Top 10 Anticipated Hollywood Movies Of 2016

2016 is officially here my friends, and it's a great time to be a movie fan.
And to all those comic book geeks out there, this year is paradise.
Not one, not two but EIGHT freaking superhero movies scheduled in this year, awesome.
To all those folks out there who are not into the superhero genre, I am sure some splendid masterclasses are waiting for you out there, so nothing to feel down about.
For me, I am getting Superman, Batman, Spiderman, The Avengers, WonderWomen, Doctor Strange, X-Men, all in the same in year, I'm already breathless.
And to add to that, we have some of our most beloved animation movies in slate. I don't want to spoil too much in this preview, so just go through the list. Feel free to add in any movies I may have missed that you thing should be included in this list.

Honorable Mentions :

• Suicide Squad (The DC super villains team up and the return of Joker)
• Hail Caesar! (The Coen Brother's next movie)
• Alice Through the Looking Glass (Sequel to Alice In Wonderland starring Johnny Depp)
• Independence Day - Resurgence (Sequel to the 1996 movie - Independence Day)
• The BFG (Steven Spielberg's next movie)
• Knight Of Cups (starring Christian Bale & Cate Blanchett)
• Snowden (Biography of Edward Snowden directed by Oliver Stone)
• The Conjuring 2 (Sequel to the 2013 movie - The Conjuring) 
• Star Trek Beyond (The sequel to the 2013 movie - Star Trek Into Darkness)
• Bourne 5 (Jason Bourne back in action)
• Gambit (Another X-Men anti-hero and fan favorite getting his solo movie)
• Inferno (Based on Dan Brown's Inferno starring Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon)
• Star Wars - Rogue One (sequel to the 2015 smash hit Star Wars- The Force Awakens)

10. Deadpool

Merc with the mouth get's his official space in the Superhero Club of the Silver Screen, and I am already sold by the trailers and the awesome viral campaigning. Deadpool is a Rated R character, he is violent, brutal, consistently breaks the fourth wall and he is so funny! He is one of the most powerful X-Men, practically immortal because of his accelerated healing abilities and is a deadly assassin. In one particular comic book story-line, he killed the entire Marvel Universe, that's how powerful he is. This movie is the Origin Story of how Wade Wilson becomes Deadpool, and we have the X-Men Colossus,  Negasonic Teenage Warhead and the baddies Ajax and Angel Dust sharing the fun ride of graphic violence. I am pleased with the fact that Fox Studio has gone for a Rated R and not a PG movie. Deadpool is not a superhero, he is an antihero! Deadpool is not for kids, and this is not a movie for kids! I am not sure how this movie is going to pan out, but I sure hope that it does great, because then it opens up the possibility of Marvel and DC to experiment in the Rated R genre, which would give fans like me some more kick ass movies to chew on. Deadpool is awesome, and I am so eager to check out this movie. Deadpool is scheduled to releases in theaters on February 12, 2016. 

9. Assassin's Creed

All the Gamer's out there , this is your moment to cherish! One of Ubisoft's most popular gaming franchise - Assassin's Creed is coming to the silver screen. With the past history of movies based on Games being nothing more than terrible, I was a skeptic right at the onset when I heard about this movie. In fact I never bought into the idea of this movie as I am a big fan of the Assassin's Creed games and I didn't want another pathetic experience of something I love. That being said, why I am so invested in this movie now? Well, the answer is Michael Fassbender. The moment Fassbender was aboard, I am sold with the idea of this Assassin's Creed movie with him playing the lead role as Callum Lynch, the descended of a secret Assassin's society who unlocks his genetic memories which allows him to relive the adventures of his ancestor, Aguilar, in 15th century Spain; and after gaining the skills of Master Assassin, he would take on the oppressive Knights Templar in the present day. 
Draw the arrow in the bow and let the sword fights begin. Assassin's Creed is scheduled to hit the theater on December 21, 2016

8. Kungfu Panda 3

Po is back....!
And this time he reunites with  his Dad and finds himself in a society of panda's where he just doesn't fit in. The trailer is so funny, and I expect the movie to be fun and humorous. This is the third movie in the Kungfu Panda trilogy. Both the first two movies were great and I have high hopes for this one as well. So are you ready for some more kungfu? Kungfu Panda hits the theater very soon - January 29, 2016

7. Finding Dory
 

It's been 13 years  since Pixar's Finding Nemo flashed on the silver screen taking us on an unexpected fun-filled journey. In that film, Marlin, the father of Nemo meets Dory, an optimistic and altruistic regal blue tang fish with short term memory loss, who helps Marlin on his journey to find and bring back his son. Dory was one of my favorite characters in that film. Now it's time for her to get her own movie. Finding Dory is the sequel to Finding Nemo and being a Pixar movie, we can expect it to a fun filled experience. Finding Nemo has achieved cult status, it's yet to be seen how well Finding Dory does. Well, I am sure to be there in the movie hall when it releases on June 17, 2016

6. Ice Age - Collision Course 

Another of my favorite franchise coming up in this year with it's latest installment. Ice Age - Collision Course is the fifth movie in the Ice Age franchise. I just loved the previous four movies. This dude in the picture (Scrat) is one of the funniest characters I have seen in movies, and he is not even a part of the main cast; but his actions set's into motion events that throws our heroes Manny, Diego and Sid in the most humorous adventures possible. 2016 is surely going to spoil us movie buffs. Fasten your seat-belts for the Ice Age ride that starts on July 22, 2016 


5. X Men - Apocalypse

Apocalypse - in a movie, wow..!!!
The reboot of the XMen Franchise has been going great guns with XMen -First Class and XMen - Days Of Future Past both turning out to be fantastic. I still remember sitting through the Days Of Future Past end credits to find out the blue skinny dude telekinetically building the pyramids with the Egyptians bowing down chanting his name - En Sabah Nur; and the camera slowly turned towards his face and in the background was the Four Horsemen Of Apocalypse. Man..I had goosebumps! Apocalypse is the first and the most powerful mutant on Earth, he is immortal and the primary antagonist of X-Men. Apocalypse has the Four Horsemen (each symbolically representing Death, Famine, Pestilence and War respectively) to do his bidding. Each of the Four Horsemen are powerful mutants genetically altered and mentally conditioned to server him. In this movie, it looks like Psylocke, Storm, Archangel and Magneto would be the Four Horsemen. All the popular mutants of the original X-Men trilogy like Jean Grey, Cyclops, Nighcrawler comes back in this movie as thier younger self with the addition of Jubilee making her debut in the movies; who with their mentor Professor X and Mystic team up to oppose this immensely powerful mutant and his followers. I love this new X-Men reboot and I still can't believe I will get to see Apocalypse in the silver screen! Can't wait for May 27, 2016

4. Doctor Strange

Ladies and Gentleman, if you don't know who Doctor Stephen Vincent Strange is - then let me introduce you to Marvel's Sorcerer Supreme. Stephen Strange was an egoistic but brilliant neurosurgeon till he met with and accident that left his hands irreparably damaged and his career as a surgeon over. Distraught by this, Stephen Strange journeyed to the Himalaya's to find a cure where he was given sanctuary by a hermit called the Ancient One who at that time was the earth's Sorcerer Supreme. He taught the doctor the mystical arts and passed on the mantle of the Sorcerer Supreme at the time of his death to Stephen. Armed with the Cloak of Leviathan, The Eye Of Agamotto and the Book Of Vishanti; Stephen Strange returned to Greenwitch village and sets up his residence Sanctum Sanctorum donning the iconic red cloak as Doctor Strange. 
Doctor Strange is probably among the most powerful Marvel Superheros. His power includes astral projection, telepathy, hypnotism, powerful magical spells; he can alter time, journey to other dimensions, manipulate the ambient mystical energy of the universe. In reality, there is no limit to his powers. Also, he is a major player in the Marvel's Infinity Gauntlet story-line which the current Marvel Movie franchise is following. It is speculated that the possibility of another Infinity Gem showing up in this movie is very high, specially the time gem as Doctor Strange has time manipulating power. Irrespective of that, Marvel's first foray in to the world of magic and mysticism surely has us fan's going crazy in anticipation. And then to top that, who else but Benedict Cumberbatch playing the titular role of Doctor Strange. He fits perfectly, he looks just like Doctor Strange and he is a brilliant actor - cudos to Kevin Feige for bringing him on board for this film. It's time for some psychedelic magic on the silver screen. I am a huge Doctor Strange fan, I am a huge Benedict Cumberbatch fan - and I can't wait for November 4, 2016 to come!

3. Captain America : Civil War

Not many of you maybe familiar with the Marvel Graphic Novel - Civil War. It is one of the best Marvel stories out there and a classic in it's own right. The movie has drawn inspiration from the graphic novel but is not totally based on that story because the Civil War novel has every Marvel character in it and as we know, Marvel doesn't have the rights to many of their comic book characters to do a movie with, for example - The Fantastic Four and X-Men. Even then, the plot regarding the Superhero Registration Act (Sokovia Accords here) will play out in this movie pitting Iron Man and Captain America against each other while the rest of the MCU has to pick a side. Crossbones is making a comeback (we saw Brock Rumlow in Captain America - Winter Soldier where he is the commander of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s counter-terrorism S.T.R.I.K.E. team), we have the Winter Soldier Bucky Barns, the fan favorite Black Panther making his cinematic debut and of course - Spiderman coming back to the MCU!!! The trailer was simply awesome, and the ending where Captain America and Bucky teams up to kick Iron Man's ass just blew me away. This movie will kick start the Marvel Phase Three. I am so excited for this movie. Come May 6, 2016 you better choose which side you are on!


2. The Jungle Book

I grew up in my childhood watching The Jungle Book on TV. And now Mowgli, Baloo, Bagheera and Sher Khan is about to make a grand entrance in the silver screen this year. If you have not seen the trailer, be sure to watch it after reading this blog as you are missing out big time. The trailer looks absolutely fantastic; it's hard to imagine the movie is live-animation shot in LA, USA. It's time for us to relive the good old childhood days with this movie. The Jungle Book will hit the theaters on April 15, 2016
  
1. Batman v Superman - Dawn Of Justice

And the most awaited movie of 2016 is none other than Batman V Superman - Dawn Of Justice.
The two most popular superhero in the same movie, along with Wonder Women and Lex Luthor....these are childhood fantasies becoming reality. I never though that in my lifetime I would get to watch a movie where Batman is fighting Superman....unbelievable! I belong to those group of people who loved the Man Of Steel movie. The destruction of Metropolis shown in that movie was totally in line with what really would have happened if two beings with god like powers collided, as did Superman and General Zod. This movie seems to be addressing the fallout of that battle and thrown into the mix is Batman is his most bad-ass self, going after the Kryptonian to dish out his own brand of justice. The first trailer was without a doubt the best trailer of 2015 and one of the best trailer I have ever seen. Ben Affleck looks great as this angry and hardcore Batman. The fight scenes are looking epic and that dialogue of Batman telling Superman:
" Tell me do you bleed?"....!!!! 
I guess it is no secret that this is DC setting up the Justice League with Diana (Wonder Women) making her cinematic debut and the expected cameos of Cyborg, Aquaman and Flash. Doomsday is the big bad in this movie. In case if you are not familiar, he is the famed villain who bashed Superman to death in the 'Death Of Superman' story line (of course Superman came back alive later). The Amazonian demi-god and the daughter of Zeus - Diana or Wonder Women is definitely the most powerful and popular female comic book character ever created and to have Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman together in a movie is insane. The problem of these god-like superheroes and Justice League to be adapted to the silver screen is giving them viable and super powerful villains to better. With DC totally committed to the Justice League, and with Dawn Of Justice setting the premise, we fans are expecting an epic experience. I still can't believe that I am going to see Batman and Superman go at each other's throat. 2016 is a year I am never going to forget!!! What a great time to be a movie fan, what a great time to be a comic book fan!
Batman V Superman - Dawn Of Justice releases on March 25, 2016

Once again - save the dates :

• January 29, 2016     : Kungfu Panda 3
• February 5, 2016        : Hail Caesar!
• February 12, 2016   : Deadpool 
• March 4, 2016            : Knight Of Cups
• March 25, 2016        : Batman Vs Superman - Dawn Of Justice
• April 15, 2016          : The Jungle Book
• May 6, 2016             : Captain America - Civil War 
• May 13, 2016             : Snowden
• May 27, 2016           : X-Men - Apocalypse
• May 27, 2016             : Alice Through the Looking Glass 
• June 10, 2016            : The Conjuring 2
• June 17, 2016          : Finding Dory
• June 24, 2016            : Independence Day - Resurgence
• July 1, 2016               : The BFG
• July 22, 2016           : Ice Age - Collision Course
• July 22, 2016             : Star Trek Beyond
• July 29, 2016             : Bourne 5
• August 5, 2016          : Suicide Squad 
• October 7, 2016         : Gambit
• October 14, 2016       : Inferno
• November 4, 2016   : Doctor Strange
• December 16,2016     : Star Wars - Rogue One
• December 21, 2016 : Assassin's Creed

Top 10 Bollywood Hindi Movies of Salman Khan

 

There was a paradigm shift in Bollywood movies in the 90's, ushered by the coming of the three Khan's, who in their very own way eradicated the stereotypical Bollywood movie star persona and in turn, slowly build a new legacy of their own. With looks to die for, personality like none other and attitude never seen before, Salman Khan has already successfully etched his name in Bollywood folklore. The most underrated actor of the three Khans, we have seen Salman give numerous blockbusters, in different flavors, over the last two decades. Not only that, he is the one responsible for changing the perception of India as to what "cool dude" means. His effervescent, playboy persona has shaped a new generation of young adults in India. He is the first Indian Actor to sport six pack abs and muscular physique, which in turn rubbed off to the next generations of actors from Hrithik Roshan to Varun Dhawan. In reality, Salman Khan is a trend setter. No wonder, the most beautiful women in this country have each tried to woo this most eligible bachelor.

You see, there is a general tendency that a discussion on Salman inadvertently goes in the direction of the controversies in his life, his physique, the fact that he is bachelor and his gorgeous girlfriends. Not often are his performances applauded, or his skills as an actor highlighted even though he has given many classics and block busters. To be honest, Salman is no less a great actor than his other two contemporaries, and I am about to give you ten reasons to support this view of mine. Of course, this list is my own opinion, but feel free to put in your comments whether you agree or not to this list.

10. Mujhse Shaadi Karogi

 

The Highest grossing movie of 2004, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi is a fun filled romantic comedy. This is the story about Sameer, a short tempered person with very bad luck when it comes to love. After beating up the goons who were harassing his girl-friend Roma (Amrita Arora),  Roma breaks off the relationship having got scared of his temper. A heart-broken Sameer shifts to Goa taking up the duty of a Life Guard, where he meets Rani (Priyanka Chopra) and falls for her. Owing to his bad luck, he keeps getting in wrong situations with Rani and her family. Troubles are compounded when he gets a new roommate Sunny (Akshay Kumar), who also falls for Rani and at every turn tries to provoke Sameer's anger and break the relationship between Sameer and Rani. And thus starts a cat and mouse game between both of them as to who gets the girl. It's a fun movie and you will be engrossed till the end by some great comedic timings and excellent humor. Salman is his usual best as Sameer, the cool dude with anger issues, a character that draws sympathy from the audience as he is good at heart but gets drawn into all all sorts of unfortunate events. As you move on through this list, you will see that Salman has a knack for romantic comedies.

9. Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya

Another romantic comedy from Salman Khan, Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya is the story of the lengths Suraj (Salman Khan) would take to get together his love Muskan (Kajol) by winning her over-protective brother. Nice songs, great comedy, hard hitting action (Dharmedra & Salman Khan in the same team..imagine!!! ) and then there is Kajol.

8. Khamoshi: The Musical

Sanjay Leela Bhansali made his directorial debut with this critically acclaimed musical drama.

The script, the direction, the music and some brilliant acting ornamented Khamoshi, even though it didn't fare very well in the box office, but those were the days when off-beat movies never became hit. To be honest, this movie is owned by Nana Partekar and Manisha Koirala, but if you see this movie, you will realize how good an actor Salman is and how underrated he can be. Watch this movie if you have not done so till now.

7.  Dabangg

Some movies bring in front of the world some characters who in time becomes immortal in their own right. Think about Jai and Veeru, Vjay Deenanath Chauhan, Mogambo, Gabbar Singh. Some movies create trends, some change perceptions while some redefines genre. I have watched a lot of movies throughout my life whose central theme is good versus evil, and I have watched a lot of movies where cop fights the mafia or goons. The only movie I can think of in the last decade that has created a legendary character, started a new trend of hanging sunglasses, changed the perception of how we look at the cops and refined the genre of action comedy,that movie is Dabangg. Salman Khan outshines everyone as Chulbul Pandey. As the caption says, "Robinhood Pandey....Cop...Lover...Rebel", this is an all Chulbul Pandey owned movie. With some great dialogues delivered in even greater style, Salman is brilliant from start to end, whether it be angry cop, cool dude type lover or the funny sarcastic person. This is a complete Bollywood masala movie, but make no mistake about it - this movie has become a classic simply because of Salman's acting. This is a must watch for every one.

6. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam 

Salman - Aiswarya as the lead pair

Sanjay Leela Bhansali in the Director's chair

Scintillating Cinematography by Anil Mehta

Memorable musical numbers from Ismail Darbar

The above four reasons make Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam a visual, musical and emotional journey.

The story of this movie has been adopted from Maitreyi Devi's Bengali novel "Na Hanyate"

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan steals the show, Ajay Devgan is brilliant and the whole star cast delivers.

Some critics blamed Salman for being somewhat one-dimensional in his acting, but to be honest, the fun and energy he brings to his character is what keeps driving this movie. Again underrated, he does what needs to be done very nicely. Well, I simply can't think of anyone else being a better "Sameer".

5. Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!

Five Filmfare Awards, one National Award and marked as the Biggest Blockbuster of Modern Era at that time, Hum Apke Hai Kaun literally changed the dynamics of Bollywood and Indian Cinema as a whole. It is the first Indian movie to cross 1 billion rupee mark adjusted to inflation. This movie has now become a cult classic. It is a simple romantic comedy, a family drama centered around an Indian wedding. It's the colorful characters in this movie, the music and songs, grandeur wedding sets, Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit (remembering - Didi tera dewar deewana....!!!) together provides us this big fat Indian wedding celebration with emphasis on family values, Indian traditions, love and emotions. Simple movie, beautiful movie, memorable movie..period! 

4. Andaz Apna Apna

Salman Khan, sharing the screen with Aamir Khan, together - creates this cult classic. It's rib tickling humor, one of the best comedy coming out of Bollywood ever. This is the story of two hopeless daydreamers Amar (Aamir Khan) and Prem (Salman Khan) who competes with each other to marry a rich heiress to get rich. With the support cast of Paresh Rawal, Shakti Kapoor, Viju Khote, Shehzad Khan and Mehmood, there is no shortage of comic presence. Raveena Tandon and Karishma Kapoor are a big part of the centralized plot and meshes up with the other casts well. This is one of the most underrated movie of both Salman Khan and Aamir Khan, and it's a must see! 

3. Saajan

Loosely inspired by the French play Cyrano de Bergerac, Saajan is another romantic drama by Salman Khan. This movie has attained cult following specially because of the music and the strong cast of Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit. Each of the three leads delivers some brilliant acting that keeps the audience glued till the end. Saajan is a story of a love triangle with tons of emotion and drama.

2. Maine Pyar Kiya

Setting a record at it's time as the film winning the most number of Filmfare Awards (seven), Maine Pyar Kiya saw the debut of Salman Khan in a lead role and introduced a new heart-throb to the Indian Cinema goers. Maine Pyar Kiya is a musical romantic drama, with the love story of Prem (Salman Khan) and Suman (Bhayashree) and the ordeals they face to get together being the central plot of the movie. Bhagyashree looks very sweet and gorgeous as Suman, Aloknath delivers another beauty in his perennial Kanyadan role, Laxmikanth Berde provides the comedy and Salman steals the rest of the show. I am a big fan of this movie. 

1. Tere Naam 

This is unanimously accepted as Salman Khan's best acting performance till date. He is brilliant in his role as an obsessive lover futile in his quest. His portrayal of the rowdy Radhe Mohan and his journey of love and despair is yet unmatched on the Bollywood silver screen. A brilliant , daring and gut-wrenching movie with great cast, nice music and excellent direction. This film is supposedly based on a true story and remake of the Tamil film - Sethu. This movie is a must watch for all.

 

Top 10 Bollywood Hindi Movies of Shah Rukh Khan

The name "Shahrukh" means "Face Of The King".

Growing up in the nineties was a lot of fun. To us  mail were letters or parcels brought by the postman, T.V was Doordarshan, phone was land-phone with wires, computers' were a small white box, with a black screen where you do visual basics programming and a blue screen where you did Turbo C programming. There was no mobile  phone and internet, no Call Of Duty or Price Of Persia, no Facebook or Twitter. Then to us, Hollywood was Street Hawke and Johnny Sokko And His Flying Robot, and Bollywood to us was Shah Rukh Khan!

He is known as "Badshah Of Bollywood", "King Khan", "SRK", but to me he is the one and only Shahrukh!Please don't get me wrong, I still remember movies like Aashiqui, Ghayal, Saajan, Roja,Khalnayak, Dil etc.The list of good movies and good actors are endless. But in those days we didn't have Google, IMDB and so many Bollywood channels on TV giving their expert opinions. In those days, out thoughts were simple - when we endorsed an actor, we did it whole heatedly. And as the era of Shahrukh Khan dawned, it breathed a new leash of life in Bollywood after the seemingly setting sun of the last Superstar, Amitabh Bachchan. And even now, every year a blockbuster from this actor is a certainty.

Now, to all those who hate ShahRukh Khan, I would say that everyone is entitled to their own opinions.Good and Bad, Right and Wrong are subjective words. But how can we deny that the longest running movie to come out of Bollywood after Sholay is Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. We fans made this a reality, ist it not? I happen to be a Shah Rukh Khan fan, but I am  not a Salman and Amir hater! That is because I love movies, and these three have given us plenty and have been entertaining us for the last twenty years. So for once keep aside the comparisons and look at the list below and let me know what you think of these movies? This list reflects my views, but feel  free to jot down yours in the comments section. 

Notable Omissions: Kal Ho Na Ho, My Name Is Khan, Dil Se, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Dil Toh Pagal Hai and Mohabbatien,


10. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is the love story of Rahul, Anjali and Tina. This is a movie about college romance, friendship, ragging, heartbreaks, separation and the triumph of love. Shahrukh and Kajol, the magical pair were the heart and soul of this movie. But a new girl in the block called Rani Mukherjee was a find indeed, who won  the hearts of millions in her role as the charismatic and sizzling Tina. High school and colleges were in a spell in those days in India, with boys searching for their Anjali or Tina and girls going crazy for their Rahul's! This movie boasted some timeless classics from Jatin-Lalit, brilliantly excuted by Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik and Kumar Sanu.It also had a strong supporting star-cast of Anupam Kher, Farida Jalal, Johnny Lever, Archana Puran Singh and those two unforgettable kids - Sana Saeed and Parzan Dastur. And then there was Salman Khan...!

9. Pardes

A quintessential  Subhash Ghai classic. This is the only movie where Mahima Choudhury felt like an actress of some standard. Her role as Ganga, the beautiful Indian girl living in a conservative Hindu family in a village, was well appreciated. Amrish Puri has been a stalwart in this industry and this movie saw a power packed performance from him as KishoriLal, a successful Indian-American businessman who harbors strong feeling for India, and the deep set culture and values of his motherland, and wants to marry his Americanized son to Ganga. Alok Nath, was subtly great as usual in his classic kanyadan role (no pun intended). This movie also introduced to us Sonu Nigan, in his hard hitting song - "Yeh Dil". Talking of music, Naveen-Shravan produced some brilliant numbers penned by Anand Bakshi. Remeber Kumar Sanu's " Do Dil Mil Rahe Hain" ? But at the end, this is a movie about a romantic and tragic hero. This is a Shahrukh Khan owned movie from start till the end!

8. Devdas

Devdas is a timeless classic novel  written by the legend Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay. It is a tragic love story with three characters that have etched their name in Indian folklore, Devdas, Paro and Chandramukhi. It is a story of unfulfilled love. This novel has been brought on the silver screen numerous times but never in such a grandeur style than this one. A true visual spectacle from the critically acclaimed Director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The story is a masterpice without doubt, the script was great, but the true winner of this movie are it's actors. Every one in every role delivered some superb performance. Notably Kirron Kher as Sumitra Chakraborty - Paro's mother, Smita Jaykar as the naive mother of Devdas, Ananya Khare as Kumud Mukherjee - the evil and conniving sister in law of Devdas, Abha Mukherjee as Dev's Bari Maa, Manoj Joshi as Dwijdas Mukherjee - Dev's father. Madhuri Dixit portrays Chandramukhi, and she was brilliant. I think Paro never looked as gorgeous ever like how Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was in this movie. She owned the character and if ever another Devdas is made, I pity the actress playing Paro as it would be hard to  surpass Aishwarya. To portray the character Devdas is difficult because of the many shades it houses in it and the slow transformation from a educated gentleman of a Zamindar family to a tragic,  hopeless person slowly drinking himself to death for unfulfilled love, is a dark journey which can be undertaken by a selected few actors. That's why it was Dilip Kumar in the past, and in this movie we had Shahrukh Khan as Devdas. Please don't say now, "I...I object"
This movie won five National Awards, ten Filmfare Awards, five IIFA awards and was nominated for Bafta Award for Best Foreign Language Film - 2003. This movie is in number 74 in Empire Magazines 100 Best Films Of World Cinema and  in number 8 in Time Magazine's Top 10 movies of the Millenium.
 
7. Baazigar

It was a time when there was a distinct separation of a hero and villain in Hindi movies. This was a tried and tested Bollywood formula, and every actor seemed happy to abide by this script. And then came Shah Rukh Khan who tore apart the conventional image of a hero and dared to portrait a character who is both the protagonist and the antagonist in this movie Baazigar. This is a thriller by ace director duo Abbas-Mustan and is a remake of the 1991 Hollywood movie - A Kiss Before Dying. There were two debuts in this movie, that of Shilpa Shetty and the iconic Sharukh-Kajol pair that would go on to own the industry for years. It was a chilling performance from Shahrukh and equally strong acting from Kajol. Even when I see this movie today ,I still feel awed.

6. Kabhi Haan Kabhie Na

This movie breaks another tried and tested Bollywood formula where in the end, the hero doesn't get  the girl. You couldn't image that in those days! It is true that Shahrukh Khan has done mostly romantic movies, but in times when actors didn't dare to experiment, Shahrukh dared. This is a very simple movie of three friends, Anna (Suchitra Krishnamoorthi), Chris (Deepak Tijori) and Suneel (Shah Rukh Khan). Chris and Suneel are both in love with Anna and the story revolves around who would ultimately get the girl. So you may think this to be a simple  story of a love triangle. Yes this is a very simple story, that you would embrace whole-heartedly after watching. Shahrukh acting in this movie has been critically acclaimed and this remains one of his most under-rated movies.

5. Raju Bangaya Gentleman

This is the story of Raj Mathur (Sharukh Khan), a young engineering graduate from Darjeeling who travels to Mumbai with lofty ambitions. There he finds friendship, hardship, greed, enticement and love. A classic love story. Juhi Chawla and Shahrukh Khan would go on to deliver many super hit movies together, but this was the start. Notably, Nana Partekar delivers a brilliant performance in his own unique style. A very simple and touching movie and I am sure everyone remembers the song - "Loveria Hua". 

4.  Darr

Let's start with a question first. 

Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Dev Anand, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan - before 1993, did any of the mentioned superstars played the role of  the villain in a movie?

The answer is NO and the reason is that in those days, the superstars believed that playing a negative role  would severely hurt their image and turn away their fan-base.
Shah Rukh Khan stepped in this movie and changed the face of conventional Bollywood heroes, and delivered such a performance that the audiences even forgot the fact that this movie had a powerful actor in Sunny Deol as the lead hero. This movie started the trend of experimenting with roles by commercial superstars.Shahrukh Khan as the obsessed and fanatic lover created a new wave of change in perception of the movie goers and movie makers alike and set new level in terms of acting, while the whole of India was left stammering, "K..K..KK....Kiran...!!!"

3. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge

 
Now what do I say about this movie..!!
The longest running Bollywood Hindi movie ever! 
The longest running Indian movie ever - almost nineteen years! 
The best from Shahrukh and Kajol  pair and a true gem in Indian Cinematic history.
The best romantic movie to have ever been made....period!   


2. Chak De! India

This is a brilliant movie in a lot of way. This is the first proper Sports Movie in India. This movie touches many sensitive issues in a very subtle way like the existing ethnic communalism, sexism, regionalism, racism in India. At the same time it delivers a strong note of patriotism and salvation.Another experimental role from Shah Rukh Khan, and a brilliant performance as the disgraced and shunned ex Indian Team hockey player Kabir Khan who takes charge as coach of the neglected and disjoint Indian Women's Hockey team, and through the unfolding journey, finds redemption.Excellent story, brilliant script and an outstanding ensemble cast that brought this movie to life. "Sometimes winning is everything" for the Baazigar!

1. Swades

An NRI NASA scientist travels to his native village in India after his parents died. He sets on a journey to find his nanny and on the way get to know the villagers, how life is in village and the similarities of problems existing in rural India. He vows to uplift the life of the villagers and works hard to bring electricity to the villages. This is the story. 
Striking realism, unconventional and bold movie making, one of the best to have come out Bollywood in recent years. This movie has had a cult following and extensive critical acclaim. An outstanding movie and the best ever of Shah Rukh Khan as an actor. A must watch!