Cinema Scope

The year 2007 can easily be compared to an over-budgeted multi-starrer masala flick with additional glam and spice.

However, it should perhaps be best remembered for the grand promotions, shocking box-office disasters, emergence of sports as a new success-mantra and an encouraging increase in children's films, besides the usual blockbusters, star break-ups and link-ups, and controversies.

We can safely start with the most noted Battle Royale between Shah Rukh Khan's Om Shanti Om and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya. While the films battled each other at the ticket window, the superstar actor and critically acclaimed director of his times fought it out off-screen.

With the promotion costs of both films breaking all the records, this sure has been the most aggressive marketing battle ever in the Bollwyood. Irrespective of who won and who lost, the fight has sure given us all a hint at how cruel the fights would be off and on screen.

Meanwhile, it is OSO that's apparently having the last laugh at the Box Office. But till the film breaks all the revenue records in the coming weeks, it is yet another SRK starrer Shimit Amin-directed Chak De! India that tops the list of the year's blockbusters. It is followed by Mani Ratnam's Guru, David Dhawan's Partner, Sajid Nadiayadwala's Heyy Babyy, Priyadarshan's Bhool Bhulaiya.

Among other successful films include Dhamaal, Life in a Metro, Shootout at Lokhandwala, Namastey London, Aap Ka Surroor. The movies and others. Here Sagar Bellary's Bheja Fry needs a special mention. Just like last year's Khosla Ka Khosla this film was the underdog of the year. Made at a budget of about 50 lakhs the film went and made over six crores!

Not only successful films but sometimes even flops become unforgettable. And this time it came from none-other-than the movie maverick Ram Gopal Varma. It's was his take on 70's classic film  Sholay. Among other notable duds included Vidhu Vinod Chopa directed film Eklayva- The Royal Guard (which could not match up to the success of last year's Lage Raho Munna Bhai that he produced), Milan Lutharia's Hattrick!, Jagmohan Mundra's Provoked, Goutam Ghose's Yatra, and Salman Khan's much-hyped semi Hollywood flick Marigold -An Adventure in India.

Then, it was Shaad Ali Sehgal who got unlucky with his third film. After the hugely successful films Saathiya and Bunty aur Bubli, his multistarrer musical Jhoom Barabar Jhoom that went doom at the Box Office.

Moreover, it was one of the three most disappointing films from Yash Raj banner this year. Despite having one of the biggest hits of the year - Chak De! to their credit, it suffered shocks through dismal performances of their other films also like Siddharth Anand's Ta Ra Rum Pum, Pradeep Sarkar's Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and Madhuri Dixit's comeback flick Aaja Nachle.

Meanwhile, there were film that were broke the mould and brought something new for the audience. Like Rahul Dholakia's national award Parzania that brought alive the pain of post-Godhra riots through the story of a Parasi family. Anurag Kashyap finally made his debut with his recreation of 1993 Mumbai bomb blast. Meera Nair's adaptaion of Jhumpa Lahiri's novel The Namesake, by the same, talked about a US-based Bengali family trying to find its roots.

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Anurag Basu's Life in a... Metro successfully explored the unfulfilled desires and relationships of people living in Metros. And Chak De! India not only gave Bollywood its biggest success of the year, but a new lease of life to our national sport Hockey and perhaps the second best performance by Shah Rukh Khan after Swades.

Other remarkable films include Deepa Mehta's Water which was Canada's official's entry to the Oscars; Cheeni Kum which showed an elderly Amitabh Bachchan romancing a younger girl Tabu, Imitiaaz Ali's Jab We Met which brought on-screen romance in demand once more.

2007 also saw Bollywood churning out perhaps the most number of children's film ever and with some having big names behind them. Some of them are Vishal Bharadwaj's Blue Umbrella, Sameer Karnuik's Bobby Deol starrer Nanhe Jaisalmer, Apna Asmaan and Aamir Khan's directorial venture Taare Zameen Par. Moreover there are three animation as well like Bal Ganesh, My Friend Ganesha and Hanuman returns.

How can cinema world be with out gossips and controversies? Sure there were many this year too but unboubtedly Saif Ali Khan takes the cake this year. After his separation with his wife Amrita Singh, he dated Italian wannabe model Rosa who dumped him few months later. That sure made news but what made headlines was he was allegedly stealing Kareena from Shahid, and his reported admission of an affair with her. Another star(s) in news were Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya.

They certainly made news when they got married but made even more news as they made endless rounds to various places of worship across the country.

Other 'popular' controversies were: Amitabh landing in trouble over agricultural land in Barabanki (Uttar Pradesh) and 'UP Mein Jurm Kam Hai' advertisement for Samajwadi Party; the family feud between Aaamir Khan and his father Tahir Husain and brother Faisal; Sanjay Dutt's conviction; Salmaan Khan's journey to Jodhpur jail in chinkara poaching case.