Off the Beaten track
Year 2008 began on a successful note with the success of Mithya, followed by hits like A Wednesday and Mumbai Meri Jaan, which was made in documentary format. The success of Dibaker Bannerjee’s Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! toward the end of the year proves that the defining trend of the year has been off-beat, low-budget and experimental cinema that has pulled in an audience even in times of recession. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh sums it up: “2008 was the year of good story-telling.”

Out and About
FASHION, immediately followed by Dostana put the spotlight on alternate sexuality. While Madhur Bhandarkar received flak from the gay community for the clichés in Fashion, John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan played a same-sex couple in Dostana and their irreverent take on gays brought homosexuality blatantly into the open, all while eliciting a few laughs.

War of the Khans
THE competition between the Khans took a serious turn after good friends Salman and Shah Rukh had a face-off at Katrina Kaif’s birthday bash in July. Salman has since been vocal about his views on King Khan’s ‘diplomacy’ though the latter has played it down.
Delicious, rare fodder for tabloids and airtime. Trade analyst Ashok Pandit feels that while gossip on the Khans always makes it to the top-10 slot, they face tough competition from Bollywood’s other favourite pastime, couple-spotting.

Switch on PDA
KAREENA Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan introduced the industry to a very strong PR tool — public display of affection— making headlines with their tattoos, love bites and gifts. Newbies Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor were quick to take cues and launched their own PR campaign by talking extensively of their love, shifting homes and featuring in ads together. “Such news makes for headlines without reason but this is the sad part of the business,” reflects Pandit.

RGV at the Taj
EVEN as Mumbai was reeling from the terror attacks, director Ram Gopal Varma caused a nationwide furore by accompanying the then-CM of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh to the Taj hotel, the day it was handed over by the NSG. Citizens condemned the “research” trip with equal passion, resulting in the immediate dethroning of Deshmukh. The only bright spot was the joke that went around soon after, flooding mobile phones and Internet. It read: Ramu ne do Sarkar banayi aur ek girayi.

The Three in the Crowd
FARHAN Akhtar, Imran Khan and Asin Thottumkal emerged as the most promising debutants of 2008. Rock On!! (pictured above) had Akhtar adding “acting” and “singing” to his list of talents. Khan became an instant heart throb with Jaane Tu..., while Asin, an established actor of the South, proved her mettle in Ghajini opposite Aamir Khan.