Guddu Rangeela (comedy)
July 2
Director: Subhash Kapoor
Starring: Arshad Warsi, Aditi Rao Hydari, Amit Sadh
The ever-funny Warsi and Sadh play cousins Guddu and Rangeela in this comic caper. Musicians by profession, the two make a quick buck on the side by tipping off local gangs about wealthy families and where to hit them. A history of bad blood between Rangeela and Billo (Hydari) set the scene for a series of blundering payback plans that are bound to get plenty of laughs.
Bajrangi Bhaijaan (action/comedy/drama)
July 16
Director: Kabir Khan
Starring: Salman Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Kareena Kapoor Khan
The first poster for the film, starring Salman Khan, was unveiled by none other than Shah Rukh Khan on May 26 on Twitter, and was warmly welcomed by the many in the film fraternity, despite its star’s legal problems. A teaser followed two days later, and a few days after that, the song
Selfie Le Le Re
was released. Salman Khan’s first movie since he was sentenced on May 6 for causing the death of a man sleeping on a pavement in a car crash,
Bajrangi Bhaijaan
is one of the most keenly awaited films of the year, not least because a few days ago the actor, who is a keen artist, created a black-and-white painting of a man and a woman inspired by the film, and posted it on Twitter.
Bangistan (comedy)
July 30
Director: Karan Anshuman
Starring: Riteish Deshmukh, Pulkit Samrat
Co-produced by actor, singer, producer and musician Farhan Akhtar, this satire follows two “terrorists” who want to save the world, and features a cameo by Sri Lankan actress Jacqueline Fernandez. Deshmukh and Samrat have terrific comic timing, so expect there to be plenty of laughs.
Drishyam (
drama/thriller)
July 30
Director: Nishikant Kamat
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Shriya Saran, Tabu
In this remake of a Malayalam film of the same name, Devgn plays a family man from a small town, who is caught up in an investigation into the kidnapping of a teenage boy. Tabu plays the determined cop heading the case, while South Indian star Saran plays Devgn’s wife. Trivia alert 1: the fast-paced thriller is rumoured to have a shocking ending. Trivia alert 2: Saif Ali Khan was initially cast in the lead role, which was played by megastar Mohanlal in the Malayalam version.
Brothers (drama/action)
August 13
Director: Karan Malhotra
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Siddharth Malhotra, Jacqueline Fernandez, Jackie Shroff
After a long absence, Shroff appears on the big screen in this official remake of the 2011 Hollywood film
Warrior
. If the film’s trailer – released on June 10 and viewed more than 3 million times within two days of its release – is anything to go by,
Brothers
will be worth a trip to the cinema. Also, it’s got Kumar doing what he does best: action.
All is Well (drama)
August 20
Director: Umesh Shukla
Starring: Abhishek Bachchan, Asin, Rishi Kapoor, Supriya Pathak
After the superhit May release
Piku
, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan,
All is Well
will be 2015’s second film about a road trip, in which Abhishek embarks on a journey of self-discovery with his father (Kapoor). Just like his previous film,
OMG – Oh My God!
(starring Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal), Shukla’s
All is Well
is said to carry “a powerful social message about a complicated social issue”. The music is by Himesh Reshammiya, but don’t let that put you off. We are hoping this film is a hit, if only for Bachchan Jr’s sake – the box office has not been very kind to him of late.
Ishq Click (romance)
August 20
Director: Anil Balani
Starring: Adhyayan Suman, Sara Loren, Keshav Arora, Sanskkriti Jain
This love story follows the journey of a Mumbai girl who becomes a supermodel, and her romance with the photographer who helps her get there. Loren plays the model, while Suman is the photographer. In a season full of heavy dramas and explosive action, this simple romance will provide cinemagoers with some much-needed relief.
Phantom (action/drama)
August 27
Director: Kabir Khan
Starring: Saif Ali Khan, Katrina Kaif
A drama that hinges on the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai and focuses on global terrorism. Best-selling crime author Hussain Zaidi was consulted heavily for the screenplay which is based on his book
Mumbai Avengers
.The script was developed while Zaidi was still working on the novel. A large portion of the film was shot in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, and surrounding areas. One of the film sets, a refugee camp, turned out to be so realistic-looking that the country’s military sent planes to investigate. Other parts of the film were shot in Turkey, Kashmir, London and Canada. Khan and Kaif worked hard on heir roles, taking lessons in Arabic and Kurdish and doing many of the stunts themselves.
Shaandaar (romance/comedy)
September 3
Director: Vikas Bahl
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Pankaj Kapur
Produced by Karan Johar, this masala film is set to be endearing and entertaining in equal parts. Kapoor and Bhatt play lovebirds – and later bride and groom.
Shaandaar
is billed as “India’s first destination-wedding film”. Kapoor, who is getting married on July 2 to Mira Rajput, was initially planning a destination wedding (Greece was the country of choice), but Indian media have reported that it will take place in New Delhi.
Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 (
comedy)
September 10
Director: Umesh Ghadge
Starring: Tusshar Kapoor, Aftab Shivdasani, Mandana Karimi, Shakti Kapoor
The
Kya Kool Hain Hum
franchise returns with its third instalment. Kapoor, the son of veteran actor Jeetendra, has failed to make it to Bollywood’s A-list, and usually stars in multi-cast comedies. In
Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3
, Ritesh Deshmukh is replaced by Aftab Shivdasani. Expect more of the same fare that we saw in 2005’s
Kyaa Kool Hai Hum
and 2012’s
Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum
: slapstick silliness and adult humour. It will be interesting to see if Shivdasani manages to click with Kapoor the way Deshmukh did in the first two films, which, it must be said, were very funny.
Welcome Back
(romance/comedy)
September 10
Director: Anees Bazmee
Starring: John Abraham, Shruti Ha
asan, Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Paresh Rawal, Dimple Kapadia
Shot extensively in Dubai and boasting an impressive ensemble cast,
Welcome Back
is a sequel to Bazmee’s 2007 film
Welcome
. Patekar, Kapoor and Rawal return, while Abraham replaces Akshay Kumar and Haasan replaces Katrina Kaif. The film also features an item number (a raunchy dance sequence inserted into most masala films) by Sara Loren. The soundtrack of the film, composed by Anand Raj Anand and (nearly forgotten) musician Anu Malik, promises to be interesting. Warning: Malik has sung one of the songs (which may act as a strong deterrent to some).
Katti Batti (romance/comedy)
September 17
Director: Nikhil Advani
Starring: Imran Khan, Kangana Ranaut
After Ranaut’s rip-roaring success with
Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Katti Batti
is one to watch for. This romantic comedy is based on the Hollywood film
500 Days of Summer
. Ranaut and Khan star as Payal and Maddy, and the film follows their relationship which seems to be going smoothly until Payal throws a spanner in the works and decides to walk out of their five-year, live-in set-up. As usual, Ranaut plays a headstrong female character.
Hero (action/romance)
September 24
Director: Nikhil Advani
Starring: Sooraj Pancholi, Athiya Shetty, Govinda, Anita Hassanandani, Vinod Khanna
A remake of Subhash Ghai’s 1983 film (starring Jackie Shroff),
Hero
stars not Shroff’s son Tiger, but actor Aditya Pancholi’s son Sooraj Pancholi. The film is produced by Salman Khan – it marks the debut of his production house, Salman Khan Films – and the debut of actor Suniel Shetty’s daughter Athiya Shetty. Govinda, Vinod Khanna and Sallu have cameo roles. And joining a growing list of stars taking to the mic, Khan has also sung a song on the soundtrack.
Rocky Handsome (drama)
October 1
Director: Nishikant Kamat
Starring: John Abraham, Shruti Haasan, Nathalia Kaur
In a summer full of adaptations and remakes,
Rocky Handsome
is the first to take inspiration from Korea. Loosely based on the 2010 Korean film
The Man from Nowhere
, which is about a man on a revenge rampage against the drug mafia, this film stars Abraham, who is also the co-producer. The film’s biggest draw is the action scenes, for which internationally acclaimed filmmakers were brought on board.
Singh is Bling (comedy)
October 1
Director: Prabhu Deva
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson
Deva and Kumar team up once again after 2012’s blockbuster
Rowdy Rathore
. Jackson plays a role for which Kriti Sanon was originally signed but then opted out. The film also features Bipasha Basu, Yo Yo Honey Singh and Lara Dutta.
Jazbaa (action/drama)
October 9
Director: Sanjay Gupta
Starring: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Irrfan Khan, Shabana Azmi, Anupam Kher
This one’s a biggie.
Jazbaa
is a remake of the 2007 South Korean film
Seven Days
and marks the long-awaited comeback of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. She was last seen on screen in Sanjay Leela’s Bhansali’s 2010 film
Guzaarish
, for which she earned a Filmfare nomination as Best Actress. Also, what are the odds of two Korean-inspired Bollywood films in one season, let alone one month?
M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (biopic)
October 21
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Starring: Sushant Singh Rajput
The last of the summer releases and perhaps the most eagerly awaited. This biopic on Indian cricket captain M?S Dhoni has Sushant Singh Rajput in what is said to be the role of a lifetime. The young actor followed a four-month exercise regimen, which was so demanding that it inspired a video titled
Till I Get it Right
. In between, there were rumours of the project being shelved because of doubts about the project’s commercial viability, but Dhoni stepped in and contributed a large sum towards production, which set the gears in motion once again.
artslife@thenational.ae
