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BizAsia’s top 5 directors of 2015

Directors are absolutely the backbone of any film. Right from the way a film is shot to the characters and also the cinematography, directors have a hand in it all. In 2015, there are some directors who have stood out much more than others. We look back at the ones we feel deserve accolades for their films.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Sanjay Leela Bhansali ��� ��Bajirao Mastani�۪
There is no doubting that Sanjay Leela Bhansali would have hit the right chord with ��Bajirao Mastani�۪. However, he seems to have surpassed even his own very high standards with his magnum opus. Bhansali�۪s vision has made ��Bajirao Mastani�۪ one of the most beautiful films of all time, it�۪s being referred to as the current generation�۪s ��Mughul-e-Azam�۪. He�۪s brought together essentially the same main cast as ��Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela�۪ (2013) in Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra. He�۪s shown their characters to perfection, making sure all the ingredients and important parts of the story are kept as accurate as possible even though the film is being said to be a work of fiction. Whether it�۪s the battlefields that make the audiences feel they are on the ground of the immense love the characters show for each other, without Bhansali our list would be incomplete.

Shoojit Sircar

Shoojit Sircar ��� ��Piku�۪
What can be said about a man who has directed a film about a father-daughter relationship which surround the topic of constipation? With Amitabh Bachchan�۪s character�۪s laugh-out-loud take on his constipation, and his marriage-age daughter ��� played by Deepika Padukone ��� having her whole life being about his condition, the film as easily have gone wrong as it has gone right. The film was a great success and the obvious chemistry between Bachchan and Padukone was a big reason for that. The understated Irrfan Khan also had an interesting role to play. Overall, it was Sircar�۪s vision of making the story a small-town and everyday one that won it so many accolades.

Imtiaz Ali
Imtiaz Ali

Imtiaz Ali ��� ��Tamasha�۪
Many were saying that Imtiaz Ali�۪s ��Tamasha�۪ wouldn�۪t have too much impact because everyone was waiting for the release of ��Dilwale�۪ and ��Bajirao Mastani�۪. So it will have been a surprise to many that the film portrayed performances by Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone which have been both of their careers�۪ best. Ali�۪s depiction of a character who gets caught up with routine life and everyone else�۪s aspirations won hearts and struck the right chord with audiences. The film was shot in Corsica, Tokyo and also various locations in India and Ali has made all the locations fit unbelievably well in the narrative.

Khan's next film about student days
Kabir Khan

Kabir Khan ��� ��Bajrangi Bhaijaan�۪
Salman Khan starrer ��Bajrangi Bhaijaan�۪ can be applauded for its unusual plot. It can also be praised for its music. However, if director Kabir Khan hadn�۪t made sure all of the elements fitted together, the film probably wouldn�۪t have been the huge success that it turned out to be. With child star Harshaali Malhotra playing a mute Pakistani girl who is lost in India and Khan essaying a character who is helping her to get home, the story was always going to be a winner. However, Kabir seems to sow in the right heart-tugging scenes and comic parts to make it an interesting watch. Also, without Kabir�۪s want of how he wanted Salman�۪s character to be, ��Bajrangi Bhaijaan�۪ may well have turned out very different.

Sriram Raghavan
Sriram Raghavan

Sriram Raghavan ��� ��Badlapur�۪
Once again, this reflection of 2015 would be incomplete without Sriram Raghavan and what he managed to portray in ‘Badlapur’. The film was a typical revenge drama but even if just Varun Dhawan’s character is singled out as Raghavan’s best bit then it’d be enough. The way he maintains a darkness about the film and lets Dhawan perform in the midst of that tone is astonishing, especially since the audience see him very different initially. Raghavan showed how a director’s vision can completely change the way the audience looks at an actor. He also chose a great set of supporting actors for the story which weave in their own influences.

As always, there are always directors who make great films but don�۪t always quite make our lists. One such director is Dibakar Banerjee for his film ��Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!�۪. With a great talent like Sushant Singh Rajput in tow as protagonist and a film that needed to remain dark, authentic and also have an impact, Banerjee has ticked all those boxes. Banerjee manages to keep a the detective�۪s main character human and this is the main pluspoint of the film. Alongside this, he keeps the story moving with Kolkata as the backdrop and this is particularly interesting. However, the most important thing that Banerjee deserves applause for is not underestimating the intelligence of his audience.

Zoya Akhtar and Rohit Shetty both deserve a mention for having pretty heavy star-casts in their respective films; ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ and ‘Dilwale’. They manage to portray all of the characters with integrity in both of their films, paying homage to multi-starrers as they are known in this day and age. ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ was particularly effective in playing with the stereotypes that surround an Indian culture which was good to see being explored on celluloid. Shetty should be applauded for the way he has not only managed to bring a fresh pairing to the screen and make sure it has an impact but also to bring back a much-loved and well-known jodi in a new bottle.

For ‘NH10’, Navdeep Singh has done something that is quite scary. He’s brought a hugely violent story to the screen which is an everyday encounter for some. He has made sure the plot receives an ordinary feel but given it a very relatable feel. He brings out the best in Sharma too, as with the other actors.

SS Rajamouli also deserves a mention for the ever popular and stupendously successful ‘Baahubali’. He seems to not only have ticked all the right boxes but made sure that he film delivers on all accounts, including newness.