You think being a film reviewer is fun? A stint in 2009 would have changed your mind. The year was a tough one for film critics, even the most seasoned ones would agree. A visit to a preview screening week after week, with the hope that you wouldn’t be disappointed one more time, it turned out, was too much to ask for.

Every now and then, though, a few filmmakers surprised you with movies that either had something new to say, or which used unique narrative styles to tell stories already told before. A few of them focussed on pure entertainment. Some of these worked at the box office, some didn’t. But they all stood out in a year where mediocrity was the norm.

Our critic Aniruddha Guha takes a look at last year’s best and worse...
 

DEV.D

Anurag Kashyap’s rendition of Sarat Chandra’s classic challenged traditional Devdas fans with a fair sprinkling of sexual overtones and a raw appeal, which the earlier screen versions lacked. This one didn’t end with the lovelorn loser drinking himself to death, but left you with the image of Dev and Chanda (Anurag’s Chandramukhi) giving ‘life’ another shot.

The wonderful tracks by Amit Trivedi and some fine performances by the lead cast made the film a memorable experience for audiences.

 Read review here