2005 was a significant year in Hindi cinema, with a perfect collage of mainstream and midstream films of varying patterns. For varying reasons, these 12 films are still fresh in memory two decades down. Incidentally, it was Abhishek Bachchan’s first and most happening year.
Aashique Banaya Aapne / Director: Aditya Dhar
This low-budget thriller featuring Emraan Hashmi and Tanushree Dutta with Sonu Sood became a surprise hit. The main reason for its success was the unprecedented reception to its music, with Himesh Reshammiya turning singer with a vengeance. By 2006, Himesh had become a star-package of singer-composer and in 2007, he even faced the screen.
Black / Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s first hit with protagonists who were physically challenged—neither Khamoshi—The Musical nor Guzaarish afterwards did well. Inspired by the life of the evergreen Helen Keller, the film had outstanding performances by Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukerji. For a Bhansali film, there was a surprise: the film was songless! It remained one of the only 7 films until 2010 that was a hit minus any songs.
Bluffmaster! / Rohan Sippy
Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Nana Patekar and Riteish Deshmukh starred in this crisp crackerjack thriller tinged with sharp humour. Abhishek even made a smash-hit singing debut in ‘Right here right now’ with Sunidhi Chauhan. And for the first time in a Hindi movie, three classic songs, not one, were re-created or sampled: ‘Na biwi na baccha’ (Sabse Bada Rupaiya), ‘Tadbeer se bugdi hui’ (Baazi) and ‘Do aur do paanch’ from the film of that name.
Dus / Anubhav Sinha
A blue-chip espionage drama with an ensemble cast and superb suspense, the film has few equals in that genre even now. In the lead cast of eight actors, supporting actors Pankaj Kapur and Ninad Kamat stole the show.
Iqbal / Nagesh Kukunoor
Producer Subhash Ghai decided to encourage talented filmmakers like Nagesh Kukunoor, whose sensibilities were markedly different from his own. The story of a young village boy who dares to dream lofty in playing cricket for India, this was a film that had you by the emotional plexus, thanks to its direction, script and the performances of Naseeruddin Shah, Shweta Basu Prasad and a debut-making Shreyas Talpade, all of whom, along with the film itself, bagged National and popular awards.
No Entry / Anees Bazmee
The gold standard now for adult-themed comedies that can yet be enjoyed by families together, No Entry remains the ultimate laugh-a-minute entertainer that can be watched and re-watched. Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Fardeen Khan, Bipasha Basu, Lara Dutta and everyone else were splendid in the movie, and writer-director Anees Bazmee achieved the impossible: making a remake that was leagues ahead of the original Tamil film and itself inspired remakes in multiple languages.
Page 3 / Madhur Bhandarkar
A biting satire on the Page 3 culture, this classic drama hit home at several social evils with trenchant force. The music was a highlight, and in a pioneering moment, Asha Bhosle recorded her song, ‘Huzoor-e-aala’ from the US, while its composer, Shamir Tandon, was in India! The film won three National awards, including for Best Film and Best Screenplay.
Paheli / Amol Palekar
Based on the Rajasthani short story, Duvidha, written by Vijayadan Detha in the 8th century, this comedy did not do so well in India but fared better abroad, as many Shah Rukh Khan films tended to do so in these years. The ensemble-cast hard-hitting social had brilliant music (M.M. Kreem a.k.a. M.M. Keeravani, now an Oscar-winning composer) and was a fantasy triangular romance between a simple woman, her negligent husband and a loving ghost who is the husband’s doppleganger. It was sent for the Best Foreign Film category at the Oscars.
Parineeta / Pradeep Sarkar
Ad filmmaker Pradeep Sarkar made an interesting adaptation of the time-tested Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay Bengali novella of the same name. Produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and starring Saif Ali Khan, Vidya Balan (in a terrific big-screen debut) and Sanjay Dutt in the main roles, this romantic musical was a moderate success but is remembered for its songs (Shantanu Moitra) and cute quotient even now.
Sarkar / Ram Gopal Varma
Inspired both by the life and times of Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray and by Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, this film was noted for subsequent sequels that went nowhere—Sarkar Raj (2008) and Sarkar 3 (2017) in later years. The beginning of a fairly long association between filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma and Amitabh Bachchan, it won Abhishek Bachchan three different Best Supporting Actor awards.
Other films that did well and have a fan following include Bunty Aur Babli, Garam Masala, Kyaa Kool Hain Hum, Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya, Salaam Namaste, Waqt—The Race Against Time and Zeher. Hanuman was the first animation film to become a major hit in the 1990s-to-millennium phase, while Socha Na Tha, a flop then, has since become a cult classic.
Significant talents introduced in 2005:
Filmmakers: Pradeep Sarkar (Parineeta), Imtiaz Ali (Socha Na Tha), Shaad Ali (Bunty Aur Babli), Siddharth Anand (Salaam Namaste) & Mohit Suri (Zeher, Kalyug).
Actors & Actresses: Vidya Balan (Parineeta), Shreyas Talpade (Iqbal) & Abhay Deol (Socha Na Tha).
The post From Black to Sarkar to Parineeta: 12 memorable films from 20 years ago appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.
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