2013 was a good year for Bollywood – commercially, a big yes! While big movies broke records after records, the smaller ones recovered money as well. Out of the many successes this year, eight made it to the 100 crore club (if we talk only about the Domestic BO) – ‘Chennai Express’, ‘Dhoom-3’, ‘Krrish-3’, ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’, ‘Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-leela’, ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, ‘Grand Masti’, ‘Race-2’; three of which crossed 200 crores (‘Chennai Express’, ‘Dhoom-3’, ‘Krrish-3’). Some were 
expected to join the club but alas! (‘Boss’, ‘Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbaai’, ‘Himmatwala’, ‘Besharam’). Some genuinely good movies were made this year; some of which failed but most recovered costs. 2013 didn’t belong to a male superstar for a change – It was Deepika Padukone’s year and easily so, with four of the biggest hits this year (‘Chennai Express’, ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’, ‘Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-leela’ and ‘Race-2’) to her credit. The actress also went on to become the first entertainment personality to win a Special Achievement Award at CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Awards for putting up such a great show this year.
Here, I present my picks for Hits and Misses of 2013. Do remember these are personal choices and irrespective of commercial success or star power. You may choose to disagree and are most welcome to do so. I am not expecting the awards at the upcoming ceremonies to be in sync with most of my picks.
The Flicks: Top 10
At number 10 – ‘Go Goa Gone’
‘Go Goa Gone’ was promoted as India’s first ‘zom-com’. A hilarious movie provided you were in the right mood for it. If you liked the humour in ‘Delhi Belly’, you would have found yourself in splits in those two odd hours though it got a bit repetitive 
post-interval. Comic timings of Kunal Khemu, Vir Das and Anand Tiwari were perfect and one could relate to the lingo. Saif in a supporting role was funny and continued to prove his versatility. But the zombies didn’t really scare. On second thought, we have watched zombies earlier here… Remember the movies made by Ramsays?
My Verdict: ‘Go Goa Gone’ was a crazy crazy hilarious ride… watch it to laugh out loud… if you haven’t yet!
At the Box-Office: Average
At number 9 – ‘Fukrey’
Movies like ‘Fukrey’ which have no star appeal or impressive pre-release promotion either go unnoticed or pick up pace due to good word-of-mouth. ‘Fukrey’ belonged to the latter category. It ran to packed houses and rightly so. It did take over an hour to establish the characters and there wasn’t really much of a plot… but the humour (thankfully, not slapstick) was hilarious… you would find yourself laughing every five minutes and that is where the director succeeded. All the newcomers did a good job in tickling our funny bones.
My Verdict: It wasn’t a must-watch but you will enjoy every minute if you watch it now… The ‘Fukrey’ were really funny!
At the Box-Office: Hit
At number 8 – Raanjhanaa
I was a little apprehensive about watching ‘Raanjhanaa’, blame it on my dislike for the director’s ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ and Southern Star Dhanush’s unconventional looks. But Dhanush turned out to be a powerhouse of talent. He played a street-smart Tamil Brahmin brought up in Benares with so much ease that he deserved an ovation. Sonam Kapoor surprised you with her best performance so far even if her character was not at all likeable. Abhay Deol in a cameo and the supporting cast were all perfect. Thumbs up for the dialogues! The second half was like watching another movie shifting focus to politics and though the movie dipped here, it led to an awesome climax with a twist that should have moved even the stone-hearted. I didn’t like the music.
My Verdict: ‘Raanjhanaa’ was a love story sans romance with its heart in the right place. You could watch it for Dhanush’s fantastic performance itself.
At the Box-Office: Hit
At number 7 – Special 26
Based on true incidents, ‘Special 26’ is probably one of the best con flicks I have watched. An interesting plot, good performances and a nice twist in the climax; it should have appealed to both the classes n masses. Akshay Kumar proved he can do better than starring in those those dim-witted terrible blockbusters he is supposedly good at. But the show stealer was Anupam Kher. He was excellent as the nervous wreck so confident at his job. Any flaws? The unneeded love track and the songs.
My Verdict: Not half as good as the director’s ‘A Wednesday’ but… awesome!!
At the Box-Office: Average
At number 6 – Bombay Talkies
Four Directors… Thirty minutes of screen time each… 1.5 crore per film… and we had ‘Bombay Talkies’ – An ode to 100 years of Indian Cinema (3rd May). You were probably shocked at the way Karan Johar directed this time… unconventional and very bold… it was a very mature piece of work on homo/bisexuality. You might have just exclaimed – ‘Is this by KJo!’ Dibakar Banerjee’s film, based on a short story by Satyajit Ray was excellent and moving, more so for Nawazuddin’s performance. But it was Zoya Akhtar who gave the best of the four, extracting the best performances in the movie from child artists. Anurag Kashyap’s film was ok and made a good tribute to Cinema. All performances were top-notch.
My Verdict: ‘Bombay Talkies’ reminded cine-goers why Indian Cinema is such a passion here. Experimental, off-beat, ‘hatke’… A good watch if you like something different!
At the Box-Office: Disaster; couldn’t recover the costs even if it was made on a shoe-string budget.
At number 5 – Aashiqui 2
‘Aashiqui 2’ was another flick from the Bhatt Camp (directed by Mohit Suri) which cashed in on the success of the original; not a sequel. Low budget, no stars, great music… and it brought in the moolah. But this one worked! The first ‘Aashiqui’, a huge hit 23 yrs back is still considered a cult film all thanks to the great music. This one had good music too… ‘Tum hi ho’, ‘Sunn raha’, ‘Chahoo main yaa naa’ and ‘Bhoola dena’ are haunting tunes. But the best thing about ‘Aashiqui 2’ was the relaunch of the two newcomers – Aditya Roy Kapur played a very complex role so well that he was simply great. Shraddha Kapoor looked very fresh and acted okay, showing a lot of promise.
My Verdict: Some complained it was slow, there wasn’t really a plot and the climax wasn’t too convincing but die-hard romantics loved it; though I did find it a little emotionally manipulative.
At the Box-Office: Blockbuster
At number 4 – Shuddh Desi Romance
Yash Raj Films’ rom-com of the year directed by Maneesh Sharma had all the ingredients – love, confusion, heartache, commitment-phobic people and a love-triangle. You had seen it all innumerable times on the Big Screen but ‘Shuddh Desi Romance’ broke all stereotypes and gave us a very refreshing take on real people and modern-day relationships. Sushant Singh Rajput, Parineeti Chopra or even a comparatively newer Vaani Kapoor gave three terrific real performances though Parineeti stole the show quite easily and is on the right path to take over the big game from bigger actresses.
My Verdict: ‘Shuddh Desi Romance’ delivered what it promised… a charming rom-com!
At the Box-Office: Above average
At number 3 – Shahid
Hansal Mehta’s ‘Shahid’ was a wake-up call not only for the hypocrisy of our judicial system but also the chauvinism and preconceived opinions we have towards people belonging to a religion. A brave film in all respects, it had Raj Kumar Yadav shining in an author-backed role. If he was good in ‘Kai Po Che’, he was excellent here.
My Verdict: Apart from being a good movie, ‘Shahid’ challenged the conservative prejudiced Indian to ask himself/herself a few questions. Respect!
At the Box-Office: Flop
At number 2 – The Lunchbox
Debutante Director Ritesh Batra’s ‘The Lunchbox’ was off-beat but a very endearingly entertaining film soaked in charming old-fashioned romance and clever humor (not slapstick and dim-witted; something I rarely enjoy). Excellent performances from Irrfan Khan and newcomer Nimrat Kaur and also supported by Nawazuddin Siddiqui added a lot to the impact of this praise-worthy way of telling a simple yet heart-warming love story. Many were of the opinion that ‘The Lunchbox’ should have been India’s selection for the Oscars. However, Gujarati film ‘The Good Road’ was sent.
My Verdict: ‘The Lunchbox’ was a banquet for cine lovers! A must must-watch (!) for connoisseurs of good cinema.
At the Box-Office: Hit; was made on a low budget of 10 crores.
At number 1 – Lootera
Partly adapted from ‘The Last Leaf’ by O. Henry, ‘Lootera’ was not just a classic… it was a masterpiece. Rarely do you get to ‘experience’ a movie which lingers in your mind with such effect. Director Vikramaditya Motwane (‘Udaan’) used sound, silence and music so well that it was hard to describe in words. Take a bow! Music and background score were perfectly in sync with the mood of the period. Ranveer Singh underplayed his character with such maturity and this was just his third film; but it was Sonakshi Sinha who stole the show… she was a revelation here! As the lovesick and heart-broken Pakhi, she delivered an award-worthy performance.
My Verdict: ‘Lootera’ is my pick this year. If you missed it, do watch and let ‘Lootera’ transport you back to the 50’s… this is classic romance without melodrama.
At the Box-Office: Flop
A special mention for Shoojit Sircar’s ‘Madras Café’ which didn’t make it to my Top 10; it would be at 11.
A brave film, well-shot and John Abraham did well for a change – ‘Madras Café’ was based on the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. The only problem – not much of a repeat value but was a great one-time watch!
The Worst Five:
At number 5 – Shootout at Wadala
‘Shootout At Wadala’ wasn’t violent… it was just a terribly directed film (Sanjay Gupta). No plot, silly action scenes, distasteful skin show and a cheap item number every 20 minutes; as if these weren’t enough, we got to watch possibly one of the funniest lead roles in recent times – John Abraham playing an underworld don with one or two expressions on his face throughout the movie. One might have actually wondered who was the worse actor – Tushar Kapoor or John. Even the talented Manoj Bajpayee was wasted here. A few ‘faadu’ dialogues and Anil Kapoor’s sincere performance were the only saving graces… well… kinda!
My Verdict: Based on a book and based on the first police encounter in our country, it was sad that this shootout was silly and misdirected. I got a headache right after the first 15 minutes. But it spun money… imagine my grief!
At the Box-Office: Hit
At number 4 – R… Rajkumar
It must require a special set of skills to make a movie like ‘R… Rajkumar’ – While you can’t expect a plot in these mostly commercially viable no-brainer masalathons, chances are you might have cringed in disappointment at the way Director Prabhu Deva wanted to define entertainment here. Corny dialogues, hilarious performances (not in a good way), Shahid Kapoor miscast in a macho action hero image – it was evidently aimed at the front-stall single-screen crowd in B and C centres.
My Verdict: This was earlier supposed to be named ‘Rambo Ramkumar’. I’m glad they stuck to ‘R… Rajkumar’… perhaps the makers are so dim that they couldn’t spell ‘Rubbish’!
At the Box-Office: Superhit
At number 3 – Zanjeer
It was a terrible remake of the movie that gave Big B the ‘angry young man’ image and brought him into limelight. Southern star Ram Charan emoted as good as a plank of wood, Priyanka Chopra hammed up big time (she better stick to challenging roles where she performs; mainstream roles aren’t for her), Sanjay Dutt sleepwalked like he does; add to that Apoorva Lakhia’s silly direction.
My Verdict: ‘Zanjeer’ was a shameless remake and loud at that.
At the Box-Office: Disaster. Made at a budget of 75 crores, it could only recover 18 crores.
At number 2 – Himmatwala
I didn’t have the ‘himmat’ to watch ‘Himmatwala’ on the Big Screen. Saw parts of it on tv and wondered why was there a need to remake a bad movie. It’s a shame when an actor of Ajay Devgan’s calibre chooses such roles.
My Verdict: I don’t have the ‘himmat’ to comment as well.
At the Box-Office: Disaster (And Sajid Khan was expecting another blockbuster… eh! Over-confidence kills!)
At number 1 – Besharam
A lot was being expected from the youngest superstar Ranbir Kapoor and Dabangg Director Abhinav Kashyap, especially because ‘Besharam’ also had Rishi and Neetu Kapoor sharing screen space with their son for the first time. All in vain! It was a ‘besharam’ movie indeed.
My Verdict: What an appropriate title – ‘Besharam’! The producer was the biggest besharam here… for backing a film like this! The Director came second for making it. The actors involved came very close for choosing such a script even if there was a one-pager! Besharmi ki hadh ho gayi!
At the Box-Office: The audience got sensible this time and ‘Besharam’ was far from 100 crores though it crossed half a century. Flop.
P.S. – I haven’t considered movies like ‘Zilla Ghaziabad’, ‘3G’, ‘Jayantibhai Ki Love Story’, ‘Shortcut Romeo’, ‘Aatma’, ‘Ishkq in Paris’ and many more in the list. It does not mean these were better. It just means they were equally bad but unimportant films.
My Five Disappointments
At number 5 – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ wasn’t half as good as its trailers so I was fooled into walking to a theatre expecting an inspirational modern-day classic… the movie dragged and how! Add to that… overdose of drama and some silly tuneless unnecessary songs barring ‘Zinda’ and I had the perfect reason to have a headache. I got restless, yawned several times and observed at least three families and two couples moving out of the hall. A better script and good direction could have saved the day. BMB was just a little better than the director’s last dud ‘Delhi 6’. At over three very long (trust me… yawn!) hours, it badly needed some crisp editing.
My Verdict: This Milkha didn’t run… he jogged! But he ran at the Box Office. Farhan Akhtar’s sincere performance was the saving grace. He was convincing as the ‘Flying Sikh’. If you watched it from an autobiographical perspective, you must have liked it.
At the Box-Office: Superhit and crossed 100 crores.
At number 4 – Kai Po Che
‘Kai Po Che’ was one of those rare occassions where the cinematic adaptation was better than the book, considering the fact that Chetan Bhagat’s ‘The Three Mistakes of My Life’ is possibly his most mature but weakest book so far. Brilliantly directed by Abhishek Kapoor (remember… Rock On!), it also had awesome performances by newcomers Sushant Singh Rajput, Raj Kumar Yadav and Amit Sadh. It was a very well-made movie.
My Verdict: ‘Kai Po Che’ means a triumphant yell in Gujarati… I think the director knew he would triumph even before he begun making it… And hence, the title.
It really frustrated me because I didn’t enjoy it and yet I thought it was a good movie. Such occasions do occur!
At the Box-Office: Hit
At number 3 – Ek Thi Daayan
‘Ek Thi Daayan’ was a perfect example of a good opportunity gone waste. The first half worked so well as a supernatural thriller though not a horror that you may have not even blinked for a moment. Post-interval, it was a big mess. The climax should have hit you like a ton of bricks but it was way too silly here.
My Verdict: Horror movie buffs must have loved the first half. Others could watch it for Konkona and Emraan’s performances. An average fare! But a huge disappointment for me. I was expecting a good horror movie from Bollywood. This could have been one.
At the Box-Office: Flop
At number 2: Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
You might have enjoyed ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ if you weren’t expecting much but for me, it neither worked as a rom-com nor as a coming-of-age story. Too stretched at times and predictable, it picked up only towards the last thirty odd minutes by emotionally manipulating with mush and also reminding you of the director’s first and slightly better ‘Wake Up Sid’. Ranbir Kapoor is the next huge superstar… no two opinions on that… but this was an ordinary role after those stellar performances in ‘Rockstar’ n ‘Barfi’. Ditto for Aditya Roy Kapur who was sidelined after ‘Aashiqui 2’. Deepika and Kalki were both good but it was Farooque Sheikh who melted my heart in a 5-minutes cameo.
My Verdict: This one had no ‘jawaani’ or ‘deewani’ in it!
At the Box-Office: Blockbuster! Among the biggest hits this year.
At number 1: ‘Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela’
A fan of Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali myself, I was hugely disappointed at the way he attempted a typical commercial movie to please the masses compromising on his vision. Deepika and Ranveer’s performances were good. That’s it for me.
My Verdict: Shakespeare must be turning in his grave. A creative genius like Bhansali could not do justice to his Romeo and Juliet. ‘Ram-Leela’ was more of an adaptation from ‘Ishaqzaade’.
At the Box-Office: Superhit. Among the biggest money-churners this year and Bhansali has a commercial success after a hiatus.
Performances of the year and other relevant picks
I’m sticking to one to keep it genuine. Top 5 would make me biased.
Best Actor (Male):
Irrfan Khan for ‘The Lunchbox’
Best Actor (Female):
Sonakshi Sinha for ‘Lootera’
Best Actor in a supporting role (Male):
Anupam Kher for ‘Special 26’
Best Actor in a supporting role (Female):
Vaani Kapoor for ‘Shuddh Desi Romance’
Best Performance in a comic role:
Saurabh Shukla for ‘Jolly LLB’
Best Performance in a negative role:
Rishi Kapoor for ‘D Day’
Best Debutante (Male):
A tie between two – one made a foray into Hindi Cinema from South and the other re-launched after a string of supporting roles.
Aditya Roy Kapur for ‘Aashiqui 2’
Dhanush for ‘Raanjhanaa’
Best Debutante (Female):
Vaani Kapoor for ‘Shuddh Desi Romance’
Shraddha Kapoor for ‘Aashiqui 2’
Best Director:
Vikramaditya Motwane for ‘Lootera’
Best Film:
Lootera
The best big film:
Kidding! That would be a silly pick. They all are good… they have to be… right? They bring in the major chunk of business after all.
Best Music in a movie:
Aashiqui 2 – Jeet Ganguly, Mithoon, Ankit Tiwari
Best Singer (Male):
Arijit Singh for ‘Tum Hi Ho’ (Aashiqui 2)
Best Singer (Female):
Shreya Ghoshal for ‘Nagada Sang Dhol’ (‘Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela’)
Best Story:
The Lunchbox (written and directed by Ritesh Batra)
Star of the year:
Deepika Padukone for being part of four of the biggest hits of the year and performing really well in ‘Chennai Express’ and ‘Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela’.
Best ‘Jodi’ of the Year:
SRK and Deepika for ‘Chennai Express’
A special mention for ‘Krrish-3’ and ‘Dhoom-3’ for taking VFX and action to an altogether different level this year.
Expect bigger movies, more power in star power and some huge records to be broken and created in 2014 as well. See you at the movies!
Tags: Best movies 2013 top 10 bollywood movie 2013 Top 10 Bollywood movie in 2013 Top 10 grosser 2013 Top 10 Movies 2013 Top 10 popular Hindi movie of 2013
