December 26, 2018December 30, 2018 4min readBy Hera Ashraf
[Photos Sources: Zee Studios, Fox Star Studios, Balaji Motion Pictures]
As 2018 draws to a close, we look ahead to what 2019 has in store in Bollywood movies. Here are 11 films we cannot wait to watch this upcoming year. And honestly, just from the few snippets we’ve seen of the following movies (whether they be trailers, or even just pictures of the cast and crew together), 2019 is shaping up to be a banner year for the Hindi film industry.
Despite the rumors of drama during production, we are still beyond intrigued and hyped for this new film starring Kangana Ranaut about the iconic queen of Jhansi (the actress also took over the reins of director towards the end of production). The trailer is, in just one word, EPIC.
2. “Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga”
Starring: Anil Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Rajkumar Rao
Director: Shelly Chopra Dhar
Release date: February 1st
The film, titled after the hit song from “1942: A Love Story,” stirred audiences when the teaser trailer released earlier this year. The first film together for father-daughter duo, Anil and Sonam Kapoor, and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani, this film will be groundbreaking as it is one of the first mainstream Bollywood movies to further the LGBTQ conversation. Here’s hoping 2019 in Bollywood will be a year of progress!
3. “Gully Boy”
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Release date: February 14th
Zoya Akhtar is back with a musical drama film that is based on the lives of musicians Divine and Naezy, who were known for their son “Mere Gully Mein.” With a cast of Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, we know we’re about to get some power onscreen performances.
Akhtar recently revealed the film will have its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, a huge honor for a Bollywood movie. Given the star power in front of and behind the camera (Akhtar is the acclaimed director of “Dil Dhadakne Do” and “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara”), we already know this will easily be one of the best movies of the year.
Kangana Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao, last seen together in “Queen,” are back together with this psychological thriller. A Balaji Motion Pictures production, this film is sure to be one to watch. The first look caught my attention already, what do you think?
The film is based on Anuja Chauhan’s novel, “The Zoya Factor,” which revolves around a girl who works in marketing who turns out to be a lucky charm for the Indian cricket team. This film will also mark the dreamy Dulquer Salmaan’s second Bollywood feature ever. If you’re into romantic comedies, definitely look forward to catching this one in theaters in April!
6. “Kalank”
Starring: Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditya Roy Kapoor
Director: Abhishek Varman
Release date: April 19th
This Dharma productions film has already faced a lot of drama since Karan Johar announced its production. Originally titled “Shiddat”, “Kalank” is going to be the biggest multi-starrer film this season!
Set in the 1940s, this epic historical film is definitely one that movie critics and audiences alike will be looking forward to with high expectations.
After much news as to who will be cast in this film, this sequel will introduce two new actresses to the industry, Tara Sutaria and Ananya Pandey. While “Student of the Year 2” is not directed by Karan Johar, it will be produced by him. And it will be extremely interesting to see how this version racks up to the popularity of the original.
8. “Bharat”
Starring: Salman Khan, Tabu, Katrina Kaif, Disha Patani, Aasif Sheikh
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Release date: June 7th
It’s been a quiet year for Salman Khan. While nothing has been released about the plot or genre of this film, he’ll be back in 2019 with a fire cast and a third team-up with his “Sultan” and “Tiger Zinda Hai” director, Ali Abbas Zafar.
Akshay Kumar released the news of this Dharma-produced film on Instagram, calling it a “dramedy”. We know absolutely nothing else about this movie at the moment, but with a cast like that, we don’t need to know anymore to be hyped!
Being called India’s first space film, “Mission Mangal” is already creating a huge buzz. The plot revolves around a space mission to Mars, and with mostly women in the lead roles, this film is not one to miss!
11. “Brahmastra”
Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Release date: December 20th
This Dharma produced film was talked about all throughout 2018 (especially given that the leads — Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor — are now dating!), and with a end-of-the-year release date, it looks like we’re going to have to talk about it for some more time before we finally get to watch on the big screen. This film will be the first of a trilogy directed by Mukerji, who’s last film, “Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani,” was a huge success. With a big budget and big names, expectations are high!
It’s always a flamboyant affair of colour, emotions and grandeur when Karan Johar directs a film, and his latest blockbuster “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani” is as K Jo as it gets. After recently being recognised at the British House of Parliament for 25 years as a filmmaker, Johar is back to doing what he does best — bringing together families and star-crossed lovers, but this time with a modern touch. He makes a decent attempt at showcasing progressive ideals and feminist issues while taking us on this family-friendly ride.
“Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani” is a larger-than-life film revolving around the love story of a boisterous Rocky (Ranveer Singh) from a wealthy Delhi family, and Rani (Alia Bhatt), a sharp journalist from a progressive Bengali household. And of course, despite belonging to completely different backgrounds and lives, our protagonists, in true Bollywood fashion, fall hopelessly in love through a string of slow-motion gazes, warm embraces and some truly breath-taking song sequences in Kashmir’s snowy mountains. They are then forced to face their opposing families which brings along the family drama in the second half of the film.
The plot is not the film’s strongest point — there’s no real surprise about what’s going to happen next, and yet the film doesn’t fail to keep audiences engaged and pack an emotional punch. This is down to its strong acting, witty dialogues and K Jo’s classic, beautiful cinematography.
Ranveer Singh sinks into the skin of his character with ease – not only does he make the hall burst into laughter with the help of perfectly-timed gags but he pulls off those dreamy gazes ,expected in K Jo’s heroes, to evoke that typical, fuzzy-feeling kind of Bollywood romance. Alia Bhatt’s intelligent and undefeated character is no less a pleasure to watch on screen — not only does she look breath-taking in every shot but her feminist dialogues earn claps and cheers from the audience as she brings a progressive touch to this family drama.
Albeit, while Bhatt’s dialogues do their best to steer this film to the reformist drama it hopes to be, some of Singh’s gags and monologues on cancel culture bring out bumps in the road. The film could have done better to reinforce its points on feminism and racism without using the groups it tries to support as the butt of jokes.
There is also a case to be made about how long these Punjabi and Bengali stereotypes can go on with often gawkish displays of Ranveer’s ‘dilwala-from-Delhi’ character among the overly-polished English from Rani’s Bengali family. But it is with the expertise of the supporting cast, that the film is able to get away with it. Jaya Bachchan in particular is as classy as ever on screen; the stern Dadi Ji holds her ground between the two lovers, while Dada Ji Dharmendra, and Thakuma Shabana Azmi, tug at our heartstrings showing that love truly is for all ages.
Saving the best to last, it is the film’s cinematography that makes the strongest case for audiences to flock to the cinema. The soul-stirring songs steal the show with their extravagant sets and powerful dance performances that treat the audiences to the much-awaited cinematic experience of a K Jo film. While audiences may already be familiar with the viral songs, “What Jhumka?” and “Tum Kya Mile“, it was the family-defying fight for love in “Dhindhora Baje Re” that really gave me goosebumps.
Overall, the film does exactly what it says on the tin and is a family entertainer with something for everyone. It will make you laugh, cry, and cringe at times, but nothing leaves you feeling as romantic as some old school Bollywood with a mix of new school humour, in true K Jo form.
“Ghoomer,” R. Balki’s latest directorial venture, had its world premiere at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2023 (IFFM), earlier this month, and the moment was nothing short of memorable. Lead actors Abhishek Bachchan, Saiyami Kher, and Angad Bedi, were present to unveil their labor of love to the world, and all three were left speechless at the reaction of the global audience; the film received a standing ovation on opening night, leaving the team extremely emotional — a feeling that Bachchan tells Brown Girl is one he cannot put into words.
“Ghoomer,” tells the story of Anina (played by Kher), an exceptional cricket player who loses her right hand in an accident. Downtrodden and with no will to live, Anina finds a mentor and coach in Padam Singh Sodhi (played by Bachchan), an insensitive and brash failed cricketer who helps her turn her life and career around; Anina also has the unwavering support of her husband, Jeet (played by Bedi). Sodhi teaches Anina unorthodox techniques to make her mark on the cricket ground once again. Enter, ghoomer, a new style of bowling.
Balki checks all the boxes with this feature — his protagonist is a female athlete, the film is his way of giving back to cricket (a new form of delivery), and he highlights the idea that nothing is impossible for paraplegic athletes. The heart of Balki’s film is in the right place — Kher mentions that the film is meant to be more of an inspirational movie and less of a sports-based movie. One can only imagine the impact that a film like this would have on an audience that’s hungry for meaningful cinema.
And, to chat more about “Ghoomer,” Brown Girl Magazine sat down with the stars of the show. Bachchan, Bedi, and Kher came together to talk about their inspiring characters, the filming journey, and how their film aspires to change the landscape of cricket and paraplegic athletes in the country. It was all that, with a side of samosas.
Take a look!
The featured image is courtesy of Sterling Global.
March 20, 2023March 21, 2023 4min readBy Nida Hasan
If you are a South Asian, born in the ’80s or the early ’90s, chances are your ideas of love and romance are heavily influenced by Hindi films — that first gaze, the secret love notes, that accidental meeting somewhere in Europe, over-the-top gestures and dancing around trees. While reality may have been far from what was promised on reel, you still can’t stop pining over a hopeless romantic, with chocolate boy looks, chasing you across the earth and many universes; in the life here and the ones after. Somewhere deep down, you still dream of that possibility despite your husband sitting and sipping his morning coffee right next to you. And much of the credit for weaving this dreamland, that we can’t resist happily sliding into, goes to the legendary Yash Chopra. Award-winning filmmaker Smriti Mundhra’s docu-series, “The Romantics,” that released on Netflix on February 14, chronicles Chopra’s prolific career; offering an illuminating look into the highs and lows of his journey, his unblemished vision for Hindi cinema and sheer love for filmmaking.
I wanted to look at Indian cinema through the lens of it being a major contributor to the global cinema canon and Yash Chopra seemed like the perfect lens to explore that because of the longevity of his career and the fact that he had worked across so many different genres. His films, for so many of us, defined what Hindi cinema is.
— Smriti Mundhra
As “The Romantics” unveils, in a mere episode — a challenging feat in itself — Chopra did experiment with multiple genres as a budding filmmaker, initially under the shadows of his elder brother B.R. Chopra. From the religiously sensitive “Dharamputra” and the trendsetting “Waqt” to the action-packed and iconic “Deewaar.” It wasn’t until later on in his career that he set a precedent for a Hindi film having a wholly romantic narrative; though “Waqt” did offer the perfect glimpse into what would go on to become Chopra’s cinematic imprint. And then came “Chandni” which ushered in a new era for Hindi cinema; defying the formulaic approach to box office success and making love stories the golden goose.
In the words of more than 30 famous faces, a host of archival videos and interviews, and personal anecdotes, audiences get an extensive insight into the life and career of Yash Chopra and the evolution of his vision through the business acumen and genius of his polar opposite son and a famous recluse, Aditya Chopra. “The Romantics” is not a fancy portrait of a legendary filmmaker but an exploration of what goes into making a successful film family and a path-breaking production house. As viewers, we not only get a peek into the making of a fantasy creator but also learn of the many failures, hurdles and uncertainties that the business of filmmaking comes packaged in, the impact of socio-political shifts on the kind of content being produced and demanded, and just how much control we have as an audience over the fate of the film and the filmmaker.
For both the uninitiated and fanatics, there are some interesting revelations like Shah Rukh Khan’s lifelong desire to become an action hero as opposed to a romantic one and the creative conflict between Aditya Chopra and his father Yash Chopra on the sets of “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge” — a project that, surprisingly, did not seem too promising to the latter. Mundhra penetrates deep into the family’s history and industry relationships evoking some really candid conversations; almost as if these celebs were eagerly waiting for their moment to speak. With one appraising interview after the other, it’s a panegyric that does border on being a tad tedious but there is enough depth and fodder in there to keep one hooked. Kudos to Mundhra for managing to achieve cohesion despite there being more than enough material to chew on. In the process of bringing this project to life, Mundhra also ends up achieving a number of milestones: one that the series features the last of actor Rishi Kapoor’s interviews and two, it brings Aditya Chopra, who, it appears, can talk a blue streak contrary to popular belief, to the front of the camera after almost two decades. The moment when he puts the nepotism debate to rest by referring to his brother’s catastrophic attempt at acting is quite the show-stealer.
At some point during the four-episode series, you might question if it’s fair to credit the Yash Raj family for being the only real changemakers of the Hindi film industry and for picking up the baton to get Hindi cinema the global recognition that it has. But then there is no denying the Chopra clan’s body of work, their ability to understand what pleases the crowd and their commitment towards growth and progress amidst changing times and technology — Yash Raj Studios is in fact the only privately held and one of the biggest, state-of-the-art film studios in India. Chopra’s career and legacy are in no way under-lit that Mundhra can claim to throw new light on with “The Romantics.” But what she really has on offer here are sheer nostalgia, some fascinating discoveries and an ode to a cinephile and his art with a bit of fan service.
In an interview with Brown Girl Magazine, Mundhra discusses why it was so important for Chopra to be the subject of her docu-series, her own learnings during the series’ research and creative process and her accomplishment of getting Aditya Chopra to talk, and that too, at length.
