Directors select their Favourite Films of 2013

2013 was the year of Bollywood blockbusters. The year began with the mega-hit Race 2 in January and ended with the mother of blockbusters Dhoom 3 in December. As expected the numbers and the critical appreciation did not tally. A film like Ship Of Theseus, which emerges as a clear favourite among the directors, had abysmal box office collections. On the other hand a horny farce like Grand Masti which was panned by all, had the cash counters roaring in orgasmic ecstasy. Significantly, filmmakers below show a healthy respect for box office winners. Rohit Shetty’s Chennai Express and Ayan Mukerjee’s Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani feature in several directors list of favourites. And some precious favourites of the year like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Kai Po Che had both the box office and the critics cheering in approval. Sujoy Ghosh: Rohit Shetty’s Chennai Express, Nikhil Advani’s D Day, Abhishek Kapoor’s Kai Po Che, Maneesh Sharma’s Shuddh Desi Romance, Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox. Aanand Rai : Abhishek Kapoor’s Kai Po Che (“loved the way the director handled the subject and characters”), Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (“Rakeysh Mehra and Farhan Akhtar displayed a superb team spirit”), Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Ram Leela (“purely and entirely for Deepika Padukone.”) Vijay Krishna Acharya: Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation. “This was the only film I saw in 2013 as I was busy with Dhoom 3.” Abhishek Choubey: Anand Gandhi’s Ship Of Theseus, Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox, Vikramaditya Motwane’s Lootera. “These were original in thought, well-crafted and made with love”. Prabhu Dheva: Ramaiyya Vastavaiya, R... Rajkumar, Chennai Express. “The first two because they were mine and the third because it’s Shah Rukh Khan”. Ajay Bahl: Ship Of Theseus (“for its brilliant cinematography, riveting performances and the simplicity with which it put forward its argument”), Hansal Mehta’s Shahid (“for that awesome performance by Rajkumar Yadav”), Lootera (“for Mahendra Shetty’s astounding cinematography and Vikramaditya Motwane’s masterly craft”). Ritesh Batra: Ayan Mukerjee’s Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani (“fun to watch”), Hansal Mehta’s Shahid (“because of the honesty”), Rajkumar Gupta’s Ghanchakkar (“because Vidya Balan is always fun to watch”). Subhash Ghai: “Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox, Vikaramaditya Motwane’s Lootera. “I took something home from each of these films”. Tigmanshu Dhulia: Aanand Rai’s Raanjhanaa (“Dhanush was so fresh and endearing”), Kai Po Che (“cast was fresh and their bonding fantastic”), D Day (“excellent pace, taut thriller”). Subhash Kapoor: Kai Po Che (“for its simple but powerful narrative style”), Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (“for Farhan Akhtar’s dedication to the role”), Shahid (“for raising a disturbing and relevant issue”). Gauri Shinde: Raj Nidomoru & Krishna DK’s Go Goa Gone, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Chennai Express. Mrigdeep Lamba: Ship Of Theseus (“fresh story, moving, philosophical as well as cinematic”), Lootera (“classic storytelling, excellent craft”), Shahid (“new-age bio-pic, dramatic storytelling and above all, honest portrayal of a harsh reality”). Gyan Correa: Ship Of Theseus, The Lunchbox and The Good Road. “They were fresh films offering new cinematic expressions. They were honest labours of love.”