2002 : A Love Story

Finally, I decide and Manage to Update my blog on Movies. Its been quite a long time I visited this page myself, so I thought the Comeback should be something special. ;)
So I wondered, Why not do something that proves to be an exercise for me to jog my memory cells, have some fun writing and at the same time have a good nostalgia trip.

WARNING: Very long, self-indulgent post coming up. Strictly avoidable for those who cannot take Bollywood in large doses.

I have grown up on a regular diet of Hindi Fillums. But It was in 2002, that My love for Movies reaches a greater heights and I actually started taking them very seriously. So I thought to revisit the year 2002 - that was in Hindi Cinema. I've tried my best to revisit all the films that year in a humourous manner. And since Most of my friends have grown up in a simiar era that I did, I felt this may just as well interest all of you even a li'l bit, if not as much as It did to me. After all, You too have your share of Movie memories of your childhood and teens. :)
Hope you guys, who've just crossed that Warning boundary line, enjoy this. Here goes ;)


1. Aakheer
I cant recollect any movie with such a title. Strange.

2. Aankhen
This was the time when Amitabh had just begun to steal shows.. all over again. And it was probably the first time I remember really liking Akshay’s performance.

Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage
All the hype of Hrithik-Ameesha-Uncle Rajesh team coming back fizzed out within 3 days of its release as Vikram Bhatt came crashing down after the mega-success of Raaz. I personally couldn’t sit through more than half an hour.

Ab ke Baras
There was a director called Raj Kanwar who used to make such mushy sweet films that even Rats would refuse to watch them. It was Raj Babbar’s Son’s debut (yea, the same guy who played Abhishek’s brother-in-law in Guru).
But I guess People will remember it for it was also the debut of the dainty Amrita Rao. What a pity!

Agni-varsha
Supposed to be inspired by Mahabharatha, This one had Amitabh in the guest role of Bhishma (He was still making up for ABCL’s losses) and Raveena among many others. It went straight over the head. I just remember Prabhu deva’s wild and scary look.

Akhiyon Se Goli Maare
Govinda was to make this Grand comeback through this Harmesh Malhotra flick. No one knew when it came and went. Chi chi joined politics, while Raveena suddenly realised her marital responsibilites.
P.S. – I saw this movie on a day before its release. On cable, Piracy rocks! :D

Annarth
Talking to comebacks, This was Vinod Kambli’s attempt to shot back to fame. His friend Shetty Anna gave him a chance, also convincing Sanju baba for an appearance.
I still am searching this one’s trace. Any one ??

Ansh
I Guess it had Shama Sikander before she decided to get freaky about films in TV soaps and Abbas (don’t ask who). Don’t blame me if I Didn’t dare to watch it.

Awara Paagal Deewana
I remember my stomachs aching after a long time, as much as the humour was all-that-nonsense. This was the official show of Paresh Rawal crowned as the new Comedy King, beating Johnny Lever in front of his eyes.

Badhai ho Badhai
Anil Kapoor Put on weight, and We lost some. But only when the film ended, with a Heavy sigh of relief! The intermediotory period .. Less said the better.
I think this is the last joint venture of Anil and Satish Kaushik. Not such a surprise.

Bend it like Beckham
Probably the first crossover film We had. Sheer delight.

Chalo Ishq Ladaye
One must salute the director for making oh-so-girl-next-door Rani Mukherji look downright tacky. May be it was Govinda’s multi-color costumes that did the trick. Sigh!

Chhal
It won a nomination for Editing, and I remember my Mummy quipping ‘May be kuch jyaada hi edit ho gayi ki dekh bhi nahi paaye’
I so agree with Mummy at times…

Chor Machaye Shor
I remember Paresh Rawal interview around this film came, where he called Dhawan as a blend of Hrishi da and Basu chatterjee.
After I saw the film, I realised why Rawal is known as the Best comedian in town.

Company
RGV has never been so typical of himself – ever before, ever again. It also had a certain Vivek (Or Viveik? ah whatever) oberoi making a debut in a hatke role and winning all the accolades. How some things change, na?

Danger
No wonder I didn’t know about it…. Sometimes, the title says it all.

Deewangee
It was Devgan’s year. He chewed Akshaye (Khanna, if you please) in every frame he featured. And However commercial the film ultimately became, It still gives nice memories of a wiser and more creative Anees Bazmee.

Dash devi
Duh ??

Devdas
Was more in the news for being the costliest hindi film ever, and It looked every bit of it. Biggest hit of the year, sweeping all awards too. Only god knows if deservingly.
Oh by the way, Did it also go to the Cannes ??

Dil Hai Tumhara
This was the first nail on the coffin of a genius that Kundan Shah was. It had Awesome music and equally aweful screenplay. Preity’s curls, dimples and giggles didn’t help much.

Dil Vil Pyaar Vyaar
Didnt make much of a difference beyond paying a worthy tribute to Pancham Da.

Durga
Satya’s protagonist made this, touting it as an unofficial sequel to Satya. One didn’t even realise when it released. Quite literally.

Ek Chhoti si Love Story
Manisha was secretly shot half-naked and the world (atleast the darker sex!) went oooh!
It also probably set the trend for films to look for some controvery to gather publicity.

Ek Hindustani
No wonder It got lost in the crowd.

Encounter – the Killing
Between Mirch Masala and Jaane tu, We had to opportunity to see both stalwart Shahs in one film. Nothing special otherwise.

Filhaal
Was in news for its sensitive topic. Also, Sushmita probably won her only award (Zee cine, I guess) besides Miss Universe.

Gangobai
Excuse me ??

Gautam Govinda
I think it released way back in late 70s. Atleast it seems to.

Haan Maine Bhi Pyaar Kiya
Suneil Darshan restated Films don’t get tackier if he’s around. Abhishek and Akshay together, for those who want a reason (any goddamn reason!!) to watch this.

Hathyaar
Vaastav’s sequel. Wasn’t one-forth (to be precise) as hard-hitting. Shilpa Shetty had two sizzling item songs however.

Hum Kisise Kam Nahi
Absolutely David, when it comes to wasting such talent at one’s disposal. (Amitabh, Ajay, Sanju and Ash in this case)

Hum Pyaar Kisise Kar Baithe
This was to break the myth not all Rajshri love childs are family oriented. Twas flop, period.

Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam
Outdated like hell, but still had its charms. SRK, Sallu and Madhuri for their urban fans and insightful conceits like ‘Gale mein Lal Tai’ for Bihar-UP.

Humraaz
When not with greater actors, Akshaye (Khanna, mind you) too knew how to steal shows. Abbas-Mustan with yet another ‘Inspiration’ from Hollywood. Ameesha too recuperated somewhat from the Jhatkas like 'Kranti' and 'Aap mujhe….'

Jaani Dushman
Saw it in Bus on my way to Kodai Konal. Felt like vomiting soon. And it wasn’t the weather or altitude, pleeease.

Jeena sirf Mere Liye
Saw it for Bebo dahling, who had uncannily similar face cut with my then-beloved. Now don’t hit me for liking it somewhat, with all its irritating of clichés.

Kaante
Six men. One betrayal. And One helluva Manly Exciting film.

Kehta Hai Dil Baar Baar
I remember it released towards the end of the year, and bombed like 90% of the films released that year, starred Jimmy Shergill and Kim Sharma.
I was surprised when same maker went on to make a very-gritty Parzania.

Kitne Door Kitne Paas
It’d have been more fruitful for Mehul Kumar to open a wood factory with raw stock in the forms of Fardeen Khan and Amrita Arora. Wonder why he chose to make film.
It was the latter’s first film by the way.

Koi Mere Dil Se Pooche
Another debut (gawd!), this time of the dream girl’s daughter Esha. Was nothing short of a nightmare though, with Aftab as a cherry on the top.

Kranti
After watching Bobby in promos as an upright cop in a seemingly action flick mouthing lines like ‘Faisla. On the Spot’, my decision of not giving a try was just that - ‘On the Spot’

Kuch Tum Kaho Kuch Hum Kahein
A nice little family entertainer with its share of flaws. Also, a miracle happened during its shooting, as Fardeen came to life and actually acted!

Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai
This one falls in the league of So-so. Not bad, especially in the year that otherwise had mostly outright forgettable flicks.

Kya Dil ne Kahaa
The only thing I remember about it its songs which I somewhat liked then, except for ‘Nikamma’ which co-incidentally topped charts for many weeks.

Lal Salaam
Sorry!

Maa Tujhe Salaam
Was supposed to resurrect Arbaaz’s career. Also had Sunny with his shouting-patriotism best, with Tabu as a shocking addition doing an item number in Kashmir.

Mahal
We are talking of 2002 bro, not 1949.

Maine Dil Tujhko Diya
Talking of Khan Brothers and their careers, Sohail decide to start his co-incidentally giving a break to Sameera Reddy, who’d later merely end up jumping in the bandwagon of the sexy-non performer damsels.

Makdee
Contrary to popular opinion, It was not a children film. The Balaji soap little girl Shweta Prasad gave a sparkling performance. She’d later give stiff competition to Naseer saab in steal-the-show act in Iqbal.

Maseeha
Was promoted as a Suneil Shetty film, where it ended up being something else altogether. I can just recollect a song ‘Pangaa na le na le na le’
No wonder Audience decided to skip the panga, and stayed away from the theatres.

Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai
For once, Yash Raj was inspired from west and it was the Brightest example of Plagiarism, with even the title not being spared. Only the genders were exchanged, and more suitably the climax too. It had hummable music though.

Mujhse Dosti Karoge
With this one, YRF set another milestone with the label ‘Old botel, Old wine’. It also added another flop to Roshan jnr’s already flagging career, making his saleability more dubious.

Na Tum Jaano na Hum
Talking of Hrithik and Old Wine, This had a new bottle which didn’t help however.

Om Jai Jagdish
Anupam Kher’s directorial debut was panned like no other film that year. Such mammoth star cast proved to be of no use.

Pardesi Re
Have very vague memories. I will take a guess – It had Sharbani Mukherjee (yeaah, Rani’s li’l sister who wept and wept in Border) in a princess’ role. Who cares ??

Pitaah
Came and went. Period.

Pyar Diwana Hota Hai
3rd film with Govinda and Rani together,which flopped as badly as the other two. What else can be said about a movie where Govinda cuts his tongue to punish himself for a lie??

Pyaasa
In the title tole, Aftab features as a man who’d do anything for money. It also had Miss world Yuktaa Mookhey, who later had to resort to cut ribbons to make her ends meet.
Anything else ??

Pyar KI Dhun
I don’t remember any such tunes, sorry.

Raaz
The first and one of the Two real box-office successes of the year. It Catapulted Bipasha and Vikram Bhatt to a higher league, though the latter came crashing down very soon. Had ultra-chart buster songs by Nadeem-Shravan, playing literally everywhere for those 4 months.

Rishtey
Promos featured Anil in a seemingly career-defining role, but eventually took him no where. Shilpa probably stole the thunder with her sassy small town girl act.

Road
Lost its way somewhere after interval, though Manoj Bajpai didn’t. Another of Ramu ji’s ‘Experimental’ ventures before he lost his way himself.

Saathiya
A remake actually, but was still like a whiff of fresh air. Took Rani to A-League, and well Rahman ?? He couldn’t go any higher anyways.

Shaheed-e-Azam
Did it have Gurdas Mann by any chance ?? I feel like it did. Or am I confusing this with Boota Singh ??

Shakti the Power
SRK seemed to have a major role among Lolo and Nana when it was a 15-min cameo. 'Ishq Kameena' was scorching hot though.

Shararat
A lesser known of 16 Legendary flops Abhishek Bachchan had before he came to his own. Also had a certain Hrishita Bhatt who now features in flicks like Deshdrohi.

Soch
It had Sanjay Kapoor and Raveena Tandon, I think. Nothing else memorable than a song ‘Nikal chali re’.

Sur
Two debuts – Lucky Ali and Gauri Karnik, which eventually rose no further. Tanuja Chandra registered another disaster to her credit despite making a sincere effort, as always.

The Legend of Bhagat Singh
One of the most unfortunate flops in the history of contemporary hindi cinema, thanks to the spate of Bhagat singh films that all came at same time. Devgan deserved a National award anyways.

Yatharth
Some arty film it is probably. No clue.

Tumse Achcha Kaun Hai
It made the debut of a certain Young lad who was quite popular in Music videos with Aarti Chabria (who featured with him in one of those popular vidoes). All those popular songs (esp. 'Aankh hai Bhari Bhari') didnt even help it fetch a decent response at FF.

Tumko na Bhool Payenge
The bags below Salman’s eyes were as visible as the lack of any intelligence that went behind making this movie. A hopeless venture it was.

Vadh
Did it have Nana Patekar and Anupama Varma ?? I think so.

Waah Kya Tera Kehna
A Govinda-style comedy with Yash raj style locales. Certainly a Bad combination.

Yeh Dil Aashiqana
Making a mediocre film like this work - This is what Nadeem-Shravan’s music is capable of. A sleeper hit in the January winters, taking everyone by surprise.

Yeh Hai Jalwa
Another of 3 disasters that Dhawan had that year. No wonder he takes atleast an year to make a film now a days.

Yeh Kaisi Mohabbat
It made Govinda’s Nephew’s debut – that’s all I can recollect besides the catchy title song.

Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai
A sex comedy lifted from American Pie series, making itself too obscene for the audience out here. Shankar Ehsaan Loy gave nice songs, which obviously got over looked (unfortunately, All of them!)

Yeh Mohabbat Hai
Cant construct any concrete images.

Zindagi Khoobsurat Hai
Said to be (and most definitely is) a rip-off of the Hollywood classic 'Life is Beautiful. Tabu was probably the only redeemable thing about it.

16th December
Generated some news because of its gizmos and action, but fizzed out eventually. As far as I can recollect, It had Gulshan Grover in more than two roles. Any one interested ??

23rd March 1931 Shaheed
The culprit behind the failure of a classic that Santoshi made around same legend. Deol brothers couldn’t ignite half as passion and pathos as Devgan did alone. Anyways…..


Fingers Crossed. Hope You are not drained as yet, and have enough strenght to click on the comments section, and leave a comment. Thanks :D