If there is any bad luck to go with 13, Bollywood certainly is not considering it. The film industry is going full throttle, beginning the year with Race 2 and ending it with Dhoom 3 ! And it is sure hoping that everything in between will rev up the spirits (and the profits). Here’s a look at the films:
Race 2
(January 25)
Abbas Mustan’s sequel to the 2008 hit film Race boasts of a casting list as long as the original (Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu, Katrina Kaif, Anil Kapoor and Sameera Reddy). While only Saif and Anil have been retained from the original and will play the same roles as in Race , Bipasha is touted to play a cameo. Deepika Padukone, John Abraham, Jacqueline Fernandez and Ameesha Patel form the rest of the ensemble. The story is set in the lush locales of Europe and revolves around gambling and casinos. The first was full of inexplicable twists and turns in the name of an action thriller. Expect more in this one!
Special Chabbis
(February 8)
Akshay Kumar will kick-start the year with a heist drama directed by Neeraj Pandey whose A Wednesday was a gripping story. Special Chabbis also stars Jimmy Shergill, Manoj Bajpai, Anupam Kher and Kajal Agarwal in supporting roles. A real-life heist that occurred at one of Mumbai’s leading jewellers in 1987 is the basis of the film. An unknown man posing as a CBI officer had reportedly recruited 26 men and executed a daylight raid and disappeared with jewellery worth lakhs.
Himmatwala
(March 29)
Sajid Khan has decided that he will remake the 1983 blockbuster which itself was a remake of a Telugu film Ooriki Monagadu of 1981. Who’s to stop him? After all, Sajid has been super successful with all his three outings — Heyy Baby! , Housefull and Housefull 2 . Ajay Devgn and Tamannaah will reprise the roles of Jeetendra and Sridevi. It’s a dated story but then it’s the season of South remakes and 80s style action in Bollywood.
Zanjeer
(April 12)
Ram Charan Teja is making his Bollywood debut in this remake of the iconic 1973 film Zanjeer which gave Amitabh Bachchan the ‘angry young man’ tag. Directed by Apoorva Lakhia, it is being shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu. Priyanka Chopra plays the role essayed by Jaya Bachchan in the original. Prakash Raj is Bollywood’s favourite villain currently and shows up again.
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
(May 31)
It’s supposed to be a simple romantic film in the league of Nasir Hussain films but the biggest talking point of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani is that director Ayan Mukherji has managed to cast the exes — Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone together! Ranbir reportedly has pierced his ears for the film and plays a travel show host while Deepika plays a simple girl-next-door.
Yamla Pagla Deewana 2
(June 7)
The Deols get together for a crazy party that’s a sequel to their earlier family outing Yamla Pagla Deewana (2011). It’s expected to be as crazy and as emotional and Dharmendra, Sunny and Bobby are basking in the spotlight. Neha Sharma and Russian model Kristina Akheeva join the fun.
Ghanchakkar
(June 21)
It’s Vidya Balan’s first outing after becoming ‘Mrs’ and she teams up with Emraan Hashmi for this suspense drama that’s being touted as a crazy rollercoaster ride. Sanju (Emraan) is a suave, master safe cracker who wants to retire from a career in crime and teams up with two criminals for a final heist. Given the task of hiding the money, he refuses to recognise his partners in crime when they come back asking for their fair share!
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
( July 12)
Farhan Akhtar’s chiselled frame and the compelling direction of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. Add to this the story of the Flying Sikh Milkha Singh whose father’s last words during Partition have reportedly given the film its title. Makes a very good premise for watching this one.
Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Again
(August 8)
Akshay Kumar once again. And a sequel once more. The first was a super hit in 2010 with Emraan and Ajay Devgn but in the sequel Emraan’s place as Dawood Ibrahim has been taken over by Akshay. Imran Khan, Sonakshi Sinha and Sonali Bendre give him company.
Satyagraha
(August 15)
It’s a Prakash Jha film so expect loads of drama. It’s the story of a man with Gandhian principles, an ambitious entrepreneur who represents the India shining philosophy, a social activist who aims to be a politician, a fearless political journalist and a wily politician who uses every means to break the system. Sounds familiar? Something like an Anna Hazare meets Arvind Kejriwal? We don’t know yet! The film stars Jha’s favourites Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Arjun Rampal and Manoj Bajpai with the new addition of Kareena Kapoor Khan.
Krrish 3
Hrithik Roshan is back with his super hero antics and has Priyanka Chopra giving him able support. The surprise here is going to be the antagonist, played by Vivek Oberoi, who is as strong as our super hero and the female antagonist Kangna Ranaut, who is reportedly playing a mutant! The film will be reportedly released in a 3D format too.
Dhoom 3
When Aamir Khan signs a film, even if it is to be directed by Victor Acharya — who gave one of the most hyped yet annoying films from the Yash Raj stable — Tashan , it makes one sit up and notice. Dhoom is a very successful franchise for the production house and, if Aamir is to be believed, the third instalment has a great storyline. It also has Katrina Kaif, Abhishek Bachchan, Jackie Shroff and Uday Chopra. Dhoom 3 will be released in the IMAX format.
