THE 70MM EXPERIENCE!
We look into the crystal ball to zero in on Hindi films, which are likely to attract your attention this year, and rake in the moolah as well, at the box office
CHHAPAAK
Cast: Deepika Padukone, Vikrant Massey
Director: Meghna Gulzar Release date: January 10
After Talvar (2015) and Raazi (2018), Meghna’s next is inspired by the true-life events of acid attack survivor, Laxmi Agarwal. Besides transforming into an acid attack survivor on screen, the film will also see Deepika’s making her debut as a producer with her production house, KA Productions.
TANHAJI: THE UNSUNG WARRIOR
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Kajol and Saif Ali Khan
Director: Om Raut
Release date: January 10
The biographical periodaction film is set in the 17th century and is based on the life of Tanaji Malusare, the military leader of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The film will see Ajay teaming up with Saif again, after Omkara (2006) and also with his wife, Kajol after U Me Aur Hum (2008).
STREET DANCER 3D
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor, Prabhudeva and Nora Fatehi Director: Remo D’Souza Release date: January 24
The same team, of actors and director, had worked on ABCD 2 (2015). Now, five years later, they return for Street Dancer 3D that would see Varun teaming up again with Shraddha, Remo and Prabhudheva. Nora joins the party this time around.
PANGA
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Jassi Gill, Richa Chadha Director: Ashwiny Iyer
Tiwari
Release date: January 24 After Nil Battey Sannata (2015) and Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017), Ashwiny teams up with Kangana in a film that revolves around the life of a kabaddi player.
JAWAANI JAANEMAN
Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Alaia F
Director: Nitin R Kakkar
Release date: January 31 Filmistaan (2012) director, Nitin R Kakkar helms the film that would see Saif playing a 40-something father to the debutant Alaia F (Pooja Bedi’s daughter) as his daughter. Saif will be seen alongside Tabu for the first time after Hum SaathSaath Hain (1999).
MALANG
Cast: Aditya Roy Kapur, Disha Patani, Anil Kapoor, Kunal Kemmu
Director: Mohit Suri Release date: February 7
After Half Girlfriend (2017), Suri takes the charge of this romantic-thriller that will be his second collaboration with Aditya after the musical blockbuster, Aashiqui 2 (2013), and Kemmu after Kalyug (2005).
IMTIAZ ALI’S YETUNTITLED
NEXT
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Sara Ali Khan
Director: Imtiaz Ali
Release date: February 14 There have been a lot of speculations about the film’s title but one thing is for sure that as always, it’s a muchawaited romantic-drama from Imtiaz, with red-hot pair as leads.
SHUBH MANGAL ZYADA SAAVDHAN
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Jitendra Kumar, Gajraj Rao, Neena Gupta, Maanvi Gagroo Director: Hitesh Kewalya Release date: February 21
Filmmaker Aanand L Rai brings back the second part of his 2017 hit that apparently revolves around homosexuality and a gay love story. Hitesh makes his directorial debut, while Rao and Gupta team up again after their much-loved out in Badhaai Ho (2018).
BHOOT – PART ONE: THE HAUNTED SHIP
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Bhumi Pednekar Director: Bhanu Pratap Singh
Release date: February 21 Vicky’s first release of 2020 is reportedly based on a true accident that took place in Mumbai, and it tells the story of a couple on an abandoned ship lying static on a beach.
THAPPAD
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Manoj Pahwa
Director: Anubhav Sinha
Release date: February 28 After Mulk (2018), Taapsee teams up again with Sinha in a socio-political drama that’s set in Delhi and is believed to revolve around the larger issue of gender equality in the Indian society.
BAAGHI 3
Cast: Tiger Shroff, Disha Patani
Director: Ahmed Khan
Release date: March 6 Tiger and Ahmed team up again, after the blockbuster success of Baaghi 2 (2018). Shraddha too comes back to the Baaghi franchise after missing out on the second part of the instalment. Other interesting additions to the cast are Riteish Deshmukh and Ankita Lokhande.
GUNJAN SAXENA: THE KARGIL GIRL
Cast: Janhvi Kapoor, Angad Bedi, Pankaj Tripathi Director: Sharan Sharma Release date: March 13
The film is inspired by the life of Gunjan Saxena, first female — along with IAF pilot Srividya Rajan — is first Indian woman air force pilot in combat. This is Janhvi’s first film after her debut film, Dhadak (2018).
ANGREZI MEDIUM
Cast: Irrfan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Radhika Madan Director: Homi Adajania Release date: March 20
It’s a spin-off to the 2017 comedy film, Hindi Medium. It will be Irrfan’s first movie after his illness, and will also see him team up with Kareena for the first time.
SOORYAVANSHI
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Gulshan Grover Director: Rohit Shetty Release date: March 27
The fourth instalment of Rohit’s ‘Police Universe’, features Akshay in the title role and brings him together with Katrina Kaif. Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh reprise their respective roles of Bajirao Singham and Simmba Bhalerao in cameo appearances from the franchise’s previous films, Singham and Simmba.
’83
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Saqib Saleem
Director: Kabir Khan Release date: April 10
A quintessential underdog story, ’83 is about how a bunch of young Indian cricketers — who didn’t have many backers — went on to shock the world by winning the 1983 world cup. Ranveer and Deepika will be seen together again in the film, as Kapil Dev and his wife, Romi, respectively.
GULABO SITABO
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Ayushmann Khurrana Director: Shoojit Sircar Release date: April 17
Set in Lucknow, Sircar’s film — which reunites him with Big B and Ayushmann — takes inspiration from the eponymous glove puppet characters, Gulabo and Sitabo (from Uttar Pradesh) whose story is full of local humour and songs, depicts day-to-day struggle of a common man.
ROOHI AFZA
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Janhvi Kapoor, Varun Sharma Director: Hardik Mehta Release date: April 17
This is a horror-comedy film from producer Dinesh Vijan, who had also backed Stree (2018). This is the first film to feature Kapoor and Rao together on-screen.
LUDO
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Aditya Roy Kapur, Abhishek Bachchan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anurag Basu Release date: April 24
While many look at it as the sequel to Basu’s 2007 film, Life In A Metro, makers haven’t confirmed such talks. But it’s believed that the new offering from Basu, who last helmed Jagga Jasoos (2017), centres around unavoidable jeopardies of life and will have four different stories set in a quintessential Indian metro.
CHEHRE
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Emraan Hashmi
Director: Rummy Jafry Release date: April 24
The mystery-thriller starring Bachchan as a lawyer and Emraan as a business tycoon, was in the news because of Big B’s distinctive look in the film.
COOLIE NO. 1
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Sara Ali Khan
Director: David Dhawan
Release date: May 1
A remake of the 1995 film of the same name, it will see David adapting his own past hit starring his son, Varun. The father-son duo joins hands after the successes of Main Tera Hero and Judwaa 2. Sara reprises Karisma Kapoor’s part from the original.
HINDI ADAPTATION OF THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN (YET UNTITLED)
Cast: Parineeti Chopra, Aditi Rao Hydari, Kirti Kulhari Director: Ribhu Dasgupta Release date: May 8
Parineeti reprises the part played by Emily Blunt in the original 2016 mystery thrillerdrama that was based on British author Paula Hawkins’ 2015 debut novel of the same name.
SHAKUNTALA DEVI
Cast: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon Release date: May 8
It will star Vidya as Shakuntala Devi, a mental calculator who was known as the ‘human computer’.
RADHE: YOUR MOST WANTED BHAI
Cast: Salman Khan, Disha Patani
Director: Prabhudheva
Release date: May 22 Salman’s Eid release this year will clash with Akshay Kumar’s Laxmmi Bomb. The film also brings the star together with Prabhudheva after Dabangg 3 (2019), and with his Bharat (2019) co-star Disha.
LAXMMI BOMB
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Kiara Advani
Director: Raghava Lawrence
Release date: May 22
The Hindi remake of Tamil horror-comedy, Kanchana (2011), will release on the Eid weekend, and therefore, the Akshay Kumar-starrer will be clashing with Salman Khan’s next, Radhe.
MUMBAI SAGA
Cast: John Abraham, Emraan Hashmi, Rohit Roy Director: Sanjay Gupta Release date: June 19
Gupta gets back to the gangster genre after six years with a film that revolves around — in a fictionalised manner — the key events that turned Bombay to Mumbai in the 80s and the 90s. He and John join hands again after the success of Shootout At Wadala (2013).
THALAIVI
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Arvind Swami
Director: AL Vijay Release date: June 26
The film throws light on the life of late J Jayalalithaa, a film actor, who went on to become the chief minister of Tamil Nadu.
SADAK 2
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur
Director: Mahesh Bhatt Release date: July 10
Alia works with her father, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, for the first time, who came out of his retirement after 20 years to helm the sequel to his own 1991 hit, Sadak. Dutt and Pooja Bhatt reprise their parts from the original film.
SHAMSHERA
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Vaani Kapoor Director: Karan Malhotra Release date: July 31
The film, set in the 1800s, is reportedly about a dacoit tribe, who fought for their rights as well as independence against the British.
BHOOL BHULAIYAA 2
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kiara Advani and Tabu
Director: Anees Bazmee Release date: July 31
A sequel to the Akshay Kumar-starrer 2007 hit, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, the second part will see Kartik and Kiara team up for the first time. Bazmee takes over the directorial reins from Priyadarshan.
BHUJ: THE PRIDE OF INDIA
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt, Sonakshi Sinha Director: Abhishek Dudhaiya Release date: August 14
The war-action drama, set during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971, is about the life of IAF Squadron Leader Vijay Karnik, the then in-charge of the Bhuj airport who — along with his team — reconstructed the IAF airbase with the help of 300 local women.
JERSEY
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Mrunal Thakur, Pankaj Kapoor
Director: Gowtam Tinnanuri
Release date: August 28 After delivering one of the biggest blockbusters of 2019, Kabir Singh (the Hindi remake of the Telugu hit, Arjun Reddy; 2017), Shahid returns to another Telugu remake, Jersey that will see him play a cricketer. After Shaandaar (2015), the father-son duo, Shahid and Pankaj team up again.
GANGUBAI KATHIAWADI
Cast: Alia Bhatt Director: Sanjay Leela
Bhansali
Release date: September 11 Alia’s maiden tryst with Bhansali — after the canned Inshallah — in the film that revolves around the life of Gangubai Kothewali, a powerful woman in the 60s, who was also known as the ‘Madam of Kamathipura’ for her connections with the underworld.
SARDAR UDHAM SINGH
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Banita Sandhu
Director: Shoojit SIrcar
Release date: October 2 Sircar’s “long-standing dream project” will see Vicky play Indian freedom fighter, Udham Singh, famous for assassinating Michael O’Dwyer, the former lieutenant governor of the Punjab in India, in revenge for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. His October (2018) heroine, Banita teams up with him again.
TOOFAN
Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Mrunal Thakur
Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Release date: October 2
One of the most exciting collaborations of 2020 has to be Farhan working again with Mehra, after their much-loved Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013). While their last collaboration had Farhan play the role of athlete Milkha Singh, this time, the actor will transform into a boxer.
SATYAMEVA JAYATE 2
Cast: John Abraham, Divya Khosla Kumar
Director: Milap Milan Zaveri Release date: October 2
A sequel of the 2018 film, Satyameva Jayate, the new film apparently revolves around the fight against injustice and misuse of power. Divya returns to feature film acting with it.
PRITHVIRAJ
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Manushi Chhillar Director: Chandraprakash
Dwivedi
Release date: Diwali Akshay will be seen in his first historical part, which is based on the life of King Prithviraj Chauhan. Manushi plays his wife, Samyukta.
MAIDAAN
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Keerthy Suresh
Director: Amit Ravindernath
Sharma
Release date: November 27 Badhaai Ho director helms the sports-drama that stars Ajay as football coach, Syed Abdul Rahim. The film tells the story of the golden era of Indian football, 1952-1962. Keerthy makes her Bollywood debut.
BACHCHAN PANDEY
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Kriti Sanon
Director: Farhad Samji Release date: December 25
Apparently, a remake of the 2014 film, Veeram, the film brings together Akshay and his producer friend, Sajid Nadiadwala after Housefull 4 (2019). Akshay and Kriti team up again for the film.
LAAL SINGH CHADDHA
Cast: Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan
Director: Advait Chandan Release date: December 25
An official remake of the Hollywood hit, Tom Hanksstarrer Forrest Gump (1994), the film will see Aamir play a
Sikh for the first time in a story that spans over 50 years and will see him go from being a 20-year-old boy to a 50-yearold man. Advait directs Aamir again after Secret Superstar (2017). Also, Kareena will be seen with Aamir after 3 Idiots (2009) and Talaash (2012).
RRR
Cast: Jr NTR, Ram Charan Teja, Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn Director: SS Rajamouli Release date: Not decided yet
It doesn’t get bigger than this real collaboration between Bollywood and the south. RRR, which is Rajamouli’s next after the Baahubali series (2015; 2017), is based on a fictional account of two freedom fighters of India and their lives before they participated in India’s freedom movement.
KGF: CHAPTER 2
Cast: Yash and Sanjay Dutt Director: Prashanth Neel
Release date: Not decided yet In 2018, this action-drama, undoubtedly, became one of the most-talked-about films even in Hindi-speaking territories. Now, a sequel to KGF: Chapter 1, is set to release with Yash reprising his role from the first film and the new addition being Dutt as the antagonist.
SHERSHAAH
Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Kiara Advani
Director: Vishnuvardhan Release date: Not decided yet
The film is based on the life of the late Indian army officer, Captain Vikram Batra, who attained martyrdom during the 1999 Kargil War.
DOSTANA 2
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Janhvi Kapoor, Lakshya
Director: Collin D’Cunha Release date: Not decided yet
A sequel to the 2008 hit, Dostana, the film will see a completely fresh cast-andcrew, led by Kartik.
BRAHMASTRA
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan Director: Ayan Mukerji Release date: Not decided yet
An ambitious superhero film by Ayan Mukerji and Karan Johar has been running late. But the film is likely to keep a date with theatres this year. The maiden casting of alleged real-life couple, Ranbir and Alia, has only heightened the interest levels.
JHUND
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan Director: Nagraj Manjule Release date: Not yet decided Sairat (2016) maker, Nagraj Manjule helms the film based on the life of Vijay Barse, the founder of NGO Slum Soccer. Bachchan plays a professor, who motivates street children to form a football team.
2019 BALAKOT AIRSTRIKE
Cast: Not finalised Director: Abhishek Kapoor Release date: Not yet decided After Kedarnath, Abhishek returns to the director’s chair to helm a film that celebrates the valour and bravery of the Indian Air Force. The film will be based on the Balakot airstrike of 2019.