The present year has been interesting for Bollywood fans who seek variety instead of planning their excursion to the theatre based on the commercial performance of a film. The pattern of releases until August will be similar. The viewer can expect diversity, although the all-important question — which ones among them will succeed — can be answered only after the release of each of these films.
Tushar Hiranandani has helmed Srikanth, which reached the theatres on May 10. The film is the biopic of Srikanth Bolla, the founder and chairman of Bollant Industries, which employs many differently-abled people. The gifted Rajkummar Rao excels in the role of the visually impaired protagonist, who rises above his circumstances to become an inspirational success story in a society where prejudice against differently-abled individuals exists. The choice of subject is relevant, making Srikanth one of the highlights of 2024.
The action genre has been the biggest crowd-puller in recent times. Add to that the contribution Brand Atlee (Atlee helmed Jawan) can make, and it is easy to understand why Kalees’s action drama Baby John is being viewed as a film that can do great business. Starring Varun Dhawan and Keerthy Suresh and announced with the working title VD 18 last year, Baby John, a remake of Atlee’s Tamil blockbuster Theri, revolves around a former cop who must do what he can to protect his daughter from his longtime enemies.
Scheduled for release on May 31, the action drama will have a competitor of a different genre: The Sharan Sharma-helmed romantic sports drama Mr & Mrs Mahi starring Rajkummar Rao and Jahnvi Kapoor that is hitting the marquee on the same day. Rao and Kapoor have teamed up once again after Hardik Mehta’s horror comedy Roohi, and it will be interesting to watch their chemistry in a story about an ‘imperfect partnership’ in a kind of film that has its share of followers among Bollywood fans.
The idea of making a biopic has tempted many Bollywood filmmakers. Of course, the outcomes of their efforts have varied in terms of quality. Fans of Kartik Aaryan are waiting for Chandu Champion, a Kabir Khan directorial based on the life of Murlikant Petkar, India’s first Paralympic gold medalist. The film has made filmgoers hopeful because Khan’s last film was 83, a critically acclaimed sports drama revolving around India’s first cricket World Cup win. 83 was a commercial failure partly because of its big budget, but there is little doubt that Khan’s choice of subject for his upcoming film might attract the masses.
Chandu Champion will be challenged by Emergency, a political drama written, directed and co-produced by Kangana Ranaut, who is also appearing in the film as the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Emergency’s USP, too, is its story that focuses on the 21 months between 1975 and 1977 when Gandhi imposed an emergency across India. The fact that the film revolves around the darkest period in modern Indian history will evoke curiosity – in fact, it already has – and it will be interesting to see which of these two films will win the race at the box office after they clash on June 14.
Three decades ago, Ajay Devgn and his friend and collaborator Tabu appeared together on the big screen for the first time. The film was Farouq Siddique’s Vijaypath, a 1994 box-office success, which started the story of their journey as costars. Devgn and Tabu have teamed up once again for Neeraj Pandey’s musical romance Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha, which will hit the theatres on July 5. Both Devgn and Tabu are big-screen veterans with a history of commercial success. Considering Pandey is the mind behind the project, few will be surprised if the film becomes a hit.
One big Bollywood star needs a solo hit badly: Akshay Kumar. Kumar’s next film is Sudha Kongara’s Sarfira, a remake of the Tamil drama Soorarai Pottru helmed by the same director. Inspired by the story of GR Gopinath, who founded India’s first low-cost carrier Simplifly Deccan, Soorarai Pottru was a direct-to-digital release that received critical acclaim. Will Sarfira, which is scheduled for release on July 12, become that much-needed hit for Kumar?
Vicky Kaushal has been in the news for his performances recently. In Rajkumar Hirani’s social drama Dunki, he is brilliant as a young man from Punjab who is desperate to immigrate to London. In Meghna Gulzar’s Sam Bahadur, a biographical drama based on the life of India’s first field marshal Sam Maneckshaw, he has played the central role with noteworthy skill and conviction. Kaushal’s July 19 release is a romantic comedy Bad Newz, directed by Anand Tiwari, in which he will appear alongside Triptii Dimri and Ammy Virk. The film promises to be a fun riot. And, it could spring a pleasant surprise at the box office.
August will witness the release of two films which can get those big numbers. One of them is Rohit Shetty’s action drama Singham Again, which has been reportedly filmed on a massive budget of Rs 200 crore. A star-studded spectacle headlined by Ajay Devgn as Bajirao Singham, a hugely popular character from Shetty’s Cop Universe, Singham Again will be another action-packed masala entertainer from a director who knows how to do it right. Countless fans of Shetty and Bajirao Singham are waiting for the film, which is releasing on August 15. These fans will tell you it will be a hit for sure.
Another significant film releasing on August 30 is Amar Kaushik’s horror comedy Stree 2, the sequel to Stree and the latest instalment of the Maddock Supernatural Universe, which has actors from the prequel who are reprising their roles. That includes Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao, the protagonists of Stree. Stree was a notable success, both critically and commercially. Fans of the film are expecting a sequel, which will offer yet another entertaining theatrical experience.
Viewers will have many options to choose from in the coming months. We will, in short, have a lot of fun at the theatres.
The writer, a journalist for three decades, writes on literature and pop culture. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
Comments
0 comment