Last year, there were surprises galore at the box office. Not only did the spanking new Rs 100 crore club open its registers for memberships, some much-touted films that were expected to set the cash registers ringing had to bite the dust
However, some films, though small, managed to make an impressive mark at the ticket windows...
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Vicky Donor
Shoojit Sircar took a huge risk with two newbies and a rather offbeat subject of sperm donation. The film that was John Abraham’s first production went on to rake in some huge moolah.
OMG: Oh My God!
Akshay Kumar introduced his new banner to make ‘small’ films that went on to make over R 80 crore in India theatrical alone. The film adapted from a Gujarati play was a runaway hit.
1920-The Evil Returns
The filmmakers took a big risk to release it during the pre-Diwali period. The cast consisting of Aftab Shivdasani and Tia Bajpai was not impressive at all. Debutant director Bhushan Patel went for a sixer and the film ended up breaking many records.
Gangs of Wasseypur
Anurag Kashyas’s dream project had an ensemble cast but no stars. The film got a thumbs-up not only at the ticket counter but also from the critics. It is now referred to as one of Kashyap’s best works. Unfortunately the second part did not meet with a similar fate.
Paan Singh Tomar
The film was lying in the cans for a good amount of time and was a low-key release. It picked up, thanks to word-of-mouth praise. Irrfan was outstanding and director Tigmanshu Dhulia was heaped with praise.
(Some other films that we thought deserved a mention were Kahaani, English Vinglish, Ishaqzaade and Hate Story.)