Cinema gets real

It was the year of Sanjay Suri.
Not the actor from Sorry Bhai. But Aamir Khan���s Sanjay Singhania in Ghajini and Shah Rukh Khan���s Suri Sahni in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. It was the year of Asin, Anushka Sharma and Mugda Godse. Ila Arun and Shahana Goswami. Paresh Rawal and Avika Gor. Aamir Khan and Abhishek Bachchan. Boman Irani, Shreyas Talpade and Bipasha Basu.
My favourite performances of the year were Paresh Rawal and Naseeruddin Shah���s speeches in Mumbai Meri Jaan and Khuda Kay Liye, respectively.
Kay Kay Menon in the courtroom sequence in Shaurya. On the other end of the spectrum was Kajol in U Me Aur Hum. It was a delight to see this expressions ki dukaan go gloriously blank-faced. The year gave us a new expression ki dukaan. Asin in Ghajini, crammed in so many emotions in every frame that you wanted to ask her to slow down. Anushka Sharma in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Mugdha Godse in Fashion were prized discoveries.
SRK and Aamir came up with their most accomplished performances in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Ghajini. Both played characters who transform into another human being without resorting to the old double-role gimmick. And Arjun Rampal ripped a space in our hearts with Rock On.
The neglected Ila Arun was magnificent in Jodhaa Akbar and Welcome To Sajjanpur. And how can we forget Ravi Jhankal as the unique eunuch who stands for elections in Sajjanpur, and Vinay Pathak in Rab Ne...? How good Ashwin Mushran was as Priyanka���s gay guardian angel in Fashion would depend entirely on whether he���s straight in real life or not.
Straight-forward inspired was Abhishek Bachchan as a heterosexual masquerading as a homosexual in Dostana. Priyanka Chopra was superlative-defying in Fashion. Her descent into a psychedelic hell was contoured in expressions of utter honesty. Bipasha Basu as a woman-scorned in Bachna Ae Haseeno expressed the dilemma of a successful woman who finds it hard to hold on to a man.
Tusshar Kapoor in Golmaal Returns has emerged as our own Ben Stiller. Shefali Shah���s act in The Last Year and most of all Preity Zinta���s dignified performance as war widow in Heroes... These are performances that have stayed with us even after the year is over. And yes, the kids. Avika Gor and Sparsh in the TV series Balika Vadhu and Uttaran, respectively, Purav Bhandare in Tahaan and Dwij Yadav in Heroes.