THE HINDI CINEMA UPS AND DOWNS OF 2019
AWARD ceremonies will be in full flow in the coming weeks with the best in 2019 cinema being honoured at high-profile events. With that in mind, Eastern Eye looked back across a rollercoaster past year for Hindi cinema in its annual honouring of the best.
BEST FILM
Nominees:
Article 15
Super 30
Kabir Singh
Dream Girl
Gully Boy
Winner: Gully Boy was India’s official entry for the Oscars, but the most original and well-made Bollywood movie was Article 15. The story of a police officer trying to find two missing lower caste girls was a gripping thriller and tackled an important issue. Great performances elevated it higher.
BEST DIRECTOR
Nominees:
Aditya Dhar (Uri: The Surgical Strike)
Anubhav Sinha (Article 15)
Zoya Akhtar (Gully Boy)
Sandeep Vanga (Kabir Singh)
Raaj Shaandilyaa (Dream Girl)
Winner: Writer/director Anubhav Sinha delivered an important, entertaining and gripping movie that provoked debate. He made a subject rooted in India accessible and managed to draw out great performances. He would have stood a better chance at the Oscars with his unique film.
BEST ACTOR
Nominees: Ayushmann Khurrana (Article 15)
Vicky Kaushal (Uri: The Surgical Strike)
Hrithik Roshan (Super 30)
Ayushmann Khurrana (Dream Girl)
Ranveer Singh (Gully Boy)
Winner: Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan completely transformed himself to take on the role of genius mathematician Anand Kumar in superbly made biopic Super 30. The versatile actor transformed himself and his speech for the role of a teacher who made a difference to the lives of slum children.
BEST ACTRESS
Nominees:
Rani Mukerji (Mardaani 2)
Alia Bhatt (Gully Boy)
Bhumi Pednekar (Sand Ki Aankh)
Sonam Kapoor (Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga)
Vidya Balan (Mission Mangal)
Winner: Former Bollywood queen Rani Mukerji showed she still has the star power to compete with the best, as she returned for a second time as fearless police officer Shivani Shivaji Roy in Mardaani 2. She breathed fire with an explosive performance and lit up every scene she was in.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Nominees:
Tiger Shroff (War)
Anil Kapoor (Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga)
Amitabh Bachchan (Badla)
Mithun Chakraborty (The Tashkent Files)
Varun Sharma (Chhichhore)
The highest grossing Bollywood film of the year is War and Tiger Shroff played a huge role in making that happen. The young actor was able to match his idol Hrithik Roshan in the action thriller and showed quite comprehensively that he has what it takes to be a superstar.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Nominees:
Tabu (De De Pyaar De)
Sayani Gupta (Article 15)
Taapsee Pannu (Sand Ki Aankh)
Zaira Wasim (The Sky Is Pink)
Kirti Kulhari (Mission Mangal)
Winner: There is a reason why filmmakers are using Tabuto add weight to their projects. The acclaimed actress was the best performer in De De Pyaar De and chewed up every scene she was in. She outshone youngster Rakul Preet Singh and showed why she is one of the best in commercial cinema.
BEST ANTAGONIST
Nominees:
Manoj Pahwa (Article 15)
Sanjay Dutt (Panipat)
Vishal Jethwa (Mardaani 2)
Vijay Raaz (Gully Boy)
Anil Kapoor (Pagalpanti)
Big budget historical Panipat may have sunk at the box office, but Sanjay Dutt can hold his head up high because of his great villainous performance. The fierce turn of an invader being compared to Ranveer Singh’s award-winning antagonist in Padmaavat was high praise for the actor.
BEST BOLLYWOOD NEWCOMER
Nominees:
Shreya Dhanwanthary (Why Cheat India?)
Siddhant Chaturvedi (Gully Boy)
Ananya Panday (Student Of The Year 2 & Pati Patni Aur Woh)
Abhimanyu Dassani (Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota)
Winner: Although actors Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt headline Gully Boy many would argue the soul of the movie was the rapper brilliantly played by Siddhant Chaturvedi. He is mesmerising in the role of the experienced rapper who inspires the protagonist to find his inner voice.
BEST SOUNDTRACK
Nominees:
Kalank
Gully Boy
Kabir Singh
De De Pyaar De
Chhichhore
Winner: Rap musical Gully Boy stood out with an original collection of songs far away from formula driven Hindi film soundtracks. Formidable lyrics, hard beats and strong vocals turned the songs into powerful pieces of music. Ranveer Singh added to the charm by delivering a few in his own voice.
And the turkeys go to...
There were plenty of flop Bollywood films in 2019, which didn’t meet expectations and crashed. Here is Eastern Eye’s selection of the biggest disappointments Hindi cinema had to offer in the past 12 months.
Worst Film: The year was dominated by disappointing films and multi-starrer Housefull 4 was arguably the worst. From the awful screenplay to the terrible performances and rubbish music, everything about the torturous Diwali comedy was horrible.
Worst Actor: Bollywood actors Sidharth Malhotra and Arjun Kapoor are on the most awful run at the box office. Arjun failed with India’s Most Wanted and Panipat, and Sidharth did the same with Jabariya Jodi and Marjaavaan. So they get worst actor jointly.
Worst Actress: Parineeti Chopra failed yet again with Jabariya Jodi and her film Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar is reportedly so bad that it can’t find any takers.
Worst Director: It takes a special type of terrible director to waste a huge budget, along with an incredible star cast that includes Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit, but that is what Abhishek Varman did with Kalank.
