2011 saw films in Bollywood that were worth a look. Aniruddha Guha picks them.
1. Pyaar Ka Punchnama
Luv Ranjan gave us a buddy film that makes for great TV viewing, and is driven by some witty dialogue and a super performance by newcomer Divyendu Sharma. Also memorable for a hilarious six minute-long monologue.
2. Yeh Saali Zindagi
Sudhir Mishra's film about people driven by love, but stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time, has some great dark humour, and Irrfan Khan in form.
3. Shaitan
In his debut film, director Bejoy Nambiar narrated the story of a bunch of youngsters gone astray. His stylish treatment of the subject, a great performance by Gulshan Devaiah, and a kickass action sequence set to a remixed version of Khoya Khoya Chand are among the film's strong points.
4. Force
Nishikant Kamat's foray into mainstream cinema resulted in a raw action drama, Kamat's sensibility as a filmmaker apparent throughout. A throwback to the Ghayal kind of films that were a regular fixture in the 90s, watch Force for a no-holds-barred action movie experience.
5. Shor In The City
Raj-DK, the talented filmmaker duo who gave us the witty 99 and are currently working on a zombie film, gave us Shor In The City, a smart, dark story of people dealing with the madness that is Mumbai. Memorable for a great performance by Pitobash, and the song, 'Karma Is A Bitch'.
6. I Am
Onir, known for his off-the-beaten-track films, narrated 4 different stories of people struggling with the issue of identity. The last short, featuring Abhimanyu Singh (fab), Rahul Bose and Arjun Kapoor was the most powerful of the lot.
7. Chillar Party
Vikas Bahl and Nitesh Tiwari co-directed this heartwarming tale of a group of kids in a housing society who revolt against their parents in a bid to save the resident dog. Enjoyable for the camaraderie between the kids, this was the third really good Hindi film in 2011 featuring children in the lead, the other two being Stanley Ka Dabba and I Am Kalam.
8. 404
Prawaal Raman gave us the rare psychological thriller that stayed true to the genre, but it sadly went unnoticed. The spooky film has director Nishikanth Kamat delivering a great performance in a crucial role.
9. Soundtrack
Neerav Ghosh officially remade It's All Gone Pete Tong into a film that had the potential to be a lot better than it is. Some tacky production values didn't help the cause. However, the film is a decent watch.
10. Sahi Dhande Galat Bande
Actor Parvin Dabbas made his directorial debut with SDGB, an uneven crime drama that had its moments. Again, nothing great, the film is worth a watch on the idiot box.
Also read: Aniruddha Guha picks the top 10 movies of 2011
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