(via pastemagazine.com)

You may term 2011 as whichever kind of year you want to, but one thing we shall perhaps unanimously agree that it was an year of news. All kinds of news. News of things which happened, and also, on the other hand, few things which happened only for the sake of news. Paid and deliberately created news and also the organic news which surprisingly topped the chart. Some were pushed to us down our throats, some went viral because they were kept secrets. Some of the videos can be revered for the visuals, most for the audio and the genius in the voices. But, most of these were revelations, not with surprise but with sheer awe. Invaluable for showcasing the gigantic amount of genius with super entertainment values.

With this kind of list, I am not quite sure about the title this post has, a portion of which says ‘top 20′. We could rightfully use dozens of adjectives and their superlatives of these videos. In many cases, each of the videos can attract a separate superlative exclusively for itself. Excellent, WTF, genius, lame, stupid, idiotic, outrageous, entertaining, courageous, sad, anger, pathetic, hilarious, shameful, irritating, mindless, mindful(!), and so on. But, I took the simplest path available. Apologies if you decided otherwise.

So, forget all the lists of 2011 videos you came across by far and check this one out.

20. Kolaveri Di
This was the ‘most deliberate’ viral video ever, thus not a viral, and certainly broke all barriers of language and region. This video can be referenced as a marketing excellence in entertainment industry, nevertheless, this was totally lame and stupid. If you feel otherwise, fine, but I’ll still include this video in this list because it turned out to be too “irritating” in the end, even more than 10 Rakhi Saawants put together. Why? Because it became responsible for 100 of other versions of Kolaveri of all shapes and forms. Fuck, even in the Netherlands. And those videos were everywhere, each of them shared via social media by each of our friends.

19. Dhinchak in Caribbean
This is what happens when so many things are mixed together. This video most possibly succeeded to give ample dose of entertainment to an Indian family displaced or transported to a foreign location 100 years before. 90′s Bollywood, Bhojpuri, Arabian dance, village photo studio’s colorful wallpaper, that wedding video of your uncle, thumka, Harmonium, Banjo, dholak, tree, river, etcetera, etcetera….

18. Rajneeti Prasad tears Lokpal papers in Rajya Sabha
The action was fixed and the stage was set. It happened in the upper house just before the midnight and, soon later, the house was adjourned. This was totally unprecedented and was slammed from all across the country. Interestingly, CNN-IBN reported it ‘an hour ago’. This too happened for the first time in India but the editor-at-large was extremely proud and cheerful. The most important part of this whole episode was the person who did it – Rajneeti Prasad! Could there be any better ‘name’ for the person who performed this historic action? Rajneeti ka prasad? Any name better than this?

17. Delhi attempts flash mob, fails
Flash Mob was ‘Kolaveri part-2′ of 2011. It was Tedx. It was Pritam, Anu Malik, fast, protest, candle march all put together for 21st century generation of India this year. A symbol for superiority. Everybody was doing it in every Indian city. First started by Mumbaikars and was done pretty well. Delhites couldn’t let the Mumbai go away with one extra point and ‘planned & organized’ for a flash mob. Apparently, Delhi police was least bothered by the comparison scorecard between both the cities and played a huge spoilsport. Still, the story didn’t end here, and before you could flash your eyelids, there were flash mobs in Chennai, Banglore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Jhumaritillaiya, Bhatta Paraul, and Kavaratti.

16. Trailer of Pakistan’s first Punjabi film in English jabaan!
You should actually be appreciating this stuff. For the mammoth task of producing the first ever Punjabi movie in English language of the Pakistan, the actors had to toil hard by going to English coaching classes for six months straight. Yes. 6 months of learning English, day and night, to finish a course which was khususi tabiyati in the end, rightfully so. Moreover, the movie promised to have action, romance, drama, and unforgettable melodies which will be  sanganil for coming generations. Pliss to watch!

15. The Haryanvi Dance
Michael Jackson, Shakira, Prabhu Deva, Govinda, Mithun, JLo, Chris Brown, Shiamak – You have watched all of them dancing, but I bet you haven’t watched a performance all of them put together. Here you go -

14. Hot & Spicy – 2011 Cricket World Cup Song Sri Lanka
The Cricket World Cup 2011 was scheduled in the subcontinent and Sri Lanka was certainly not left behind to lift the spirits of its players. Here is the hottest and spiciest video ever made to inspire the cricketers from one particular nation. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd position for the still images category is held by, of course, Poonam Pandey!

13. Rave party in Pakistan
Okay, this is a totally underground video, revealed in 2011 probably to counter the worldwide raptures and Mayan prophecies. You will have to watch this to know how epic it is. As of me, I have hardly any idea of what these ‘ravers’ are doing, but they are certainly very high on something or the other.

12. Om Puri’s antics at Ramlila Ground
I won’t comment on the acting proficiencies of this once-a-premier-art-house actor, but here at Ramlila Ground, he certainly went much over the top and overacted out of zeal or perhaps a little dose of marijuana. He termed the politicians ganwaar and nalaayak, where his definition of a ganwaar was the one who doesn’t speak in English. Soon later, on the stage itself, he accepted his mistakes – “maaf kijiye, main thoda bahek gaya tha“. Say no to drugs, Mr Puri, particularly in daylight!

11. Muskil hai apna mel priye ye pyar nahi hai khel priye
He is Kumar Vishwaas of 2011, for those who know about a certain Dr Vishwaas, and this salutation comes to the poet due to this video. The poet in the poetry recited below talks about how difficult the love is and how the disparities make the love so difficult. Reminiscence of 70s/80s’ love stories, maybe, but the comparisons are very hard to irgnore. Much due to the alankaar-anupraas used in this epic Hindi poetry.

10. No touching, no touching. Only seeing, only seeing
The Himesh surfaced once again in 2011, in a best kick-ass, wtf way as possible. This video is full of ‘epic’ness, in every bits and pieces. Just watch till the end!

9. MTV Roadies Auditions
MTV Roadies auditions are perhaps the most WTF-reality-show-auditions of the universe. On top of that, the WTFness has a peculiar kind of ‘variety’ here which is totally unbeatable by any other show. This is the 9th year of this Indian reality show and the WTFness only grows with each year. This particular audition in the following video which tops even the list of all MTV Roadies auditions. Watch it, it will make you rolling on the floor laughing and may also make you feel sad about how fucked-up this generation is.

8.Veena Malik vs Mufti Saheb
Nobody knew Veena Malik and then suddenly everybody knew who Veena Malik is. ‘What Veena Malik was capable of’ was still largely unknown. Before she did two outrageous things in 2011, both of which invited large-scale extreme reactions, in both India and Pakistan. Pakistan more, as it was on the receiving side on many levels. The video which made into the top 10er is first of those two. Veena already had a history of being a Bigg Boss inmate and that received a lot of flak in Pakistan. While she was in Pakistan, she was interviewed on a news channel, during which one ‘Mufti Saheb’ was also invited for the face-to-face debate with Veena. Little did Mufti saab know!

This video is a glimpse of what happened to him in the program. Mufti saab was speechless and Veena Malik ruthlessly thrashed him. The aftermath was that the opposition in Pakistan went silent, the liberals said it was long due, the Pakistani women had a new face, the war ended, the world peace was done,…and everything else! Well, beside the fun part, it was a very brave and courageous on Veena Malik’s part which was commended and applauded everywhere. Until Veena Malik came with the second thing – posing nude with an ISI tattoo on an Indian magazine’s cover. Then, nobody gave a fuck!

7. Puchho inse puchho – Kiran Bedi’s antics at Ramlila Grounds
Perhaps the likes of Arindam Chaudhari, Om Puri, and Kumar Vishwas gave such overdose of confidence in Kiran Bedi that she couldn’t stop herself from doing a jig or two. We may accept that her intent was fine, but the antics were funny, the drama was epically WTF, and the dialogue was outrageous. In the end, a whole generation of inspired youth were disappointed. Sad! Considering how Kiran Bedi has been the top role modal and icon for millions of young Indian girls.

6. S M Krishna reads speech of somebody else at UNSC
Well, this was the ‘gaffe of the year’. Nobody has ever imagined that the external affairs minister of the world’s largest democracy will read a speech of somebody else in one of the most elite, powerful, diplomatic and governmental gathering on the earth. Yes, it was India’s foreign minister SM Krishna, speaking at United Nations Security Council. Making it epic, he and his colleagues realized after 3 minutes that the speech actually belonged to his counterpart from Portugal. A news report:-

5. Jannat ki Hoor
A seasoned mulla from Pakistan in a religious discourse, which is largely about what the earthy creatures are, how they should be treated, and what awaits the muslim youth in heaven. It disgusted me so much that won’t comment anything further on it. Watch and decide for yourself.

4. The Amar Prem Katha featuring Jaya Prada
I think everyone will agree that Amar Singh is the Amar Singh of politics. When the court gave a nod, a journalist released a collection of the phone tapes of Amar Singh with several famous people – Anil Ambani, Mulayam Singh, Deepak Singhal, Abhijit, Bipasha/Dipasha, Jaya Prada, and so on. You may presume what would the talks with Anil Ambani or Mulayam Singh contain, if you know who Amar Singh is. But, the one with Jaya Prada was surprising, refreshing, hilarious, and of course what the F. Especially the bits involved with the suggestions about keeping one’s body clean and all. For those interested in more, the complete ‘Amar Prem Katha’ can be found here.

3. Govind Tiwari dil ka bhola hai
All those people who are active on social media, especially on Twitter, know everything about Govind Tiwari already. Such was his effect. He went so viral that he became the heartthrob of the nation instantly, as you see, the innocence which is presented in the video was irresistible to put down. Immediately pushed all viral marketers, CV makers, Orkut profiles, Shaadi dotcomers, etc to shame!  Please visit his blog as well.

2. Arindam Chaudhari at Ramlila Grounds
Ramlila Grounds was the epicenter of all the epic actions, drama, and tragedy this year. Despite all the politically correct and relevant parts of the things happened over there, we have three videos picked from the place to make the top 20 lists of 2011′s visual delights. That says it all. But no, you got to watch the best of the lot. Arindam Chaudhari provides the best of entertainments every year and he didn’t spare the 2011 either. Be it the IIPM’s ever-improving print advertisements, the quotes, the TV advertisements of his bestseller books and his exclusive op-ed in his only-magazine-on-the-face-of-earth-to-be-published-in-x-number-of-language featuring randomly and aggressively, zoomed-in-and-out Chaudhari and his fingers-specs-and-ponytail, or this change-maker speech at Ramlila Grounds.

1. Vishwa Bandhu Gupta, in a ‘Chauthi Duniya’ interview, explains cloud computing
And the *drumrolls* for the numero uno position! Ok, but why this video and what is so special about it? Maaloom hai aapko? Main batata hun! It was a complete, organic, pure viral video. Nothing was deliberate and pushed. Only the genius and the excellence of the video marketed itself worldwide, making everyone the MLM agents of all Indian MLM companies. Maaloom hai aapko?

I’ll tell you once again that Vishwa Bandhu Gupta is a genius, a legend. In this video of less than 5 minutes, he provides a brief and comprehensive tutorial on wireless broadcasting, mobile phones, cloud computing, UID, and what happens in America. In this must-watch video, he educates like nobody ever did before. Well, content aside, the way Mr Gupta grills the interviewer, switches the position of his spectacle back and forth, goes out of the way to provide as much knowledge and information as he can for pure altruistic purpose, is nothing less than an act of genius. Truly epic. Even after this interview, Vishwa Bandhu Gupta continued with his philanthropy by sharing his knowledge for quite some time on Twitter (@vbg11), but later, for some unknown reason, he deleted his account.

And two thumbs up to Dr Manish Prakash too. Who Manish? Main batata hun! The legendary interviewer from the weekly magazine ‘Chauthi Duniya’. On a serious note, It’s him who makes this video a visual delight. Watch his reactions!

So, here goes my list, with my takes, arranged in a bottom-up manner. Cheers!

The 50 most anticipated movies of 2012

50. Wettest County
Why: A crime-drama which stars Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, and Shia LaBeouf. The movie is set in the Depression-era where a bootlegging gang is threatened by authorities wanting a cut of their profits.

49. The End
Why: Abbas Kiarostami directs one of another most awaited movies for festival circuits which follows the story of “the unusual relationship between a student, who works as prostitute on the side to pay for her studies, and a brilliant, elderly academic who is one of her clients.”

48. Michael
Why: The plot – “A drama focused on five months in the life of pedophile who keeps a 10-year-old boy locked in his basement”. Intriguing, indeed! Hope the execution is not loud and in the face, and we are up for some real good cinema.

47. Total Recall
Why: Based on a Philip K. Dick’s short story (his stories have made many sci-fi movies before), this sci-fi/action movie talks about power struggle between two geographies And a normal guy (Farrell) begins to suspect that he’s a spy, though he is unaware which side of the fight he’s on.

46. Anna Karenina
Why: Movie adaptation of the novel of Leo Tolstoy. This one stars Jude Law and Keira Knightley in lead roles and is directed by Joe Wright, who has much experience in adapting novels into movies, such as, Atonement, Pride & Prejudice, etc.

45. Chaalis Chauraasi (4084)
Why: Watched the trailer recently on TV and it was as hilarious as one can get. One police van, four Cops, one night, one job, one hell of a ride. This stars Naseeuddin Shah, KK Menon, Atul Kulkarni, Ravi Kishen, Zakir Hussain, Rajesh Sharma, and Manoj Pahwa. Being a comedy/crime movie, I am expecting an incredibly fun-filled roller-coaster ride for two hours.

44. Moonrise Kingdom
Why: I find the combination of cast and plot interesting enough to watch this movie. Starring Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, and Bill Murray, it is a story of a pair of lovers who flee their town causing a local search party to fan out and find them.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Courtesy: IMDb)

43. Agent Vinod
Why: A usual Bollywood star-cast of Saif, Kareena, Gulsan Grover, etc; but the movie is an international action thriller, appearing like a desi Bond movie. This could well be worth watching because it is directed by a very talented Indian thriller-movies director, Sriram Raghavan.

42. Gangster Squad
Why: A crime-drama about a chronicle of the LAPD’s fight to keep East Coast Mafia types out of Los Angeles in the 1940s and 50s. Starring Sean Pean, Ryan Gosling, and Josh Brolin.

41. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Why: The plot – “An introvert freshman, while coping with first love, the suicide of his best friend and his own mental illness, is taken under the wings of two seniors who welcome him to the real world.”

40. Midnight’s Children
Why: A movie adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s much celebrated novel. Deepa Mehta directs it with a wide ensemble cast of Shabana Azmi, Rajat Kapoor, Shahana Goswami, Ronit Roy, Siddharth, Seema Biswas, Rahul Bose, and many others.

39. Ted
Why: Mark Wahlberg is the guy whose teddy bear comes to life as the result of a childhood wish. Besides, the young director, Seth MacFarlane, has a fine record of writing and directing TV comedies.

38. Coriolanus
Why: Based on Shakespear’s play about rise & fall of power, deceit, vangeance, and tragedy – set in modern day. This is enough to pick this flick.

37. Red Lights
Why: The plot. The story is about a psychologist (Sigourney Weaver) and her assistant who study paranormal activity and that leads them to investigate a world-renowned psychic (Robert DeNiro?).

36. The Raven
Why: Purely due to the plot – A fictionalized account of the last days of Edgar Allan Poe’s life (John Cusack in lead role), in which the poet pursues a serial killer whose murders mirror those in the writer’s stories.

35. Paan Singh Tomar
Why: Much awaited real-life chronicles of a runner-turned-bandit, lead role played by Irrfan Khan and directed by talented Tigmanshu Dhulia. Hopefully, this movie sees the light this year.

34. Savages
Why: Oliver Stone’s crime drama about 2 guys’ face off with the Mexican drug cartel who kidnapped their shared girlfriend. Starring Salma Hayek, Uma Thurman, Benicio Del Toro, and John Travolta. I genuinely believe we can forget his sequel of Wall Street before watching this one.

33. Amour
Why: A drama directed by Michael Haneke which is certainly going to feature, and receive awards too, at several film festivals. The plot revolves around a retired couple which deals with aftermath of the wife suffering from a debilitating stroke.

Haywire (Courtesy: IMDb)

32. The Amazing Spider-Man
Why: Not a fan of Spidy franchise, but loved the director Mark Webb’s first and only other movie he directed (500 Days of Summer). Plus, the trailers looks like it deals much with teenager Peter Parker and how he evolves into Spiderman. Plus Plus, Irrfan Khan as the villain and seriously speaking, IK is only Bollywood actor who I believe can get a decent, nice-length Hollywood role.

31. Haywire
Why: A Steven Soderbergh directed action-thriller, which stars Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas, and Antonio Banderas. The plot is about a super soldier’s revenge after she is betrayed and set up during a mission, which very much seems like that of Salt (except the director and the cast ensemble).

30. Men in Black III
Why: Because The Men are back. Leaving K (Tommy Lee Jones), J (Will Smith) time travels to 60s where an alien with its sights on the younger K (Josh Brolin) has gone rouge.

29. Seven Psychopaths
Why: Collin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, and Woody Harrelson form the cast of this comedy caper which is the second film of Martin McDonagh (In Bruges was the first). And this movie features a screenwriter, a dog, gangsters, and psychopaths!

28. Looper
Why: First, the plot – A sci-fi/action story in which a killer (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) finds out that his next target is his own future self (Bruce Willis). Second, the people at the helms – Rian Johnson (last movie – The Brothers Bloom) and the actors.

27. Life of Pi
Why: Yet another movie adaptation of a novel. This one is based on the awesome adventure-drama novel of Yann Martel and involves a kid and a lot of his animal companions. The story has a huge connection to India and fittingly it stars many Indian actors, Irrfan Khan and Tabu to name a few.

26. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Why: Well, the title itself sounds interesting. If not, then read the plot – “President Lincoln’s mother is killed by a supernatural creature, which fuels his passion to crush vampires and their slave-owning helpers.” Interesting yet?

25. Being Flynn
Why: I somehow liked the story very much. Based on a true story, it’s about a guy who often intersects with his brilliant but troubled father and then wrestles with the idea of reconnecting with him. The father (Robert DeNiro) has had an erratic lifestyle and a self-proclaimed poet (An excerpt from the trailer -”America has produced only three classic writers – Mark Twain, J D Salinger, and Me.”).

24. The Hunger Games
Why: A futuristic story based on a novel, which feels like a combination of unusual sports (Battle Royale) and reality tv (Truman Show). Coincidentally, the director’s (Gary Ross) two other movies were related to one of these two themes – Seabiscuit involved drama revolving around an unusual sport and Pleasantville involved something like surrealistic sitcom.

23. Cogan’s Trade
Why: Third movie written and directed by talented Andrew Dominik and his second with Brad Pitt (‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford’ was the first). This one is a crime thriller where Brad Pitt is a professional enforcer who investigates a heist that went down during a mob-protected poker game.

The Dictator (Courtesy: IMDb)

22. The Great Gatsby
Why: Movie adaptation of one of the most famous novels. Though I am not a fan of Buz Luhrmann (except, I really enjoyed watching Moulin Rouge), this stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Carey Mulligan (loved her in Drive) in the lead roles and well…features our very own Amitabh Bachchan (AB’s maiden Hollywood movie).

21. The Dictator
Why: Yet another super satire by Sasha Baron Cohen and Larry Charles (the ‘Borat’ team) about a dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed. Watch the trailer!

20. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Why: Peter Jackson is back with the hobbits and the dwarfs – where a hobbit, with thirteen dwarves, begins a journey which will take him into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers…and Gollum.

19. The Grandmasters (Yut doi jung si)
Why: Celebrated Hongkong-based storyteller Kar Wai Wong directs the story of the martial-arts master Ip Man, the man who trained Bruce Lee.

18. John Carter
Why: Watch the trailer. Mars, a man somehow placed there, among 12-foot tall barbarians and several other kinds of creatures, with a lot of fights in the unknown terrain – looks like a Star Wars movie, with toppings of Planet of Apes and Avatar.

17. Gravity
Why: Lone survivor, Sandra Bullock (also starring George Clooney), of a space-mission-gone-wrong desperately looking to return to Earth and her daughter. Sounds like a purist Sci-fi movie with a backdrop of human’s desires and longings for relationship. Proven record of the director, Alfonso Cuaron, in both kind of themes – Children of Men and Y Tu Mama Tambien. And those who have seen CoM know what kind of Sci-fi movies Cuaron makes.

16. Argo
Why: Ben Affleck is one of those few actor-turned-directors whose directed movies are more awaited than the ones they act in. This is only his third movie, after Gone Baby Gone and The Town. Argo is about a political crisis with a pacy screenplay – “As the Iranian revolution reaches a boiling point, a CIA ‘exfiltration’ specialist concocts a risky plan to free six Americans who have found shelter at the home of the Canadian ambassador. ”

15. Talaash
Why: Aamir Khan produces and stars in Rima Kagti’s crime thriller where Aamir plays a cop.

14. The Bourne Legacy
Why: 1. Bourne. 2. Tony Gilroy (the first movie he directed was Michael Clayton). 3. Edward Norton as a villain. Interestingly, Jeremy Renner is enacting the lead role.

13. Gangs of Wasseypur
Why: The film is about the coal mafia in Dhanbad, said to be inspired from the story of Bihar politician Surajbhan Singh, and has turned out to be a two-part marathon, each two hours and 40 minutes in length. Directed by Anurag Kashyap. Manoj Vajpayee is in the lead role. Everyone in India knows what these people are capable of and if you are aware of the real-life stories of the coal mafia in Dhanbad, this is surely one must-watch for 2012.

The Expendables 2 (Courtesy: IMDb)

12. Untitled Terrence Malick Project
Why: Terrence Malick and a plot involving intricacies of human relationship. Surely the eyes are upon this, especially when the director has released ‘the tree of life’ last year. The plot says – “A romantic drama centered on a man who reconnects with a woman from his hometown after his marriage to a European woman falls apart.”

11. The Expendables 2
Why: This may not deserve a mention in a top-15 anticipation list, but this probably features on everyone’s watch-list. A perfect guilty pleasure starring – Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris, and others – all in one purely hell of an action movie.

And the *drum-rolls* for the Top 10.

10. Dark Shadows
Why: Tim Burton, with his regular team members, joins Johny Depp again in a Gothic movie involving perhaps one of the most weird set of characters ever. The tale centers on the life of playboy vampire Barnabas Collins (Depp) and his run-ins with various monsters, witches, werewolves and ghosts.

9. Shanghai
Why: Arguably, one of the most talented Bollywood director of our times, Dibaakar Banerjee’s 4th movie is a political thriller. The movie is the official Hindi adaptation of a political thriller by Greek novelist Vassilis Vassilikos, who wrote about the real-life assassination of a dynamic politician.  As Dibakar said early this year – “Well this film is going to see him go right into the heat and dust of a hellish Indian small town and its deadly politics. No leather jackets, suave bars and foreign locales. Abhay was never seen like this before – in a negative, cold, almost vicious character. Imagine Abhay being the establishment instead of fighting it. He looks at you through his glasses, wearing his stiff shirt and you wonder what’s on his mind”. It also stars Emraan Hashmi (interesting casting!) and Kalki Koechin.

8. The Avengers
Why: Why? I mean, it features Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, HawkEye, Black Widow, and pirate-eye Nick Furry – it’s like a ‘comic book digest’ (a story involving multiple superheroes) we used to wait for months and buy/rent immediately in our childhood.

7. Cloud Atlas
Why: Wachowski brothers team up with Tom Tykwer to direct a sci-fi epic, a movie adaptation of David Mitchell’s novel. Can be termed as one of the most ambitious movie of the year which is about 6 stories set in a different time and place which become intricately related to each other. Expecting one of the best sci-fi sets of our times. On top of that, it stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Ben Whishaw, Susan Sarandon, and Hugh Grant

6. Prometheus
Why: Ridley Scott and sci-fi genre. A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race. Said to be a prequel of his ’79 movie ‘Aliens’ (a long time since then) it brings back the thrill, horror, and action in the other part of universe. Needless to say, this also involves a huge budget (see the trailer) and interesting star cast of Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, and Guy Pearce.

5. The Master
Why: PTA. Paul Thomas Anderson is certainly our generation’s Stanley Kubrick (only 5 feature films over a career spanning more than 2 decades – all masterpieces). Number 2, the plot, which says, as per IMDb – “A 1950s-set drama centered on the relationship between a charismatic intellectual known as ‘the Master’ whose faith-based organization begins to catch on in America, and a young drifter who becomes his right-hand man.” Philip Seymour Hoffman is the Master, Joaquin Phoenix is the right-hand man, and ‘Scientology’ is the religion in question. Beat that!

4. Lincoln
Why: Spielberg directing a biography of one of the most famous American President, Abraham Lincoln, role enacted by Daniel Day-Lewis (Yes!). Need say more?

(Courtesy: IMDb)

3. Skyfall
Why: A ‘lethal’ combination of 007 and Sam Mendes. Starring the blonde Bond, Javier Bardem, and Ralph Fiennes & the cameras at the helms of the legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins.

This is going to be EPIC and will, without any doubt, get the 007 on the top.

2. Django Unchained
Why: Tarantino, Tarantino, and Tarantino. Bonus is the plot with solid star cast – A slave-turned-bounty hunter (Jamie Foxx), with the help of his mentor (Christoph Waltz),  sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio as the villain!).

Also starring JGL, Samuel L Jackson, and Sacha Baron Cohen.

Django Unchained (Courtesy: www.federicomancosu.com)

1. The Dark Knight Rises
Why: Everybody knows everything about this movie and this probably stays on top of everyone’s most anticipated movie of 2012. This epic grand finale of Nolan’s Batman trilogy will, I reckon, stay on top again in the lists of the best movies compiled at the end of 2012, well, if the world doesn’t end in 2012.

The Dark Night Rises (Courtesy: IMDb)

 

राजा मेरा गज़ब का, किये थे अद्भुत काम
सागर लंका धाँस दी, पाप मिटाता नाम.

उस दिन तेरे देश भये सुखी सभी सुबः शाम
न्याय, सत्य, और प्रेम ने किये कुशल व्यायाम.

याद बिसारी तुने तब, जब पड़ी तेज है घाम
लेकर तेरा नाम यहाँ मच रखी घोर संग्राम.

नज़र बिराजे रामचन्द्र, अधर निहारे दाम
आयुध तानी फैज़ पे, और किया घोर बदनाम.

Image source: youthastro.com, sangam.org

Sachin Tendulkar

“When Sachin Tendulkar travelled to Pakistan to face one of the finest bowling attacks ever assembled in cricket, Michael Schumacher was yet to race a F1 car, Lance Armstrong had never been to the Tour de France, Diego Maradona was still the captain of a world champion Argentina team, Pete Sampras had never won a Grand Slam.When Tendulkar embarked on a glorious career taming Imran and company, Roger Federer was a name unheard of; Lionel Messi was in his nappies, Usain Bolt was an unknown kid in the Jamaican backwaters. The Berlin Wall was still intact, USSR was one big, big country, Dr Manmohan Singh was yet to “open” the Nehruvian economy.It seems while Time was having his toll on every individual on the face of this planet, he excused one man. Time stands frozen in front of Sachin Tendulkar. We have had champions, we have had legends, but we have never had another Sachin Tendulkar and we never will.”

Image source: Google Images

May the dinosaurs laugh soon on you, the extropians!

Mind IT!!!!