The Best Hindi Films of 2010

2010 had a lot of films, but the good ones were few and far between. Here are my Top 10 :

#10 – Karthik calling Karthik : A who-dun-it involving some heavy phone usage. A passable for a thriller, this one starred the fetching Ms. Padukone and director-turned-actor Farhan Akhtar.

#9 – Peepli Live : Producer Aamir Khan’s bid for the Oscars, at number 9 is a well-made, rural story of two brothers and their get-dead-to-get-rich scheme.

#8 – Well done Abba ! : A simple village based story, Abba is Shyam Benegal’s piece-de-resistance. Nicely flavored and beautifully told, this comes in at the 8th spot.

#7 – Ishqiya (Podcast Review) :Vishal Bharadwaj’s offering for 2010, Ishqiya was a comedown from his usual product, but was still engrossing and well-made. Naseeruddin  Shah, Arshad Warsi and Vidya Balan star as delighfully quirky characters in this of-Uttar-Pradesh film.

#6 – Do dooni char : Rishi and Neetu Kapoor’s comeback vehicle, this has a decent story, character development and good acting. Plus it has loads of class, is clean and my pick for the Best Family Film of the Year.

#5 – Rajneeti : 2010’s magnum opus, Rajneeti has this year’s hottest stars Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif fighting a political game.

#4 – Once upon a time in Mumbai : This year’s crime thriller (and really there was only one) this one had brooding Devgn in a role tailor-made for him. With Emran Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut and Ms. Goody Two-Shoes Prachi Desai this makes it to the Top 5.

#3 – Band Baaja Baaraat : A YashRaj production that sparkles with music, color and charm, BBB stars Anushka Sharma and newcomer Ranveer Singh, is a fun-filled romp, and total paisa-vasool.

#2 – Aisha :The desi verion of Emma, Aisha is Sonam Kapoor’s film all the way. Abhay Deol lends his charm to this good-at-heart film, and the foot-tapping music and slick production values vault this one into the second spot.

#1 – Udaan : Vikramaditya Motwane’s excellent film which straddles both arty and commercial cinema, Udaan is wonderfully told and made, and undoubtedly the best movie of the year.