaana (Aradhana), Dum maaro dum (Hare Krishna Hare Rama), Tujhse naraaz nahi zindagi (Masoom), Urvashi urvashi (Humse Hai Muqabla), Dhoom machale (Dhoom) and Saadda Haq (Rockstar)

Day 17 : A song you would sing a duet with someone on karaoke 
• Mere haath mein (Fanaa)

Day 18 : A song from the year you were born 
• Chithi aayi hai (Naam)

Day 19: A song that makes you think about life 
• Aankh micholi (Dev.D) and Sapno se bhare naina (Luck by Chance)

Day 20 : A song that has many meanings to you 
• Rehna tu (Delhi6), Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo (Mera Naam Joker)
• Visions of Gideon (Call Me By Your Name)

Day 21 : A song you like with a person's name in the title 
• Saali khushi (Dev.D), Ae shivani (Khoobsurat), O meri chandni (Chandni)

Day 22 : A song that moves you forward 
• Chak lein de (Chandni Chowk To China), Ruk jaana nahi (Imtihaan), Dangal dangal (Dangal)
• Not Afraid (Eminem)

Day 23 : A song you think everybody should listen to 
• Aawarapan banjaarapan (MM Kreem), Ghum huye (David), Humnava (Hamari Adhuri Kahaani), Barbaadi (Aurangzeb),  Kaala rey (Gangs of Wasseypur 2), Ka kha gha (Bombay Velvet)

Day 24 : A song by a band you wish were still together 
• Dooba Dooba (Silk Route), Sayonee (Junoon) and Yaar bina dil nahi lagda (Junoon)
• Words (Boyzone), Immigrant (Led Zeppelin)

Day 25 : A song you like by an artist no longer living 
• Rote huye aate hai sab, muqaddar ka sikandar (Kishore Kumar), Awara hoon, awaara (Mukesh), Yeh duniya yeh mehfil, heer raanjha (Mohammad Rafi), Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam, kaagaz ke phool (Geeta Dutt), Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo,  mera naam joker (Manna Dey), Mere rashke qamar (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan)
• Billie jean (Micheal Jackson), Can't help falling in love (Elvis Presley), Always on my mind (Elvis Presley), Hurt (Johnny Cash), Numb (Chester Bennington)

Day 26 : A song that makes you want to fall in love 
• Tumhe apna banane ki kasam (Sadak), Tum mile (Criminal), Dil mein sanam ki soorat (Phir teri kahaani yaad aayi),  Na tum jaano na hum (Kaho na Pyaar Hai), Tu hai wahi (Yeh Vaada Raha),  Tere liye (Fitoor)
• Mystery of love (Call me by your Name)

Day 27 : A song that breaks your heart 
• Kahin toh hogi (Jaane Tu Jaane Naa),  Awaarapan banjaarapan - mm kreem (Jism), Tu jo nahin hai (Woh Lamhe), Baad muddat ke (Kaash), Beetein lamhe - lounge (The Train) and Koi fariyaa (Tum Bin)
• Hurt (Johnny Cash), Visions of Gideon (Call me by your Name), Epilogue (La La Land)

Day 28 : A song by an artist whose voice you love 
• O mere dil ke chain, Kishore Kumar (Mere Jeevan Saathi), Ae ajnabi, Udit Narayan (Dil Se), Tu hi meri shab hai, Kay Kay (Gangster), Tumse hi, Mohit Chauhan (Jab We Met), Manmarziyaan, Shilpa Rao (Lootera), Tum hi ho, Arijit (Aashiqui2) and Muskaane, Suman Sridhar (Talaash)

Day 29 : A song you remember from your teenage (late childhood)
• Tum paas aaye (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai), Baahon ke darmiyaan (Khamoshi), Aa bhi jaa (Sur), Mehbooba (Ajnabee), Pardesi pardesi (Raja Hindustani), Its the time to disco (Kal Ho Na Ho), Rote huye aate hai sab (Muqaddar ka Sikandar), Roop tera mastana (Aradhana), Goli maaro bheje mein (Satya)
• We will rock you (Queen), Its my life (Dr Alban), Brazil la la la (Vengaboys)

Day 30 : A song that reminds you of yourself
• Tere liye (Fitoor), Ghum huye (David), Dum maaro dum (Hare Krishna Hare Rama), Baat muddat (Kaash), Emosanal atyachar (rock version, DevD), Jaa sanam (Na Tum Jaano Na Hum), Awaarapan banjaarapan (mm kreem, Jism), O meri jaan (Tum Mile), Aetbaar (No One Killed Jessica), Saadda Haq (Rockstar), Jo bhi main (Rockstar), Aur ho (Rockstar), Tu jo nahi hai (Woh Lamhe), Tu meri zindagi hai (Aashiqui) and Ae dil hai mushkil (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil)
• Someday we will know (A Walk To Remember), City of Stars (La La Land), Epilogue (La La Land) and Visions of Gideon (Call Me By Your Name)

Recap 2017 : Top100 Songs

Here's my list of top 100 hindi songs, with priority given in order of the repetitive hearings.

(Sorry, no detailed posts for most of the lists this time, was busy.. will try to do perfectly 2019 onwards.. Thanks)

Before that, the albums that made to my Top10 are :

Top 10 Hindi Albums : 

1. Jab Harry Met Sejal
2. Half Girfriend
3. Jagga Jasoos
4. Meri Pyaari Bindu
5. Qarib Qarib Single
6. Hindi Medium
7. Mukkabaaz
8. Tiger Zinda Hai
9. Simran
10. Golmaal Again

Mom, A Secret Superstar, Tumhari Sulu and A Gentleman just about misses out. 

Top 100 Hindi Songs : 

1. Jee ve sohneya - jab harry met sejal
2. Phir bhi tumko chaahunga - half girlfriend
3. Lost without you - half girlfriend
4. Paintra (extended) - mukkabaaz
5. Main kaun hoon - secret superstar
6. Parinda (search) - jab harry met sejal
7. Haareya - meri pyaari bindu
8. Jaane de - qarib qarib single
9. Galti se mistake - jagga jasoos
10. Phurr (film) - jab harry met sejal
11. Chandralekha - a gentleman
12. Raakh baaki - mom
13. Rozana - naam shabana
14. Nazm nazm (arko) - bareilly ki barfi
15. Safar - jab harry met sejal
16. Mushkil hai apna meil priye - mukkabaaz
17. Mere rashke qamar - baadshaho
18. Khaana khaake - jagga jasoos
19. Ban jaa rani - tumhari sulu
20. Single rehne de - simran
21. Le li jaan - lipstick under my burkha
22. Kaavaan kaavaan - lucknow central
23. Phir bhi tumko chaahunga (reprise) - half girlfriend
24. Tera noor - tiger zinda hai
25. Tanha begum - qarib qarib single



26. Nachdi phira - secret superstar
27. O sona tere liye - mom
28. Oh ho ho ho - hindi medium
29. Parinda - jab harry met sejal
30. Ullu ka pattha - jagga jasoos
31. Ghar - jab harry met sejal
32. Baat ban jaaye - a gentleman
33. Adhura main - mukkabaaz
34. Hawayein (film) - jab harry met sejal
35. Dil diyan gallan - tiger zinda hai
36. Hai zaroori - noor
37. Laila - raees
38. Tu hi hai - half girlfriend
39. Tere mere - chef
40. Meet (arijit) - simran
41. Maana ke hum yaar nahin - meri pyaari bindu
42. Bahut hua samman - mukkabaaz
43. Aaj se teri - padman
44. Chal kahin door - mom
45. Iss tarah - meri pyaari bindu
46. Aaj zidd - aksar 2
47. Abhagi piya ki (kanika) - tera intezaar
48. Paintra - mukkabaaz
49. Ik vaari aa (arijit) - raabta
50. Musafir - jagga jasoos


51. Raat baaki - ittefaq
52. Tukka - jagga jasoos
53. Stay a little longer - half girlfriend
54. Yeh jawaani teri - meri pyaari bindu
55. Ek jindari - hindi medium
56. Meri pyaari ammi - secret superstar
57. Ok jaanu - ok jaanu
58. Beparwah - munna michael
59. Farrata - tumhari sulu
60. Golmaal title - golmaal again
61. Phir bhi tumko chaahungi - half girlfriend
62. Kaala doreya - kaalakaandi
63. Bohot dukha mann - mukkabaaz
64. Beech beech mein - jab harry met sejal
65. Hawa hawai 2.0 - tumhari sulu
66. Khatam kahani - qarib qarib single
67. Hoor - hindi medium
68. Kanha - shubh mangal saavdhan
69. Bahut hua samman (edm) - mukkabaaz
70. Will you marry me - bhoomi
71. Maine tujhko dekha - golmaal again
72. Ji ne meriye - shaadi abhi baaki hai
73. O mere sanam - the house next door
74. Mere dil mein (dialogue version) - half girlfriend
75. Hawaon mein woh aag hai - raag desh


76. Ek haseena thi ek deewana tha - ek haseena thi ek deewana tha
77. Pinjra todh ke - simran
78. Zinda hai - tiger zinda hai
79. Sapne re - secret superstar
80. Radha - jab harry met sejal
81. Hum nahi sudhrenge - golmaal again
82. Rafu - tumhari sulu
83. Dil diyan gallan (unplugged) - tiger zinda hai
84. Main hoon - munna michael
85. Tera intezaar - tera intezaar
86. Khol de baahein - meri pyaari bindu
87. Mehbooba - fukrey returns
88. Swag se swagat - tiger zinda hai
89. Rap knockout mumbai vs delhi - bank chor
90. Pyar ho - munna michael
91. Meer e kaarwan - lucknow central
92. Chal tu apna kaam kar (raghubir) - newton
93. Tere bina (duet) - haseena parkar
94. Kudiya sheher diyan - poster boys
95. Simran - simran
96. Billo hai - parchi
97. Shugal laga le - chef
98. Yaadon mein - jab harry met sejal
99. Humsafar - badrinath ki dulhania
100. Kidre jaawan - haraamkhor


In the instrumentals, I am trapped (Trapped) and Love theme (Half Girlfriend) were my favourites.

Recap 2017 : Performances

Here's a look at all the performances of last year in various categories, who took the top honors and who missed out.

Presenting the winners along with the list of nominees in each category. Just a reminder, its entirely my personal opinion based list.



Best Actor Male : Rajkumar Rao (Trapped)

• Vikrant Massey (A Death in the Gunj)
• Irrfan Khan (Hindi Medium)
• Ranbir Kapoor (Jagga Jasoos)
• Ayushmann Khurrana (Meri Pyaari Bindu)


Best Actor Female : Swara Bhaskar (Anaarkali of Aarah)

• Sridevi (Mom)
• Vidya Balan (Tumhari Sulu)
• Kangana Ranaut (Simran)
• Zaira Wasim (Secret Superstar)


Best Director : Konkana Sen Sharma (A Death in the Gunj)

• Avinash Das (Anaarkali of Aarah)
• Saket Chaudhary (Hindi Medium)
• R S Prasanna (Shubh Mangal Saavdhan)
• Advait Chandan (Secret Superstar)


Best Film : Hindi Medium

• Jagga Jasoos
• Trapped
• A Death in the Gunj
• Shubh Mangal Saavdhan


Best Supporting Actor Male : Rajkumar Rao (Bareilly Ki Barfi)

• Pankaj Tripathi (Newton)
• Akshay Khanna (Ittefaq)
• Deepak Dobriyal (Hindi Medium)
• Annu Kapoor (Jolly LLB2)


Best Supporting Actor Female : Meher Vij (Secret Superstar)

• Seema Pahwa (Bareilly ki Barfi)
• S Mariya (Poorna)
• Aahana Kumra (Lipstick Under My Burkha)
• Tillotama Shome (A Death in the Gunj)


Best Actor in a Comic Role : Varun Sharma (Fukrey Returns)

• Saurabh Shukla (Jolly LLB2)
• Seema Pahwa (Shubh Mangal Saavdhaan)
• Aamir Khan (Secret Superstar)
• Varun Dhawan (Judwaa 2)


Best Actor in a Negative Role : Raj Arjun (Secret Superstar)

• Sajjad Delafrooz (Tiger Zinda Hai)
• Sanjay Mishra (Anaarkali of Aarah)
• Siddharth Malhotra (Ittefaq)
• Ronit Roy (Lucknow Central)


Best Music : Pritam Chakraborty (Jab Harry Met Sejal)

• Mithoon, Rishi Rich, Farhan Saeed, Ami Mishra, Rahul Mishra, Raju Singh, Tanishk Bagchi (Half Girlfriend)
• Pritam Chakraborty (Jagga Jasoos)
• Sachin-Jigar (Meri Pyaari Bindu)
• Vishal Mishra, Rochak Kohli, Ali Merchant (Qarib Qarib Single)


Best Lyricist : Dr Sunil Jog, mushkil hai apna meil priye (Mukkabaaz)

• Raj Shekhar, jaane de (Qarib Qarib Single)
• Kausar Munir, main kaun hoon (Secret Superstar)
• Kausar Munir, maana ke hum yaar nahin (Meri Pyaari Bindu)
• Irshad Kamil, ghar (Jab Harry Met Sejal)


Best Playback Singer Male : Arko Mukherjee, nazm nazm (Bareilly ki Barfi)

• Deepak Thakur, adhura main (Mukkabaaz)
• Arijit Singh, phir bhi tumko chaahunga (Half Girlfriend)
• Siddharth Basrur, baat ban jaaye (A Gentleman)
• Guru Randhawa, ban jaa rani (Tumhari Sulu)


Best Playback Singer Female : Nooran sisters, jee ve sohaneya (Jab Harry Met Sejal)

• Meghna Mishra, main kaun hoon (Secret Superstar)
• Shashaa Tirupati, kanha (Shubh Mangal Saavdhan)
• Neha Bhasin, kaala doreya (Kaalakaandi)
• Shalmali Kholgade, single rehne de (Simran)


Best Debut Male : Matin Rey Tangu (Tubelight)

• Paresh Pahuja (Tiger Zinda Hai)
• Arsh Bajwa (Running Shaadi)


Best Debut Female : S Mariya (Poorna)

• Parvathy (Qarib Qarib Single)
• Sajal Ali (Mom)
• Nidhhi Agerwal (Munna Michael)
• Saba Qamar (Hindi Medium)


Best Debut Director : Konkana Sen Sharma (A Death in the Gunj)

• Avinash Das (Anaarkali of Aarah)
• R S Prasanna (Shubh Mangal Saavdhan)
• Advait Chandan (Secret Superstar)
• Suresh Triveni (Tumhari Sulu)


Best Story : Amit Joshi, Hardik Mehta (Trapped)

• R S Prasanna (Shubh Mangal Saavdhan)
• Konkana Sen Sharma (A Death in the Gunj)
• Amit Masurkar (Newton)
• Shubhashish Bhutiani (Mukti Bhawan)


Best Scene : Shaurya using toothpaste and later his blood to make a sign board that he throws to a terrace of nearby house for help (Trapped)

• Anaarkali's conversation with Dharmender when she goes to meet him at his house, ending with the 'dog' dialogue (Anaarkali of Aarah)
• Jagga tricks officer Sinha into a comical conversational song while trying to think of escaping (Jagga Jasoos)
• 'Mai ka laal' scene of Raees in full anger as he approaches the minister (Raees)
• Watching Sugandha unhappy with his behavior, Mudit decides to re-do the entry of baraat bus (Shubh Mangal Saavdhan)


Best Jodi : Meher - Zaira (Secret Superstar)

• Ayushmann - Bhumi (Shubh Mangal Saavdhan)
• Ranbir - Katrina (Jagga Jasoos)
• Irrfan - Parvathy (Qarib Qarib Single)
• Ayushmann - Parineeti (Meri Pyaari Bindu)


Best Trailer : Trapped

• Mukkabaaz
• Mom
• Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
• Newton


Best Screenplay : Disha Rindani (A Death in the Gunj)

• Vikramaditya Motwane (Trapped)
• Avinash Das (Anaarkali of Aarah)
• Amit Masurkar, Mayank Tewari (Newton)
• Zeenat Lakhani, Saket Chaudhary (Hindi Medium)


Best Dialogue : Suprotim Sengupta, Soumik Sen (Meri Pyaari Bindu)

• Subhash Kapoor (Jolly LLB2)
• Girish Kohli (Mom)
• Shreyas Jain, Nitesh Tiwari (Bareilly ki Barfi)
• Rahul Dholakia, Harit Mehta, Niraj Shukla, Ashish Vashi (Raees)


Best Editing : Shweta Venkat Matthew (Newton)

• Monisha R Baldawa (Mom)
• Nitin Baid (Ittefaq)
• Jabeen Merchant (Anaarkali of Aarah)
• Nitin Baid (Trapped)


Best Choreography : Vijay Ganguly-Ruel Dausan Varindani, galti se mistake (Jagga Jasoos)

• Dondarico Johnson-Paresh Shirodkar, beparwah (Munna Michael)
• Adil Shaikh, chandralekha (A Gentleman)
• Ahmed Khan-Adil Shaikh-Rajiv Surti, jindari (Hindi Medium)
• Shiamak Davar, ullu ka pattha (Jagga Jasoos)


Best Background Score : Sagar Desai (A Death in the Gunj)

• Pritam Chakraborty (Jagga Jasoos)
• Alokananda Dasgupta (Trapped)
• Julius Packiam (Tiger Zinda Hai)
• A R Rahman (Mom)


Best Cinematography : S Ravi Varman (Jagga Jasoos)

• Sirsha Ray (A Death in the Gunj)
• Roman Jakobi (A Gentleman)
• K U Mohanan (Jab Harry Met Sejal)
• Swapnil Sonawane (Newton)


Best Action : Tom Struther (Tiger Zinda Hai)

• Cyril Raffaelli, Parvez Shaikh, George Aguilar (A Gentleman)
• Ravi Verma, Suniel Rodrigues (Raees)
• Sham Kaushal (Daddy)
• Sham Kaushal (Kaabil)


Best Art Direction : Nitin Gaikwad, Devji Sakpal, Parul Sondh (Daddy)

• Kazvin Dangor (Trapped)
• Amrit Ray, Subrata Chakraborty (Meri Pyaari Bindu)
• Laxmi Keluskar, Sandeep Meher (Bareilly ki Barfi)
• Vikram Singh (Lipstick under my Burkha)


Best Costume : Rohit Chaturvedi (A Death in the Gunj)

• Manoshi Nath, Rushi Sharma (A Gentleman)
• Dolly Ahluwalia (Rangoon)
• Ankita Jha (Shubh Mangal Saavdhan)
• Rohit Chaturvedi (Lipstick under my Burkha)



Special Mention ---


Best Child Actor : Aditi Inamdar (Poorna)

• S Mariya (Poorna)
• Mohd Samad (Haraamkhor)
• Saravajeet Tiwari (Jagga Jasoos)
• Kabir Sajid (Secret Superstar)

Recap 2017 : Best, Disappointing and Worst of Hollywood

Unlike hindi films, 2017 was quite good when it came to Holly movies.. Listing down my best, worst and disappointing movies.

Top 10 - Best Hollywood Films :

1. Call Me By Your Name
2. Logan
3. Wonder Woman
4. Dunkirk
5. Get Out
6. Good Time
7. Baby Driver
8. Thor : Ragnarok
9. Coco
10. John Wick 2

The Big Sick, War for the planet of the Apes and Spiderman Homecoming miss out. 

Top 5 - Worst Hollywood Films : 

1. The Mummy
2. XXX - The Return of the Xander Cage
3. The Mountain Between Us
4. Mother
5. It

Top 5 - Disappointing Hollywood Films : 

1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2

2. Split

3. Blade Runner 2049

4. The Snowman

5. The Shape of Water

Recap 2017 : Worst and Disappointing Movies

2017 was a year of mediocre movies more than terrible movies. But there were some films like always that were indeed very hard to watch last year.

My top 5 Worst Movies : 

• Aksar 2 (Characters behaving oddly, and speaking stupid dialogues)
• Baadshaho (An uninterested Ajay Devgan, over the top punchlines, wierd climax)
• Commando 2 (Derails like hell after a good twist at interval)
• Haseena Parkar (Big mistake of thinking Shraddha will pull off Brando)
• Tubelight (Salman's hard effort in vain, terrible script with a ridiculous laugh out loud climax)


My Top 5 Disappointing Films of 2017, films I had great expectations and failed miserably : 


1. Raees 

Good trailer doesn't make for a great film. Shahrukh's breakdown scene turns out to be funny telling how bad the film becomes in 2nd half. And Nawaz-Shahrukh rivalry in the story fails to make a mark too. Irritating songs forced into narrative, its a watchable movie but expected more. We still do get a very good 'mai ka laal' scene of Shahrukh, only positive takeway I can find.


2. Simran 

Hansal got back on track with Aligarh, now he messes up again pretty much like 'Citylights', despite good performance from Kangana, its really hard to love this film. Plus on the contarary to what critics felt, I found Soham very irritating. There are still some good laugh out moments, specially in 1st half mainly due to Kangana, but not a film I would like to see again.


3. Daddy

Looked like a better version of 'Raees' from trailer, with story revolving on mafia in a more dark way than commercial. But what destroyed this film was the narrative, using a cop to interview people who knew Gawli and rewind back to show his life, it just never made me connect to the movie or its characters. Sadly, Rampal's good acting went waste, can't say the same about Farhan Akhtar, who was miscast in his unintentional hilarious portrayal of Dawood.


4. Badrinath ki Dulhania

A very hilarious 1st half, after which the director wanted to make it a social movie out of no where, resulting in a 2nd half that I just couldn't tolerate. The way 'Tamma tamma' (bad remake of a classic song) is used in narrative sums up how the film lost whatever impact it had during early parts of 1st half.


5. Chef 

A trailer that suggested Saif may have a good film in hands, but the movie unlike its original Hollywood one, never really made me hungry for food which it should had, rather we get a roti pizza regularly and no variety at all. And then the emotional bonding between father and son that was the main plot of movie, didn't work too.

Recap 2017 : Best Films

Ended up watching 57 movies last year, a good number considering how there were times when I was giving more time to sports.  It was a very average or below average year to be honest for the Hindi Movies. There may not have been a single exceptional movie to come out last year, but there wasn't shortage of pretty good movies that I did get a chance to watch.

Here's my list of Top10 Hindi Movies of 2017 :


1. Hindi Medium

After an underwhelming 'Shaadi ke Side Effects', this was a great comeback by Saket Chaudhary in his 3rd directorial movie. Even today, 1st half of Hindi Medium has me in splits, completely hilarious. One of those movies whose 2nd half even though it goes towards a social message theme, doesn't change the tempo of the movie too much. I do have problems with the speech of Irrfan at end, that was little preachy to my liking, apart from that there's nothing to dislike at all. Songs are well used, and most of them are really good, and performances are top notch. Irrfan and Deepak Dobriyal specially are a delight to watch, and when together in same frame, they just make it special. The ATM scene is hilarious, and so are all the interactions between Irrfan-Saba and Tillotama Shome. Saba Qamar makes a good debut, repeated use of drug dialogue is easily her best highlight of movie. I am glad Amrita Singh has a smaller role, that makes sure the light hearted treatment to the movie stays far longer. Hindi Medium is easily one of those entertainers, you can watch again and again on TV or lappy without getting bored.
Lonely aur depressed ho jayegi, 
Aur agar usne drugs lena shuru kar diya toh.. 


2. Jagga Jasoos

One of those films that was rejected by audience, and got mixed critic reviews, but do I care for them? Its at no.2 position for me! Anurag Basu doesn't really give a magical movie this time with Ranbir like 'Barfi' was, but there is plenty to love in Jagga Jasoos. A musical way of narrating story with minimal dialogues, and the best thing is singers sang all the 20 plus songs and not the actors which made the conversation through songs more likeable for me. Dividing the movie into chapters does help a lot specially 1st half, something I felt Basu made a mistake of not doing in 2nd half which was way too long as a result with some passages of boredom too. Ranbir never fails to impress me with his acting, he can play these roles with ease now and everytime make you smile or feel sad depending on what his character is going through. Saswata Chatterjee (the famous Bos Biswas from Kahaani) was the other major best thing about film, playing a father like role for Ranbir, one small extra chapter of him would had worked better for me, than a extra long 2nd half chapter involving Ranbir and Katrina. Having said that Katrina wasn't miscast for me like many critics believed, she did her part fairly well, plus the combo of cuteness and bit of dumb suited her a lot. I specially love the scene where she assumes stairs ahead of her and falls down. Saurabh Shukla for a change was less effective, except for that hilarious 'Tukka laga' sequence. Jagga Jasoos has got problems, a slow 2nd half with some dull portions, but its positives still overshadow the negatives by a big margin and you gotta give it to Basu for experimenting in a genre thats not tried before in our films.
Bageeche mein kuch phool der se khilte hai, 
mere words bhi so so ke nikalte hai... 


3. Trapped

After 2 gem of films 'Udaan' and 'Lootera', Vikramaditya Motwane succeeds again, this time in a movie based on survival. With Rajkumar Rao in each and every frame of movie, trying desperately to get himself out of a room he has got trapped into, there's very little chance for movie to be not engaging. We get to see different creative ways like using toothpaste and later blood to make cardboard messages as he tries to escape out of this horror situation only to be disappointed later. Geetanjali Thapa does well with small screen-time she gets, wanted to see more of her, specially now after having loved her in 'Kuch Bheege Alfaaz' that released this year. With no songs used and only 85 mins long in length, Trapped keeps you at edge of your seat wondering if at all he would find a way of this misery he is facing for no mistake of his. My only problem with film was, some of the repeated ways of finding help could had been shortened and instead have more hallucination sequences or maybe small flashbacks just to add more layer to the narrative which slightly went one dimensional in parts of 2nd half. Nevertheless, its Rajkumar Rao's best performance till date for me (though he is lovable in more than 90% of his films), and I can see the movie again for just that although the scenes like where he drinks urine or eats insects are not easy to watch.
Kuch bhi ho jaaye idhar nahi marna hai..


4. A Death in the Gunj

Was very easy to connect with this film for me, that deals with a shy boy Shutu who lives an isolated life despite having his family or relatives around him. Vikrant Massey plays the character like it was tailormade for him, completely nailing it. You feel for Shutu, who many times feels ignored, being bullied and trying his level best to find happiness. Also, extra marital affair and choosing lust over true companion are some other aspects movie dwells on. Konkana Sen Sharma debuting as director, keeps the narrative at slow pace, making you feel the agony and emotional abuse (if I can call it that) Shutu lives with as daily routine life. Kalki, Tillotama Shome and Ranvir Shorey are the others that shine most in this great ensemble cast. Also, the mystery is well kept as to whose death actually happens till the end, atleast it took time for me to guess it but the good thing is the movie kept me interested more into Shutu's life throughout rather than thinking about the 1st scene of movie where we are told someone died but who is it isn't revealed. A death in the Gunj is definately a very good movie, but it demands patience and if you do that, chances are you will admire Konkana's debut movie like I did.
He's been with her everyday, and you have never had a problem. 


5. Shubh Mangal Saavdhan

A movie about a guy suffering from erectile dysfunction and without the cliched treatment is what makes this film not just a great entertainer but also a movie that talks about the subject without going preachy which 'Toilet Ek Prem Katha' was. Although I liked Bhumi here a lot, she needs to have a very different next role, her characters are becoming to appear way too similar. On other hand, Ayushmann Khurana is taking brilliant roles one after another, with exception of Bareilley ki Barfi where he didn't work out for me. But here, he is in top form, a role thats more bold than the one he played in Vicky Donor.  Also, its a treat to watch Seema Pahwa in a comical role giving plenty of laughs specially with that 'alibaba' dialogue. Director R.S Prasanna who had directed the original tamil version, makes a very good hindi movies debut. Except for a very stupid looking climax, he never falters in the narrative. The scene where Mudit makes Sugandha happy by re-entering the place with baraat was among my most favs. Its certainly a film one can see repeatedly for the entertainment value it has.
Yeh aajkal ke ladko ka na dimaag hi kharab hai,
nahi shakal choose vargi aur ladki chahiye Katrina Kaif


6. Jab Harry Met Sejal

One of those films that must have featured in 'Worst film' or 'Disappointing film' of the year lists. But not for me! Promos always suggested it was a film to not have any expectations from, so I feel for people who still went to watch thinking it will be another Imtiaz special. And if you went with no expectations like me, then there's no reason to not come out with a satisfied feeling. Its still Imtiaz's weakest film without a single doubt, but that doesnt mean its a bad film by any means. Very much like Nolan's 'Insomnia' that is not upto his level of cinema but is still very likeable movie. The concept of Jab Harry Met Sejal resembles Imtiaz old films like always, finding yourself while been with someone else. Here, he tries to show a guy who runs away from love and prefers one night stands, and a girl who hasn't lived a free life or a life which she sees this guy live and gets attracted to such lifestyle so much as she wants to try it too. Premise is exciting, but Imtiaz wanted to keep narrative lighthearted throughout (whether it was really his idea or working with Shahrukh forced him to do so, will always remain a mystery) which spoils the fun in many key sequences. Also, it doesn't help when you see Shahrukh not acting good in scenes you normally say 10 yrs back expected him to nail. Anushka's character also at times gets to your nerve, with her gujju accent that isn't done to perfection by her. So, why did the film work for me then? Because despite all the problems, one thing is constantly present in the film, the Imtiaz's hangover, the feel that you are indeed watching an Imtiaz film is always there in every scene. For instance, the starting of film with 'Safar' song resembles to 'Main kya hoon' (Love Aaj Kal) or the daily dating montage scene in 'Tamasha', and in all of them the character is involved in a particular routine but not happy while doing so. Or the scene where Harry tries to tell how much he will miss Sejal while shouting her name at sea (Shahrukhs acting spoiled this scene a bit for me though). Or the scene where Harry with his friend is contemplating if he did made a mistake at not admitting how much he has fallen in love with Sejal when she had directly asked about it to him. Chandan Roy Sanyal was a sub plot that was totally not needed, slows down 2nd half quite a bit. Pritam's music, specially the songs that weren't promoted before release of film is just fantastic, you still can't stop listening to them. Movie had great scope for being a very dark feel to it, the past life of Harry, and more references to Sejal's life at her hometown which is not shown. Yet, Jab Harry Met Sejal isn't a film that can be dismissed off. If you ain't fond of Imtiaz cinema, then I don't expect you to like this film and I am not even interested in those people. But it surprised me when I saw Imtiaz fans find this film trash level which it isnt. Try to keep the expectations of an Imtiaz movie and Shahrukh's average acting aside (he does surprise in movie at many scenes with his charm), and watch again, I feel Jab Harry Met Sejal is easily a likeable movie if not more than that.
Pehli baar ho raha hai na ki ladki gale padh rahi hai, aur aap ghabra rahe ho


7. Meri Pyaari Bindu

There's been plenty of films specially in last 10 years where guy falls in love with a girl who isn't sure what she wants, or not ready to commit to the relationship or get married. Meri Pyaari Bindu tells a similar story, but its Ayushmann Khurana's performance alone that made me like this movie a lot. The way he handles character of Abhimanyu who is madly in love with Bindu, who is willing to give her chances knowing she might break his heart. And its 1st time when he has appealed to me in a regular romantic movie. Parineeti's character sketch however is pretty weak, the writers fail to make her interesting enough, reasons behind the decisions she takes, its hard to connect to her role which in turn means questioning Abhimanyu's love. The lighthearted moments when both are in college are fun to watch, but my favourite scene is when Abhimanyu loses his temper when Bindu tries to refuse for marriage. The final scene which many love for me invoked no feelings, again reason being I hardly could connect to Bindu's decision making. Prakash Belawadi is totally wasted. Meri Pyaari Bindu works brillianty in various sequences, but as a whole its quite problamatic, worth watching for Ayushmann though.
Pyar karna bahut log sikhaate hai, par afsos uss pyar ko bulaate kaise hai yeh saala koi nahi sikhaata


8. Secret Superstar

Zaira Wasim and Aamir Khan reunite after 'Dangal' in Advait Chandan's debut movie 'Secret Superstar'. The story revolves around a 14 year old girl, Insia, who aspires to be a famous singer but lives in a family where his father is abusive and doesn't care about her or her dreams. Top performance from Zaira once again, this time in a longer screen time and coming out with flying colours. Aamir's hilarious supporting act is a welcome change from his regular intense roles, though I won't exaggerate as much like some people did by comparing it to Andaz Apna Apna. Raj Arjun who plays father of Insia, is excellent but totally dislikeable, he is the only reason I couldn't dare watch the film even 2nd time, because its tough to see the kind of person he is shown as, and I just wish no one has a father like him in real life. The actual surprise of the film however is Meher Vij, her miserable scenes with husband where we feel for the life she lives daily, and then the mother-daughter bonding that brings smiles and also makes you emotional at many instances thanks to well done manipulation of the story where you don't actually question the director and writer. There's a lovely scene where Insia's little brother tries to repair her broken laptop, also the scene where Insia comes to know about how her mother fought to even bring her alive in this world. Aamir being forced to call lawyer when in car with Insia, another of my fav hilarious scene, followed by the visit at the lawyer's office scene. Secret Superstar is a very good film if you can sit through all the abuse Insia's father puts his family through, because you will have to wait till the climax for it to end so it is a long wait, the journey of Insia and her never give up attitude (almost till end) makes you invested in her hoping she will help her mother get rid of her father in some way.
Tum jaise talented bacche hote hai na, sode mein iss bubbles ki tarah hote hai
woh aise hi upar aate hai, apne aap.. unhe koi nahi rok sakta


9. Poorna 

Rahul Bose directed film about a 13 year old tribal girl in Telengana who becomes the youngest girl to climb Mount Everest. With the film's tagline 'Larkiyaan kuch bhi kar sakti hai', also used in a dialogue from Rahul Bose (as actor) tells the story of Poorna played by Aditi Inamdar who wanted to study at a good school but learns about her other skills and ends up making her country and her parents proud. There's the usual village life shown, where the parents feel marriage at early age is better than letting girls study against their wish. Cousin of Poorna, Priya, played by S.Mariya suffer due to that mindset, a reason why her character is both the emotional and motivating factor for Poorna to achieve the impossible looking task. The letter of Priya, she reads in bus while returning is one of best scene of the film with Rahul not letting it go melodramatic in any way. Also, there's a look at how free education means almost no good services including poor food and the things promised not actually given, as Rahul whose character plays the inspection charge finds way to rectify it. Also, Rahul's scenes with Poorna are a delight to watch, be it his first interaction in middle of road or his constant motivating and attempt to see her achieve great heights and success. Both Aditi and S Mariya do a very good job as child artists, with latter making it work with her dialogues and the former with her innocence and determination to not give up with minimal dialogues. I am assuming there was lack of budget or equipment to shoot Everest scenes which is why we get only 5 mins of its scenes and that too with a very shaky camera. But I would still prefer Poorna's well narrated story over Hollywood's 'Everest' which was high on cinematography but without any emotional connect.
Tumko waapis jaana hai toh jaa sakti ho, lekin yaad rakhna ladkiyaan kuch bhi kar sakti hai


10. Anaarkali of Aarah 

Avinash Das, another debut director making a very good film. The story is about a village dancer, Anaarkali who believes despite being a part of erotic singing and dance group, her body isn't for sale, its just a profession and nothing more than that. When a local politician played by Sanjay Mishra tries to treat her like he owns her, all hell breaks loose. Its all about ego, accepting own mistakes, and revenge for the misdoings caused when you didn't deserve it. Even though I have to admit, I still can't listen any of the songs for the vulgar content it has, but while watching film in context of the characters and where film is set, it works. Swara Bhaskar gives her everything to this role, in what is easily the best performance of the year. The boldness, the fear behind her brave face or the risk she is willing to take to stand to her life ethics, makes for a great watch as we see her fight against the corrupt police and minister, not bowing down at any stage. Its good to see Sanjay Mishra in a grey role for a change. Pankaj Tripathi is effective as always, but Special mention to Ishtiyak Khan (the auto guy from Tamasha) who plays a very good supporting role at a time in story when Anaarkali desperately wants someone for emotional support. Anaarkali of Aarah may not be a film that can be watched repeatedly, but its definately worth watching once for great direction, good supporting cast and top act by Swara Bhaskar, just bear the music which to be frank has to be the way it is.
Baaki kutte aap hai, bhaunkte rahiye


Fukrey Returns, Tiger Zinda Hai, Golmaal Again, Newton, Jolly LLB2, Tumhari Sulu, Mom and Qarib Qarib Single were the other films that I liked but couldn't make my top10.



Special Mention : 


Baahubali 2 The Conclusion 

Easily the best thing that happened last year at the movies as far as Indian cinema is concerned. S S Rajamouli set the standards high with the 1st part and in the conclusion he lived upto the expectations. Even though if asked, I would still consider 1st movie as my pick of the two but that doesn't take away anything from the fact that I did love Baahubali2 a lot. We get to see the complete flashback leading to why Katappa killed Baahubali, the entire romantic angle of Baahubali-DevaSena and the plotting of misunderstandings by Bhalla Deva to get the king crown. Minuses were the overdone comedy track of Katappa during early parts of movie, the finale which was too short, by atleast 10 mins. Also, the over the top action scene involving use of tree wasn't needed. Songs were superb, I saw both hindi and telugu versions, and they were brilliantly used specially the start with 'Shivam'. Madly loved background score of 1st part, and here too the one they use for escape of Baahubali's son was my favourite. Performances wise, Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Ramya Krishnan and Satyaraj all did exceptionally well. Was surprised to see Tamannah have almost next to nothing role. Despite the mentioned problems, Baahubali2 will be among my most liked franchises, pity it would be limited to 2 unless Rajamouli in future thinks of expanding further!
Jab tak tum mere saath ho,
mujhe maarne wala paida nahi hua mama