Looks like the Kapoors (along with some other new kids on the block) will be taking over 2019.
Recently director-producer Karan Johar hinted at introducing two new faces in Bollywood.
Khushi Kapoor
Khushi Kapoor, daughter of producer Boney Kapoor and late actor Sridevi Kapoor is all set to make her debut under the banner of Dharma Productions.
As per the revelation made by Johar on an online chat show, Kapoor may be in the running to star alongside Mizaan Jaffrey, son of actor Javed Jaffrey.
Mizaan Jaffrey
“Mizaan is going to be amazing, he is a potential big star and a great dancer. And Khushi perhaps, she is gorgeous and lovely,” he said.
Bollywood has witnessed a strong wave of new-age actors rapidly in the last few years.
2018 certainly brought in a lot of new talent and recognized some extremely talented artists in front of and behind the camera. Here’s hoping this year continues to bring more refined talent to the world of cinema.
Pankaj Tripathi is all set to feature in another unique project in the new year. He will be seen in a twenty-minute short film playing a laundry man who irons clothes.
What’s interesting is that he will be the only character in the film titled Laali that’s being shot in a single location.
Directed by Abhiroop Basu, the film revolves around Ram Sundar (played by Tripathi) who leads a mundane life ironing dull work clothes of customers. However, his life suddenly changes when he comes across a red dress.
According to a source, “that is the dress to which he talks to. The reason behind this behavior is left for the audience to discover.”
Excited to be a part of the project, the Mirzapur actor said, “I think this will be my first proper short film… I have included some incidents from my own life, which the audience might now understand but I have adopted a unique body language.”
Laali is co-produced by Sireesha Kadiyala, Madhu Singhee and Sushila Jain and is expected to screen at film festivals.
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If you thought Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga [ELKDTAL] is a simple boy-meet-girl love story with families opposing their relationship, you may want to watch the trailer again.
The film’s trailer has caught our attention for it’s unique subject packaged with simplicity.
The trailer opens with Sahir Mirza (played by Rajkummar Rao) welcoming the audience at a crowded theatre, asking them to watch the story with their hearts, not brains.
We see glimpses of an over-enthusiastic Indian family trying to get their daughter Sweety Chaudhary (played by Sonam Kapoor Ahuja) married off to a potential life-partner.
Some men are good on paper, some from matrimonial sites, and even Mirza who is smitten by her… but she has a secret.
The little girl who dreams of becoming a bride and getting married to her soulmate hides her true identity from everyone, until one day she breaks down.
Source: Scene from ELKDTAL trailer
ELKDTAL also stars Anil Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Brijendra Kala, Abhishek Duhan and Seema Pahwa in prominent roles.
Kapoor Ahuja is charming in every frame and makes an impact, keeping us wanting to know more about her secret.
The story is in the tagline and it’s definitely “unexpected.” There are hints in the trailer as well.
In case you missed it, watch it here:
Rating Prediction: [4 / 5]
Kudos to Shelly Chopra Dhar and Gazal Dhaliwal for venturing into such a bold script, which is not only relevant but deserves space in commercial Indian cinema. The film releases on 1st February, 2019.
Manikarnika – The Queen Of Jhansi is not just a film, it’s history. It is a story we have grown up learning and admiring – the story of a strong brave woman who fought fearlessly to protect her loved ones and her nation.
So, when a film capturing her life is proposed, it can be nothing less than extraordinary… and that is exactly what Kangana Ranaut starrer Manikarnika promises.
The three-minute-nineteen-second trailer takes us through the journey of princess Manikarnika, shaping into Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi.
We see visuals of Manikarnika training (albeit the VFX could be better) and gradually transitioning into the powerful queen.
The trailer shows the queen determined to fight against all odds – there’s blood, war, and a spirit of revenge in every visual in the second half, which certainly sets the tone for a gripping cinematic experience.
Source: Scene from Manikarnika trailer
There’s no doubt that Ranaut stands out and shines through every frame. We also see Jishu Sengupta, Suresh Oberoi, Danny Denzongappa, Atul Kulkarni and Ankita Lokhande in prominent characters.
Directed by Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi and Kangana Ranaut, Manikarnika – The Queen Of Jhansi can be one for the books.
Watch the trailer here:
Rating Prediction: . [4.5 / 5]
Biopics typically falter as they often expect the audience to assume the protagonist’s character, progress and their journey through life. No matter how popular a story is, it is important to show, don’t tell! Hope Manikarnika – The Queen Of Jhansi delivers exactly that.
The remix trend isn’t going away anytime soon. Bollywood music fans have been debating the subject of remaking old classic songs for almost half a decade now. The trend picked up with the popularity of pop artists / rappers such as Yo Yo Honey Singh, Badshah and the likes.
While some remakes become chartbusters for peppy beats and nostalgia [example Tumma Tumma from Badrinath Ki Dulhania in 2017], others have been flat-out disastrous… and quite unnecessary [hint: Ek Do Teen in Baaghi 2 earlier this year].
just when we were reaching our boiling point with this claptrap, we’re hit with another track… AND IT’S GOOD!
The new remake on the block – Aankh Marey from Simmba (2018) starring Ranveer Singh and Sara Ali Khan is oh-so-refreshing.
Let’s talk why –
The makers retained the drum beats, and just like the dancers in this video and the original of 1996, you want to break over-the-top thumkas.
The sweet blend of the original contemporized with slightly auto-tuned vocals is joyfully entertaining… and pleasant change from the inappropriate rapping forced in a verse for impact.
The video too has a new-age synchronized choreography, with a large number of back-up dancers, taking cues from the 90’s. What makes the visuals more appealing are the slick use of lights to highlight each dance move… something done in post-production I believe. It definitely adds a little spark to every moment and movement.
While there is a lot happening in the three minute twenty-two second video, it’s Sara Ali Khan who steals the show. Her style and expressions will give you a glimpse of Karishma Kapoor dancing alongside Govinda in the 90’s. She is effortlessly charming and a breath of fresh air.
Last but not the least, the cameos by none-other-than the Golmaal gang… and the star of the original aankh maare, Arshad Warsi grooving to the refurbished tune!
In case you haven’t seen the video or heard the song yet:
PS. My reaction to the intro matched Karan Johar’s sentiments from the video, but the makers have certainly surpassed my expectations. Well played guys, well played!
The much-awaited trailer of Uri dropped today and it promises a well-crafted military-drama with powerful performances by Vicky Kaushal, Yami Gautam and Paresh Rawal amongst others.
Uri is based on Indian Army’s surgical strike on Pakistan in 2016, post the latter attacked in Uri.
Source: Scene from Uri trailer
Kaushal plays an army officer Vihaan Singh Shergill, who is deeply affected by the death of his fellow soldiers and pledges to destroy the enemies. Female lead Gautam is seen in a new avatar playing the role of a stern intelligence officer, fiercely interrogating a terrorist.
What follows in the next two and half minutes of the trailer is a lot of action, drama, and hard-hitting sequences that giving a sneak-peak into the film.
Raazi (2018), also starring Kaushal in the male lead, set a new benchmark for patriotic films and seems like Uri is on it’s way for setting one for military-drama.
Watch the trailer here:
Rating Prediction: [4 / 5]
2018 has been Kaushal’s year and looks like he is set make 2019 no different. The attacks in Uri and it’s aftermath are not popularly known, and the film seems to have captured it’s essence faultlessly.
Simmba as we all know, is the little lion cub who wishes to walk in the footsteps of his father [in case you’re wondering – that’s from the 1994 Disney classic The Lion King]. Right there is the analogy for the new Ranveer Singh starrer Simmba.
Simmba is about a boy whose idol is Singham (meaning “lion”) of the 2011 film starring Ajay Devgn, who is a heroic honest cop in Goa. While Singham was a good cop, Simmba picks up the bad traits becomes a cop for all the wrong reasons.
Singh, playing the titular character is a flashy and loud character who talks in filmy one-liners.
The trailer shows glimpses of the plot of a corrupt cop getting caught up in a situation that transforms him into a choosing the righteous path.
Source: Scene from Simmba trailer
Sonu Sood plays the negative lead and Sara Ali Khan manages to squeeze in a dialogue in the trailer.
Simmba appears to be a true-blue Rohit Shetty masala flick with bright colored settings, synchronized choreography with countless back-up dancers, action sequences in high-speed … and of-course cars flying and blowing up.
Watch the trailer here:
Rating Prediction: [3 / 5]
Shetty knows his Bollywood and promises another entertainer with a larger-than-life hero, singing and dancing, and an old-school villain. Our only hope is that female lead gets equal screen-space and script-space.
Ayushmann Khurrana is enjoying a dream run at the box office. With two releases back-to-back in October – Andhadhun and Badhaai Ho – the actor is on a roll with top critics reviews as well as spectacular responses from the audience.
Khurrana is known for his unique film choices and has rumored to have bagged one more interesting film in his kitty. He has signed BR Studio’s next romantic comedy. The film in question is the remake of the production company’s own old classic, Chhoti Si Baat (1976).
Chhoti Si Baat film poster
The Basu Chatterjee directed 1976 hit drama is considered one of the best Hindi comedy films of the 1970s and is known for its quirky take on pre-hyper congestion Bombay. The original film starred Amol Palekar, Ashok Kumar, Vidya Sinha and Asrani besides Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini.
B.R. Studios is apparently planning to remake the classic with a modern twist. Producers Juno Chopra and Abhay Chopra who collaborated with Khurrana on last year’s sleeper hit Bareilly Ki Barfi have joined hands with T-Series’ Bhushan Kumar to co-produce it.
Chhoti Si Baat has been in the making for some time. It was earlier supposed to be directed by David Dhawan and star Varun Dhawan along with Salman Khan, but things didn’t work out and was indefinitely shelved. But last year Juno Chopra, creative producer and grandson of B.R. Chopra, made the announcement of re-visiting the project. “We are working on the remake version of Chhoti Si Baat. It’s a nice story. It is too early to talk about casting for this film. For us content is most important. We cast actors according to the requirement of the script,” he said.
Still from Chhoti So Baat (1976)
According to sources, the Vicky Donor actor has been locked in to play Amol Palekar’s role while the other cast are still under finalization. The film was apparently also approached to Rajkummar Rao to play the second male lead, but he turned it down citing date issues.
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Actress Richa Chadha left no stone unturned preparing for the titular role of south India’s adult star Shakeela in a biopic. She got into the skin of the protagonist who is known for softcore productions in early 2000s.
Chadha shared her look from the film few weeks ago, donning a traditional white and gold saree.
On the occasion of Dussehra, the actress shared another photo from the production set – a life size poster of Shakeela; In a response to a comment asking what kind of “ravan” was in the photo, Chadha cheekily replied “zaroori wala.” This is presumably in the context of the gender bias and the evolving times in the entertainment world (i.e. the #MeToo movement in Bollywood).
Though Chadha found the Shakeela’s story “bizzare” at first, she was drawn to the script by Kannada filmmaker Indrajit Lankesh.
“I saw so many dramatic moments in her life that it looked like a screenplay ready to be made into a film. She’s a survivor. There are so many aspects of her personal life that we don’t know about, those that shaped her. The personal affects the professional – that interplay is the film.”
Richa Chadha met Shakeela in Bangalore
Chadha interviewed Shakeela about her life when they first met. By the second time, they were behaving more like friends, she said. “I just wanted to observe her and see where she is coming from,” Chadha said. “We are both middle-class girls. I was raised in Delhi in a joint family and brought up a certain way. When I met her, I realised that in some way, my conditioning holds me back, while she is more liberated. Her life is full of contradictions. On the one hand, she is very religious, proper and modest, and then there is this other facet to her which is quite liberated and worldly.”
Lankesh too thoroughly studied and reviewed Shakeel’s life story. After seeking her permission for an official biopic, he made her sit in front of a camera and asked her to talk about “anything and everything that came to her mind”. The director added, “She has a written a book about her life but I felt she hasn’t spoken about herself and her life in its entirety. I recorded everything she said in front of my camera that day. And then wrote a script. This is her story.”
Shakeela in Boss Engira Baskaran (2010)
Both Chadha and Lankesh asserted that the biopic would present a nuanced portrayal of Shakeela. “Life is not black or white,” Chadha said. “It is grey and we are happy to present that grey side to you.”
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[4.5 / 5]
