If your repertoire of this year’s must-watch films starts with Housefull 2 and ends with Rowdy Rathore, then don’t lose heart; we’re here to reintroduce you to some of 2012’s finer outings. Starting today, we give you a bite-sized recap of five Bollywood offerings you never should have missed:


Cocktail (July, 2012)


Net Collections:   75 crore


The Story: Spoilt Delhi brat moves to London to broaden his horizons, and we don’t mean intellectually. His many travails on the dating circuit bring him up against Veronica, the even wilder brat. However, Brunette Barbie comes as a package deal with Desi Barbie and the three soon fall into an easy friendship. Trouble strikes when desi girl downs a few drinks and realizes that she’s not immune to Delhi boy’s charms, after all. And the rest, as they say, is history.


The Aww-some Factor: Perhaps the closest our generation can come to Jay – Viru, the troika reel you in with their light-hearted friendship spiked with liberal amounts of daaru desi. Diana Penty stops traffic with her carefree Tumhi Ho Bandhu dance and it’s about all you can do to not pack your bags and escape on an exotic vacation right away.


The Dialogue You Won’t Forget: Deepika cuts a winner with her, “His bun in my oven” act. And you can’t but help but smile at Saif’s buoyant efforts to cheer Diana Penty up; ‘Tumhari smile toh social service hai.”


Hit ‘Rewind’ On: The makeover scene where Diana and Deepika decide to weave some of their girly magic over Saif. With the result that the conservative Dimple Kapadia walks in on her only son gyrating sexily to Sheila Ki Jawani, dressed in nothing but lacy lingerie and a wealth of cherry lip gloss!


Why It’s Worth Those 2 Hours: Leaving her wooden days behind, Deepika throws herself into the role of the wild child with a fire we never knew she possessed. The story strikes some right chords and hits some low patches, but the heady music keeps you hooked throughout. Think Angreji Beat, think dance anthem of the year.


 Don’t go about looking for life changing revelations about social reality ‘coz all Cocktail promises you is a good time and on that, it delivers in spades. As one critic observed, “Cocktail is a contemporary film that reflects life as it happens all around us…. Just as crazy, twisted, beautiful, funny, weird and lonely as anyone’s life can be. It’s about easy choices and hard decisions and how life still goes on, despite it all. It’s a cocktail you definitely wanna try!"