A surprise package these! - An article

Well-known American entrepreneur, author and a motivational speaker Jin Rhon, very aptly said: 'If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.'

And with the number of unusual scripts our filmmakers are experimenting with, they sure seem to be living by the saying. But what's been even more surprising is the unexpected success these films achieved, and how. Lucknow Times goes into the flashback mode and takes a look at some of the unusual hits of the year...

Quite a hope this!
Flick Hope And A Little Sugar not only marked Tanuja Chandra's comeback in the industry but also shocked Indian viewers on the state of Muslim and other people of Asian community facing racial discrimination post 9/11 in the US. Brilliantly directed, this small budget movie may not have earned much commercial success, but was critically acclaimed for the brilliant performances of the actors.

Aamir's magic once again
No, No! This time its not Aamir Khan we're talking about. It's the new Aamir of the industry - Rajeev Khandelwal, whose debut movie Aamir not only rocked at the box-office, but also opened the gates of Bollywood for this TV actor with open arms.

India ke liye!
A complete surprise package for Indians this year was the first Pakistani movie that was released in India – Khuda Kay Liye: In the name of God! Slotted as the most expensive film made in Pakistan, the movie received rave reviews for its royal packaging – great music, good storyline and brilliant direction, and did a business of over Rs 7 crores at the BO. The beauty of the movie was its global appeal.

Mumbai is everybody's jaan!
Where Mumbai Meri Jaan with its 'non-starry' starcast – Irrfan Khan, Paresh Rawal, Kay Kay Menon along with Soha Ali Khan and R Madhavan – in de-glam roles, hardly inspired the audience before its release. But once it was released it really zapped everyone. While it was a straight story told from director Nishikant Kamath's view, people liked it for its 'non-judgemental' storyline and great direction.

It's our Shaurya now
With a great star cast like Kay Kay Menon, Rahul Bose and Minissha Lamba, the flick Shaurya made the Indians proud. I was indeed a masterpiece. The success of the movie can only be attributed to the word of mouth publicity since the movie was not promoted the way other big releases are.

Success not a Mithya
We're not doubting Rajat Kapoor's brilliant directorial skills, but the man just proved it once more this year with his release Mithya. The movie was not everyone's cup of tea, with the lead played by actors Ranvir Shorey and Neha Dhupia. Rather it was meant only for a niche audience for its out of the box concept that managed to gather enough audience.

Our beloved Boothnath
Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par was released around the same time as Vivek Sharma's Bhoothnath. While very little was expected out of the movie in terms of BO collections, the movie received a good response. Aimed at 'kids' in the age group of six to 60, Bhoothnath gave us a new Darsheel Safari – Aman.