Heroes and heroines
Here’s a look at what has tongues wagging on the big screen this year
HOLLYWOOD:
GAL GADOT RETURNS AS WONDER WOMAN
Wonder Woman has edgier action for a new battle with new villains. The much-awaited Wonder Woman 1984,a sequel to the mega-hit 2017 DC film, is one of the most anticipated movies of 2020.
The film, directed by Patty Jenkins, comes with tag line “A new era of wonder begins”, and it will be interesting to watch what era will be ushered in with the movie.
It is scheduled to open on June 5.
SCARLETT JOHANSSON AS BLACK WIDOW
After years of anticipation, Marvel Studios will finally release a solo
Black Widow movie, redefining the superhero universe with women power in focus.
The film will bring back Scarlett Johansson in the avatar of Natasha Romanoff, aka the Black Widow, as she traces her past to solve the puzzle of her life. It marks the beginning of Marvel’s Phase 4.
The film is slated to release in India on April 30 – a day before its release in the US.
DANIEL CRAIG’S FINAL JOB AS JAMES BOND
Will No Time To Die really be Daniel Craig’s last outing as James Bond? Will the film introduce a new Bond? Will there be a female Bond? Will it present first black Bond?
All these questions will be answered with the release of the 25th Bond film.
Directed by new-age maverick and Emmy winner Cary Joji Fukunaga, the movie will open in April.
INDIA:
CELEBRITY WEDDINGS
Will Varun Dhawan tie the knot with girlfriend Natasha Dalal? Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt actually get married this year? And – the question that never goes out of fashion – will Salman Khan finally marry?
If 2018 saw the weddings of Priyanka-Nick, Ranveer-Deepika and Sonam Kapoor-Anand Ahuja, then 2019 has been the year when rumours of romances sustained the gossip vine.
Malaika Arora and Arjun Kapoor made their relationship public, while Farhan Akhtar and Shibani Dandekar’s love grew stronger.
Will 2020 see some power shaadis?
‘PERANBU’ TOPS IMDB 2019 LIST OF INDIAN MOVIES Mammootty’s Tamil film Peranbu has been named as the top Indian movie of 2019 in a list released by IMDb (Internet Movie Database).
IMDb is an online database of information related to films, television programmes, home videos, video games and streaming content online.
It unveiled the Top 10 – as determined by IMDb customer ratings – last week. The ratings are determined by customers who rank films and TV shows on a 10-point scale.
Vicky Kaushal’s Uri: The Surgical
Strike, the war-based drama that traces the real-life events of the 2016 Uri attack and its aftermath, came in second.
Gully Boy, which starred Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, placed third. The movie was India’s official entry for the 92nd Academy Awards.
The other films in the Top 10 were:
Article 15, Chhichhore, Super 30, Badla, The Tashkent Files, Kesari and Lucifer.
Internationally, Joaquin Phoenix’s
Joker was named as IMDb’s number one movie of the year.
AKSHAY V SALMAN
Akshay Kumar has his eyes on two major festival dates, having lined up a big film release during Eid as well as Diwali 2020.
He looks set to collide with Salman Khan at Eid. While Khan has mentioned Radhe for the big festival release, insiders say Kumar plans to release Laxmmi Bomb on the same date. And although Diwali 2019 was not that great for Housefull 4, he will be back on India’s biggest festival this year with the historical drama Prithviraj.
SOCIAL MEDIA SUPERSTARS These days, you don’t necessarily need a film release to be popular.
Ask Priyanka and Nick Jonas, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, or Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor.
In a world obsessed with celebrities, the simple act of posting a picture on Instagram can guarantee more mileage than months of labour shooting a film.
Sunny Leone, Shraddha Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar also continue to be the darlings of social media – closely watched by their millions of fans.
THE HEROINE-ORIENTED WAVE
Deepika Padukone in Chhapak,
Alia Bhatt in Gangubai Kathiawadi,
Kangana Ranaut in Panga and Thalaivi,
Kriti Sanon in Mimi and Kiara Advani
in Indoo Ki Jawaani.
These are but only a few heroinecentric films that continue the wave of projects that present strong and authentic women to actresses and also celebrate the spirit of womanhood in cinema. | IANS