2015 looks like a great year for Bollywood buffs. Get ready to be spoilt for choice with as many as 20 big-budget movies coming your way. Breaking the norm, filmmakers are so sure of their offerings that they are unperturbed by something as big as the Cricket World Cup competing for audience attention. With detective films, period dramas and sequels to successful franchises on the platter, the year promises a delicious mix of films for cinema lovers.
Here are 20 of the most anticipated movies of the year:
1. Roy (13th February)
Starring Ranbir Kapoor as the mysterious thief, Arjun Rampal as a popular filmmaker and Jacqueline Fernandez as his hot girlfriend, Roy is a story where the lives of all protagonists merge unintentionally and what follows. Will Roy be caught? This romantic thriller will keep you at the edge of your seats till the very end!
2. NH10 (6th March)
What happens when you enter a place where all laws and jurisdiction end? NH10 unravels the journey of two people trying to find their way back from such a place. The much-awaited trailer just came out and boy, was it amazing! It seems Anushka Sharma saved her best for her first outing as a producer. The trailer promises a gripping film with rustic locations and authentic performances.
3. Phantom (3rd April)
The film brings Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif back to their spy avatars. Shot in Lebanon, Turkey, Canada, UK and Kashmir, this flick looks like an edge-of-your-seat fast-paced thriller with a full dose of Bollywood masala.
4. Detective Byomkesh Bakshy (10th April)
India’s very own Sherlock Holmes is back in the game and this time in a bigger and better avatar. Sushant Singh Rajput takes up the iconic role of the much-loved Bengali detective and goes around solving intense mysteries in this period drama. The recently released trailer has just piqued the curiosity.
5. Piku (30th April)
Trust Shoojit Sarkar to come up with unique concepts! After Vicky Donor and Madras Cafe, Sarkar is back with Piku starring none other than Amitabh Bachchan. Accompanying Big B will be two other performance powerhouses, Deepika Padukone as the daughter, and Irrfan Khan as her lover. The film which explores the father-daughter bond is shot majorly in Kolkata and Gujarat.
6. Bombay Velvet (15th May)
Kashyap’s ambitious period drama, Bombay Velvet has been in the making for quite a few years now. Considering the budget and the amount of time being put into the movie, the results are already expected to be incredible. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as a rough and tough street fighter, Anushka Sharma as a jazz singer and Karan Johar in a full-fledged negative role. It sounds like it’s going to be worth the wait!
7. Dil Dhadakne Do (5th June)
The poster has been out for quite some time now and has generated a lot of curiosity. Anushka Sharma, Ranveer Singh, Shefali Shah, Anupam Kher, Priyanka Chopra and Farhan Akhtar chilling on the deck of a cruise is a visual hint of how interesting the film is going to be. Reminded of Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara? Let’s find out when the film releases!
8. Wazir (to be announced)
This year will belong to Amitabh Bachchan! Another stellar concept and cast makes its way to the screens with Wazir’. Bachchan plays a double amputee while Farhan Akhtar plays a tough ATS cop in the movie. The game of chess plays an equally important role in the movie which is why the film is called Wazir.
9. Tanu Weds Manu: Season 2 (12th June)
With Kangana Ranaut playing a double role for the first time in her career, the second installment of ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ promises a double dose of entertainment. Narrating the struggles of Tanu and Manu (Madhavan) post marriage, we expect the film to hold on to its original charm, yet offer something fresh. It will be interesting to see if Kangana is able to cast her spell again.
10. ABCD 2 (26th June)
A sequel to the successful franchise, ABCD 2 looks even more promising with Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor on board. After making most A-list stars dance to his iconic moves, Prabhu Deva takes these young stars through marathon dance sequences in the film and even shares screen space with them in a negative character. The film is rumored to be inspired by the lives of three real life choreographer partners from Mumbai.
11. Shandaar (to be announced)
The film puts together a lot of firsts! It brings Shahid Kapur and Alia Bhatt together for the first time on screen, along with the father-son duo of Pankaj Kapur and Shahid. The film also marks the debut of Shahid’s sister, Sanah. Helmed by Vikas Bahal after a successful outing with Queen, Shandaar is a story of an insomniac played by Shahid who is married to Alia’s character.
12. Bajrangi Bhaijaan (16th July)
After becoming the face of controversial ‘Love-Jihad’ recently, Kareena Kapoor will be seen dealing with the issue once again in her upcoming film Bajrangi Bhaijaan . The love story of a Muslim guy, played by Salman Khan, and a Hindu girl, played by Kareena, is already finding itself in the eye of the storm owing to its controversial subject. Slated for an Eid release, it seems the Love-Jihad debate is not over yet!
13. Jagga Jasoos (28th August)
Directed by Anurag Basu, this movie will see Ranbir Kapoor as a nerdy jasoos and Govinda as a father for the first time. We’ve seen these two work there wonder separately, so we can’t wait for this duo to light up the silver screen!
14. Fan (14th August)
Ever seen a superstar having a fan-boy moment? Well, SRK-starrer Fan will show you just that! With rumours of Khan playing both the star and the fan himself, and YRF secretly deploying a camera to shoot the crazy crowds outside Mannat, Fan has been in the news for multiple reasons already. To add to the curiosity, YRF got an Academy Award winning make-up artist, Greg Cannom, on board to work on SRK’s look. We wonder what’s in store for SRK fans!
15. Nyodda (August/September tentatively)
Written by Vishal Bharadwaj, Nyodda depicts the mysterious events and messed up investigation of the Aarushi Talwar double-murder case. Starring Irrfan Khan as the investigating officer and Konkona Sen Sharma and Neeraj Kabi as parents, the film will see Gulzar’s daughter Meghna wearing the director’s hat once again.
16. Raees (to be announced)
In his second outing this year, SRK reportedly plays a gangster from a Muslim ghetto in Gujarat. Set in the 1980s, Pakistani actress Mahira Khan plays SRK’s wife, while Farhan Akhtar plays a no-nonsense cop hot on the pursuit of SRK. AbRam, SRK’s youngest son, is also rumoured to be making his first on-screen appearance with this movie.
17. M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (22nd October)
A movie on India’s most successful captain can only be a winner! Starring Sushant Singh Rajput as M.S.D and Ram Charan Teja in an important role, this film is one of the most awaited biopics to be made in Bollywood. Directed by National Award winner Neeraj Pandey, the film will deal with the untold facets of Dhoni’s life.
18. Fitoor (25th December)
Featuring Aditya Roy Kapoor and Katrina Kaif as Pip and Estella, Fitoor is the desi adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic Great Expectations. Adding to the spice, evergreen beauty, Rekha, joins the cast and reprises the character of Miss Havisham.
19. Jazbaa (to be announced)
Touted as Aishwarya Rai’s comeback vehicle, the film will see Ash taking up the role of a top-notch lawyer defending a man from death sentence for rape and murder. Sharing screen space with the former beauty queen will be John Abraham, Irrfan Khan and Shabana Azmi in important roles. Ash is also reportedly performing most of her stunts herself. Now this is one movie that I am eagerly waiting for!
20. Bajirao Mastani (25th December)
This can just not get any bigger than this. Stuck in the pipeline for around 10 years, the period-drama finally sees the light of the day. Sanjay Leela Bhansali has roped in Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone to play the characters of Bajirao and Mastani, respectively, in this dream project with Priyanka Chopra also playing an important role.