What's in store at the movies in 2013? Fresh pairings, directors finding new muses and films with heart
2012 HAS been annus mirabilis for Bollywood with 15 certified hits and
an unprecedented, unparalleled eight films vaulting past the Rs
100-crore hurdle.
So, can 2013 beat this beefy benchmark? Can Bollywood tabulate even
higher centuries next year? Buoyed by an omnipresent boom time, the
Hindi film industry is certainly going to try besting last year, what
with several big-name directors and actors having thrown their hats
into the ring for 2013.
Megastars teaming up with money-spinning filmmakers to pursue familiar
box-office algorithms yield the most anticipated films of 2013. Yash
Raj's Dhoom 3 will continue its eponymous franchise, with a major star
(it's Aamir Khan this time) once again playing antagonist to lawmen Jai
and Ali (Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra).
The heroines have always had one brief - dhoom machale - and now it's
up to Katrina Kaif to out-sizzle Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and company.
It's sequel time for Hrithik Roshan too; he will bring in Diwali with a
bang with Krrish 3, his fourth outing with father Rakesh Roshan after
three straight blockbusters. To make himself ship-shape for this
F/X-and-stunt-laden thriller, Hrithik got the best trainers from UK and
`underwent a 10-week transformation,` according to the actor.
But what he says he is relying on most is `the fabulous script;
everything else - colour, songs, item songs, action - is decoration.`
While Priyanka Chopra will be abetting Krrish, Vivek Oberoi will be
battling it out as a `mazedaar supervillain`.
Another sequel, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai 2 will decide whether
director Milan Luthria can pull off a hat-trick after the success of
Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai and The Dirty Picture. This Akshay
Kumar-Sonakshi Sinha-Imran Khan starrer is slated for an Eid release, a
crowd-pulling holiday that has done wonders for Salman Khan of late.
While there's no confirmation yet on whether Salman's breathlessly
awaited next (buzz is it's Radhe, a remake of a Punjabi film) will keep
his date with Eid, Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone's first-ever
collaboration with box office behemoth Rohit Shetty in Chennai Express
is slated for 2013. This UTV-Disney thriller details SRK's character's
journey from Mumbai to Rameshwaram.
Thirty years ago, the high-decibel revenge drama Himmatwala made the
return journey from the South to Mumbai, and became a blockbuster.
Sajid Khan is now readying `a homage to the old Himmatwala` which stars
Ajay Devgn. With characteristic grandiloquence, Sajid says, `As a
child, I have watched the film 36 times in the theatre! Now I want my
audience to leave the theatres with a smile and a 'mazaa aaya' feeling.
I know Himmatwala will make 100 crores in the first week itself.`
It's not only about making a mark at the box office for our big names.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Raju Hirani and Aamir try to make a perceptive
comment in Peekay (slated for December), Akshay teams up with Neeraj
Panday (of the widely acclaimed A Wednesday fame) for Special Chabbis
and Prakash Jha readies his Amitabh Bachchan-Ajay Devgn starrer
Satyagraha, which presents the middle class movement to renegotiate
democracy. Unsurprisingly, Satyagraha is to be released on August 15.
The multiplex boom continues to afford filmmakers a chance to cater to
an audience more welcoming of change; and many directors are playing
for something deeper even without the benefit of having a megastar fuel
their film.
2013 will witness the release of Vishal Bhardwaj's wacky-titled Matru
Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola, Sudhir Mishra's indictment of sexual harassment,
Inkaar, Rajkumar Gupta's Ghanchakkar (which Emraan Hashmi calls `a dark
comedy with suspense`), Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
(`My homage to the sports of the country,` as the director puts it) and
Shoojit Sircar's collaboration with John Abraham, Madras Cafe.
After winning reviews for Udaan, Vikramaditya Motwane will return on
July 5 with Lootera, set in the 1950s. The film has been delayed by
inclement weather and injuries but the cast can't stop gushing. Ranveer
Singh raves, `I was in tears by the end of the narration; it's a golden
script.`
Ranveer will keep the romance flag flying high with Sanjay Leela
Bhansali's Gujarati drama Ram Leela while Ranbir Kapoor will lead the
charge of the bright brigade with Ayan Mukherji's Yeh Jawani Hai
Deewani and Abhinav Kashyap's Besharam.
As with any other year, 2013 has a plethora of male-oriented actioners
such as the sequels Race 2 and Shootout At Wadala but unfortunately,
there are all too few women-oriented films on the anvil.
There is the National Award-winning director Vikas Bahl's Kangna
Ranaut-starrer Queen, Madhuri Dixit's latest hurrah, Gulab Gang, and
maybe the Mary Kom biopic with Priyanka Chopra (shooting has yet to
begin). When will Katrina, Kareena Kapoor-Khan and Vidya Balan
green-light projects headlining their names first and foremost? What
price gender parity?
Two tangy
How would the world have known that sodium (Na) plus chloride (Cl)
produces salt unless someone had the gall to do a laboratory test with
the two ingredients? 2013 will witness the coming together of several
new star pairs and director-actor permutations, all in the hope of
sparking off a novel chemistry.
Anushka Sharma's full-of-beans exuberance will hopefully contrast well
with Imran's understated charm in Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola. She says,
`Imran and I are working together for the first time in Matru... It's a
fresh pairing but I had never thought we would have such a different
look in the film.` The normally dapper Imran sports a thick stubble and
has done akhada-style exercises for the film, prompting Anushka to
comment, `I think Imran looks hot in this film.`
Later in the year, Anushka will also attempt to ignite chemistry with
Imran's mamu, Aamir, in Peekay. Another heroine who can now claim to
have worked with both uncle and nephew is Katrina, who did Mere Brother
Ki Dulhan with Imran in 2011 and now pairs with Aamir for the first
time in Dhoom 3.
Height issues notwithstanding, Aamir and Katrina's long-burnished star
appeal should prove a combustible combination for a guns n' gals
thriller like Dhoom 3.
Dhoom 3 will complete Katrina's trilogy with the Khans but Sonakshi is
just starting with the Khan roster. While Akshay and Sonakshi have
already brushed their broad shoulders twice, making Once In A Time In
Mumbaai 2 their third outing together, it will be interesting to see
Sonakshi paired in the same film with a younger hero, Imran, for the
first time.
Sonakshi is rapidly moving on to stars closer to her age.
Choreographer-turned-director Prabhu Deva has already made Sonakshi
swivel successfully to his dance steps in Rowdy Rathore, and in his
next film, Namak, she will have rubber-boned Shahid Kapoor help her
perform some cartilage-defying moves.
Ranveer will be part of two new jodis in 2013. In Lootera, Sonakshi and
he will complement each other's earthy appeal and Bhansali's Ram Leela
will cash in on Ranveer-Deepika's aerosol fresh team.
Sonam Kapoor and Farhan Akhtar both stay studiedly out of the rat race
and their low-key combination should certainly perk up Bhaag Milkha
Bhaag. The only hitch is that since the film is a biopic on the Olympic
runner Milkha Singh, Farhan may spend more time in the maidaan than
with the maiden.
Shah Rukh's first alliance with Rohit Shetty of the Ajay Devgn camp
should pique interest. Shetty's popcorn cinema is of a different
variety from the Aditya Chopra-Karan Johar brand but it also hits the
bullseye with unerring accuracy.
After Prakash Jha worked his magic with beautiful beanpole Katrina
(whose acting abilities were under the scanner), he will now be working
with Kareena whose acting creds have albeit long been accepted. She
plays a committed journalist. Can Jha's film help lay the bedrock for
Kareena's post-marital career?
And can the imaginative Bhansali spur the pragmatic Deepika (love the
way she handles her controversies) from middle-level stardom to the
upper echelons with Ram Leela? Will this new cocktail be an upper or a
downer? Can her performance burn with a newer, purer flame? The stakes
and expectations are high. Because Sanjay Leela Bhansali is the closest
we have to Hollywood filmmakers during the Golden Age of Women's
Directors.
Neophytes 2013
A bunch of bright-eyed arrivistes are added every year to the Hindi
film industry's list of stars. These youthful roisterers hope to prove
their drawing power in a wide spectrum of films.
2013 will witness two major Southern stars aiming for a breakthrough.
In the 1990s, Telugu megastar Chiranjeevi had a few Hindi film
successes with Pratibandh and The Gentleman (opposite Juhi Chawla).
Now, his son Ram Charan Teja seeks to carry over his immense success in
Telugu films into Bollywood with the Apoorva Lakhia-directed remake of
the 1973 blockbuster Zanjeer.
He is paired opposite Priyanka Chopra and pitted against Sanjay Dutt.
The original crystallised Amitabh Bachchan's angry young man image and
made him a phenomenon. Teja should be half as lucky.
There's more to the lean-and-wiry Dhanush than being the Kolaveri di
singer-actor or Rajinikant's son-in-law. Dhanush has a major fan
following for his Tamil films and will now be seen in Tanu Weds Manu
director Anand Rai's rom-dram Ranjhana opposite Sonam. Sameera Reddy,
who has acted in several major Southern films, says authoritatively,
`Dhanush is sheer talent.`
Also coming out of the gates is Sushant Singh Rajput who will try to
emulate Shah Rukh's trajectory from TV to films. The Pavitra Rishta
actor's TV success was, however, not what clinched Kai Po Che! for him.
His film's producer Siddharth Roy Kapoor states, `In Sushant we found
our story's character Ishaan.
Director Abhishek Kapoor made sure that his role is actually very
different from his TV image. Sushant trained in cricket, worked on his
body and attended many workshops to become Ishaan. But it does help
that he has a huge fan base from his TV stint.` Kapoor confidently
adds, `His popularity will only increase after they see his performance
in Kai Po Che!`
After an undistinguished turn in 2010's Love Breakups Zindagi, Pallavi
Sharda is lucky to have bagged Abhinav 'Dabangg' Kashyap's Besharam
opposite Ranbir Kapoor. Similarly, South star Tamanna acted in a now
forgotten Hindi film some years ago but hopes to hit a glam slam with
Sajid Khan's Himmatwala opposite Ajay Devgn.
And then there is grand dame Asha Bhosle on track to be the oldest
newcomer in Bollywood. She may have done a few small roles in the 1940s
but the legendary singer will now take on the title role in Mahesh
Kodiyal's Maaee. Says Kodiyal, `Ashaji is definitely a genius because
in spite of acting for the first time, she pulled it off so
beautifully.`
Courtesy: Mid-Day.com
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