A goody bag

The much-awaited nominations are announced and the fantastic array of films under the Best Film category is especially special. The kitty is a mix of popular,small budget and avant-garde films with the candy floss rom-com thrown in for good measure. The list includes absolutely commercial films like Love Aaj Kal and 3 Idiots,along with the nouveau Dev.D,the Hollywood-style disability film Paa and the noir and edgy Kaminey.

This only proves that there is no formula: a good film is a good film and deserves to be noticed.

From being a country that only fell for either family dramas or action masalas,filmmakers who experimented have been suitably rewarded with box-office success. Actor Abhay Deol,who’s popularity skyrocketed with the Dev.D,a modern retelling of Sarat Chandra’s tragic work Devdas,doesn’t usually get affected by awards and nominations but was happy that his film was part of the list this year. “It brought a smile to my face,” he says.

In fact,the nomination of Paa was a pleasant surprise for the film’s director Balki. “I was extremely nervous about the film just before the release. My biggest challenge was that nobody should be able to see Amitabh Bachchan as what he actually is. I needed people to see only Auro. If that didn’t happen then my film would have never worked,” he says. Looks like his plan worked. The unconventional story about a father and son not only managed to do a great job at the box office but pleased the critics as well.

After the overwhelming response at the cash registers,it was no shocker that Kaminey was part of the list. Critically acclaimed director Vishal Bhardwaj is known for his serious and detailed films,but Kaminey brought him to a new level of popularity with the film goers. Even actor Shahid Kapoor was taken aback by the huge acceptance this film gave him. “I always knew that it would be a good film. But I also thought that it would have only a niche audience that would love it. I’m obviously over the moon with all this response we got,” says Kapoor.

It’s great that these three unconventional films managed to woo the audiences but it’s also reassuring to know that we’ll never let go of the feel-good cinema we’re renowned for. Two exceptionally good ones were the romantic Love Aaj Kal and completely entertaining 3 Idiots.

Director Imtiaz Ali is pleased with all the nominations that his Love Aaj Kal has got. “Of course,I do hope that we win the Best Film,but even more than that I hope that Deepika will win the Best Actress award,” he says. Don’t we all have our favourites? Let the nail biting begin.