Well, it’s that time of the year again… Yes, I expect my thoughts to penetrate into the minds of the Filmfare jury… Therefore the fanfare! All right, let us all get it over with. I have my ideas as to which were the really, really good movies this year, and I am going to speak out my mind. It’s really very sad.

But here goes…

Best Film

(This year was good. In the sense, the difference that I keep talking about has been seen manifesting itself in the Hindi movies that we get to see these days. A lot of actors, directors, et all, re taking risks. Everyone is trying to shed their skin and do something different – and I like that. So, Best Film this year really has all winners.)

Luck by Chance

Dev D

Gulal

Firaaq

Kaminey

Paa

Dev D. No doubt, it has changed the way in which we think about movies. And it has also proved that however experimental your movie may be, if you really make it from within, everyone will love it.

Best Director

(This year I saw a lot of new directors and even the old ones were all ready to make something new. And I loved this year only because of the attempt. Not to mention, most people who thought out of the box went on rake in the money. It had to happen one day, it did.)

Zoya Akhtar (Luck by Chance)

Anurag Kashyap (Dev D)

Anurag Kashyap (Gulal)

Nandita Das (Firaaq)

Vishal Bhardwaj (Kaminey)

Anurag Kashyap (Dev D). You see my dilemma here? Who could I keep and who could I drop. It becomes all the more exciting when you see a situation like this. But I went with Anurag Kashyap because at the end of the day, this man gave us Dev D. The pure execution is alone worth the price of your ticket.

Best Actor

Farhan Akhtar (Luck by Chance)

Abhay Deol (Dev D)

Nasseruddin Shah (Firaaq)

Shahid Kapoor (Kaminey)

Abhay Deol. This is the third time in a row that he has won my non-existent award. Why? Because every year I see him do something different. He has been the best actor we have had in years. And he writes to. More power to him.

Best Actress

Konkona Sen Sharma (Luck by Chance)

Sonam Kapoor (Delhi 6)

Priyanka Chopra (Kaminey)

Vidya Balan (Paa)

Priyanka Chopra. I know many people like mainstream actors not winning anything. But when mainstream actors can slip into their character and go through rigorous training for it, they deserve to win. Not for crappy movies like Fashion! Konkona and Sonam were close behind, but this year it’s all Piggy!

Best Supporting Actor

Hrithik Roshan (Luck by Chance)

Dibyendu Bhattacharya (Dev D)

Chandan Roy Sanyal (Kaminey)

Amol Gupte (Kaminey)

Amol Gupte. For all those who thought that he could only think and write priceless stories like Taare Zameen Par, surprise! Gupte ripped right through the movie with his miraculous performance. And this year, all the supporting actors outdid each other. Even Hrithik’s 20 minute appearance was terrific. But Gupte was the champion.

Best Supporting Actress

Kalki Koechlin (Dev D)

Mahi Gill (Gulal)

Kalki Koechlin. For a prostitute who could seduce in Hindi, English, Tamil and French, winning a mere supporting actor award must have been a walk in the park.

Best Music

Shankar Ehsaan Loy (Luck by Chance)

Amit Trivedi (Dev D)

A R Rahman (Delhi 6)

Vishal Bhardwaj (Kaminey)

Shankar Ehsaan Loy (Wake up Sid)

Amit Trivedi. This has brought out the man to the limelight. When Kashyap decided he wanted to explain his narrative through music, he knew what he was doing getting Amit Trivedi into the studio. Music like never before, Indian soundtracks never had it like this.

Best Cinematography

Luck by Chance

Dev D

Gulal

Kaminey

Dev D. Surely, the colours and the lights could afford no other winner. Magnificently shot and beautifully built, this was one of the reasons why Dev D became what it did.

Best Editing

Dev D

Kaminey

Dev D. Cinematography was one, this was the other part of the story. Stylish, stunning, bizarre, terrific!

Best Story

Luck by Chance

Kaminey

Gulal

Dev D

Luck by Chance. Never ever has Bollywood taken a pot shot at itself with so much love. A movie based on the industry, by the industry and yet so believable. Brilliant piece of writing and alarmingly saucy dialogues.