My Top 10 Favourite Bollywood (Hindi) Movies of 2012

These are my favorite Hindi films of 2012 out of all that I have seen

1. Kahaani

2. English Vinglish

3. Vicky Donor

4. Paan Singh Tomar

5. Gangs of Wasseypur 1 & 2

6. Barfi & Ishaqzaade

7. Oh My God (OMG)

 

8. Shanghai & Chittagong

9.  Talaash

10. Agneepath & Cocktail (Seriously, I really loved the movie)

My Top 10 Favorite Malayalam Movies 2012

Here goes the list of My Top 10 Favorite Malayalam Movies released in 2012 [Among which i have seen] 

1. Diamond Necklace

 This Lal Jose film  without a doubt its the best movie of the year

2. Ayalum Njanum Thammil

    Again a Lal Jose film , noticed for power packed perfomances of Prithviraj and Prathap Pothen

3. Ozhimuri

    A gem which most of us missed in theaters, a must watch movie with outstanding perfomances from     Lal, Mallika & Shwetha Menon

4. Manjadikuru

     Anjali Menon's debut movie, another must watch one, especialy for all Malayalees

5. Spirit & Ee Adutha Kalathu

Spirit - A Message oriented film with no commercial elements not only won rave reviews but was also successful at the Box Office 

Ee Adutha Kalathu - a nice thriller told in non-linear narration pattern

6. 22 Female Kottayam & Nidra

    Powerful women oriented film with a shocking climax and superb performances by entire cast

Nidra - Remake of yesteryear classic, backed by very good performances and superb visuals

7. Ustad Hotel & Arike

    
Superbly entertaining, visually rich, also gave a nice message Scripted by Anjali Menon the movie also       rocked @ Box Office  

Arike - a short sweet love story

8. Run Babby Run & Molly Aunty Rocks

 

A Perfect Thriller movie laced with action and comedy. Joshiy-Mohanlal repeated teir magic once again. Amala Paul, the leading lady, also had a significant role which she performed very well.

Molly Aunty Rocks - a superb comeback by Revathy, a feel good family entertainer

9.Ithra Maathram 

      Another good film which failed at Box Office, won the FIPRESCI Award for Best Malayalam Film at      17th International Film Festival of Kerala

10. Thattathin Marayathu

a feel good rom-com in Molywood after a long time with superb songs

Films like Grandmaster, My Boss, Ordinary, Mallu singh, Friday etc closely follows these......

Top 10 Bollywood hits of 2012

Top 10 Bollywood hits of 2012

1. Ek Tha Tiger (All Time Blockbuster) / Dabangg 2 (still running)

Ek tha tiger has netted 199 crores [according to Yashraj films] and is presently the biggest hit of the year and 2nd biggest hit of All time. Dabangg 2 has just released and is having a rocking time at the Box office, whether it will beat ETT will be clear in coming weeks. Based on that one film will slide to 2nd place

3. Rowdy Rathore - Blockbuster

Akshay Kumar's biggest hit ever

4. Agneepath - Blockbuster

5. Barfi - Blockbuster

the film started slowly and caught up like wild fire with tremendous WOM

6. Jab Tak Hai Jaan - Super Hit

7. Housefull 2 - Super hit

8. Son of Sardaar - Hit

9. Bol Bachchan - Hit 

10. Talaash - Hit

Besides these there are many notable hits like Oh My God (OMG), Kahaani, Vicky Donor, English Vinglish, Ishaqzaade, Student of the Year etc

Top 10 Kollywood (Tamil) hits of 2012

Top 10 Tamil hits of 2012

Kollywood is the most closed industry & it is very difficult to get the actual Box Office gross of a Tamil movie- So with whatever details available here are the top hits from Kollywood

1. Thuppakki * - All time Blockbuster

Undoubtedly the biggest hit of the year by a huge margin and according to various reports the 3rd biggest of all time.

2. Oru kal oru kannadi - Blockbuster

3. Nanban - Super Hit

4. Sundara Pandian - Super Hit

5. Kalakalappu @ Masala Cafe *

6. Pizza * / Kathalil sothappuvathu Eppadi*

7. Naduvile Koncham Pakkathe Kaanum * / Naan E *

8. Marina

9. Kumki 

10. Aatakathi *

Among these my favorites has been marked with a '*'

Top 10 Mollywood (Malayalam) Hits of 2012

Based on what ever information available here are the top hits from Mollywood in the year 2012

1. Mayamohini - All time Blockbuster

With a distributor share close to 9 crores its not only the biggest hit of the year, but also the 2nd biggest hit of all time

2. Run Babby Run - Blockbuster

This Mohanlal starrer had the biggest ever collections for a Malayalam film from markets outside Kerala. It has got distributor share close to 7crores according to various sources.

3. Ordinary - Blockbuster

The first genuine Box Office hit of the year, with no superstars, a debutant director Ordinary really rocked Kerala BOx Office. It started of slowly and caught on like wild fire. Distributor share close to 6.5-7 crores

4. Thattathin Marayathu - Blockbuster

 

Super hit songs and strong youth appeal made, Mollywood's 1st Rom-Com in years, an instant smash hit with unconfirmed reports claiming a distributor share of close to 6 crores

5. My Boss - Blockbuster

With this Dileep becomes the only actor to have 2 Blockbusters this year. Un-Official remake of 'The Proposal' is still running to packed houses in selected theaters across Kerala. From sources close to the producer the film has got distributor share of 5cr+ till now.

6. Ustad Hotel - Super Hit

Super hit music, direction, perfomances made this film of relatively new comers a super hit. Got a distributor share of about 5crore


7. Spirit - Super Hit

This could easily be the biggest non-commercial hit of the year, the film also enjoyed superb run outside Kerala as well. The film contrary to expectations took an outstanding opening considering the genre and publicity. The film also makes Dir.Ranjith's 2nd biggest hit ever.


8. Mallu Singh - Hit

Despite average initial reviews the film held on nicely and attained a hit status. Distributor share around 4cr

9. Grandmaster - Hit

Mohanlal's 1st hit of the year also marked the entry of UTV into Mollywood. The film enjoyed better run outside run than in Kerala. Distributor share 3.74-4 crore

10. Diamond Necklace - Hit

Undoubtedly the best movie of 2012, alo features in the top 10 hit list.


Overall it has been a great year for Malayalam Cinema, release count per calendar year crossing 100 [about 130 in total] and among with 30 odd films recovering investments. Small films getting accepted, Social media is being used more to promote movies are positive signs.



Well there goes the top 10 Malayalam Box office hits of 2012 according to what ever information I had.

Please comment your suggestions, corrections below

NB: Haven't considered Christmas releases as it takes time to get an actual picture of their Box Office performances.

Mammootty's Bavuttiyude Namathil - Movie Review

Bavuttiyude Namathil Movie Review

Bavuttiyude Namathil

Directed by        G. S. Vijayan

Produced by      Ranjith

Written by          Ranjith

Starring                Mammootty

Kavya Madhavan

Shankar Ramakrishnan

Kaniha

Rima Kallingal

Vineeth

Distributed by   Capitol Theatres

Release date(s)               

    December 21, 2012

Country                India

Language             Malayalam

Any Ranjith movie is now eagerly awaited thanks to his last few movies. So this one was also  awaited, especially because it stars Mammootty and a list of other important artists. But it proved out to be one the weakest scripts by Ranjith (considering his past releases).

BN is the story of Bavooty (Mammootty) who is full time driver, care-taker and a part time actor. Sethu (Shankar Ramakrishnan) & Vanaja (Kavya) plays the couple for whom Bavooty is working for. Mariam (Kaniha) is their servant & Rima Kallingal as Noorjahan dons the role of a tuition teacher.

The movie can be called Raapakal 2 coz of the way the movie has been structured. Mammooty as an honest obedient employee who is dear to everyone in the family, who solves when the family is met with a crisis and makes everything ‘HAPPILY EVER AFTER’ for everyone.

The first half is just lot of interesting comical situations inter woven together which has nothing much to do with what happens in the second half.  The second half is more serious and is where the real story (or important whatever there is in the movie) takes place. 

The main intention of Ranjith was clear hear, just to give an entertainer  and may be a much needed hit to the Mammooty who hasn’t tasted success since Best Actor, by using the ‘Ranjith’ tag and going the non-risky way. Before release there was comparisons with Pranchiyettan, which is  a classic, and this one comes no where near to it.

But by no means this is a boring or unbearable film. It is definitely Mammootty’s best outing since Best Actor.  He has given and honest, good performance as Bavooty. There are a lot of funny, entertaining moments in the first half, eventough all of them looks forced.  Kaniha and Vineeth requires special mention, as their roles were surprising and they did excellent jobs. Kavya with Neeleshwaram slang was a treat to watch. Rima was wasted in an insignificant role. Shankar & Harisree Asokan were ok

All in all this belongs to ‘Sathyan Anthikkad’ brand of cinema. Nothing much to take home,  just a feel good film with some nice humor and good performances.

For me it’s a disappointment coz after all its Ranjjith film

Strictly Average - 2.5/5

Box Office – Might sale through at the box office coz of the ‘Ranjith’ & feel good factor, especially when other releases are not generating  such encouraging reports

Ps: Had to use SMS language in places, please bear with me & also forgive the spelling mistakes, if any

Mohanlal's Karmayodha - Movie Review

 

Directed by     Major Ravi

Produced by     Haneef Mohammed
Major Ravi

Written by     Major Ravi

Starring     

Mohanlal
Rajeev Pillai
Murali Sharma
Mukesh
Biju Menon
Aishwarya Devan
Asha Sarath

Music by     MG Sreekumar
Background Score : Jeffrey Jonathan
Cinematography     Pradeep Nair
Editing by     Donmax
Studio     Red Rose Creations
MR Productions
Distributed by     Red Rose Release

Release date(s):     December 21, 2012 (worldwide)

Country     India
Language     Malayalam

Expectations

Expectations were huge considering this has Lalettan in his 'twirled mustache ' avatar. Eventhough Major Ravi's last film 'Kandahar' was a disaster at Box Office i really liked the film and think it didn't get its due. The Trailer and BG also added to the expectations

Story

Is an action thriller that focuses on  trafficking of young girls. Madhava Menon a.k.a. Mad Maddy (Mohanlal) is an encounter specialist in Maharashtra Police who is in charge of a case which leads him to Kerala. This time the mission gets personal and Maddy is on a prowl to knab the culprits.

Evaluation

The film was planned in a smaller scale with Suresh Gopi supposed to do the lead role, but then don't know why he changed his mind and rewrote it  with Lalettan. 2 years after a disaster Kandahar, looks like Major Ravi is repeating it with another half baked film.

The movie was promoted as an action thriller with lots of punch lines and a great script. Sadly Major failed to deliver. The script is half baked, the direction is bad. The story idea was good but Major couldn't deliver a complete product.

But the movie not unwatchable either, Mohanlal is in full-on rocking form and fans can watch it once for him. There is a very good message which Major tried to convey through the film. The emotional content is also good. So family audience can also give it a try. If the emotion connects with the audience it may work (but chances are less). And for others Major Ravi's inspid direction and writing has given to not like the movie.

The supporting cast was good, everyone did their job well. Camera and BG was good.[Sad that they didnt use the theme song anywhere in the movie]. Editing was so-so

Watch it once for Mohanlal & the good, relevant message that it carry

Rating

Fans 2.75/5

 Others, a Generous 2.5/5

Box Office: Average or above (may be)

Salman Khan's 'Dabangg 2' - Exclusive Movie Review

DABANGG 2 : Exclusive Movie Review by SREE PRASAD NAIR

Directed by Arbaaz Khan

Produced by Malaika Arora Khan / Arbaaz Khan

Story by Dilip Shukla

Starring Salman Khan , Sonakshi Sinha , Vinod Khanna, Prakash Raj, Arbaaz Khan

Dabangg 2 - Movie Review by Sree Prasad Nair

Theater - Abu Dhabi National Cinemas, UAE

20/12/2012 - 9.00 pm

Occupancy - 100% (Sold out) 

Salman Khan is called as the God Of Bollywood Box Office these days. Thanks to his last 4 films, unbeatable record of back to back blockbusters (Dabangg, Ready, Bodyguard & Ek Tha Tiger) The actor is also leading with the last two years top grossers. In 2012 Salman hit a hatrick record with his 198 cr grosser Ek Tha Tiger. And Dabangg2 release timing is just perfect for the film with Christmas & New Year holidays to follow. But the question is ‘Will Dabangg2 cross 200cr? Will it rewrite the box office history by beating 3 Idiots collections? 

Dabangg2 is the sequel to the 2010 blockbuster Dabangg. It also marks actor-producer Arbaaz Khan entry as director. Dabangg2 stars Salman Khan , Sonakshi Sinha , Vinod Khanna Prakash Raj & Arbaaz Khan 

Story

Dabangg 2 is the story of conflict between Inspector Chulbul Pandey played by Salman Khan & Bachha Bhaiyya played by Prakash Raj. Salman kills Prakash Raj’s brother and the Revenge starts & continues from there…. 

Positives Of The Film

Salman Khan is Salman Khan means Total Entertainer… No other opinions on that. He is in terrific form and his performance is at par with Dabangg. His fans were quite disappointed with his lack of punching dialogues & funny dance moves in Ek Tha Tiger, but in Dabangg2 he is unstoppable. No other actor, I repeat no other actor can carry of the role of Inspector Chulbul Pandey other than Salman. His first meeting followed by top class dialogues & the last 2mins just before the interval are definite plus points of the film. His witty one-liners, dance moves & action scenes are well treated by the audience. Sonakshi Sinha is looking gorgeous, but don’t have much role in the film just like her previous films. Vinod Khanna is first rate. The father-son funny scenes are really hilarious. Prakash Raj’s acting is good, but his role is kinda repetitive like his role in Singham. Arbaaz is just ok by providing few laughs. Nikitin Dheer got good screen presence and effective as well. Another plus point of the film is the chartbuster Fevicol Se & Kareena Kapoor ‘s presence. Superb choreography of Farah Khan performed brilliantly by Salman & Kareena only added charm to the song. Action scenes are well executed with few over the top stunts. But a masala film like Dabangg2 demanded it. Music by Sajid-Wajid is foot tapping & cinematography by Aseem Mishra is good.'

Let’s talk about the negatives :

The captain of the ship, Arbaaz Khan himself is responsible for his pathetic direction. Agreed an actor can’t direct a film easily, but unfortunately his direction is plain ordinary even considering it as his first effort. Dilip Shukla’s story lacks good content & emotions like in Dabangg (which penned by himself & Abhinav Kashyap) The first half is boring with 4 songs & 3 action scenes within 50mins. Also Salman‘s entry in a rescue mission, stunts followed by film’s title song, We have watched it on Wanted, Bodyguard, Dabangg. And now in Dabangg 2 too no difference even with same gundas. Arbaaz Khan tried hard to make us laugh, but most of the times he was very boring. Songs timings are nowhere with the situations especially Fevicol Se song. And I have no idea why Arbaaz Khan was there in that song? What he was doing??? Arbaaz – Mahie Gill love story was not needed. A talented actress like Mahie Gill is wasted in the film, ditto for Manoj Joshi for only one scene. The climax was too rushed & disappointed as it reminds you the same climax scenes of Wanted, Dabangg & Bodyguard! Still these minuses don’t affect the film.

Overall Salman Khan’s Dabangg2 is a Christmas gift for Salman Khan fans & a strictly 1 Time watch for others. The film is all set to beat the non-holiday record of Akshay Kumar’s Rowdy Rathore and likely to open with 23cr. Its business at single screens will be historical and good at multiplexes (will see drop after the weekend due to less content) Film will be benefited from Christmas & New Year holidays. Lifetime business is likely to finish at 193cr (just my prediction) If it crosses 200r, then it’s a happy news for the industry. 

VERDICT – Its 5/5 BlockBuster for Salman Khan! 

Rating – 3.5/5 (3.5 for SALMAN KHAN & SALMANIA All The Way) 

A Christmas Blockbuster from Salman Khan. 

This Reviewer can be contacted on Twitter : @i_spn : https://twitter.com/i_spn