2008, year of some hits but lots of misses

New Delhi, Dec 30: The world`s most prolific film industry, Bollywood which churned out more than 200 films during 2008, saw not more 10 per cent of them registering success although there were some films that could be remembered for good scripts and breathtaking performances. The year opened grandly to Ashutosh Gowarikar`s much hyped "Jodhaa Akhbar". Released after it had generated a lot of curiosity and controversies, the film was not a flop but neither a hit.

Abbas-Mustan`s `Race` was perhaps one of the top grosser of the year. A pacy thriller with good storyline backed with lots of twists and turns, starring actresses like Katrina Kaif, Bipasha Basu and Sameera Reddy and some groovy numbers by music director Pritam did good business. Among small budget films veteran director Shyam Benegal`s `Welcome to Sajjanpur`, a satire on the current social set-up was received well by the audience. The film dealt with various social issues with a comical twist. Rajat Kumar Gupta with his debut film `Aamir` got some rave reviews from both critics and audiences. Actor Rajeev Khandelwal too earned accolades for his performance in this film. But the dark horses of the box-office this year were Abaas Tyrewala`s film `Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa` and Abhishek Kapoor`s `Rock On`. `Rock On`, marked the debut of director Farhan Akhtar who made hit films like `Dil Chahta Hai and `Don`. It also launched the career of television actress Prachi Desai whose character in `Kasam Se` became a household name. Bureau Report