These five films should have been hits, says Shradha Sukumaran
These five films should have been hits, says Shradha Sukumaran
Critics are paid to have an opinion, but this is the one opinion that they're almost never asked - about a film's fate at the box office. Once they see a movie, their review of it is out and it's up to the public now to decide whether to go by that critique or to ignore it.
But since we're the audience too, we love to see the films that touched us, work its magic on millions. Five films from the past five years that should have been hits - that's a piece of cake for any critic to write about. Hell, we can give you a longer list of films that should have sunk with the Titanic to the bottom of the ocean, but ended up becoming unholy hits.
But that's another story.u00a0
Here then is my take on identifying my top five films in the last five years (2004-2009) that should have fared better at the box office.
Omkara: It was lyrical, it was earthy, it was dark and it was Shakespeare. But it was set in the badlands of Uttar Pradesh and had stunning performances from its cast - right from Deepak Dobriyal, Naseeruddin Shah, Vivek Oberoi and Kareena Kapoor, to Ajay Devgan and Konkana Sensharma and the seductively evil Saif Ali Khan as Langda Tyagi. Vishal Bhardwaj rocked this Othello, lacing the story with evocative music. Look at how Langda watches Omi crown Keshu his successor, then as he limps across to announce the news to the cheering crowds. Omkara is a movie filled with shifting emotions.
Swades: Ashutosh Gowariker's follow-up to Lagaan didn't give you a cinematic rush to the head. But Swades was so full of conviction, it quietly mesmerized you. It was the NRI dream turned on its head, it captured little village idiosyncrasies and had the noble thought of giving back. Most of all, Swades beckoned because of Mohan Bhargav - Shah Rukh Khan played him with a strong dignity and personality. Swades was cinema with meaning, which could perhaps have done with a tighter edit, but who can forget that magnetic dhoti-reversal scene? 
Yuva: A comment on the youth and the importance of them having their say in the way India is run, Yuva was compared to Amores Perros as its three stories too criss-crossed with each other. But Mani Ratnam kept the drama high and the performances tight as all three men ran into a collision course. It was engrossing, fun (the lovely Khuda Hafiz song) and thought-provoking in equal turns. Most of all, Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukherji struck sparks off each other as an unforgettable cinematic couple.u00a0 
Luck By Chance: Right from its delicate opening credits, Zoya Akhtar introduced you to a world she knew so well. Through the film industry, Luck By Chance spoke of success and failure, but more about how to make the best of your choices. Through stars, directors, starlets and producers, Akhtar showed the way of the world, yet clung to hope. Ironically, a film that spoke so eloquently on hits and flops, wasn't accepted wholeheartedly. Luck By Chance is a film full of subtleties -- its characters from the hilarious Romi Rolly to the bittersweet couple Vikram and Sona stayed with you long after you left the cinema.
Ek Chalis Ki Last Local: Here's my oddball pick, chosen for being a wacky, interesting, wildly funny ride. Ek Chalis Ki Last Local was darkly comical and such a surprise - it's a favourite with cinephiles today for its Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels-style racy humour. A bold effort about a call center employee who misses the last train home and has the wildest night of his life, Ek Chalis had you laughing at several spots, during its gripping card game or as Abhay Deol lay tied to the bed in his tighty whities, helpless before a gay mafia don. It's a blast and director Sanjay Khanduri needs to come up with his next. Fast!
More films that deserved a larger audience
Parzania (Rahul Dholakia), Welcome To Sajjanpur (Shyam Benegal), Socha Na Tha (Imtiaz Ali), Mithya (Rajat Kapoor), Oye Lucky Lucky Oye (Dibakar Banerjee), Johnny Gadaar (Sriram Raghavan), Black Friday (Anurag Kashyap), Aamir (Rajkumar Gupta), Loins Of Punjab Presents (Manish Acharya), Gulal (Anurag Kashyap), Little Zizou (Sooni Taraporevala), The President Is Coming (Kunal Roy Kapoor)
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