20 Bollywood films to look forward to in 2015
As we step into the new year today, we look at Bollywood with a lot of excitement. Apart from the big-ticket releases for festive occasions, a host of sequels are set to hit the marquee. As usual, superstars will focus on reaffirming their position while the young guns will battle their way to the top.
‘Fan’
Director: Maneesh Sharma
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan
In brief: Arguably with the greatest fan following worldwide, the superstar will essay the role of his biggest fan himself in the movie.
Why: Will be interesting to see SRK in not a larger-than-life role.
Releases: August 14
‘Piku’
Director: Shoojit Sircar
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Irrfan
In brief: Set in Kolkata, the comedy drama will show the father-daughter relationship but with a quirky spin.
Why: The star cast itself is enough reason to pull one to the theatres.
Releases: April 30
‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’
Director: Kabir Khan
Cast: Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor
In brief: It is a romantic drama which centers on the relationship between a Muslim boy and a Hindu Brahmin girl.
Why: One Khan directing another Khan should be interesting.
Releases: Mid July
‘Bajirao Mastani’
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra
In brief: A period romance on Peshwa Baji Rao and his passion for courtesan, Mastani.
Why: SLB’s dream project that was stuck for over a decade.
Releases: December 25
‘Bombay Velvet’
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma
In brief: A story of a boxer and an aspiring Jazz singer and how their hopes and realities collide.
Why: Kashyap turns director after a long gap and Karan Johar will be seen as a villain in
this film.
Releases: May 13
‘Roy’
Director: Vikramjit singh
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Jacqueline Fernandez
In brief: A romantic thriller in which Ranbir plays a thief.
Why: The fact that we get to see Ranbir on screen after so long.
Releases: February 13
‘NH 10’
Director: Navdeep Singh
Cast: Anushka Sharma, Neil Bhoopalam and Darshan Kumar
In brief: A thriller based on a couple’s road trip gone awry.
Why: Anushka’s maiden home production.
Releases: March 6
‘Wazir’
Director: Bejoy Nambiar
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, Aditi Rao Hydari
In brief: Big B plays a wheelchair-bound chess grandmaster while Farhan essays the role of an ATS officer in the film.
Why: The legend in a never-seen-before avatar.
Releases: Yet to be announced
‘Shaandar’
Director: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt
In brief: A romantic comedy which is touted to be India’s first destination wedding film.
Why: Have you watched Queen? Do you really need a reason?
Releases: Yet to be announced
‘Titli’
Director: Kanu Behl
Cast: Ranvir Shorey, Amit Sial, Shashank Arora and Lalit Behl
In brief: A semi autobiography on Titli, the youngest member of a violent car-jacking brotherhood who plots a desperate bid to escape the ‘family’ business.
Why: It was selected in the Uncertain Regard Section at the last Cannes Film Festival.
Releases: Yet to be announced
‘Jagga Jasoos’
Director: Anurag Basu
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif
In brief: The film has Ranbir playing a detective
Why: Rumoured lovers off-screen coming together after a hiatus of nearly six years. And the allure of a detective film.
Releases: August 28
‘Shamitabh’
Director: R Balki
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Dhanush and Akshara Hasan
In brief: It revolves around a deaf and dumb man (Dhanush) who gets a voice courtesy Big B.
Why: The odd combo of Dhanush and Big B and the fact that it marks the debut of Akshara, legendary actor Kamal Haasan’s younger daughter.
Releases: February 6
‘Detective Byomkesh Bakshy’
Director: Dibakar Banerjee
Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput and Swastika Mukherjee
In brief: The crime thriller based on the exploits of a fictional detective character Byomkesh Bakshi, originally created by Bengali writer Sharadindu Bandopadhyay.
Why: Dibakar, of course. Also for the nostalgia that Byomkesh Bakshi brings.
Releases: February 13
‘Badlapur’
Director: Sriram Raghvan
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Huma Qureshi and Yami Gautam.
In brief: A revenge drama-action thriller in which Varun sheds his romantic hero image to play a baddie.
Why: Pure curiosity to see the otherwise lover boy Varun get into a serious role.
Releases: February 20
‘Tamasha’
Director: Imtiaz Ali
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone
In brief: The Kapoor scion plays a nomad while Dippy will be seen as a bubbly girl on a trip to Corsica following the trail of her favourite comics characters, Asterix and Obelix.
Why: Imtiaz’s sensitive storytelling and ex-flames starring together in yet another project.
Releases: December 25
‘MS Dhoni’
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput
In brief: A biopic on by far the most successful Indian cricket captain by the same name. Dhoni has won us two of the biggest tournaments in world cricket — T20 World Cup in 2007 and ICC World Cup in 2011.
Why: Now that MSD has retired from Test cricket, this becomes all the more interesting.
Releases: Yet to be announced
‘Main Aur Charles’
Director: Prawaal Raman
Cast: Randeep Hooda and Richa Chadda
In brief: Loosely based on the bikini killer Charles Sobhraj, known for drugging and killing several Western tourists in Asia in the ’70s.
Why: Who isn’t fascinated by Sobhraj’s story? And of course, the fact that Randeep is playing him.
Releases: March 13
‘Phantom’
Director: Kabir Khan
Cast: Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif
In brief: It is a counter-terrorism drama film set post the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai and centers on Indian agents working to combat global terrorist outfits. The lead actors are both secret agents.
Why: It is the director’s fourth film dealing with terrorism and spies after Kabul Express (2006), New York (2009) and Ek Tha Tiger (2012).
Releases: April 3
‘Dil Dhadakne Do’
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar, Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma and Shefali Shah.
In brief: It revolves around a dysfunctional Punjabi family on a cruise trip.
Why: The interesting plot and the star-studded cast.
Releases: June 5
‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’
Director: Sooraj Barjatya
Cast: Salman Khan and Sonam Kapoor
In brief: An Indian family drama in which Salman will be seen as a king.
Why: Barjatya’s comeback project and Sallu playing Prem again.
Releases: Diwali
