HIT me baby ONE more time!

I used to watch movies earlier, but not as a religion. Movies were meant to be occasional entertainment that covered everything from enjoying A/C for 3 hours to getting to have khaana pre/post movie along with popcorn during the movie. When I went to college, it meant masti time with my friends. The movie didn't matter! The worse it was, more you could laught and make fun. No wonder my brother went to see Himesh "Nasal" Reshamaiyas" debut film with his friends, all of whom didnt shave for the previous week and wore caps! They hooted and cheered so much that one girl actually asked them if they were fans! Trust my brother to do such things. He carries his jetty ticket from Alibag in his wallet all the time. Why, you ask?! So that if someone asks him "Alibag se aaya hai kya" he can say Yes and even show them the ticket to boot! :p But then i digress.


Post shaadi, M and me started watching movies as if our life depended on it. Friday the movie would release and the following week we would go and watch it. Urvashi theatre became second home which served awesome sandwiches as dinner. (I went as much for sandwich as the movie). Ok! I love food more than movies and my life indeed depends on it!


From Disclosure copy Aitraaz which changed Akki's stars to a horrible John Abraham movie called Karam, me thinks - we saw it all. It was a single theatre with non-multiplex rates. So watching so many movies and eating Rs.25 khaana didn't put a major dent in our pockets. Add to this, weekend was spent shacked up at buddy N's place with his brilliant collection of cult classics and rajma chawal. He is a bloody good cook. (Yeah! Food again!:p)


The movie watching continued till Cubby was born and continues since he has turned six months old. He has watched close to 8 plus movies in six months which isn't bad at all for an almost 14month old! :p


Movies which are either very good or very bad invoke fierce discussion and then there are some that just leave you unaffected. There are some which leave you all shaken like RDB and more recently TZP, some which leave you with warm glow of hope like the Munnabhai series and some that are meant to be sheer timepass like OSO and Jaane tu or a new age experiment like Dus Kahaniyan.


I am not of a mentality that tries to measure every movie as a classic. Some movies are just meant to entertain and we should just leave it that. Nor do I belive that every "serious" or "art-house" cinema is good. It's just drawing lines and compartmentalising the art of movie making.


This post is about the movies which I think came ahead of time perhaps and should have been hits! A lot like what people say about Andaz Apna Apna today. It didn't do too well that time, but today its recognised is one of the funniest Hindi films and has a cult status among people who follow movies like religion.


Disclaimer: You are please to not try and judge my mental faculties and intellectual capacities by the movies I like. And if you thought 15 Park Avenue was brilliant movie making, you are gonna think I have no taste! There! felt good to get that off my chest! ;)



Tango Charlie - This one is a war movie with difference. No mindless patriotic jargon spewed out in a typical fashion which glorifies war. It takes a fairly realistic view of a soldiers life and how they too have moments of doubt and weakness and they don't necessarily LIKE dying for their country. You can find a brilliant review HERE!



Socha na tha - A simple and old-fashioned love story which gets almost everything right, except perhaps their marketing blitz. Abhay Deol and Ayesha Takia as two youngsters who decide not to get "arrange married" to each other and end up becoming friends who then fall in love. It's no rocket science this movie, but I had a smile on your face by the end of it! You will keep humming Goa teri har ada ke for next few days.



Waisa bhi hota hai - Part II - Lock Stock move aside, desi movies are here to do as good a job. This movie with Arshad Warsi as a copy writer who gets caught in middle of a gang war is very hatke and total fun to watch. Sandhya Mridul as girl friend who is a fiery cop just rocks and mkes you wonder why isn't she doing more movies. If you haven't heard of the movie, you have defi heard Allah ke bande?!

Ek chaalis ki last local - I am quite an Abhay Deol fan now. Socha Na tha, Manorama Six Feet Under, Honeymoon Travels and this one, he has done a great job. He is subtle and understated in his acting. I wonder if he will be "successful" sometime. Ek chaalis also like Waisa bhi manages to weave 4 different story lines that converge with some funny deaths and happy endings. (you have to see the movie to understand funny deaths bit). Am sure you have hummed "kya hua jyo chhuti mere jeevan ki gaadi!"

Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. - Lotsa people panned this one completely. But I liked it's fun and frothy feel with weird characters which at times are very very real. It had six love stories rolled into one timepass flick! You may like some and hate some. But all in all it entertained me thoroughly. Amisha Patel for a change is not whining and wheezing and you have check out Abhay Deol and her dance. Stunning. Kay kay menon is actually not so intense and totally Cute! You have ofcos jigged often to Sajna Ji vaari vaari?!

Hazaaron Khwahishein Aisi - This intense movie has already won loads of critical acclaim. The story about three friends who belive they can make a difference to the society and where they end up eventually will make you think forever. Set in the time of emergency we understood a lot more references when we watched it with Papa who KNEW what those years were like. Soul stirring performances by all. I could not believe same guy made Khoya Khoya Chand. (I think KKC was gorgeous to look at but totally lacked soul).

Johny Gaddar - This movie that launched Neil Nitin Mukesh is bloody brilliant. A complete rollercoaster of a thriller. The best part is, you KNOW who the perpetrator of crime is, but you cannot predict what's going to happen next. M sulked for days when Neil didn't win the best debut award. Sriram Raghavan who gave us the taut Ek hasina thi, has directed this one and he has signed up the Bacchan-Rai combo for next movie! Sigh! If you can, watch the original DVD. Watch the movie and then watch it again with commentary on. It's M's favouritest gift he has ever recieved other than Sharaabi DVD! :p Move your body baby has been danced on regularly!


Dansh - Supposed to be a life off of Death and the Maiden (which I haven't seen), this movie becomes a must watch thanks to Sonlai Kulkarni and Kay kay Menon's power-house performances. You can find my humble review HERE.

Edited to Add - Superstar - M reminded me of this one. One of the movies we have been most impressed with. It's a double trouble story with a difference where both know of each other's existence and are NOT beechde hue judwa bhais. Kunal Khemu is another cool actor and sails through both the roles effortlessly. Love humming Ajnabee khwaab mein.

Then there is Seher where Arshad Warsi is NOT playing the funny guy and is even better. Home Delivery which had Mahima Choudhary in her cameo as "almost" herself saying " Tum mera badan le sakte ho, mera dil nahi" in totally affected manner makes me laugh even now. Only M and me seem to have enjoyed this one in the whole wide world. I am forgetting many here for sure.

Am sure you guys can add to this list and help me make a list of movies that didn't do well commercially, but are must watch! :D

I hope someday these movies will get the appreciation they deserve. Or even if they don't they will always be in my favourites list!