Shaadis, scandals and sensations

A for Amitabh

If this was the year Hindi cinema came of age, it was also the year when the nation held its collective breath for the recovery of mega star Amitabh Bachchan.

Professionally, this was an enormously rewarding year for Bachchan. Both solo (Black, Waqt) and with son Abhishek (Bunty Aur Babli and Sarkar), Bachchan Sr rocked the box office.

Ironically, when he fell ill earlier this month, trade pundits predicted a replay of the Coolie scenario in 1983, when, after his near-fatal accident, AB's fans queued up to watch Manmohan Desai's potboiler. This time, they cold-shouldered Ek Ajnabee, even though the man behind the myth was in hospital.

What went wrong? That's the question the avalanche of avant-garde filmmakers must ask themselves…from Ruchi Narain's Kal to Rohan Sippy's Bluff Master, audiences thumbed down the weird and wacky, but did not favour the conventional. The extravagantly formulaic Subhash Ghai period drama Kisna suffered the same fate as the ultra-cool flicks.

Drool, baby, droo1

And what about the sleaze fests? Happily, audiences reacted without violent repulsion to the tongue-lashing Sonu Sood gave Neha Dhupia in Sheesha. Most of the cheesy moaning-shows-the-daze craze died down. Chahat Ek Nasha, Rain and the rest bombed so badly, you needed a vacuum cleaner to pick up the jetsam.

Viva la classique

2005 was the year of vivacious variety at the box office. It was the year of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black, Madhur Bhandarkar's Page 3, Pradeep Sarkar's Parineeta and Nagesh Kukunoor's Iqbal. Bhansali and Bhandarkar's films spread a carpet of compelling emotion across the nation. These films made 2005 one of the most productive years in the history of Hindi cinema.

Potboiler rules

Comedies about a group of over-sexed men pining for female company had a l-o-n-g innings. Anees Bazmi's No Entry cracked the jolly genre as far as possible. As did Kuya Kool Hai Hum. But by the year-end, the garam masala has begun to go cold. Grown-up men doing a filmy equivalent of schoolboys peering up their teacher's skirt, just won't work in 2006.

Scandal street

The Salman Khan tapes kicked off a furore, involving more than just Salman or Aishwarya. Issues like the right to privacy reared their heads throughout the year.

Cameras were planted at Lilavati Hospital when Amitabh Bachchan fell ill. They stayed put when John Abraham joined Bachchan in the hospital.

Cameras were planted to catch Shakti Kapoor trying to get a young journalist on the casting couch, and again when an old videotape of Govinda hobnobbing with a gangster was thrown into public view.

During the year of MMS scandals and Operation Sting, privacy became a dinosaur.

Karisma Kapoor's troubled marriage made headline news too.

Other scandals

Vijay Raaz was arrested in Dubai for drug possession. Producer Feroz Nadiadwala pulled strings to get him out. Starlet Pretti Jaiin was accused of hiring gangsters to get rid of Madhur Bhandarkar — the industry decided to get rid of her.

Having systematically committed professional hara-kiri, she resurfaced at year-end in the real-life story of bargirl Tarannum, where she co-stars with Aamir Khan's youngest brother.

Protestors planted bombs in theatres showing the unfunny comedy Jo Bole So Nihal. Didn't prevent the flick from bombing at the box office.

Flop, and more flops

Big banners floundered. Subhash Ghai brought Vivek Oberoi down with Kisna. Yashraj Films lost face with Neal 'N' Nikki. Aamir Khan's moustache twirled, Rani Mukerji swirled, and the audience baulked in Ketan Mehta's Mangal Pandey — The Rising.

Bright spots

Vipul Shah delivered one of the first slammers of 2005. Waqt proved to be a far bigger money-spinner than anyone predicted. Ram Gopal Varma gave his banner a much-need boost when the father-son Bachchan pair came together for Sarkar. With Shaad Ali's Bunty Aur Babli, and Ramu's Sarkar, Amitabh and Abhishek were declared a hit.

Hot brigade

Abhishek, Saif and Priyanka emerged as the trio of new hope in 2005. But none of the three is in a hurry to sign films. Picky and choosy, they'll outlast all the Fridays that fate has in store for them in 2005.

Newcomers

Vidya Balan in Parineeta, Randeep Hooda in D and Mohit Ahlawat in James made some impact. But the rest of the newcomers, including the much-hyped Sneha Ullal in Lucky, made no impact, compelling producers to scurry back to the old reliables. Hence Govinda's comeback trail at year-end.

Honoured

Amol Palekar's Paheli was invited to the Oscars, Sandesh Shandilya's title song from Uuf … Kya Jadoo Mohabbat Hai featured in international pianist Richard Clayderman's new album.

Asha Bhosle was nominated for a Grammy for her tribute to R D Burman with the US jazz band Kronos Quartet, and Mumtaz's daughter Natasha married Feroz Khan's son Fardeen. Don't know who should feel more honoured.

Shaadi No1

A month after cousins Zayed and Fardeen did David Dhawan's comedy about Shaadi and other shindigs, they tied the knot in separate ceremonies. Vinta Nanda had a runaway marriage in Goa, Maddy became a daddy, Raveena became a mom, and so did Karisma.

The End

The industry lost a series of stalwarts. Veteran filmmakers Subodh Mukherjee, Mohan Segal and Ramanand Sagar left us. So did Sunil Dutt, Amrish Puri and Ismail Merchant. But the saddest death of all was that of Parveen Babi. Lonely, desolate and ill, she died friendless. Now, ex-lover Mahesh Bhatt plans to make film on her life. Every Mumtaz finally finds her Taj Mahal in Bollywood.