The year 2008 was a remarkable year with many, many great movies coming out. Bollywood filmmakers produced and directed assorted genres and brought out stories that struck a chord with the audiences.
From musicals to questionable subjects and parodies to light-hearted romantic comedies, 2008 produced various Hindi films in the cinematic world and the vast majority of them turned into money spinners.
The year can be perfectly termed as the "Year of Filmaholics" with some super hit releases like Jodhaa Akbar, Rock On!!, Fashion and many more. Here's a rundown of best Hindi motion pictures that are turning 10 this year.
Jodhaa Akbar
A historical period drama, co-produced by UTV and the director, Ashutosh Gowariker, Jodhaa Akbar was a tale of the great Mughal ruler Jalaluddin Muhammed Akbar, who won against the Rajput ruler and later on agreed to marry the princess Jodhaa Bai to form a strong political bond with the Rajputs. The story mainly focusses on the love angle of the king and his new bride as the latter banishes his every move. Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s chemistry was extensively appreciated. The movie is about Islamic Extremism. The film initially ran into trouble when a section of the Rajput community banned it in Rajasthan. But luckily the overseas market saved the film. On Feb19, 2018 the team behind this grand spectacle even came together to celebrate the occasion.
Race
This Abbas Mustan thriller movie was a complete masala package and boasted jam-packed cast- Saif Ali Khan, Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu, Katrina Kaif and Sameera Reddy. It was an entertaining movie which explored themes like sibling rivalry, betrayal and passion. This movie became the fourth highest grossing Bollywood film of 2008. Their movie told the tale of two half-brothers, who eye each other’s inheritance left by their late father, secretly hoping to betray and subsequently get rid of the other to have all the money for himself. The film managed to keep the audience's attention glued to the screen. A sequel, Race 2, came out in 2013 to additional success; a second sequel, Race 3, was then released in 2018.
Sarkar Raj
This movie was a much awaited sequel to the much-admired hit film Sarkar by Ram Gopal Varma. This movie was the first film starring the whole Bachchan clan in one movie, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, post Aishwarya and Abhishek's marriage. The vividness of the story lies in the inner confusion of Subhash, brilliantly played by Amitabh. Believe it! It is one of his best performances. One-liners from this political thriller gives the essential weight to the dialogues, which Verma infuses into it. Abhishek says, "Ye project hamare rajya ko asman per pahuncha dega (This project will make our state touch the sky)," to which an impartial Amitabh counters, "Janta zameen per rehti hai… asman per nahin (Public lives on earth, not on the sky)."
Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na
Written and directed by Abbas Tyrewala, Jaane Tu.... Ya Jaane Na is a cult romantic comedy, starring Imran Khan and Genelia D'Souza as main leads. This movie is produced by Mansoor Khan and Aamir Khan, and is special because it marks the directional debut of Abbas Tyrewala, the debut of Imran Khan (Aamir Khan's nephew) and Prateik Babbar as actors, and the re-appearance of D'Souza in Hindi cinema. This story is about two best friends being convinced that they are not in love, and who then search for each other's love. The movie critics were in awe of this film because of its unexpected twists and turns. This blockbuster weaves in a lot of emotions, from friendship and love to insecurity.
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
The Shah Rukh Khan-starrer directed by Aditya Chopra, launched Anushka Sharma in Bollywood and the strong-willed youngster with her easy acting became a leading lady of the silver screen. It was written and directed by Aditya Chopra and produced by Yash Chopra and Aditya Chopra under the banner Yash Raj Films. When a lady’s husband-to-be dumped her on the day of the wedding, her father forced her to tie the knot with a simpleton to save the reputation of their family. While the girl had hoped for a flamboyant life partner, all she got was a boring government employee who actually put in a lot of efforts to save their marriage. This movie had a strong message that being 'ordinary' is cool.
Rock On
Rock on was well received by a number of critics. It is that rarest of the films where every component, character and scene falls into place with flowing ease. The film marked the Bollywood debut of Farhan Akhtar and Prachi Desai. This outstanding release won seven Filmfare Awards. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy broke the established mental block that Bollywood had about rock music. Its music album caught on like wild fire as well. A sequel, Rock On 2 also came out in 2016
Aamir
A psychological crime thriller, Aamir was a take on radical religious extremists, who try to rope in an innocent NRI, returning home for a vacation, to help implement their bombing plans. Raj Kumar Gupta’s movie had fine acting talent and a tightly woven script with a different approach which was critically praised and commercially accepted.
Ghajini
An action-thriller for which Aamir Khan underwent a huge body transformation to play a business tycoon, this movie offers bucketful of entertainment but isn’t that great a movie. However, Aamir Khan’s and cast’s acting was praised by everyone. This film marked the Bollywood debut for southern actress Asin.
Dostana
This story of two desi Miami men Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham, took a dig at gay relationships in a funny way. The rom-com is a story of two men who pretend to be gay to share an apartment with a girl; but eventually, both fall in love with her. The chemistry between its three leads and its music, costumes and style were the main attractions. India's complicated attitude to gayness finally has its cinematic manifestation in Dostana.
A Wednesday!
Written and directed by Neeraj Pandey, A Wednesday! is a thriller starring Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher. With this sleeper hit, audiences could easily relate to the angst and frustration that a common Indian man deals with. It's a film whose charm lies in its unraveling. Despite its low promotion, it was a box office success due to critical acclaim and positive word-of-mouth. This film won a number of awards including the Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director at the 56th National Film Awards.
Singh Is Kinng
This Indian action comedy film, starring Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif in lead roles was a super hit because of its mind boggling songs. The video of the song Bas Ek King was played for weeks on cable channels. Music album of this film was a treat to the ears. Shreya Ghoshal, who sang the song Teri Ore, won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer and the IIFA Award for Best Female Playback. A sequel to the film is at present under development. The sequel is titled Sher Singh and will star Ranveer Singh in lead role.
Fashion
Priyanka Chopra as Meghna Mathur is an aspiring fashion model who transforms from a small-town girl to a supermodel. This film explores female power in Indian fashion industry. The film also has Kangana Ranaut, Mughda Godse, Arjan Bajwa and Arbaaz Khan in supporting roles. The film is more about the story of models, designers and people. And it is on aspects like the personal story, the individual story, their ups and downs, and their journey which was the main highlights. Fashion's soundtrack received favourable reviews from critics.
Golmaal Returns
Directed by none other than Rohit Shetty, this film is the sequel to the 2006 film Golmaal: Fun Unlimited. The film received mixed reviews from critics upon release. Dumb scenes got dumber! Ajay Devgn, Tusshar Kapoor and Arshad Warsi were seen reprising their roles, while Shreyas Talpade replaced the role originally played by Sharman Joshi. The film was a hit at box office and the total gross of film was ₹1.08 billion. This film's soundtrack album was the year's tenth highest-selling.
Bachna Ae Haseeno
The eighth-highest grossing movie of 2008, Bachna Ae Haseeno is an Indian romantic drama starring Ranbir Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Deepika Padukone and Minissha Lamba. Bachna Ae Haseeno is about an easy-going Casanova character who, in simple terms, ditches two girls and is dumped by the third. Characteristically the story is periodic in format and spread over a time span to pass off as distinct flirtatious flings in the life of the guy at different instances of his teenage years. This movie is very predictable with no actual ‘climax’ scene. Vishal-Shekhar’s music has the energetic spunk to hold up the story.
Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!
This black comedy film stars actors Abhay Deol, Paresh Rawal, Neetu Chandra, Manu Rishi, Richa Chaddha, Manjot Singh and Archana Puran Singh. The film won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film. This movie make the audience feel just like the hero. A boy from a poor, dysfunctional family from West Delhi grows up to become a charming and fearless man who robs the elite of several major cities in India in a very unique fashion, often not out of necessity, but just for fun. Leaving the beginning-middle-end story pattern aside, Oye Lucky.. is more a sneak peek into the Delhi characters' lives, and into their complex bitter-sweet relationships.
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