Avane Srimannarayana

TGIF-Thank God It’s Friday!!

Given a impressive movie trailer which caught your rapt attention, we would throng to the theaters, to witness the movie extravaganza and power of cinema by making a journey with the protagonist. Friday night, Movies & Popcorn would a great combo. Isn’t it? Witnessing the most anticipated movie of the year with your favorite stars in it along with passionate fans on a first day first show is such a luxury isn’t it?

But times have changed now. In these unusual times of lock down & watching on demand content on OTT platforms have become more than a norm.

By the way, are you wondering what is the blog post title all about? especially Non Kannada audiences. If you don’t know, no worries, this is the title of a Kannada blockbuster movie released half a year ago. And this is meant for Non Kannada audiences as much as for Kannadigas. 🙂 So feel free to explore and read on… 

South Indian movies have a following of its own. Many people associate South Indian movies to intelligent, one of a kind premise as in Malayalam movies, blockbusters from Tamil cinema or those masala romantic Telugu movies with dance numbers. I don’t want to venture into stereotypes here, but each of those movies have their unique flavor and hence a following of its own. I personally like some of the movies off-late especially concept movies. Here at this juncture, I want to emphasize the way Kannada movies, the Sandalwood industry have reinvented and grown leaps and bounds over the years.

Over the years, after dominated by Kannada cinema’s stalwarts and triumvirate- Dr. Rajkumar, Vishnuvardhan & Ambareesh, Nag brothers- Shankar Nag & Anant Nag, Ravichandran, Ramesh Arvind and other prominent stars, we have new breed of actors & filmmakers who are raising the bar with their exceptional movies. Though I personally don’t like mass movies as such, would like to list some of the movies I have loved over the years watching, re watching, relishing and reliving. 

Lucia(available on JioCinema & MXPlayer) directed & written by brilliant Pawan Kumar is a film about a man suffering with insomnia is tricked into buying a drug and deal with its after effects.Concept and execution of the movie is top notch. And best part, this movie was entirely crowd funded which in itself is a trendsetter for new and young filmmakers to adopt in their films across languages. IMDB Rating 8.3

Ulidavaru Kandante(available on MXPlayer) directed by debutant Rakshith Shetty is about a incident as seen in different perspectives when a journalist tries to uncover the mystery to unravel how their diverse lives are interwined. Dont miss the Tiger dance(a traditional performing art) which is integral part of the narrative.Exceptional movie!! IMDB Rating 8.4

Thithi(available on Netflix) is an unusual story set in remote village in Mandya with events leading to a funeral ceremony of a 100 year old man known as Century Gowda 😉 Best part, none of the cast has acted in a film before, it’s like unraveling of a story told by taking a snapshot of India’s village life-Amazing. IMDB Rating 8.2

Rangi Taranga(available on MXPlayer), a thriller by brilliant Anup Bhandari(director) and Nirup Bhandari(actor) is an outright winner about a series of mysterious events when a novelist and his wife moves back to their ancestral village. Solve the riddle as the story unfolds 🙂 IMDB Rating 8.3

Godhi Banna Sadarana Maikattu(available on Hotstar), a movie by Mr.Hemanth Rao on his directorial debut is about the protagonist Venkob Rao (suffering from Alzheimer’s) played by evergreen Anant Nag, when he goes missing and all hell breaks loose. a heart touching story. IMDB Rating 8.8

Sarkari Hiriya Pratamika Shaale(available on Sun 🌞 TV App), a national award winner is a dream project of Mr. Rishab Shetty who is successful in bringing the innocence of kids(who are the main protagonists and center of all attraction :)) on their struggles to save a Kannada Government school from closure. IMDB Rating 8.6

Kirik Party(available on VOOT app) is about a gang of mischievous students and their daily affairs in an engineering college. If you’re an engineer, I bet you will reminiscence about your own experiences 🙂 IMDB Rating 8.4

Ondu Motteya Kathe(available on YouTube) is about a bald man, his daily struggles who faces stereotyping by the society. Raj Shetty, who plays a Mangalorean introvert is brilliant in portraying this central character. IMDB Rating 8.0

UTurn(available on Netflix) is about a reporter who must hunt for the truth behind a strange murder(at a popular flyover in Bengaluru where traffic rules are usually not followed) and in turn becomes the investigation’s prime suspect. IMDB Rating 7.5

Bell Bottom(available on VOOT) is about a police constable Divakar who gets a chance to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a detective when a mysterious robbery takes place at the local police station. I love detective stories and this was fresh and made an impression 🙂 IMDB Rating 8.5

Kavaludaari(available on Prime) is about 2 Bengaluru cops who investigate an old case. Their search leads to crossroads and would test their resolve and morals. Whodunit!! IMDB Rating 8.0

Pic © Deccan Herald

Avane Srimannarayana(available on Prime) starring Rakshit Shetty is one of a kind, cult classic dubbed as a Southern Odd fiction. It doesn’t fit into a single genre and is a rare treasure which is part comedy,fantasy,drama,classic western with subtle local touch of Indian mythology elements.A well crafted movie with top notch writing, cinematography, direction, background music and off course acting by all ensemble cast lead by brilliant Rakshit Shetty who doesn’t misses a beat. Easily, a well crafted movie(with technical brilliance in each frame) in recent times. IMDB Rating 7.9

P.S: Apart from these movies, there are several more winners. I have listed few ones which I have watched. In these times of lock down and several OTT platforms, it would be nice idea to check these out if haven’t watched yet 🙂 Being a Anant Nag fan, have been watching films like Gouri Ganesha, Ganeshana Maduve et al 🙂

P.P.S: Check out Original Sound Track 🔊 of ASN movie. One of the best ever 🙂 My companion during morning walk these days. Encore 🙂

If you’re interested in VFX, Check this out..

ನಮ್ಮ ಕನ್ನಡ ಚಿತ್ರ, ನಮ್ಮ ಹೆಮ್ಮೆ 🙂

Signing off, Until next time- Relive, Relish & Have Fun 🙂

Filmi Chakkar..

Love movies? A Movie buff? Then this one’s for you 🙂

Films (read Bollywood films) are based out from the society around, our daily lives, varied experiences with different influences. You recently saw a perfectly etched character in a film? You could relate to the last movie you watched? Yes, that answers the question.Whether it’s a science fiction or any imaginary character for that matter, there are some real life influences, a character with some bit of the writer himself. How about the other way around? How about the influences, movies have on our lives. Some influence, if you ask me. So let’s try to explore this and start our Filmi Chakkar, with some dialogue baazi, naach gaana and some acting vecting 🙂

You are having tea in the nearby tapri (tea stall) outside your office and you say to your friend Do dost ek pyale mein chai piyenge. Is se dosti badti hai..

Your mom sounds filmi when she says when you return home after long haul Beta tu aa gaya? Maine tere liye apne haathon se kheer banaya hai..

You believe Cleanliness is next to Godliness. You keep your surroundings clean, meaning you keep your house clean and throw all the waste accumulated from your house into your neighbors place. In one such secret expedition, you get caught red handed when your neighbor angrily says- Mere Angne mein tumhara kya kaam hai ?? 😛

You leave your all important work in your office to attend your friend’s friend uninvited birthday bash and say Hum cake khane ke liye kahin bhi jaa saktey hai..

You are hungry and have ordered your favorite pizza after a long time. Pizza delivery boy looks at the address and reaches you in 30 mins. You live in 21st floor and lift doesn’t seem to work. Delivery boy is like [in Anu Malik’s voice]: Unchi Hai Building..Lift Teri Band Hai..Kaise Main Aau..Dil Rajamand Hai…  You are too hungry to listen to any excuses and blurt out: Aaja Aaja Aaja Meri Pizza Leke Aaja ; Meri Bhook Mitaane Ab To Steps leke aaja..

You work in a software company and after working for 2 years as a fresher, there seems to be no news of any pay hike. You’re like-Mere Khwaabon Mein Jo Aaye; Aake Mujhe Chhed Jaaye, Use Kahon Kabhi Saamne To Aaye..

You are married now and bring lunch box to your office these days. Today, your wife has cooked your favorite bhendi ki sabzi. Though lunch timings is at 1 pm, you get hungry by 12 pm and slowly try to get out of your desk without other’s notice. You successfully get out attracting few glances to the dining area and once you open your dabba to have a first bite, your junior colleague comes out of nowhere and wishes you Good morning Sir.. 

You introduce your fiance to your family & her parents and blurt out of nervousness-This is my mom and my dad. This is your dad and your mom..

Boy loves girl and he is sitting beside her.He reluctantly touches her hand and she hits back funnily saying -Yeh kya hai? Permission leni chahiye. Hum haath rakhne se mana nahin kar rahe hain, lekin permission leni chahiya na? Kisike ghar mey gusne ke pehle, permission lete hein ki nahi?

You are on the verge of studying hard for your engineering exam (meaning you have a paper next day) by checking the syllabus copy and you find your agyakari room mate is revising the topics and you cry out of anger saying- Gyan baatna chahiye re … tu kya apne paas rakhke sadaa-rela hai.. 

You are married and are getting ready to go out with your wife. You are ready in a flash as always and you find yourselves waiting for your wife who is getting ready. You sing a song to pass time Duniya chi pyari tu Aaga naari harnigaa Aaga raani sundaraa..Aali ho aali aali ho aali Aali ali.. when she finally gives you darshan after an hour or so..

Your friend comes first in the class and you say Dost fail ho jaye toh dukh hota hai. Lekin dost first aa jaye toh jyada dukh hota hai..

You are called day in day out to buy a new credit card from a bank. You seem to be interested and postpone the call many times owing to some work and one fine day,relent to their pleading to buy one. Once you ready your documents and sign the form as per their instructions, you hear a song Golmaal Hai Bhai Sab Golmaal Hai 😛

You are hunting for a 3 bhk flat as you have recently shifted to Bengaluru, a IT hub. After much struggle, and seeing many flats, you finally select a flat much to your liking. You have to negotiate the price with your owner and you go to his house which is just besides your own flat. Your owner is bulky, unshaven and if at all he blackens some of his teeth, he will look like Gabbar from Sholay. He lazily is sitting on the couch and once he quotes his price, he asks you a question Kitne aadmi Hai??

You are in gyan giving mode and cry out to your friend- Baabu Mushoy!! Zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahin..

Your parents are looking for a bride for your marriage and you seem to be least interested. You try to convince your parents to give you more time but in vain. Then finally you argue saying Shaadi ke basic concept mein hi jhol hai.

You are a teacher and get your life’s lessons in the most harsh way and thus learn to live your life in the present by saying it to your students-Aaj…Aaj ek hasi aur baant lo. Aaj ek dua aur maang lo. Aaj ek ansoon aur pee lo Aaj ek zindagi aur jee lo. Aaj ek sapna aur dekh lo. Aaj … Kya pata, Kal ho naa ho..

Your girlfriend sounds filmi when she says Mai tumharay bachhe ki maa ban ne waali hoon! and you get a panic attack.

You live your life the way you like to live and sound filmi when you say –Jo Main Bolta Hoon, Woh Main Karta Hoon, Jo Main Nahi Bolta, Woh Main Definitely Karta Hoon!!

One always have a namuna among your friends and you feel like saying Tumhe uthakar museum mein rakhna chahiye, ticket lagni chahiye tumhe dekhne ke liye..

You being a woman want to be a fashion designer and initially your parents don’t approve of your career choice. Then when time is ripe, you discuss it with your father, your best friend with all your passion for your career choice. Then next moment, your father sounds filmi when he says- Simran, Jee le apni zindagi 😛

You seem to be lost in a lesser known town with your wife,when you alighted from the train for tea. You missed the train by a whisker. You find out that next train is only on the following morning. You are very tired and since the whole platform is occupied, you try to find out a cheap hotel for some sleep. Then when u finally find one and deal with the receptionist by saying Bhai sahab, hum room ghante ke hisab se lenge. You find yourself in a awkward situation after the hotelier thinks otherwise. 😛

You sound filmi when in spite of knowing your friends’s name, you ask Tumhara naam kya hai Basanti??

You are Ranchoddaas Shamaldaas Chanchad urf Phunsukh Wangdu. You are like Behati Hawa, Udati Patang, Jo Khud Apani Raah Banaata hai,Girata Sambhalata Masti Mein Chalata Hai,Jo Bas Aaj Ka Jashn Manaata Hai and Har Lamahe Ko Khulake Jita Hai. Be like Rancho 🙂  And when in despair- Honthon ko karke gol, Seeti Baja ke Bol, Aal izz well 🙂

You have to adjust to the power cuts these days quite often and on Wednesdays, it is from 9 am to 5 pm. So your’e fed up as you cannot perform various work without electricity. So when at 5 pm the power does come, you  say Bijliiiiiiiiiiiii like that granny from a village called Charanpur shown in Swades who sees the bulb lit up in her hut for the first time in her life.

You are in first year of your college. Now, you have the right to bunk your classes and you enjoy doing the same in the name of movies, hangouts, chit chat or doing nothing. But you find one class interesting and don’t wanna miss. Even though the subject hardly interests you, the teacher does. You imagine your good looking madam as Sushmita Sen of Main Hoo Na fame and you are like-  Tumhein Jo Maine Dekha, Tumhein Jo Maine Jaana,Jo Hosh Tha, Wo To Gaya,Badan Ki Khushboo, Jagaae Lagi Jaadu,To Hoke Beqabu, Dil Kho Gaya..

You have to acquire your Aadhar card and have to give your personal details to Govt official. You’re like  Vijay Dinanath Chauhan; Poora Naam, Baap Ka Naam Dinanth Chauhan, Maa Ka Naam Suhasini Chauhan, Gaon Mandwa, Umar Chhattis Saal 😛

Tonight petrol prices are increasing by Rs.2. As you get a wind of it, you head to nearest petrol station and as luck would have it, petrol pump seems to be empty. Just when your done, people throng around you for filling their tank too once the news spreads. You think yourselves-Jahan Hum Khade Ho Jaate Hain, Line Wahi Se Shuru Hoti Hai..

You are alcoholic, you drink to breathe and thus cannot live without it. You are Devdas and sound filmi when you say-Babuji ne kaha Gaon chod do. Sab ne kaha Paro ko chod do. Paro ne kaha Sharab chod do.Aaj tumne keh diya haweli chod do.Ek din aayega jab woh kahenge, Duniya hi chod do..

You are frustrated and helpless and venture into alcohol and blurt out the harsh truth-Mera haal na Gupta uncle ke jaise ho gaya hai, Gupta uncle ko na cancer ho gaya hai. unho ne kabhi sharab nai pi, cigarette nai pi, phir bhi cancer ho gaya. Isse accha toh pi lete..

Your dad sounds filmi when he says, Rishte mein toh hum tumhare baap lagte hai naam hai Papa..

You are Mogambo. Whenever Mogambo sees something nice or if he likes any good quality of yours, he appreciates it right away by saying Mogambo Khush huwa. Instead of being jealous, appreciate small things in life. Be like Mogambo. 🙂

You are of marriageable age now and so are your friends. You know that your friend’s parents are looking out a girl for him. From your khoofia network, you get some gossip circulating around and ridicule your friend saying- Tu arranged marriage ke liye gaya aur reject hoke aa gaya..

You are gorging into specially made Gulab jamoon which is just been prepared by your mom and kept in front of you. You are like : Maa kasam, mein ek ek ko chun chun ke khaa lunga 😛

You are Radhe. Radhe sticks to whatever he commits no matter what- Ek bar joh maine Commitment kar di. Uske baad toh main khud ki bhi nahi sunta. Be like Radhe. 😛

A drunkard looking at his desi daaru and sings : Tumhi din chadhe, Tumhi din dhale
Tumhi ho bandhu, sakha tumhi..

Your girlfriend is pissed off with you. She is not happy with you hanging out with your best friend. She has told you to choose between her and your best friend. Now you’re pissed off with her. Your best friend knows all about it and he says-Are usne teri khuddari ko lalkara hai yaar, kya kar raha hai, mard ban, be a man!” 

Talk of love at first sight.  Jab woh ladki saamne aa jaathi hai toh Tumhe lagta hai ki Hawaye chalne lagi hai…..Slow motion mein dupatta udne laga hai….Ya aasman mein Chaand kuch zyada bada hua hai..

Filmein sirf teen cheezo ke wajah se chalti hai – Entertainment, Entertainment, Entertainment.

Hope it was entertaining. Did you encounter any such filmi stories? If yes, Do share it in comments below.

Until next time we meet – Be good, Do good and Keep smiling 🙂

Comedy Time with Harsha

Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious

We all love comedy films,isn’t it? It’s one of my favorite genres among Bollywood films. But all comedy films doesn’t tickle your funny bones. So here’s my compilation of 10 best comedy films(in no particular order). In this list,I have included only those films which I have watched. So let’s get the ball rolling…

1.Golmaal (1979): If you haven’t watched Hrishikesh Mukherjee film,then you are missing something. His film created in simplest way possible had a charm which no film-maker can boast of. Golmaal is a absolute gem. One of those few films which you can watch again and again.

The chemistry between Amol Palekar and Utpal Dutt(at his eesshing best),the protagonists is mind-blowing. These two characters are the pillars of this film well supported by other actors.Amol Palekar switches between the two characters Ram Prasad and Laxman Prasad with ease even though the two are opposite extremes. Utpal Dutt’s character as Bhawani Shankar is mark of a brilliant characterization very well executed by great performance. Bhawani Shankar is a man of traditional values,hates youth who concentrates on “other” things  like sport,music at a working age and one weird trait -he believes a man without moustache is characterless meaning Mooch nahin to saala character dheela hai. Dina Pathak sizzles with her brilliant portrayal as Amol Palekar’s mother.

Some of the dialogues are epic like Ram Prasad when he utters that Kurta to sharir ke uparardh ki lajja nivaran ke liye hota hai to defend his short kurta for the interview or when he says Manushya ko apne adarsh aur moochon ka uchit aadar karna chaiye. Moustache is the mirror of human soul and mind.Mooch to mann ka darpan hai.The Aane wala Pal rendition with Kishore Kumar on vocals strikes the chord perfectly. All in all an out and out entertainer sachhi-moochi.

2. 3 Idiots

This film from one of my current favorite director Rajkumar Hirani is a classic,both commercially and critically acclaimed at the same time. Here script is the winner and there’s never a moment in the film where you feel bored or story is inconsistent.

This film has several moments which makes you laugh your lungs out whether it’s ragging scene or the Chatur aka Omi Vaidya’s address to the college crowd where he tries to impress the principal with his Hindi speech, Rancho’s(played by Aamir) explanation of a machine or the opening scene where Farhan aka Madhavan’s escapes from the boarded flight. Aamir along with all the characters played by Madhavan, Sharman, Boman, Chatur and others have done a commendable job.

The charm of the movie is that it conveys a message without being boring or too preachy. It talks about dysfunctional education system and rise in student’s suicides and addresses the need to aim for excellence by which success will definitely follow.Aal izz well with this movie.

3. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron: It is a satirical take by Kundan Shah on rampant corruption in the society with an impressive ensemble cast comprising of Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Satish Kaushik, Om Puri, Ravi Baswani,Satish Shah and others. For anyone who loves satire, this is a must watch. Even though it didn’t do well when it was released this has become a cult classic because of it’s relevance.

I had heard a lot about this film particularly the climax where Draupadi Cheer Haran i.e. disrobing of Draupadi is being held as part of enactment of Mahabharatha in a play. This scene is one of the best you will ever see. All characters including corpse of Sathish Shah enters the stage one by one along with bewildered and shocked characters of the play. When Draupadi was supposed to come on stage someone pulls off corpse of Sathish Shah  who is covered up on a sari. Duryodhana and Dushasana are upto disrobing Draupadi while Naseer and Ravi are against it because of the consequences they have to mete out. All hell breaks loose as one after another who are chasing this ill fated Naseer and Ravi come onto stage and change the play’s script completely only to the dismay of the play-writer and to give more laughs to the audience. At one moment Draupadi is made to be as Anarkali and a certain Salim is introduced in the play from nowhere. You will only end up saying- Wah!! Kya scene hai…

4. Chupke Chupke: Another classic from Hrishikesh Mukherjee sans Utpal Dutt. This one also features Dharmendra-Amitabh combo released in same year i.e. 1975 as that of more popular Sholay. Dharmendra(as Parimal Tripathi),a botany professor disguises himself as a watchman(to save watchman’s job who has to go to his village on an emergency) to serve a group of college students who are on a excursion. He does really well until Sulekha Chaturvedi played by Sharmila Tagore comes to know of the cover up act and recognizes Parimal. She is charmed by his personality and they both get married.

Sulekha is in awe of her jijaji(played by Om Prakash) and respects him for his intellect and never fails to praise him in front of Parimal. Parimal is fed of all this praise hearing it repeatedly. Upon an opportunity, he being a prankster,decides to disguise himself as her jijaji’s cab driver who is in need of hindi speaking driver. Om Prakash has never seen Parimal in person as he could not attend his marriage and that allows Parimal a perfect opportunity to fool her jijaji by pretending to be a driver and prove he is as good as her jijaji. So here’s goes the plan- Parimal disguises himself to be Pyare Mohan Illahabadi who knows only Hindi as per the requirement. Sulekha will go to her jijaji’s place after some days alone and pretend Parimal is out for work and will join soon. Dharmendra  does really well as Pyare Mohan. He impresses with his driving skills, speaks chaste Hindi and vows to learn English from her jijaji by confusing him by asking Qs like ”Agar ‘do’ du hai, ‘to’ tu hai, toh ‘go’ gu kyun nahin?? Soon Sulekha joins him and they both play prank after prank on the unsuspecting jijaji.

First Sulekha pretends she is not happy with her marriage,then she puts an impression that she is having an affair with Pyaare Mohan and if that is not enough they both bring in Sukumar Sinha played by Amitabh Bachchan, a English professor and Dharmendra’s close friend to play himself as Parimal. Parimal’s another friend P.K.Shrivatsava played by Asrani also joins the act. His sister-in-law Vasudha played by Jaya Bachchan suspects Sukumar’s(disguise of Parimal) infidelity to his wife Sulekha when he tries to get close to her. Sukumar falls in love with Vasudha  revealing his true identity much to her disbelief and tells her all the drama they were carrying out. In the end Dharmendra reveals himself as Parimal Tripathi and when Jijaji comes to comprehend of the whole act he admits he was totally fooled. This comedy of errors,an act of mistaken identity provides you with a hearty laugh throughout the film..

5. Hera Pheri: This is Priyadarshan(The Director) at his very best and Paresh Rawal at his career best. The trio of Akshay Kumar(Raju), Sunil Shetty(Shyam) and Paresh Rawal gives us some uncontrollable laughter throughout the film. Nothing betters the comic timing of the trio especially that of Paresh Rawal who plays character of Babaurao Ganpat Rao Apte with an superlative performance.

Dialogues are of top notch like when Baburao gets frustrated- Utha le re baba,utha le..mereko nahi re ,in dono ko utha le,Agar subah subah toilet jaana hai toh singer banna padega nahin toh 2 km railway patri ke paas while explaining the toilet door(without a latch) to Shyam, When he gets incessant calls,wrong number to be precise –Hello? Kya Deviprasad ghar mein hain. Arey kaun Deviprasad?Arey kay re deva re deva, Devi ka Prasad mandir mein milta hai garage mein nahin.Hello Deviprasad??Jamailaaa. Nahin Deviprasad  nahin hai.Tum kya karoge?? Sir who mera machli ka kya huwa? Aaaa. woh toh mein kha gaya.. Woh mein mast tel mein fry karke kha gaya…or when Tabu enters Baburao’s garage-Utha le babu bhaiyaa utha le..Aise kaise utha lun? Na jaan na pehchaan,kum se kum 40-50 kilo ki hogi,Dhoti dhoti,ladki nahin dhoti..Dekha dekha.. Arey nahin re uske dekne se pehle meine dhoti pehni thi.. and many more

A complete laugh riot to say the least …

6. Chashme Buddoor(1981): This is a romcom pairing Farooq Shaikh and Deepti Naval. This movie is very much likable especially the characters of 3 roommates played by Rakesh Bedi,Ravi Baswani and Farooq Shaikh who plays a studious boy. During their vacation Ravi & Rakesh see a girl (Deepti Naval) in their locality and try to impress her in their own way and fail miserably. However one fine day Deepti visits their room by chance as a salesgirl selling a detergent powder. Both Ravi & Rakesh escape while Farooq confronts Deepti after some hesitation saying he isn’t interested to buy any detergent.

Deepti gives her demonstration of detergent “Chamko”- kapdo ke liye behtareen sabun, baar baar lagataar, Chamko kapdo mein chakachaundh chamak lane ke liye, khushbudaar, jhaagwala Chamko”. This scene forms the highlight of this film blending the innocence of the age and charmness that characterizes this romantic comedy. From here, a love story begins and ends with a spate of kidnapping and hero’s rescue act in the climax. In one word, a charming movie.

7. Lage Raho Munna Bhai: A sequel to another epic film Munnabhai MBBS, this film has managed to capture everyone’s imagination making Gandhigiri popular. Raju Hirani impresses once again. A strong message is delivered without compromising on entertainment(you can find loads and loads of it) and the flow of the story. Aur kya chahiye film mein??

The Munna-Circuit pair sizzles yet again well supported by great performances from Boman Irani, Vidya Balan and other support cast. Apart from the commercial success and critical acclaim this film had a larger impact on society than any other film I can think of.  This film revived an interest in Gandhism under the new term Gandhigiri with people using non violent ways to stage protests, handing out roses to people breaking traffic rules,sending get well soon cards, creating websites and putting on Gandhi topi. This film achieved the distinction of first Hindi film to be shown in UN.“Bande mein tha dum Vande Mataram” rendition by Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal is soothing. Final thoughts: A landmark film!!      

8. Dil Chahtha Hai: A coming of age romantic comedy, nothing is mediocre in this film. Great script, brilliant performances, top notch direction by Farhan Akhtar(never looked like a debut) and awesome music catapulting Shankar Ehsaan Loy to a whole new level altogether.

Aamir’s character of Akaash in a completely different avatar to that of Bhuvan(his character in Lagaan which was released barely months before DCH) is highly commendable, a genius @ work. Sameer played by Saif is lovable and equally good. Akshaye Khanna, an artist, sizzles with his brilliant portrayal of Sid with special mention of his facial expressions which I really liked. One of those films which lightens you up when you’re down.

9. Andaaz Apna Apna: This Amar-Prem Katha featuring Aamir-Salman duo has become a cult classic after being a box office disaster during it’s release.

This film is greatly driven by epic dialogues,brilliant comic timing and superb characters like Mugambo ka Bhatija,Gogo mai baap Jo ankhen nikal ke gotiyaan khelta hai,Humara Bajaj,Dusron ka Game baja daalne wala Teja ,Very Smart Bhalla and his deputy Rabert, apart from Aila!! Amar,Ooi Maa!! Prem, Raveena who plays Karishma and Karishma who plays Raveena.

“Yeh Raat Aur Yeh Doori” by SPB & Asha Bhosle is my favorite track from the album.

10. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara: This is a story of three friends who set off to Spain for a bachelor trip where each friend chooses a sport of his choice for the trio to attempt overcoming their fears. All the actors have done justice to their part fully with great direction from Zoya Akhtar. A complete entertainer whether it’s Abhay Deol’s trick to reveal friend’s unknown secrets, Javed Akhtar’s  poetry, Farhan’s dialogues, Hrithik’s dance moves,Katrina’s charm,SEL music- “Der Lagi Lekin” being my favorite. A feel good movie with a message to live life fully by seizing the moment. A paisa vasool film!!

P.S: The films which I have enjoyed and could not make the cut in this list are BhejaFry, Malamaal Weekly, Pushpak (was not considered as it was basically a silent movie), Amar Akbar Anthony, Haseena Maan Jaayegi and the list goes on…

References: WikiPedia

Andaz Apna Apna

Prologue: One of the cult hits. One of my favorites which I revisit quite often. Reliving the magic with superb dialogues.

Ailaaa!!

Govindaa…

Jamailaa tu kaun??

Khandaani chor hun main, khandaani… Mogambo ka bhateeja GOGO !!

Aankhen nikaal kar gotiya khelunga….

Main Teja hoon kyunki mera naam bhi Teja hain..

Teja Main hoon, Mark Idhar hai.

Kaun sa mark re …. kahe ka mark yaar…

Yeh Teja Teja Kya Hai??? Ye Teja Teja …..??

Ailaa !! Seeta aur Geeta ??!! Seeta aur Geeta nahi be, Raam aur Shaam. Han han wohi wohi

Unkey ek ek sawal hamarey do do jawab.

Sawal Ek Jawab Do. Sawal jawab sawal jawab.

Chupp…….

Jab koi bachcha nahin sota, to uski maa kehti hai ki … soja soja soja nahin toh Gogo aa jayega.

Gogoji mein toh aapke karname bachpan se sunta aara hun… aap to gyani hai, antaryami hai, shaktiman hai, budhiman hai, balki mein to kehta hun aap toh purush hi nahi…Mahapurush hai.. Mahapurush!!

Gogo Sahab, aapka ghaghra.

Yeh pistol khali nahin hai. Dishkaon….

Dhak ki tiki dhak ki tiki dhak ki tiki dhak ki tiki,,,dhaa….isme toh ek hee goli thi!!!

Kyun na hum yeh dhukhan bhej de acche paise milenge. Aainyy! Mera matlab hain un paison se hum log ek chudiyon ke dukhan kharidenge. Chudiyon ke dukhan?? Jee haan.Chudiyon ke dukhan. Zara sochiye sara din sundar sundar chehron ke beech main aur aap,Main betiyon ko chudi pehna raha hun Aap maaon ko chudiyaan pehna rahe hain. Kahin haasi ka jharna,Kahin nazaron ka ladna, Kahin zhulfon ka bhikharna,Kahin aachal ka sarakana. Aaan! Unke komal komal haath aapke moten moten haathon mein Aap pyar se chudiyaan pehna rahe hain woh nazakat se uinya uinya kar rahe hain Aap shararat se aa aa kar rahe hain. Aaaaaa. Babulaal kaha tha baal sambhal ke kata kar..

Uncle aa gaye , Uncle aa gaye. Uncle humne apni jaan par khel ke bachaya hai… aaiye aaiye uncle .. yahaan aage aaiye dandi pe Aaiye dandi pe,haan uncle dandi pe fit aa jayenge dandi pe fit aa jayenge, lekin phir mein chalaunga kaise aap piche baithiye na uski gohd mein baithiye gohd mein, Haan uncle gohdi mein baithiye gohdi mein..Chal Chal niche uttar gohd mein baith..niche uttar godhi wale

Ailaa!!

Juhi Chawla..

Mein bhagwan ko sakshi maankar tumhe tan aur man se swikar karthi hoon.

Mein bhi bhagwan ko sakshi maankar tumhe tan,man aur dhan se swikar karta hoon!

Yeh topi aapne New York se kharidi hai? nahi America se.. accha accha mujhe laga New York se..

Sala circus ka retired bandar lag raha hai.

Sala shakal se to bidi ke kharkhane ka majdoor lagta hain..

Chit aaya to main jeeta aur Pat aaya to tu haara

Chalega kya…kud kud ke chalega kud kud ke

Bhabhi hogi teri aur shadi hogi meri

Ooi ma!!

Happy Budday Robert!! Aapne bataya nahin sir, aaj mera bday hai.

Galti se mistake ho gaya.

Very smart!

Sir, Yeh Vasco da Gama ki Gun hain.

Kiske Mama ki Gun hain??

Tum jo ho woh tum nahi koi aur hai, woh jo hai woh woh nahi koi aur hai, main jo hoon woh main nahi, ya main bhi koi aur hoon? Main kaun hoon?

Main woh bala hoon, joh tum sabko kaccha chaba jaon … aur dhakaar bhi na loon

Mere naye pilan ke mutabik…

Aapka planning galat hai — aapne baap ko kidnap kiya aur betiyoon se paise maange, aapko betiyoon ko kidnap karna chahiye tha aur baap se paise maangne chahiye they

Jhakaaass…shabash cheetey, shabaash…Ab aya he oonth pahaad ke nichey.

Hilna nahin, hilna nahin … nahin toh hila ke rakh doonga.

Arey. Udhar idhar kya dekhte hain. Idhar udhar dekhiye.. Idhar udhar..

Mussal dekha mussal … masal ke rakh doonga

Arey samjhana kya hai kud hi samajdar log hai, tie upar topi neeche. Comment me…