Year 2010: The Best Films!

Dabangg was an out and out Salman Khan no-brainer. The beauty of the film were its cheap thrills and the character of Chulbul Pandey, who is responsible for Salman reaching a whole new level of fame. In entirety, the detailed character formation was enjoyable and the script could be a comic book!

It marked the debut for Sonakshi Sinha, director Abhinav Kashyap and producer Arbaaz Khan, yet the film grossed Rs 212 crore. If that doesn't prove its success, the film floored most reviewers!

The latest film in the series by Rohit Shetty, Golmaal 3 carries on the spirit of nonsensical comedy. With the hilarious star cast of Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Tusshar Kapoor, Arshad Warsi and many more, it was tough to miss out on all the drama, so to speak! The film has emerged as the second highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2010.

A political drama, meshed with violence, Raajneeti was a gripping watch. Chocolate boy Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Ajay Devgn, Nana Patekar and Manoj Bajpai gave powerful performances. A fresh breath of air was Katrina Kaif, whose hard work showed through her long, difficult dialogues and much better facial expressions. According to NDTV's Consulting Editor, Films, Anupama Chopra, "Jha, who has fought elections in Bihar himself, creates a real sense of the machinations and sordid deals that fuel politics but then hobbles it with outlandish twists and some decidedly ‘filmy' moments."

My Name is Khan brought back the golden pair of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol to the silver screen. With amazing comfort, that is visible through their performance, the duo stole the show. Critically acclaimed, this Karan Johar feature inevitably tugs at the heartstrings with how the Asperger syndrome explains the way this man thinks, breaths, acts and reacts. SRK's portrayal resonates with beautiful simplicity. "Shah Rukh's performance has little subtlety about it, but it is heartfelt, endearing and more controlled than anything he's ever done before. Watch him in a lovely scene in which Kajol accepts his proposal or how he restrains his tears so that his eyes brim but never well over." - Anupama Chopra, Consulting Editor, Films, NDTV.

Directed by Sajid Khan, Housefull showcased the comical timing of Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta, Jiah Khan, Ritesh Deshmukh and Arjun Rampal. And where there is comedy, there is Boman Irani. The film received failing reviews, but the people had a different verdict. Housefull beat all records, and had one of the biggest and most successful opening weekends of all time!

The Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi starrer Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai proved to be a mixed bag of goodies. Where some insinuated the resemblance to Haji Mastan's life, the film proved to be too 'filmi' to be a biopic. The leading ladies - Prachi Desai and Kangna Ranaut - added colour to the film and reduced the testosterone level. The true beauty of the film lay within the dialogues, songs and flow of the script.

I Hate Luv Storys was brought to life with the yummy Imran Khan and the freshest face of Bollywood, Sonam Kapoor. With a simplistic script, it came as a surprise that the film was considered as a hit at the Bollywood Box Office. "Director Punit Malhotra takes a pot shot at everything - designer sets, boy meets girl sagas, actresses singing in chiffon saris in the Alps - that made directors like Karan, Aditya Chopra and Kunal Kohli a name to reckon with in the industry."- Anupama Chopra, Consulting Editor, Films, NDTV.

A performance that defined the versatility of Vidya balan, Ishqiya was another topper at the box office. The sheer guts of the script and the acting warranted by Vidya, overshadowd the performances of Naseeruddin shah and Arshad Warsi. The storyline is fresh, crackling, sneaky and sly. And just when you felt you knew all, you realise you didn't!

One of the most beautiful faces in the world, one of the most worshipped actors and an unbelieveable budget. Robot was a given. Starring Aishwarya Rai and two Rajinikanths, Robot was a state of the art sci-fi film. Breaking the barriers in terms of a Rs 162 crore budget, the film boasted of the special effects technicians and stunt co-ordinator being the best in the world.

A parody on the Indian media, Peepli Live was a breath of fresh air that we thoroughly enjoyed. Brought to you be the extraordinary team of Aamir Khan and Anusha Rizvi, the film was a satire on how the media focuses at time on the more trivial issue than the broader, and more important, spectrum of issues. Supplementing the unusual and highly enjoyable script, were exemplary performances by the entire cast and crew. High praise for Omkar Das Manikpuri played the hapless Natha. But even the little billy-goat and the water pump 'performed' well in the script!

With a fabulous actor as Hrithik Roshan, who really feels out his character, Guzaarish has created waves even with the depressing script. The story of a paraplegic patient who wants to look into the act of Euthanasia, Aishwarya Rai is the ice breaker as the gorgeous nurse. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's latest project extracted mixed reviews, According to Anupama Chopra, Consulting Editor, Films, NDTV, "The film is beautifully shot by Sudeep Chatterjee. It has strong performances and there are several scenes, which genuinely move you."

Vipul Shah's Action Replayy is a mix of genres - a sci-fi, rom-com starring the effervescent Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai. The saga of a boy who goes back in time to resolve the issues his parents are always squabbling about, the script was nothing exceptional. Though, as expected, it didn't open to rave reviews from the critics, it did open on the Diwali weekend, hence boosting its sales and translating into a box-office hit.