10 worst Bollywood films of 2015
Die-hard fans may disagree but Hindi cinema certainly produces more duds than applause worthy movies every year. As Anushka Sharma recently pointed out in an interview, actors in Hindi movies should be happy, for the taste of moviegoers is so average that everyone is a star.
2015 was no different than any other year. Yes, there were some stellar performances and praise-worthy movies but the year also saw some big-budget disasters and many downright ridiculous movies. Some movies upped the expectations sky-high and upon release brought them crashing down. It wasn't a remarkable year for Hindi movies by any stretch of imagination.
So, here's my list of the worst movies of the year. I'll admit I haven't seen many other bad ones, thankfully so you may find some obvious names missing such as Mr X, Hawaizaada, Khamoshiyaan, Dirty Politics, and Ek Paheli Leela.
1. Shaandaar
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There was nothing, absolutely nothing "shaandaar" about Shaandaar. I clearly remember sitting for a house-full show of this movie and every 30 minutes a group would get up and leave the theatre. I have never seen a film try so hard to be both funny and different, and failing miserably at both. People, including me, were left seriously wondering just how the same director had earlier made the iconic Queen with Kangana?
2. Dilwale
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It takes more than just banking on the SRK-Kajol chemistry to make a film work. It takes a story, good direction and able screenplay. Obviously, that's expecting way too much out of Rohit Shetty who only knows how to blow up cars and pass off inane sequences in the name of comedy. Dilwale was so bad, it almost made the other movies in this list look better.
3. Katti Batti
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My expectations were quite high, despite the obvious copying of 500 Days of Summer as visible from the trailer, all thanks to Kangana. But even she, despite being fairly decent, couldn't save this disaster that couldn't decide if it wanted to be a chirpy rom-com or an emotional tale of jilted love. The fact that it had Imran Khan in most of the scenes, especially when he just can't act, didn't help much.
4. Alone
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First, for a horror film, this just wasn't scary. And second, having multiple songs with the couple thrusting themselves into each other's mouths and bodies is good maybe for YouTube but doesn't make a film for the big screen. No wonder the filmmakers were left "alone" in the theatres while watching this one - it is that juvenile.
5. Roy
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Majorly responsible for the massacre of Ranbir Kapoor's career, though he only had an extended cameo in this one, Roy promised an intense drama filled with a noir treatment, mind-games and a passionate love affair. What it offered, however, was overplayed imagination (of the director) that made absolutely no sense at all.
6. Hamari Adhuri Kahaani
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Had this film released back in the '60s or '70s, I'm sure it would have been a blockbuster. But no one is going to buy a domestic abuse-suffering-wife-still-clinging-to-her-mangalsutra story in 2015, even if that wife is played by Vidya Balan. No wonder the movie bombed big time. It's a painfully sobbing movie that leaves you teary-eyed- not because of its story but because it's a torture to sit through.
7. Hero
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Remaking an already successful movie has not worked most often in Bollywood. But when you're remaking a movie that was originally made in the '80s, you need to know that the sensibilities of the audience have changed. Also, it's important to cast actors who can actually act, not because they happen to be star kids. Sadly, the filmmakers thought otherwise and thanks to that we now have two new additions to the "we just can't act" roster of Bollywood star children.
8. Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon
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I'm no fan of Kapil Sharma and almost despise his sexist comedy show that somehow makes many people laugh. And I went into this film, occupational hazards to be blamed here, with zilch expectations. Yet, the film surpassed even the level of stupidity I had expected. Kapil Sharma married to three women living in the same building with one girlfriend on the side is so ridiculous that I just couldn't take it. Absolutely awful!
9. Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo
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Even if you have some regard for the outdated ideologies of the Barjatya clan, it is painfully difficult to sit through PRDP. After all, it's only for a short while that you can stay amused with the director's vision. Which world is he living in? It's 2015 and the '90s are long over. And he needs to stop being so generous and offer non-actors prominent parts in his movies. Yes, I'm talking about Neil Nitin Mukesh and Armaan Kohli.
10. Hate Story 3
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Not that the previous two Hate Stories were any better but the third installment takes it to a whole new level of awful. Also, it certainly doesn't help when three of the four leads can't act and the other one decides to ham his way through the movie. As for the erotica, if it isn't looking sexy, no one is lapping it up.