Half-Yearly Roundup:Which was the Best film of the first half of 2012?

The first six months have been a superhit first half for Bollywood,with three films crossing the 100 cr mark(Rowdy Rathore,Housefull 2 & Agneepath)and a number of small budget,indie films with different subject like Vicky Donor,Paan Singh Tomar & especially Kahaani jitting the bull's eye at the box office. The next half of the year looks to being dominated by the Khans,& women centric films. So what do you think,which was the best film of the first half of 2012? Below I've listed my top 5 choices.

1)KAHAANI:
This was the easily the No.1 film of the half year for me.The story is about a pregnant mother who has arrived in Kolkata to search for her missing husband,but soon finds out that nothing is what it seems,& in a city soaked in lies she has to unravel the clues herself.Once again the new "hero"of the industry Vidya Balan has proved her mettle as she makes the role of a pregnant mother her own. But it's not just Vidya's class act,but also the amazing ensemble cast,beautiful cinematography & score,rippling dialogues,crisp editing & top class execution,this Sujoy Ghosh masterpiece is one of the best thrillers of Bollywood(ever)!Aami Shotti Bolchi!

2)PAAN SINGH TOMAR:
Paan Singh Tomar's story is based on the true story of an athlete employed by the Indian Army and who won a gold medal at Indian National Games, but was forced to become a notorious bandit. The film is a brilliant one,with scorching,rustic dialogues,expert camerawork,brilliant direction with extreme attention to detail and above all a toure de force performance by Irrfan Khan. Without romanticizing Paan Singh Tomar, he shows his basic honesty and gives him real depth. As an actor Irrfan rarely does the expected. You can’t take your eyes off him & he brings alive a realistic picture of the India we rarely know.

3)VICKY DONOR:
This film according to me was one of the most different,yet one of the sweetest films I've ever seen. It's a small film,but it has a large heart,& that's what makes it click.Dr.Baldev Chadda runs a fertility clinic and sperm bank in New Delhi,where his many of his cases have failed and the need of the hour is a healthy sperm donor,when he soon meets Vicky,a good looking,Punjabi boy with no financial means and Dr.Baldev decides that Vicky must be his donor.The script of the film is refreshing and unique,& although it's subject is a sensitive topic it does not use vulgrity as a medium & Ayushmann Khurrana and the rest of the cast is exceptional.

4)SHANGHAI:
"Shanghai"was one hell of a film,especially considering it's source material is the French film Z, and a novel by the same name, of Vassilis Vassilikos. Powerful,hard hitting & realistic,it's message was clear cut & well chiseled out. The bustling Indian city of Bharat Nagar has an upcoming infrastructure project backed by the ruling political party. Meanwhile, four individuals find themselves tied up into a gruesome game of crime and politics in which an activist,his adherent,a pornographer,& a bureaucrat get embroiled. With it's stunning pace,terrific ensemble cast & crisp editing,Shanghai is an extremely important film.

5)AGNEEPATH:
Publicized as a remake of the 1991 film but with completely different characters and incidents,I believe Agneepath is the best blockbuster of the first half of 2012. It does full justice to the words-entertainment,entertainment & entertainment,for which it must be applauded. The film follows the struggle of a common man, Vijay Chauhan, as he seeks revenge from Kancha Cheena, for wrongly framing and murdering his father in the island village of Mandwa. In the process he befriends an underworld drug lord Rauf Lala and falls in love with a motor-mouthed girl, Kaali Gawde.Rishi Kapoor & Sanjay Dutt make a terrifying impact as villains,while Hrithik essaying the role of the title hero made legendary by Big B is spectacular too.

Some other great films in the first half was Ek Main Aur Ek Tu,Ishaqzaade,Ferrari Ki Sawaari & Gangs Of Wasseypur.Wishing for a better half year to 2012 to an already brilliant first half. So which was your favourite movie of the first half of 2012 guys?I would love to hear your comments???