As people begin to flip the calender, looking forward to 2014 with eagerness, I reflect upon the year that has gone by. Many movies were released, records established and those very records broken. The biggest stars in the country made the cash registers ring but left a sense of longing within; those movies could have been so much more. But, we can still commend those films which left a mark, which will be revisited in the future as the elite flicks of 2013. Here is my list of favorite performances, songs and films from 2013.
Best Music – nominations
1) Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani – Pritam
2) Aashiqui 2 – Mithoon, Jeet Ganguly, Ankit Tiwari
3) Shuddh Desi Romance – Sachin – Jigar
4) David – Various artists
5) R.. Rajkumar – Pritam
And the award goes to… Pritam for Yeh Jawaani Hain Deewani.
The album had a fine mix of songs for every mood. From romantic tracks to party numbers and even a foot-tapping item song, Pritam covered the entire spectrum of plausible genres in Hindi film music and did a fine job while doing so.
Best song – nominations
1) Ghum Hue – Siddarth Basrur (David)
2) Sunn Raha Hain Na Tu – Ankit Tiwari/Shreya Ghoshal (Aashiqui 2)
3) Gulabi – Jigar Saraiya & Priya Saraiya (Shuddh Desi Romance)
4) Judai – Falak Shabbir (I Love NY)
5) Tum Hi Ho – Arijit Singh (Aashiqui 2)
And the award goes to… Falak Shabbir for Judai.
Touted as the record-breaking single for Jannat 2, the song was used in the Sunny Deol – Kangana Ranaut starrer ‘I Love New York’. Soul-stirring by nature and filled with melancholy, I cannot remember another song which was awaited with as much anticipation.
Best actress – nominations
1) Nimrat Kaur – The Lunchbox
2) Sonakshi Sinha – Lootera
3) Deepika Padukone – Chennai Express
4) Pariniti Chopra – Shuddh Desi Romance
5) Deepika Padukone – Ram Leela
And the award goes to… Deepika Padukone for Chennai Express.
Very rarely does an actress emerge from a film as the highlight when cast opposite Shah Rukh Khan. Deepika’s performance of a typecast Tamilian girl was terrific by all accounts, leaving the great Khan submerged in the shadows.
Best actor – nominations
1) Akshay Kumar – Special 26
2) Arjun Rampal – D-Day
3) Dhanush – Raanjhana
4) Ranveer Singh – Lootera
5) Irrfan Khan – The Lunchbox.
And the award goes to… Dhanush for Raanjhana.
He took the nation by storm with his portrayal of Kundan Shankar in Anaand L Rai’s Raanjhana. His willful yielding of control to the deliberately manipulative Sonam was scintillating to say the least. Kundan was sincere, charming and forlorn, swapping seamlessly between these throughout the film.
Best director – nominations
1) Ritesh Batra – The Lunchbox
2) Abhishek Kapoor – Kai Po Che
3) Vikramaditya Motwane – Lootera
4) Nikhil Advani – D-Day
5) Shoojit Sircar – Madras Cafe
And the award goes to… Vikramaditya Motwane for Lootera.
Canvassing 1950’s West Bengal aesthetically, Motwane splendidly evoked career-defining performances from his leads. Set at a languid pace, Lootera unveiled gradually making every moment particularly delicious.
Best movie – nominations
1) Special 26
2) Kai Po Che
3) Lootera
4) D-Day
5) The Lunchbox
And the award goes to… D-Day.
Nikhil Advani redefined espionage in Hindi cinema and dared beyond wits with its premise. The cast was somberly fantastic and enthralled with stimulating performances. The story and depiction was so powerful, that it brought about the best in actors such as Arjun Rampal and Shruti Hassan, who more often than not merely walk through their roles. The stand-out performance surely came from Rishi Kapoor, who gave us the best impersonation of Dawood Ibrahim till date.
That’s all for now. As Ranbir Kapoor famously says, “See you at the movies!”
Follow Rajath Kumar on twitter @rajathkumar
Movies and Me; The Love Affair 