TAMIL:
Pasanga : After making a dream debut as a director in Subramaniapuram, SasiKumar struck gold as a producer in ‘Pasanga’. The movie had its heart at the right place and was hilarious. The movie which had small kids as its main characters was as much a movie for the grownups as it was for the children.
Naan Kadavul : Balas movies are always dark and would have a shock value. In Naan Kadavul his exploration of the beggar’s world and the Agoras was brutal in detailing and was way too realistic for many of the viewers liking. But people like me who had the stomach to digest simply loved it.
Unnai Pol Oruvan : The Tamil remake of Wednesday if not better was as good as the original. Kamal and Mohan lal teamed up for the first where in top form in this less than 2hrs thriller. Sans songs, sans cheap thrills, sans comedy tracks this movie had racy screenplay and crackling dialogues.
Eeram : This eerie horror/thriller from the Shankar’s production was a surprise winner this year. With very less known stars this one had a solid script which was equally executed. The movie had one of the best cinematography in this year with apt BGM which complimented the genre really well.
Yaavarum Nalam : Way before eeram another movie which brought back horror genre to the audience with great success was Yavarum Nalam. With a Television Set used as the medium for the ghost to communicate, the movie had an interesting set up and the tempo was maintained throughout making it an engaging watch.
HINDI :
Dev D : Anurag Kashyaps contemporary take on ‘Devdas’ was the first hit of 2009. This Creative attayachar was visually stunning. The narrative interlaced with killer soundtracks pushed boldness to new levels in Indian cinema. It was one helluva trip !!
Luck By Chance: This satire on the Bollywood industry was one of those underrated gems of 2009. Right from the moment credits starts rolling Zoya gets the mood of the movie right and maintains it throughout the movie. It was a brilliant movie with an absolute gem of a performance from its huge ensemble cast.
Kaminey : Vishals latest offering about two separated twins was fimply fuperb!! A movie which appreciated the intelligence of the audience had a mind-blowing screenplay . If the Numerous subplots running parallel running behind a MacGuffin reminded of guy Ritchie, the sheer mad characterizations and exaggerated violence and homage’s reminded tarantino. This film with a desi heart was dished out completely in international ishtyle !!
Wake up Sid : This coming of age story was an absolute delight. With not much of a fancy plot the movie worked really well with a brilliant cast and straight forward narration. Ranbir went on to cement his place as the most bankable of the new breed of stars.
3 Idiots : “All izzzz well” ensured the year ended up on a rib tickling high note. The movie works effectively as a comedy and had the audience in splits during its entire run. No wonder that this one was declared the feel good movie of the year within couple of days of its release.
ENGLISH:
Avatar : This modern day classic of James Cameroon will go on to one of those defining movies in the history of Film making. Abig thumbs up to him for drenching us with his vision of Pandora which blew us all apart. He redefined 3D watching experience and took visual delight to dizzy heights.
Up : This touchy inspiring story of the quest for the Paradise Lost was thoroughly enjoyable. This Pixar movie had one of the most touching sequences of the year where Carl runs through his wife’s adventure book after her death. Pixar score another winner here after its cult classic WALL-E.
Inglorious Basterds : QTs best work after pulp fiction was an absolute stunner. This fictional tale happening during the World War 2 is comical, violent and is completely crazy. As many of his movies this one also met with extreme reactions but wowed the critics and audience to a larger extent. Do we see an Oscar coming for QT.
500 Days of Summer : “This is a story of boy meets girl. But you should know up front, this is not a love story” . What makes this movie mainly work is its brilliant screenplay and terrific humor. The narrative is completely non linear. Its moves back and forth constantly and makes it an engaging watch. Another of those underrated gems which is a must watch.
Hurt Locker : This movie is one helluva pressure cooker. This low budget movie tracks the 40 odd days of a bomb unit in Iraq in the midst of a war . The bomb diffusing scenes are so realistically shot that it would for sure increase your heart beat rate to a faster rate.
