From interesting biopics on adult films actress Shakeela Khan, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and badminton player Saina Nehwal, to sequels of hit films Housefull and Student Of The Year, to regional film adaptations like Bharat & Zoya Factor and realistic films like Mission Mangal & Batla House, 2019 promises to be a year of multi-faceted entertainment. SUNDAY PIONEER takes you through the big screen highlights
Festive offers
Housefull this Diwali
Housefull 4
It is going to be a laughter-riot this Diwali with the release of Housefull 4 starring Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Bobby Deol, and Rana Daggubati, Pooja Hegde, Kriti Sanon, Kriti Kharbanda and Chunky Pandey. Scheduled to release on October 25, 2019 the film already got into controversy with the sexual assault accusations by actress Saloni Chopra, Rachel White and journalist Kma Upadhyay. With this, Khan decided to step down from directing this film and is replaced by Farhad Samji.
Christmasy Brahmastra
Brahmastra
Watch out for Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt in the first instalment of a three-part sci-fi trilogy — Brahmastra which took director Ayan Mukherji six years to develop. Touted as ‘contemporary film with ancient elements’, the film is backed by Dharma Productions and also features Amitabh Bachchan, Nagarjuna, Mouni Roy and Dimple Kapadia. It is slated to release on December 20, 2019.
Gully Boy spreads bagful of love
Gully Boy
The unique pairing of Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh are going to steam up the day of love with their film Gully Boy which is scheduled to be released on February 14, 2019. Loosely inspired by the lives of Mumbai’s street rappers Naved Shaikh aka Naezy and Vivian Fernandez aka Divine, the movie has been directed by Zoya Akhtar and also stars Kalki Koechlin, Ali Asgar, Parmeet Sethi and Pooja Gaur in supporting roles.
Bharat
To make your Eid special, Salman Khan brings to you Bharat — a war film adapted from 2014 South Korean film Ode To My Father.
Also starring Katrina Kaif, Tabu, Sunil Grover and Disha Patani, Bharat is one of the most awaited film directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. The story is revolves around a young boy who gets separated from his family during the India-Pakistan partition. Over the years he struggles to reunite with them but the only problem is that it’s been decades since he has seen them, he’s old now and is slowly losing hope of ever seeing them again.
Cashin
Taanaji — The Unsung Warrior: Ajay Devgn’s magnum opus Taanaji is based on the life of Maharashtrian Koli military leader Tanaji Malusare. This film marks the comeback of Kajol and Ajay’s real jodi on the screen after eight long years. She will be seen as Lakshmibai in this period-drama. The 150-crore film also stars Saif Ali Khan and is scheduled to release on December 6.
ReMake
Kabir Singh: An official remake of the 2017 Telugu blockbuster Arjun Reddy which tells the story of a hot-headed surgeon whose life goes downhill after he's unable to marry the girl he loves. Starring Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani, the film is scheduled to release on June 21.
BADLA: Co-produced by Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment, Badla is the official Hindi remake of the 2016 Spanish film Contratiempo, also known as The Invisible Guest. Directed by Sujoy Ghosh, the film is about a lawyer investigates further into the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of a young man. Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Tapsee Pannu, the film is scheduled to release on March 8.
Adaptations
Kizie Aur Manny: Based on the wildly popular book by John Green, Krizie Aur Manny is the official Bollywood adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars. It stars the young Sushant Singh Rajput and debutant Sanjana Sanghi as the lead pair.
Zoya Factor: Based on Anuja Chauhan’s bestselling novel — Zoya Factor, the film by the same title will have Sonam Kapoor playing Zoya Singh Solanki, an advertising agency executive and Malayalam actor Dulquer Salmaan as Nikhil Khoda, the captain of the Indian Cricket Team. The movie is set to be released on April 5, 2019.
Sanjumadhuri
Kalank: This film has definitely kept fans on their toes as Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit will be seen on-screen after 22 years. The film also stars Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Sonakshi Sinha, Kunal Khemu and Aditya Roy Kapoor. The period drama is family-centric and revolves around two families and their values. It is scheduled to be released on April 19.
THEY’RE HERE TOO
REALTAKE
Rocketry - The Nambi Effect: Dealing with the real life tale of scientist and aerospace engineer S Nambi Narayanan, this biopic promises a high decibel drama. The film chronicles the journey of Nambi who was falsely charged with espionage.
The Accidental Prime Minister: Based on Sanjaya Baru's eponymous 2014 memoir, it depicts the tumultuous reign of Manmohan Singh, who served as India's Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014. Starring Anupam Kher as Singh and Askhaye Khanna as Baru, it is slated to release on January 11.
Uri: The Surgical Strike: Based on the true events of 2016, when Indian Army avenged a deadly terrorist attack by carrying out a surgical strike. Starring Vicky Kaushal, Kirti Kulhari & Paresh Rawal, the film is slated to release on January 11.
‘83: This film will tell us the incredible story of India's 1983 Cricket World Cup victory. Ranveer Singh will play the role of star cricketer Kapil Dev and we believe this one will rule the theatres in August 2019.
Super 30: Based on the life of famous mathematics teacher and IIT-JEE coach Anand Kumar and his educational programme Super 30, the movie has Hrithik Roshan and Mrunal Thakur in pivotal role. The biopic will showcase the process through which 30 students undergo a pivotal change in their careers.
STANDOUTS
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga: The film will have real life father daughter duo Anil Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor. Directed by Shelly Chopra Dhar and produced by Vidu Vinod Chopra, the film is about an unhappily married woman who discovers her father’s infidelity with her co-worker through a series of quirky encounters. Also starring Rajkummar Rao and Juhi Chawla in important roles, it will release on February 1.
Dream Girl: A comedy drama starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Nushrat Bharucha. The film is directed by Raaj Shaandilyaa and is co-produced by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor.
Good News: Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor will be seen together after nine years along with Diljit Dosanjh and Kiara Advani in this Karan Johar's production.
SEQUELS
Student Of The Year Part 2: A sequel to the 2012 Bollywood drama Student Of The Year, is the debut film of Ananya Pandey, daughter of actor Chunky Pandey. The film will have Tiger Shroff and Tara Sutaria in other lead roles. Fun fact, Hollywood actor Will Smith will be grooving to one of the dance numbers in the film!
Total Dhamaal: The third franchise of Dhamaal series will be an ensemble star cast of Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Ajay Devgn, Javed Jaffrey, Arshad Warsi among others.
Women of substance
Sharp shooter Womaniya
Taapsee Pannu in Womaniya:
Inspired by the lives of India’s oldest female sharpshooters— Revolver Dadis who have won several national championships and have inspired several women to take up the sport, Anurag Kashyap’s Womaniya will see Taapsee Pannu essaying a shooter who hails from Johri district, Uttar Pradesh, and entered the world of shooting post the age of 50. The release date is not yet locked.
Parde ke peechhey
Richa Chadha as Shakeela
Richa Chadha will be seen in a biopic based on the life of the south adult film actress Shakeela Khan. The film helmed by director Indrajit Lankesh is set to delve into the true life beyond the screen image of the actress who defied the norms in the late 90s in the south film industry. The film is scheduled to release on March 19, 2019.
Warrior queen
Kangana Ranaut AS Rani Lakshmibai:
The most anticipated film based on the life of Rani Lakshmibai and her fight with the British East India Company will have Kangana Ranaut playing this warrior queen. This historical biography is co-directed by Krish and Kangana Ranaut and is scheduled to release on January 25, 2019.
Sunshine sport
Shraddha Kapoor as Saina Nehwal
Badminton champion Saina Nehwal’s life will be encapsulated on the big screen by Shraddha Kapoor. Directed by Amole Gupte, the actress is training hard for this biopic. A former World No 1, Saina is the winner of over 23 international titles in badminton having earned India a reputable name in international sports.
Malala to the fore
Reem Shaikh AS malala yousafzai
A biopic titled Gul Makai is based on the life of Pakistani activist and youngest Nobel Prize winner, Malala Yous-afzai. Actor Reem Shaikh will essay the pivotal character on celluloid. The film also stars Divya Dutta and Atul Kulkarni.
Acid test
Deepika Padukone as Chhapaak
Deepika Padukone will be portraying the life of Laxmi Agarwal, who’s a acid attack survivor and an activist as well. Directed by Meghna Gulzar, the film Chhapaak will also have Vikrant Massey in a lead role.
Touching the sky
JANHVI KAPOOR as GUNJAN SAXENA
Janhvi Kapoor will lead the way for bringing forth the story of Gunjan Saxena, the first Indian woman combat aviator who evacuated injured soldiers in the 1999 Kargil War.
Truly motivational
Zaira Wasim as Aisha Chaudhary
The Sky Is Pink revolves around Aisha Chaudhary, who was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 13 and the doctors had given just one-year to live unless she underwent a bone marrow transplant. She challenged her ailment and ended up becoming a motivational speaker. Directed by Shonali Bose, Zaira Wasim will be essaying the role of Aisha whereas Priyanka Chopra and Farhan Akhtar will play her parents in the movie.
Pedal the change
JACQUELINE FERNANDEZ as DEBORAH HEROLD
Jacqueline will play 23-year-old ace Indian cyclist Deborah Herold’s life who hails from Nicobar Islands and was the first Indian cyclist to compete in the UCI, Union Cycliste Internationale.
Big ticket clash
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi v/s Thackeray v/s Cheat India
Releasing on: January 25
This Republic Day, get ready for the clash between Kangana starrer Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi and Thackeray. To avoid a triple clash Cheat India producers pre-pone the film to January 18. Said Bhushan Kumar: “As a mark of respect to Balasaheb, and to maximise the commerce, we arrived at this win-win decision.”
Hrithik Roshan-Tiger Shroff's untitled YRF film v/s Marjaavaan
Releasing on: October 2
It is going to be victory over evil on big screens ahead of a long Dussehra weekend with the release of YRF’s untitled film starring Hrithik Roshan, Vaani Kapoor & Tiger Shroff and Marjaavaan starring Siddharth Malhotra & Riteish Deshmukh. Where Hrithik will be seen playing Tiger's guru and will be an action thriller, Marjaavaan is going to be a feisty love story
Kesari vs Mental Hai Kya
Releasing on: March 29, 2019
Akshay Kumar’s Kesari, a period war drama, will clash with Rajkummar Rao and Kangana Ranaut's comedy thriller Mental Hai Kya. Also starring Parineeti Chopra, Kesari revolves around the story of Havildar Ishar Singh who participated in the Battle of Saragrahi and yearns for the respect of his estranged daughter.
Mission Mangal v/s Batla House
Releasing on: August 15
Adding entertainment to the patriotic fervour, Mission Mangal, starring Akshay Kumar Tapsee Pannu, Vidya Balan, Sonakshi Sinha and others, is based on a true story that talks about the female engineers who worked behind India’s Mangalyaan Mission in 2014. Whereas Batla House starring John Abraham is about the Batla House encounter case that took place in September 2008 and had resulted in killing of suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorists and encounter specialist Mohan Chand Sharma.
Fuchchaa mela
Alaia F: Pooja Bedi’s daughter Alaia F will be seen playing the lead in Jawaani Jaaneman, produced by Saif Ali Khan’s Black Knight Films and Jay Shewakramani of Northern Lights Films
Karan Deol: Son of action star Sunny Deol, Karan is all set for his big Bollywood debut with Pal Pal Dil Ke Pass directed by his father
Sharmin Segal & Meezaan Jafri: Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s niece and daughter to his sister Bela Segal, Sharmin Segal will make her Bollywood debut opposite Jaaved Jafferi’s son Meezaan Jafri in an untitled film directed by Mangesh Hadawale and produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Bhushan Kumar and Mahaveer Jain
Anmol Thakeria and Jhataleka Malhotra: Poonam Dhillon’s son Anmol Thakeria and Jhataleka Malhotra stars in Tuesdays and Fridays directed by debutante Taranveer Singh and co-produced by Bhansali and Bhushan Kumar productions.
Vardhan Puri: The grandson of late legendary actor Amrish Puri, Vardhan Puri will reportedly be seen in a romantic thriller to be produced by Jayantilal Gada.
Isabelle Kaif: Katrina Kaif’s sister Isabelle Kaif will star in It’s Time To Dance opposite Sooraj Pancholi.
Surilie Gautam: Actor Yami Gautam’s younger sister Surilie is all set for her Bollywood debut with period drama film Battle of Saragarhi alongside Randeep Hooda
Ananya Panday & Tara Sutaria: Daughter of Chunky Panday, Ananya is all set to make her debut with Karan Johar and Punit Malhotra directed Student of the Year 2 alongside action star Tiger Shroff and newbie Tara Sutaria in lead roles.
Pranutan Bahl & Zaheer Iqbal: Superstar Salman Khan will be launching actress Nutan’s granddaughter and actor Monish Bahl’s daughter Pranutan Bahl. The budding actress will be debuting in Zahero opposite Zaheer Iqbal, who happens to be the son of Salman’s childhood friend.
