2010 has been an eventful year for Bollywood so far. Many films, both big and small, stood up to the audience’s scrutiny in the first five months of the year: Chance Pe Dance, Veer, Rann, My Name Is Khan, Karthik Calling Karthik, LSD, Prince, Housefull and Kites, to name a few.
And although none of the films might have been able to repeat the magic of Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots, at the box-office, there’s a lot in store for the Bollywood buff in the rest of 2010. Let’s have a look…
[singlepic id=1760 w=320 h=240 float=center]Raajneeti: Prakash Jha’s most commercial film, at least in terms of the star cast! After all, Naseeruddin Shah, Ajay Devgan, Nana Patekar, Katrina Kaif, Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Manoj Bajpai do make a commendable cast.
[singlepic id=3301 w=320 h=240 float=center]Raavan: Mani Ratnam, Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan. Their first movie together was Guru. Obviously, therefore, their second venture is a highly anticipated fare. Close on the heels of the release of Guru came the news of the engagement of Abhishek and Ash. Will the stork come calling after Raavan?
I Hate Luv Storys: From Karan Johar’s banner comes a different love story, starring Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor. Celebrated costume designer Manish Malhotra’s nephew, Punit Malhotra, direct the youngsters. The promos of the film are appealing to the film’s target audience, the youth.
Anjaana Anjaani: Siddharth Anand’s first directorial venture outside Yash Chopra’s banner. The man who gave you Salaam Namaste, Ta Ra Rum Pum and Bachna Ae Haseeno now gets you Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor in a love story.
1-800-Love: Don’t go by the odd title because it will be discarded the moment producer Madhu Mantena (Ghajini) and director Abbas Tyrewala (Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na) get a new and more suitable one. Yes, you guessed it right! With Ghajini as one’s calling card and Jaane Tu… as the other’s, hero John Abraham doesn’t need to worry, you’d agree.
Guzaarish: Never mind if Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s last film, Saawariya, was a box-office dud. His next, Guzaarish, is still as eagerly awaited as his earlier films, and not just because it stars Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan. With two of Bollywood’s most striking faces in the cast and given that Bhansali has a knack of making his films look very beautiful, one can well imagine the visual appeal of Guzaarish.
No Problem: Anil Kapoor had more than his share of problems in Short Kut: The Con Is On. Hopefully, the actor-producer has learnt his lesson and isn’t doing any ‘con job’ in his new venture. Besides, there’s the ever-dependable Anees Bazmee at the helm of affairs. The man with, perhaps, only funny bones in his body gave brother Boney Kapoor No Entry, the biggest blockbuster of 2005. Anil hopes, No Problem is no different.
Golmaal 3: After Golmaal and Golmaal Returns, Rohit Shetty is making yet another in the Golmaal series. Ajay Devgan, Tusshar Kapoor, Arshad Warsi and Shreyas Talpade join Kareena Kapoor as the female lead. Says Shetty, “For sure, this will be the dhamaka of 2010.”
Agent Vinod: After Love Aaj Kal, Saif Ali Khan’s banner is hot property and so, its second venture will be an eagerly awaited film. Shriram Raghavan, who made Johnny Gaddaar, will direct this thriller co-starring Kareena Kapoor.
Khele Hum Jee Jaan Se: Ashutosh Gowariker revisits the period drama genre after Lagaan and Jodhaa Akbar. Set against the backdrop of the Chittagong uprising, this film stars Abhishek Bachchan and Deepika Padukone.
Delhi Belly: Among the spate of big-budget Hindi films is producer Aamir Khan’s small English film, Delhi Belly, starring nephew Imran Khan. The industry people swear by Aamir’s judgement and it is this very judgement that prompts one to believe that this Belly will stand out. If the script could engross Aamir so much that he couldn’t leave it without completing it when he picked it up for a cursory glance, there must be something in it. Aamir plans to release this film abroad before bringing it to the Indian screens.
Love You Maa: It’s the tentative title of Karan Johar and Sony’s remake of the latter’s Stepmom. Kajol, Kareena and Arjun Rampal have been shooting for the Hindi remake at such a brisk pace that this may as well turn out to be the fastest venture of Dharma Productions although it has been directed by first-timer Siddharth Malhotra.
Tees Maar Khan: This is probably the most successful and commercial lady director, Farah Khan’s third venture, but this time without Shah Rukh Khan. Seems, can’t do without Khan in her film – and if not in her film, at least in the title. Is that why the Akshay Kumar and Akshaye Khanna starrer is titled Tees Maar Khan?
Khatta Meettha: Never mind if Priyadarshan’s last film with Akshay Kumar, De Dana Dan, failed to make the bank accounts (except that of Akshay and probably one distributor in India) swell but their next film together promises to give the audience kuchh khatta and kuchh meettha unlike the bland fare served in the 2009 release.
Action Replay: One London Dreams can’t haunt filmmaker Vipul Shah like a nightmare. After all, he has films like Waqt – The Race Against Time, Namastey London (both directed and produced by him) and Singh Is Kinng (produced by him) to his credit. He and the trade hope that, at the box-office, his new film is an action replay of the three successful ones.
[singlepic id=3547 w=320 h=240 float=center]Patiala House: Forget Chandni Chowk and China. Akshay Kumar and director Nikhil Advani team up again for Patiala House, a film about an extended Punjabi family living in London. Apparently Akshay plays a cricketer in the film.
