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A mathematics graduate from University of Florida has been chosen by you as the Best Director of the year. SHIMIT AMIN who started out as a film programming in-charge for his university has won 38 per cent of votes to be crowned in this coveted category. In true Hollywood style, Yash Raj Films hired Shimit to direct Chak De! India from a pre-written script by Jaideep Sahni. Shimit’s directorial debut Ab Tak Chhappan was enough for producer Aditya Chopra to allow the unassuming bespectacled director with an American accent to helm what would turn out to be the most real film that the chiffon-and-champagne banner has ever produced. With Shah Rukh Khan and 16 new girls, Shimit created movie magic and gave the country a whole new phrase of empowerment — Chak de!

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Around this time last year, ANURAG BASU was battling for life in a Mumbai hospital. But that did not stop him from penning a special Puja story for our pages. Today, the never-say-die Bengali is the toast of tinsel town, having turned the tide by making his kind of film thanks to UTV. He had made it big with Murder, but with Life in a... Metro he traded cleavage for class. Stringing together four very real stories in Mumbai, Basu showed what cinematic creativity could achieve even on a cliched canvas like Bollywood. Without big stars or with a meaningful rather than a masti soundtrack, Life in a... Metro became the movie to watch and Anurag Basu the man of the moment. The 24 per cent votes you have given him are a tribute to his lust for life.

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He has never struck gold in Bollywood — from Dil Se to Yuva. But with Guru, Mani Ratnam returned to what he handles best — relationships. Whether it was between Abhishek and Aishwarya or Madhavan and Vidya or Abhishek and Mithun, Guru worked on relationships rather than the rise and rise of Dhirubhai Ambani. Yes, it wasn’t Mani’s best but it was a much-needed Hindi hit from the auteur. Here with 22 per cent votes he shares space with some new kids on the block who have certainly been inspired by the master maker over the years.

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From Kay Kay Menon to John Abraham, whoever’s worked with him considers ANURAG KASHYAP to be a cinematic genius. His Paanch never hit the marquee. His Black Friday took its time too, but when it was finally released in February, there were no second thoughts about the talent of the man who wrote Satya. A healthy 10 per cent of votes from our readers bear testimony to the fact that this man is capable of so much more.

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He was getting calls from journalists in India when Fardeen Khan got caught with cocaine. Forced to add his middle name to avoid confusion, FEROZ ABBAS KHAN made the jump from theatre to films with the screen adaptation of his most popular play Mahatma Vs Gandhi. With Anil Kapoor as producer, Gandhi My Father became a poignant throwback to pre-independent India punctuated with some of the best performances of the year from Akshaye Khanna, Darshan Zariwalla and Shefali Shah. It did not set the box office on fire, but going by the five per cent of total votes from you, it certainly didn’t go completely unnoticed.

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It’s nowhere near his best. It all sounds so similar. It has a very strong south Indian flavour. So many things were written against the Guru soundtrack but going by the 39 per cent of votes that you have e-mailed for the A.R. Rahman score, it’s evident how the music touched a chord. From the Turkish Mayya mayya to the melodious Aye hairathe, Rahman unveiled yet another versatile soundtrack. For some the highlight was the theme of the film — Jaage hain — but for most it was the Abhishek-Ash duet Tere bina that was the big ear-catcher. All ears now on Rahman’s songs for Subhash Ghai’s Main Yuvraj and the Hindi remake of Ghajini starring Aamir Khan.

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Before the release of Life in a... Metro if you had asked anybody about the chances of a soft rock album working in Bollywood, the answer would not have been encouraging. But Pritam (37 per cent votes), working in tandem with director-friend Anurag Basu, changed all those nays to ayes. Some newsprint has been wasted on Pritam’s supposed ‘inspirations’ but a lot more time has been spent enjoying the sound and sight of Alvida and In dino. Add to that Oh meri jaan and Kar salaam and you have a treasure trove of melodies. With Pritam along with singers James and Suhail becoming characters in the movie, music and lyrics got a whole new twist in Bollywood.

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You never knew what to expect from Himesh Reshammiya the actor, but what was guaranteed from Aap Kaa Surroor was that HIMESH RESHAMMIYA the music director would churn out the best tracks for his acting debut. And so he did. From Assalam valekum to Tanhaiyyan the songs had pop appeal written all over them. The songs drew the audiences to the theatres and the singer kept them hooked. As the 12 per cent votes from our readers suggest, Himesh the actor can always bank on Himesh the music director/singer to do the trick.

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Shankar Ehsaan Loy have got some of the biggest projects around but somehow failed to hit the bull’s eye in recent years. In Salaam-e-Ishq they had a great score (Tenu leke, Saiyyan re, Dil kya kare) but the film failed and so the soundtrack didn’t get its due. Result: Less than 10 per cent votes.

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Delhii Heights was his first proper soundtrack and Rabbi Sheirgill showed that his Bulla was no flash in the pan. The audience, however, didn’t take to the music despite Kitni der tak. That shows in the vote count — just one solitary vote!