Best Directors of Bengali Cinema in 2016

Year 2016 is over now and it is the time to look back for a quick recap of the Bengali movies in 2016. Of course a good movie is combined effort of the whole team but for a well made movie we must give the maximum credit to the captain who manages the whole team to deliver a good film and that captain is the director of the film.Let's have a look at the best directors of Bengali movies in 2016.

Best Directors of Bengali Cinema in 2016

1. Shiboprasad Mukherjee & Nandita Roy (Praktan)

For last few years this director duo has became a sure shot guarantee of success. The best part about their movies is, they choose an emotional story about human relationship and present it in a simple way which can connect with audiences easily. In 2016 they came with the movie #Praktan. It was about two ex-lovers who meet each other after a long gap, during a train journey. The master stroke this time was the casting of Prosenjit Chatterjee and Rituparna Sengupta as the lead pair. They worked with each other after long gap of 14 years and the audiences will remain thankful to Shiboprasad and Nandita for making this possible with the perfect subject. There was no doubt it was one of the best movies of the year and got positive feedback from each and everybody.

2. Arindam Sil (Eagler Chokh & Byomkesh Pawrbo)

In 2016 Arindam Sil was the only director who delivered two successful movies #EaglerChokh and #ByomkeshPawrbo. Both were thrillers but completely different from each other in terms of subject and treatment. #EaglerChokh was an urban psychological thriller set in today's Kolkata and #ByomkeshPawrbo was a crime thriller based on Byomkesh Bakshi story which was set up in the forest areas of Dooars during the time of 1948. Arindam Sil being a good visionary presented both the stories in an engaging way which made both the movies gripping thrillers. Also one must praise his perfection for every minute detailing to create the characters and situations looking authentic on screen. For a director, to make two movies with such perfection, in the short period of one year is really commendable.

3. Srijit Mukherjee (Zulfiqar)

In 2016, Srijit Mukherjee pushed his boundaries to make a movie on a larger scale which anyone has ever attempted. It was #Zulfiqar, a larger than life drama featuring almost half a dozen of stars in main lead. The story idea of a Srijit Mukherjee film is always a highlight this time too there was no exception. He merged two Shakespeare plays "Julius Caesar" and "Antony & Cleopatra" that too in the backdrop of the mafia system operating in Khidderpore Doc area. It was one fresh and interesting concept. Also to manage the cast with so many big names in the industry and doing justice to each of their character was not an easy task and Srijit Mukherjee managed it quite well.  Though some people think it was more commercial approach of film making compared to his earlier works but this way he reached towards a bigger section of audience and it is one kind of achievement on his part as a director.

4. Kaushik Ganguly (Bastushaap & Cinemawala)

There is no doubt Kaushik Ganguly is a film maker who always comes with unusual yet interesting story. In 2016 he had two releases #Bastushaap and #Cinemawala. Both were wonderful films having solid performances. #Bastushaap was drama revolving around the equation of dysfunctional family members and one Bastu guide who comes to solve their problems with his Bastu tips. Though the inner meaning of the film was more meaningful which says to deal with your problems first you need to organize your inner self. #Cinemawala was an attempt to bring attention to the poor condition of single screen theaters. Day by day such theaters are losing their existence.Both the movies were well received by the target audiences. #Cinemawala got huge appreciation in different film festivals too.

5. Pratim D Gupta (Saheb Bibi Golaam)

This critic turned director is comparatively younger than the other Veterans in this list but he has proved himself as a fine director at this young age only. Though his directorial debut was mostly unnoticed but in 2016, he got all the attention with his second directorial venture #SahebBibiGolaam. It was refreshing as well as brave concept for Bengali cinema. It was a thriller about three different characters from different social background whose lives got interconnected with each other after an unexpected twist. The film has to fight a lot with censor board for the bold content but once it released the audiences gave a huge thumbs up to it and proved that audience are mature enough to accept this subject. Hats off to the director, for choosing such a brave subject and raising voice against the social injustice against women.

6. Anjan Dutta (Hemanta & Byomkesh O Chiriyakhana)

He is one director who was never bothered with box office failure, he believes he is a storyteller and will keep doing that. This year he came with two movies. First one was his highly ambitious project #Hemanta and second one was his guaranteed successful movie #ByomkeshOChiriyakhana. #Hemanta was one of his most ambitious projects to adopt Shakespeare's "Hamlet" in Bengali. It was really a good effort the way he had adopted the story in contemporary Kolkata with keeping most of the main characters of the play with the same basic emotions.  Though his screenplay seemed little hurried and lost towards the climax and it was a flop at the ticket windows but we should give him credit for attempting such a complex subject and taking awesome performance from the whole cast. #ByomkeshOChiriyakhana was a comparatively safer bet as it is almost a guaranteed success. He made it wonderfully keeping it simple yet engaging thriller that too in a very limited budget.

Best Bengali Movies of 2016

The year 2016 is over now and it is the time to look back and revisit the best Bengali movies of 2016.Business wise 2016 was not that good for Bengali movies as most of the movies were flops and the sad thing is even a big number of movies went totally unnoticed because of lack of promotion. But we saw a good trend this year that audiences are more interested to see movies based on good content and original content rather than the south Indian remakes.

Here is the list of 10 Best films of 2016

[In order of their release date]

Bastushaap

With the movie #Bastuushaap, directed Kaushik Ganguly once again came with a

unique subject and this time it was Bastu and this concept was gelled with an interesting story revolving around a family and their problems. Very intelligently the story told us about to get a better life one should organize the Bastu of his inner self not of the house. Kaushik ganguly had treated the film quite differently from his regular movies. It was comparatively more mainstream and different from Kaushik Ganguly's signature style and it worked with the audiences.The main cast was full of talented actors Abir Chatterjee, Parambrata Chatterjee, Raima Sen, Churni Ganguly and Kaushik Ganguly himself and all five actors delivered one of their finest performances. Also the music by Anupam Roy was quite popular which also worked in favor of the movie.

Sankhachil

#Sankhachil was an Indo-Bangladesh joint venture about the painful effects of

partition. It was directed by very talented Gautam Ghosh. In the lead cast there was Prasenjit Chatterjee along with Bangladeshi actress Kusum Sikder and a young girl Saanjhbati. The story was very emotional and heart touching about the struggle of a parent to save their daughter from a fatal disease. It was full with nostalgic moments regarding the pain of partition of Bengal. Moreover the powerful performances by the whole cast, especially by Prasenjit Chatterjee was another highlight of the film. The film connected very well with the audiences for its nostalgic emotions about Indo-Bangla partition and also for the realistic representation of the situation at Indo-Bangla border area. Also the performances by the whole cast was highly applauded. It was hugely appreciated in different film festivals and also received National award for best Bengali film category.

Cinemawala

#Cinemawala was a Venkatesh Films production, directed by master storyteller

Kaushik Ganguly. This was Kaushik Ganguly's attempt to bring attention to the poor condition of single screen theaters. Day by day such theaters are losing their existence. The film tried to protest against piracy through a story of a father and son and their collision, the battle between single screen theater owner and pirated CD seller. In the lead roles Paran Bandopadhyay and Parambrata Chatterjee were extra ordinary. They were perfectly supported by Arun Guhathakurta and Sohini Sarkar. Although it was a film for the sake of single screen theater owners but the subject was too classy to be a single screen theater favorite. Even in multiplexes it got mixed response, but it got very warm response at the festivals.

Praktan

#Praktan was a film for which there was a sky-high expectation since the film was

announced. There were two main reasons for that, one was director duo Shiboprasad Mujherjee and Nandita Roy, whose last film #Belasheshe was the biggest hit of last year, another reason was after long 14 years one of the most loved on screen couple of Bengali cinema, Prasenjit Chatterjee and Rituparna Sengupta were coming back together.  When the film released it got bumper opening and after watching it people find it has satisfied all the expectations. The story was very promising which was about two ex lovers who met accidentally on a train journey after a long gap and interestingly that concept had some similarity with the real life scenario of the lead couple. People only went to see Prasenjit and Rituparna together but they got in addition superb performance from Aparijita Addhya, a heart touching story and soulful music. All these worked as magic for the film and it created history at the box office.

Eagler Chokh

Last year director Arindam Sil had surprised everyone with his slick stylish

thriller #EbarShabor, this time he was back with the second instalment of Shabor Series. Once again it was based on a Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay story, a murder mystery set in today's Kolkata. It was a story revolving around a young guy who is going through a mental trauma after facing sexual abuse at a young age. Around him there were many female characters among them many were sexually attracted to the guy. Shaswata Chatterjee once again did an excellent job as detective Shabor Dashgupta. Among the others it was theatre actor Anirban Bhattacharya in the central character who did a superb job and grabbed everyone's attention. Among the girls Jaya Ahsaan and debutante Riya Bank gave remarkable performances. The first part of Shabor Series was a big hit and the second one continued that trend.

SahebBibiGolaam

It was critic turned director Pratim D Gupta's second directorial venture. Since

the first teaser had been released there was enough curiosity for the film. The bold and edgy thriller had grabbed eyeballs not only in Bengal rather it had got positive feedback from many celebrities from Bollywood too. As a director Pratim D Gupta’s directorial debut was almost unnoticed but this time he was back with full energy and a wonderful cast which included names like Anjan Dutta, Swastika Mujherjee, Ritwick Chakraborty, Parno Mitra. It was an interesting story about a contact killer, a bore housewife and a taxi driver whose lives gets interconnected with each other in a surprising twist. It was an interesting as well as refreshing story. Another good point about the film was it had raised strong voice against social injustice and crime against women and this point helped it more to get connected with the audiences. The music by Anupam Roy was very melodious and popular.This movie had to struggle a lot with censor board for its bold contents which had delayed its release date, but the audience were mature enough to accept the bold contents so it got positive feedback from audience.

Zulfiqar
One of the most successful director Srijit Mukherjee collaborated with the biggest production house of the industry to make a big budget Magnum opus with almost

half dozen of big stars, definitely this was enough to make #Zulfiqar one of the most awaited film of this year. It was the talk of the town since the first teaser was released. The story concept, to adapt two Shakespeare's novels 'Julius Caesar' and 'Antony and Cleopatra' in one movie that too in the backdrop of mafias in Khidderpore doc area was very fresh and appealing to Bengali cine lovers. Apart from the director and the concept the huge star cast was obviously an added attraction which included names like Prosenjit Chatterjee, Dev, Parambrata Chatterjee, Jisshu Sengupta, Kaushik Sen, Ankush, Paoli Dam, Nusrat, Rahul Banerjee among others.Not to forget the wonderful music by Anupam Roy which was already popular before the release of the film. All these factors helped this film to get the biggest opening among the other Puja releases. After watching it, people were divided in different opinions. Some felt it was a good effort from Srijit but some loyal fans of Srijit Mukherjee felt that he tried to attend more commercial subject coming out of his own signature style of film making ,to make it more mass appealing. No matter whether some people were not too happy with it but the positive response towards it was huge enough and that reflected on the box office collections too. Among the actors Prosenjit Chatterjee, Parambrata Chatterjee, Kaushik Sen, Paoli Dam got appreciation for their performances. Dev got a huge acclaim for his superb acting in a mute character. But Jisshu Sengupta was the show stealer with his exceptionally well portrayal of a negative character.

ByomkeshOChiriyakhana
During last year Durga Puja, director Anjan Dutta presented Jisshu Sengupta as

new Byomkesh Bakshi and it was a big hit. Getting inspired from last year's success the team came back this Puja with yet another mystery of Byomkesh Bakshi. This time the story was 'Chiriyakhana'. This was the same story on which Satyajit Ray had made his only Byomkesh movie with Uttam Kumar. Though it was not a kind of remake of Ray's 'Chiriyakhana', rather director Anjan Dutta had made it, in his own way. This time too Jisshu Sengupta, Saswata Chatterjee and Ushoshi were there as Byomkesh, Ajit and Satyabati. Along with them there were a bunch of film and television actors like Shantilal Mukherjee, Sayani Ghosh, Neel Mukjerjee, Priyanka Sarkar, Riju Biswas, Kanchan Mallik and Subhra Saurav Das. All of them were perfect in their roles especially Subhra was too good as a mentally challenged guy. Both Jissu and Saswata were as usual in good form. Whenever Anjan Dutta has made a Byomkesh film it has never failed and this time too there was no exception. The movie got a wonderful opening and considering its limited budget it became a big hit in just few weeks. In fact it was the most profitable film among the all six releases during this Puja.

Byomkesh Pawrbo

Last year director Arindam Sil had reintroduced Byomkesh in his first attempt

with Byomkesh movies with #HarHarByomkesh and this year with #ByomkeshPawrbo he continued that trend. Once again we got a Byomkesh movie which was more mainstream and more contemporary without compromising with the traditional Byomkesh sentiments. This movie was based on Shirdendu Bandopadhyay's novel "Amriter Mrityu", which was about solving the mystery of illegal arms circulation. The backdrop was set in the forest areas of Dooars in the time of 1948. One must say the recreation of the period of 1948 had been done very authentically by the talented crew lead by Director Arindam Sil. As Byomkesh Bakshi, Abir Chatterjee was in superb form and he was the main highlight of the film. Apart from him Sohini Sarkar, Kaushik Sen and Rudranil Ghosh were also appreciated for their performances. Besides fine acting and direction another high point of the film was brilliant cinematography by Soumik Halder. The movie was well received by the audiences.

Double Feluda

It was a Feluda movie which marked the celebration of completion of glorious fifty years Feluda series. That is why for the fans it had not one rather two stories in

two halves. These two stories were "Samaddarer Chabi" and "Golakdhaam Rahasya". As Sandip Ray is yet to find a new actor to play Jatayu so he had to choose two stories from the initial phase of Feluda series where Jatayu was not there. To play Feluda and Topshe he once again chose his old favorites Sabyasachi Chakraborty and Saheb Bhattacharya. Although Sabyasachi  Chakraborty has grown old, but with perfect make up and a better body language Sabyasachi managed to overcome all those shortcomings.

Apart from two stories, there were some additional features for the fans like the opening credit which showed the original textbook snapshots from different popular Feluda stories to bring back all the memories of reading the books. The end credit was a journey through the memories of Feluda movies where the cast and crew members shared their experience working with Satyajit Ray on Feluda movies, in a short documentary format. Sandip Ray's simple storytelling and Sabyasachi Chakraborty's wonderful performance in the title role make it a favorite among the fans.

Best Actresses of Tollywood in 2016

Year 2016 is over now and it is the time to look back and see how our beloved actresses of Bengali cinema performed throughout the year. 

Best actresses of 2016

1 . Swastika Mukherjee

Swastika Muherjee is a brave actress who has never hesitated to do a bold character. In 2016

we saw her in the movie #SahebBibiGolaam where she played a strong woman character who likes to live her life on her own terms. She played an obedient housewife and mother who is courageous enough to go outside to her social boundaries to satisfy her physical desires. It is one bold character which many actresses would have hesitated to do but Swastika did it with ease. She was equally good in both the sides of her character, as the housewife as well as the escort. The movie was a big hit and her bold avatar was appreciated by each and everyone. Towards the end of the year we saw her playing yet another difficult character with perfection in the movie #KiritiRoy. Here she played an alcoholic, aged old woman. It is not an easy task to play a character older than your real age but the way Swastika gave life to the old woman on screen, it was outstanding.

2. Rituparna Sengupta

Rituparna  Sengupta is an actress who keep doing a lot of work and this year too she

appeared in many movies but the one which was most memorable that was #Praktan. The moment the movie was announced it was the talk of the town because after long 14 years Rituparna Sengupta acted opposite Prosenjit Chatterjee and one must say her chemistry was so good with her co-actor Prosenjit Chatterjee, even after such a long gap. In this movie, she played two different phases of the same character; one as a young working woman dealing with problems in her newly married life and another one as a more mature woman who accidentally meets her ex-husband and her family on a train journey. In both the parts she was impressive and convincing.

 3. Paoli Dam

Paoli Dam appeared in few movies this year but her two best performances were in #Khwato and #Zulfiqar. In #Khwato she played a complex character of woman who is torn between her responsibilities as a housewife and her love for outside marriage. She was outstanding in this character. She did a lot of bold scenes too without making it looking vulgar. We appreciate her for choosing such a brave character. In #Zulfiqar she was in an extended cameo but in those few minutes of screen time she was absolutely brilliant. Her portrayal of a schizophrenic patient was amazing. Apart from movies this year she made her TV fiction debut with the TV serial #Mahanayak where she played a character loosely based on Mahanayika "Suchitra Sen" and she got much accolades for that.

4. Nusrat

Nusrat is yet to qualify as a talented actress but in 2016 she was in the best phase of her career so far. She was very much there in news for her professional career. She had five releases this year. In movies like #Power, #LoveExpress and #HaripadaBandwala she had nothing much to do apart from looking glamorous and shaking leg in foreign location with her hero. But with the other two movies she left impression. In #KelorKirti she played a seductress and she looked ravishing in that role. Also her comic timing was bang on. We loved her grooving in item song #ItemBomb. In #Zulfiqar she again played a temptress. She looked gorgeous and acted well enough to make her presence felt in the crowd of talented actors around her.

5. Mimi Chakraborty

Mimi had three releases in 2016, #KiKoreTokeBolbo , #KelorKirti and #Gangster. None of the movies was that big hit but she had significant roles in all these three movies and she did a good job as a performer in those movies. She also had good chemistry with all her co-actors. Among the three we love her most in her comic act in #KelorKirti.

Apart from these Tollywood actresses, there are few other actresses who were very much impressive in the following movies.

Aparajita Adhya (Praktan)

She hardly gets any bigger role in movies and most of the time she is busy doing TV, but in 2016 she gave a memorable performance in a supporting role in #Praktan. Though it was a Prosenjit – Rituparna film but the movie is incomplete without Aparajita Adhya’s comic performance.

Kusum Sikder (Shankhachil)

This Bangladeshi actress impressed us very much in the movies #Shankhachil. She gave a wonderful performance as a mother struggling with her daughter’s health issues.

Joya Ahsaan (Eagler Chokh)

This talented lady from Bangladesh was superb in the thriller #EaglerChokh. She was just outstanding with her body language and dialogue delivery as a bed ridden patient in Hospital

Raima Sen (Bastushaap)

Raima Sen gave one of her best performance of her acting career in the movie #Bastushaap. She gave a mature performance as a housewife who is holding a secret from her past.

Churni Ganguly (Bastushaap)

In #Bastushaap , Churni Ganguly once again proved her calibre as an actress. She played a dominant woman who is going through mental disturbance after a tragic incident happened in her personal life.

Gargee Roychowdury  (Hemanta)

#Hemanta was an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and Gargee got to play one of the toughest characters. It was a challenging role of a woman who is undecided between her duties as a wife and as a mother and Gargee portrayed that emotional journey of her character wonderfully.

Payel Sarkar (Hemanta)

Though she was more in news for her only successful film in a long time that was #EaglerChokh but in #Hemanta she got a significant supporting role and she was very natural with her acting. She was very much effective with her expression, in the emotional scenes.

Riya Banik (Eagler Chokh)

This young lady made a confident debut with the thriller #EaglerChokh. She had a wonderful role of a young girl who is hiding many secrets and she did a commendable job in this role. Though she is quite young to be a leading lady but we hope she will get good roles in her career in future.

Best Actors of Tollywood in 2016

Year 2016 is over now and it is the time to look back and see how our beloved actors of Bengali cinema performed throughout the year. 

Best actors of 2016

1 . Prosenjit Chatterjee

Prosenjit Chatterjee once again proved he is the industry. He has four releases this year and

in every film we saw him playing characters of different shades which show the range of his acting. In his first release #Shankhachil, he played a father struggling to save his daughter’s life. He was excellent in this emotional character. The movie did a good enough business too.  His second release was #Praktan one of the most successful film of this year. Here he played two different shades of same character in different ages and the way he did it that proved his maturity as an actor. In his third release #Khwato, we saw him playing a really brave and risky character of an author who is bold enough to accept his physical desires. In this movie we saw him doing very bold scenes on screen and he did it very aesthetically and passionately without making it looking vulgar. Also his stylish look for the aged portions was really cool. His last release #Zulfiqar was yet another big hit where he played the title role of an underworld mafia lead of Khidderpore doc area. His physical transition and accent was commendable to look convincing as per his character. Apart from this, he made his TV fiction debut with the show #Mahanayak where he played a character based on Mahanayak Uttam Kumar. It got positive feedback from audiences.  Overall it was really a good year for him and he secures the top spot without any doubt.

2. Jisshu Sengupta

Jisshu Sengupta is really a talented actor and this year too he kept us entertaining with his

wide range of performances. This year he did a comeback to mainstream commercial cinema with comedy #KelorKirti. The film was not that impressive but we loved Jisshu’s effortless comedy.  For last few years he was shifted towards serious roles, so it was a refreshing change for his fans too. His second film #Hemanata was a flop at the box office but Jisshu delivered yet another fine performance in a supporting role. He played a friend and guide to the main protagonist and he did it wonderfully without overpowering the lead character. Then came his biggest success of this year #ByomkeshOChiriyakhana. It was his second film as Byomkesh and this time he was more confident and mature to play the sleuth. And finally it was the most surprising act by him in #Zulfiqar, where he played an out an out negative character and it was his best [performance of the year. It was a multi starer with almost half a dozen leading heroes of industry but he shined as the best among them all. His physical transformation for the character  was something to look out for.

3. Abir Chatterjee

The year 2016 began with Abir Chatterjee and ended with him. The month of January was

actually kind celebration of Abir Chatterjee films. His last year’s last release #HarHarByomkesh kept doing good business in the beginning of the year. Then came his first release of the year #Monchora.  Though the movie did not work but Abir Chatterjee worked as an actor. Then came one of his finest performance in #Bastushaap where he played an ex army officer with a leg injury. The way he changed his body language to show the physical disability of his on screen character that was commendable. After that there was a long gap then he came back in #ThaamarBoyfriend , where he got a chance to play  legendary actress Savitri Chatterjee’s boyfriend. He looked really dashing and girls loved her charming presence in this film. Finally came his biggest hit of the year #ByomkeshPawrbo. As Byomkesh, Abir Chatterjee did an excellent job.  It was his fifth appearance as Byomkesh Bakshi and with every film he is maturing more and more as a performer.

4. Parambrata Chatterjee

This year Parambrata had five releases. His first release was #Bastushaap where he played a Bastu guide. After a long time we saw him doing a romantic role and he did it wonderfully.

The movie did a good business too. His second release was festival favourite and critically acclaimed film #Cinemawala where he played a pirated DVD seller who had a rough equation with his father. He was too good in his part. His confrontation scenes with his on screen father were very nice. Then came #Hemanta a Bengali adaptation of Shakespeare’s #Hamlet where he played the complex character of Hemanta. It was one tough character to play, who is going through a mix of emotions and unable to decide what he should do and what not to do. Parambrata played this complex character excellently; no doubt it was his best performance of the year.  Though the film did not work but it will be one of his memorable performances of his career. Then on Puja weekend he had two releases #Zulfiqar and #Chocolate. #Chocolate was one film which added nothing to his career, neither it was a hit nor it gave him any opportunity to shine as an actor but the other release #Zulfiqar did both for him. It was a big hit and also people appreciated his performance in the film. His look with a never seen before hairstyle was also liked by many. In this movie he proved he can make a good chemistry not only with female co actors rather with male co actors too. His bromance with his co actor Dev was very nice.

5. Dev

For last few years Dev is constantly trying to change his image from just a commercial star toa good actor. In the meantime he is taking care of his loyal fans too who wants to see him doing mainstream masala films. In 2016 too, he tried to balance his career with both type of movies to make a balance being a star and an actor. First he appeared in a cameo in #KelorKirti as a lady charmer playboy then he did #LoveExpress which was romantic comedy. Both the films were just average and Dev has nothing new to do in these films. Then finally the movie came for which he could make it to this list of best actors and that was #Zulfiqar. In this movie he played a mute character superbly. He was very much expressive in this role even without saying a single dialogue. So far he had done some good movies in his career but this was the movie which really established him as a good actor. Even his haters had nothing to say against him after watching this film.

Apart from this Tollywood actors, there are few character actors who were very much impressive in the following movies.

Sashwata Chatterjee (Eagler Chokh, Hemanta, Byomkesh O Chiriyakhana) 

Sashwata Chatterjee is a wonderful actor. This year he appeared in many movies but the memorable ones were his brilliant lead act as Shabar Dasgupta in #EaglerChokh, his negative act as Kalyan Sen in #Hemanta and his supporting act as Ajit with a good sense of comic timing in #ByomkeshOChiriyakhana.

Paran Bandopadhyay (Cinemawala)

In #Cinemawala he played the main lead. He was too good as the single screen theatre owner who is going through a pain as he could not save his theatre as well as his only son from the grasp of piracy.

Kaushik Ganguly (Bastushaap)

After watching him giving such good performances it really becomes tough to decide he is better as an actor or as a director. In #Bastushaap he gave an awesome performance under his own direction.

Kharaj Mukherjee (Antarleen) 

In most of the films we see him doing the same comedy again and again but with #Antarleen, he surprised us playing the lead role for the first time that too in a serious role of a crime investigation officer. He was as good in this serious acting as effortless he is in comedy.

Rahul Banerjee (Zulfiqar) 

Rahul Banerjee did a really good job in a supporting role in #Zulfiqar and with his wonderful performance he managed to bring attention even in the crowd of so many actors.

Ritwick Chakraborty (Saheb Bibi Golaam) – We loved his portrayal of an innocent poor taxi driver who falls in love with his regular passenger. His simplicity and natural acting was superb.

Biswanath Basu (Praktan) 

Though he was there just in a supporting role and have much lesser screen time but he was just extraordinary with his comic performance. Whenever we will talk about the film the discussion will be incomplete without mentioning his comic act.

Apart from this seasoned actors there were some fresh discoveries in 2016, who did not make a debut but established themselves as an actor.

Fresh Discoveries of 2016

Anirban Bhattacharya (Eagler Chokh)

He had been seen doing bit roles in movies earlier but this theatre based actor got recognition with his wonderful  performance in #EaglerChokh where he played a complex character who is going through mental trauma because of a sexual abuse in his younger age. We are looking forward to see him doing better roles in future too.

Vikram Chatterjee (Saheb Bibi Golaam)

This TV heartthrob had already made few attempts to make it big in the movies but failed. In 2016 he re-launched himself doing a superb negative role in the movie #SahebBibiGolaam. He played the bad guy very convincingly.

Shubhra Saurav Das (Hemanta, Byomkesh O Chiriyakhana) 

Director Anjan Dutta has constantly given him chances in bit roles in his movies but we hardly noticed him. In 2016 he proved himself with two Anjan Dutta movies, first playing a gay character in the movie #Hemanta and then as an autistic patient in #ByomkeshOChiriyakhana. He was excellent in both the movies. We hope he will keep doing fine job in such unconventional but significant roles.

Top Actresses of Bollywood in 2016

The year 2016 is about to end so it is a time to look back and see how the actresses of Bollywood performed throughout the year. It can be easily said the new brigade of actresses were more dominating compared to older established actresses. Also this year we found many women oriented movies showing the girl power.

Here are the Top 3 Actresses of 2016.

[This ranking has been done based on combining the factors like acting, box office success and the actress's contribution towards the success of his movies.]

1. Alia Bhatt 

This young lady surely dominates the industry now choosing a wide range of

characters and surprising us every time with her brilliant acting. In her first release #KapoorAndSons, she had nothing much to do apart from playing a bubbly urban girl, but even in that limited scope she managed to impress us . Also we loved her grooving to the tunes of "Ladki Beautiful". Her second release this year was #UdtaPunjab where she played a Bihari migrant working in Punjab as a field worker. Her performance in this movie was a revelation. Her physical transformation and Bihari accent were beyond any words. She performed the character with near perfection. Her third movie this year was #DearZindagi where she got a chance to play the main lead in spite of having Shahrukh Khan in the film. She played a young urban girl dealing with the problems of personal and professional life and she was so natural in each and every scene. This girl is surely evolving as an actor with every film. Business wise too all her films made profit at the box office.

2. Anushka Sharma 

She appeared in two movies this year and both were big hits especially

#Sultan was a huge hit. In spite being a Salman Khan film where he is supposed to dominate from first frame to last, Anushka managed to leave impression as the female wrestler. She went through training to make her wrestling moves effortless on screen and we appreciate her for that. In her second film #AeDilHaiMushkil she got a chance to play the parallel lead with her hero and she utilised this opportunity totally. She was too good and energetic in the character of a talkative filmy girl. Also in the emotional scenes she was extraordinary. There is no doubt she was the live wire of the film.

3. Sonam Kapoor

So far Sonam Kapoor has always been criticized by many for not being a good actress and not being so successful too. But in 2016 she proved them wrong. This girl gave a powerful punch to those haters and delivered one big hit with #Neerja and on top of that she played the main lead of the film and took the responsibility of the whole film on her broad shoulders. If we talk about acting then it can be said it was her best performance till date. The way she recreate the real life personality of Late Neerja Bhanot it was very authentic and praise worthy. It won't be surprising if she gets some awards for this performance.

Apart from these actresses there were some more actresses who were very much impressive with their following performances.

Vidya Balan (Kahaani 2) – Though the film did not work but we loved the sincere acting from Ms Balan as a mother who can go to any extent for her daughter. It was one powerful act from her.

Swara Bhashkar (Neel Battey Sannata) – This talented actress hardly gets chance to play the lead and when she got it she proved that how talented she is. She was very natural in the character of a domestic help who is very ambitious about her daughter’s future.

Shabana Azmi (Neerja) – In recent time we don’t see much of her in Bollywood movies. This year we saw her in Neerja as a mother and she totally made us speechless with her acting. There is hardly anyone who did not have tears in their eyes in her final speech scene in the movie.

Tapaasee Pannu (Pink) – Before Pink she was more known as beautiful eye candy but in Pink she proved herself as a powerful actress too. She was just awesome as the urban working girl. No wonder, now we will get to see her more in Bollywood movies after the success of Pink.

Radhika Apte (Phobia, Parched) – This girl mesmerised with her effortless acting as a girl with psychological disorder in “Phobia”. The film would not have been half as thrilling as it was without her as the leading lady. In “Parched”, Radhika showed the bold side of her character and it created a lot of controversy but seriously, hats off to you girl for giving such a bold and brave performance.

Kalki Koecklin (Waiting) – Kalki is one actress who always prefer to choose something different from regular Bollywood stuff where she can excel as an actress and with “Waiting” she did the same. She was very impressive as a young lady who is struggling through her life.

Kirti Kulhari (Pink) – She had done two forgettable movies earlier but with Pink she re-established herself as a promising actress who is capable of doing sincere acting.

Surveen Chawla (Parched) – This TV actress have done few movies in Hindi and Punjabi earlier but her bold and brave performance is “Parched” gave her a new identity . It was really a fantastic act.

Tanishtha Chatterjee (Parched) – Though she was more in news for her controversy with a TV reality show , but we want to remember her in 2016 for her brilliant performance in “Parched”. Her performance was very natural and authentic as a Rajashthani middle aged widow.

Fatima Sana Sheikh (Dangal) – This girl made a confident debut in a character based on real life world champion wrestler Geeta Phogat. She was really hardworking and dedicated to learn things like Haryanvi accent or wrestling moves to look authentic on screen. We must say her sincerity will help her to grow more as an actress in future.

Sonakshi Sinha (Akira) – Sonakshi Sinha tried her hands in action zone and gave a solid power packed performance in “Akira”. Her stunts and action scenes were really commendable. Though it was a flop but we appreciate the girl for taking the courage to step into the action zone.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Sarbjit) – Though she was more talked about for her glamorous supporting act in “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil”, but we loved her doing some serious acting in “Sarbjit” as Dalbir Kaur, Sarbjit’s sister.

Actresses who flopped in 2016

Katrina Kaif – This beautiful girl was part of two big flops of this year #Fitoor and #BaarBaarDekho. Her only saving grace was her chartbuster song #KaalaChashma. And we better not talk about her acting.

Priyanka Chopra – She became hugely popular with her English TV series but in Bollywood her only outing #JaiGangaajal was a disaster. We really wonder what forced her to do such a movie when she is in such a good position in her career.

Actress who was missing in 2016

Deepika Padukone – This lovely lady was missing from Bollywood for the whole year though she was in news for her Hollywood debut and also for her next Bollywood movie for which she has started shooting, but we really miss her watching on big screen this year.

Parineeti Chopra – Apart from a song appearance in #Dishoom she was not there in any movie. But she was in news for signing few new movies and we are happy to know that this talented actress will be back on screen in 2017.

Top Actors of Bollywood in 2016

The year 2016 is about to end so it is a time to look back and see how the actors of Bollywood performed throughout the year. It can be easily said the senior actors were more dominating than the younger brigade. 

Here are the Top 5 Actors of Bollywood in 2016
[This ranking has been done based on combining the factors like acting, box office success and the actor’s contribution towards the success of his movies.]

1. Aamir Khan - He had only one release this year #Dangal but it was big enough to give

him the top position. Since the first trailer was released it created storm. Everyone was looking forward to see the movie, after all a Aamir Khan movie was releasing after long two years. Aamir Khan once again proved he is Mr Perfectionist. The way he portrayed his character of Haryanvi wrestler, it was definitely one of the best performances we have seen by any actor in recent times. His body language, his Haryanvi accent, and his wrestling moves everything showed his dedication as an actor. As expected the movie got huge opening and earned 100cr in just 3 days and near about 200cr in first week itself. The movie is already the second big hit of 2016 and soon it will enter 300cr and hopefully it will break all the records to be the highest grosser of all time.

2. Salman Khan - Salman Khan once again proved he is the Sultan of box office with his

only release of the year #Sultan. It was released on Eid, the most favourite season for Bhaijaan. This movie did a humongous business and entered 300cr club to become the second big hit of Salman Khan. Ruling the box office is an old habit of Salman Khan but with his last few releases he is getting acknowledged for choosing good subjects and acting well too. In #Sultan too he was highly appreciated for his performance in the role of a wrestler who struggles to find his lost love and lost glory.

3. Akshay Kumar - Akshay Kumar kept us entertaining throughout the year with three

back to back hits #Airlift, #Houseful3 and #Rustom. All of these three movies were 100cr hits. Among these three the best film was #Airlift. Akshay Kumar gave superb performance in this movie as a NRI who helped to airlift a group of Indian people from Kuwait to India. It was one of his career best performances so far. In #Houseful3 he entertained us with his comic timing, though it was very poor comedy but no doubt Akshay Kumar's comic performance was the best thing about the film. In #Rustom once again he appeared in serious role and he won our hearts once again. Also we can not forget his cameo in #Dishoom, it was hilarious and his five minute appearance was the best thing about the movie. Overall it was a very good year for his career.

4. Shahrukh Khan - Superstar Shahrukh Khan was missing this year. He appeared in two

movies and both failed to even enter in 100cr club. No doubt business wise he is lagging much behind of the other two Khans. But if we forget about those things then it can be easily said it was very good year for Shahrukh Khan as an actor. This year we saw Shahrukh coming out of his comfort zone of playing romantic roles and doing quite different characters. First he appeared in #Fan where he played a double role a superstar and his lookalike fan. As the fan he gave an award winning . In his second outing #DearZindagi we saw him giving able support to Alia Bhatt as her cool and composed therapist. We must say he was very impressive in that rool. Also his beard look made him look more appealing.

5. Sushant Singh Rajput - Among the crowd of veteran actors this young talented guy

has made a quick entry solely because of his hard work and talent. He appeared as captain cool M S Dhoni in the biopic #MSDhoniTheUntoldStory and he played this role superbly. He had totally nailed it, the way Dhoni plays cricket. Watching him on screen playing those big shots was so real that even people from cricket world were speechless. He proved his calibre not only on learning cricket styles but also in the emotional scenes where he showed the struggle that Dhoni has to go through in his life. This movie earned 133cr at box office and became the third highest grosser of this year which was a big achievement for a comparatively younger actor like Sushant.

Apart from these actors there were some more actors who were very much impressive with their following performances.

Ranbir Kapoor (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil) - For last few years he was going through a bad phase in his professional career. But this year he got back his lost luck and gave a big hit with #AeDilHaiMushkil. He did an awesome acting as the heart broken lover. He was rocking with every emotion and he got a big thumbs up from each and everyone. Even those who had not liked the film had praised Ranbir Kapoor for his effortless acting.

Fawad Khan (Kapoor & Sons)- He was more in news for all the wrong reasons for his guest appearance in #AeDilHaiMushkil but the film where he was really impressive that was #KapoorAndSons. He was too good in that film and it was one brave step for him to take such a role which many of his contemporaries might have denied to do. 

Randeep Hooda (Sarbjit) - He was just out of the world with his extraordinary performance in and as #Sarbjit. His physical transition was something to look out for and his expression showing the agony and pain of Sarabjit was so real. 

Rishi Kapoor (Kapoor & Sons) - He played the mischievous grandfather excellently. Though his make-up was very helpful to make him look like an old man but to play a character who is much older than your real age is not an easy task and Rishi Kapoor had mastered this tough job with his perfect mannerism.

Amitabh Bachchan (Pink)  - He is of course a big star and brilliant actor and he really do not need any recommendations now still we must say he was dynamic as the lawyer in #Pink. Every single dialogue mouthed by him became a rage nationwide. Even at this age he can give tough competition to his juniors.

Shahid Kapoor (Udta Punjab) - His portrayal of a drug addict pop singer Tommy Singh was very much impressive and authentic. The way he had transformed himself physically was highly commendable. 

Diljit Dosanjh (Udta Punjab) - This Punjabi super star made a confident debut with #UdtaPunjab and we love him for everything he does on screen.

Manoj Bajpayee (Aligarh) – He portrayed an aged Gay professor fighting for his basic rights of having privacy in his personal life. He was brilliant with the mannerism of an aged lonely guy. Also playing a gay character was one bold decision for his part as an actor.

R. Madhavan (Saala Khadoos) – This was unfortunately one over looked performance of the year. Hats off to Madhavan for playing the role of a strict boxing coach with such perfection.

Pankaj Tripathi (Neel Batte Sannata ) – Even without saying any funny dialogue he made us laugh with his expressions and that is the talent of this wonderful actor.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Raman Raghav 2.0) – Nawazuddin is powerhouse of talent and he once again proved that playing a psycho serial killer with such perfection.

Piyush Mishra (Happy Bhaag Jayegi , Pink) – He is not a regular face as an actor but whenever he comes on screen he proves himself as a talented actor. Whether it is doing comedy in #HappyBhaagJayegi or doing a negative character in #Pink ,he did both with same excellence.

Farhan Akhtar (Wazir) – He played an emotional character who is struggling with his relationship and he was good enough to leave his mark in spite of sharing screen space with Big B.

Rajkumar Rao (Aligarh) - He played a small time reported who an old man to fight his legal battle. Rajkumar Rao was very natural in his performance and we appreciate the way he had picked up the malayali accent for his character.

There were some Actors who were not so impressive in 2016.

Flop Actors of 2016

Aditya Roy Kapoor -  He was very much hopeful with his solo release of this year #Fitoor and had given a lot of effort for that but it flopped badly at the box office.

Hrithik Roshan - He appeared in much hyped periodic drama #MohenjoDaro which was an ambitious project and his Fans were very much hopeful with it, but finally it was disaster.

Emraan Hashmi - He kept searching for good luck but failed once again. Both his movies #Azhar and #RaazReboot were big flops, though he still have teh good luck with his songs.

The Actor who was missing in 2016
Saif Ali Khan - Though he was very much in news for his personal life for becoming a proud father but professionally he was missing from big screen.