Let me have pleasure to add more to the list of both independent Bollywood (And no, I am not a ‘Dhoti’, I am more Nepalese than you are, it is just that I prefer Aamir Khan to Rajesh Hamal and Hemant Kumar to Sabin Rai, it is about choice, not about patriotism) and Hollywood movies in recent times. You could call me cine-agnostic since I always tend to deviate from mainstream cinemas.Here they are:
Bollywood-
1. Dev D - Someone mentioned it above, most find it mundane, but good movie is not just about good screenplay.
2. Gulaal - It involves a saga of the uprising outfit of pro-monarch descendants in Rajasthan and the bitter politics within.
3. Omkara - A Bollywood depiction of Othello, it is one of the best movies I have come across in last few years.
4. Wednesday - But of course!
5. Welcome to Sajjanpur – A comedy with Bihari/Southern UP/Northern MP backdrop. The dialogues are mirthful, acting well above average, and the dialects too indigenous to ignore.
6. Johnny Gaddar – A dark character’ed’ protagonist in Neil Mukesh was highly successful in wooing the media and critics. It is a nail biting thriller which ends ironically. A must watch!
7. Oye Lucky Lucky Oye – Abhay Deol is a marvel, the storyline is refreshing. It also establishes an often overlooked fact that thieves still thrive in Indian subcontinent. Go watch, you could make a career out of it.
8. Dor – Story about two women grappling with oddities of life. Gul Panag should have won an oscar.
Although Taare Zameen Par, Life in a Metro and other similar movies are worth viewing, I put them in a category of mainstream cinema because of their much hyped publicity prior to release.
Hollywood-
1. Frozen River – A blue collar woman and an Indian mother collaborate to smuggle immigrants from Canada, to meet their own needs.
2.The visitor - Story about skewed immigration regulations in United States, which supports DV lottery, yet deports good Samaritans.
3.Sunshine Express – I was in tears when Amy Adams was denied Oscar earlier this year, not for this movie. (it was ‘Doubt’) .The academy went for a less than mediocre actress Penelope Cruz (90 percent people from our part of the world thinks she is an awesome actress, she is not, she is just seductive to be mistaken for). Awards are political these days.
