Another year and another spectacular - or so we hope - bunch of movies. From star-studded masala flicks to brave experimental films that might push boundaries - there’s a lot to look forward to from Bollywood in 2018.
Here’s our list of the most interesting Bollywood movie releases to look forward to this year:
Bolly Biggies
Some films come with the guarantee of a massive opening, if not a blockbuster, thanks to their star power. Think the Khans, Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar - and all of them are gunning for the screens this year.
PadMan
Bringing menstruation and sanitary napkins into the space of mainstream conversation, Akshay Kumar-Radhka Apte-Sonam Kapoor-starrer PadMan is directed by R Balki and co-produced by Twinkle Khanna. It is inspired by the life and work of Arunachalam Muruganantham, who has worked to make sanitary pads affordable and accessible for women in rural India.
Release Date: 26 January 2018
Padmavati
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s much-beleaguered film is set to release soon, though no dates have been decided yet. Revolving around the mythical Rajput queen Padmavati (Deepika Padukone), her husband Rawal Ratan Singh (Shahid Kapoor) and Alauddin Khilji (Ranveer Singh), Padmavati is also one of the most politically heckled films of recent times.
Release Date: Yet to be announced
2.0
In what’s being touted as India’s most expensive 3D venture yet, Shankar’s sci-fi thriller brings together southern superstar and soon-to-be-politician Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar on screen for the first time. The film comes with a reported budget of over Rs 400 crore.
Release Date: 27 April 2018
Gold
Reema Kagti, who earlier directed Talaash, is helming this biopic on hockey player Balbir Singh, who was on the team that won the first Olympic medal for India as a free nation in 1948. Akshay Kumar would be seen as Singh. Gold also stars Mouni Roy, Kunal Kapoor and Amit Sadh. Can the unusual actor-director duo make the film rise above usual patriotic histrionics?
Release Date: 15 August 2018
Thugs of Hindostan
Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Katrina Kaif together for the first time - if that’s not a clarion call for the audience, we don’t know what is. Dangal girl Fatima Sana Shaikh is also part of the cast. Thugs of Hindostan, based on Philip Meadows’ 1839 Novel Confessions of a Thug, is being directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya.
Release Date: Diwali 2018
Zero
Shah Rukh Khan explores uncharted territory with Zero, where he is all set to play a dwarf. Not much about the film is known yet except that it also stars Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif and is being directed by Aanand L Rai.
Release Date: 21 December 2018
Race 3
Riding very very high on the super success of Tiger Zinda Hai, Salman Khan will be back this year with another action drama, Race 3. The multi-starrer would co-star Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Saqib Salim, and Daisy Shah. Directed by Remo D'Souza, it promises to pack in a punch.
Release Date: Eid 2018
Hatke Buzz
Then there are films which may or may not boast an A-lister, but catch our attention with their interesting content. Either the theme or an unusual partnership between directors and actors are creating a hatke buzz.
Kaalakaandi
A man who has never drunk, smoked or done drugs in his life gets diagnosed with stomach cancer. Do whatever you feel like doing, his doc advises him. And that’s where the crazy adventures of Saif Ali Khan’s character in Kaalakaandi begins. Coming from the director of Delhi Belly, Akshat Verma, the film promises cutting-edge performances by Saif, Deepak Dobriyal, Vijay Raaz, Kunal Roy Kapoor, and Neil Bhoopalam, among others.
Release Date: 12 January 2018
Pari
Anushka’s third production under the Clean Slate Films banner, seems to be making up for the fear factor that was lost in Phillauri. While we still don’t know much about the film, a deglamorised Anushka here sure looks intriguing. Pari co-stars Parambrata Chatterjee and has been directed by Prosit Roy, who was an assistant director on Phillauri.
Release Date: 9 February 2018
DaasDev
Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra is back with a retelling of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's classic novel Devdas. DaasDev follows a path contrary to the plot of the classic novel and is a romantic thriller that talks about addiction to power, addiction to love that is explored through the three main characters. Set in the modern time of hinterland India against the backdrop of politics in Uttar Pradesh, the film stars Richa Chadha as Paro, Aditi Rao Hydari as Chandni and Rahul Bhat as Dev. It would surely be very interesting to see how Mishra adapts the tale.
Release Date: 16 February 2018
Hichki
Rani Mukerji returns to the big screen with a character who suffers from Tourette’s Syndrome and is determined to become a teacher. Directed by Siddharth P Malhotra, Hichki promises a strong performance by the actor who had won accolades with her portrayal of a visually and speech impaired woman in Black.
Release Date: 23 February 2018
October
Piku director Shoojit Sircar has carved out a niche for himself. And his teaming up with Judwaa 2 actor Varun Dhawan is sure to be interesting. A slice-of-life love story, October also stars newcomer Banita Sandhu.
Release Date: 13 April 2018
Raazi
Alia Bhatt traverses uncharted territory once more in Talvar director Meghna Gulzar’s espionage thriller, Raazi. According to reports, Alia has been signed on to play Sehmat, a Kashmiri woman who marries a Pakistani officer (played by Vicky Kaushal) with the intention to source out intelligence details and pass it off to Indian forces. Keep your eyes peeled for this one.
Release Date: 11 May 2018
Veere Di Wedding
Not much is known about Kareena Kapoor’s comeback film except for the fact it would boast a powerful all-women leading cast - Veere Di Wedding also stars Sonam Kapoor and Swara Bhasker. The film is being directed by Shashanka Ghosh, who last directed the Sonam-Fawad Khan-starrer Khubsoorat.
Release Date: 18 May 2018
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Kangana Ranaut has already got a legal notice for “hijacking” Manikarnika, but the shoot is on in full steam. Bringing to life the legendary Rani Laxmibai, Kangana is training hard for action scenes that include sword fighting. The film is being directed by Krish.
Release Date: To be announced
Sanju
Ranbir Kapoor and Raju Hirani coming together for a biopic on actor Sanjay Dutt - if that’s not intriguing, we don’t know what is. A rare work on the life of a living actor, it has got us hooked from the word go. But would the film rise above idolising the star? Would it truly depict the circumstances that led to his links with the underworld rather than absolving him of free will? Whatever it is, Sanju would see a powerful performance by Ranbir Kapoor for sure. The film also stars Anushka Sharma, Monisha Koirala, Dia Mirza and Karishma Tanna.
Release Date: To be announced
Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar
Director Dibakar Banerjee is back after a long break, and surprisingly with a love story. Telling the tale of a man and a woman who can’t stand each other, but can’t survive without each other, it stars Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra. Our hopes are pinned on the Banerjee factor.
Release Date: To be announced
Saaho
After the phenomenon that was Baahubali, Prabhas makes his Bollywood debut in this hi-tech action drama being shot in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu simultaneously. Co-starring Shraddha Kapoor and Neil Nitin Mukesh and directed by Sujeeth, Saaho would be a litmus test as far as Prabhas’ Bollywood career goes.
Release Date: To be announced
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