worst of Bollywood this year

The worst of the worst of Bollywood this year

All of us swallowed the pre-release publicity, fortified our wallets and set out to watch all the movies that the movie-moguls told us were the best ever. More often that not, we came back feeling that movie wasn't even worth the very expensive popcorn we bought!

After a surprisingly good 2006, there was no shortage of bad films in 2007, but even in that crowd of unwatchables, there were at least 10 whose raison d'etre even the directors can't supply. Yes, the lists have begun!

Special mention made of Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, a movie that was so low on substance that it doesnt even qualify to be in this list!

1) Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag
Everybody's favourite whipping boy this year! Everybody wanted to know why anybody would be foolhardy enough to mess with arguably the country's best-loved film. Worse, why would a director make Amitabh Bachchan do such a cringe-making role? Maybe Kaizaad Gustad knows the answer to that.

2) Laaga Chunari Mein Daag
Pradeep Sarkar gave the Yashraj 'Swiss' treatment to a 1950 kind of subject that was best left buried in a time capsule. An intended weepie that didn't wet even one hanky in the whole world.

3) Aaja Nach Le
Just another film, okay. But as Madhuri Dixit's much-hyped comeback film, ace cinematographer Anil Mehta's directorial debut, hottie writer Jaideep Sahni's encore to Chak De India? This one didn't make the grade on any level!

4) Go
Go they said… and the audience went away! Nobody wanted to see Nisha Kothari and whatshisname (Gautam) cavort in minimal clothing!

5) Victoria 203
It wasn't a great classic, but the original had the formula right what made Ananth Narayan Mahadevan think he could better it? When an old movie's recall value is so high, trying to remake it is asking for trouble ask Ram Gopal Varma, he wrote the book on flop remakes.

6) Buddha Mar Gaya
So Rahul Rawail hadn't made a decent film after Dacait in 1987, but Buddha Mar Gaya a morbid, crass, under-budget comedy is the kind that wiped out a reputation painstakingly maintained over the years.

7) Nishabd
It may be Ramgopal Varma's fantasy girls in diaphanous clothing, nubile nymphets flaunting their derrires but the film about an old man (Amitabh Bachchan) lusting after a teenager (Jiah Khan) got such a disgusted thumbs down from audiences, that it sent the director and star scurrying for cover.

8) Marigold
Ha! The way the publicity team went on about Salman Khan's Hollywood debut, you'd think he was about to conquer Mars. But didn't any alarm bells ring on hearing about a director (Willard Carroll) who hadn't made a film since 1999, and whose writing credits include The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars? Or did the director's white skin and Salman's pseudo American accent override all artistic concerns?

9) Partner
Okay, it was one of the biggest hits of the year and the box-office knows best, but it was tough watching David Dhawan's desperate attempts at hanging on to the comedy market. It also turned an overage, overweight Govinda into a performing monkey. Now can't we please get an original, halfway sophisticated comedy from these guys before we lose all hope?

10) Shaka Laaka Boom Boom
How many people, except for Upen Patel's relatives and friends wanted to watch him play a Himesh-voiced Mozart? None? So there, no explanation needed.