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2018: Actors set for multiple releases next year

The year 2017 is about to come to an end. It was the year where Bollywood saw actors doing multiple projects, some really did very well on box office some just didn’t live up to the expectation of the audience. Owning to this actors now are playing very cautiously before doing multiple projects at the same time. They have now involved in every aspect of the filmmaking irrespective whether the film is small or big. Today, actors are only doing multiple films only if they find the content of the film is good enough to live up to the audience expectations. Let us see what’s there in the store next year in Bollywood, let’s explore actors who will be seen doing multiple projects and will have maximum releases in the year 2018 that are mixed bunch of talented actors and are associated with different genres of cinema.

Akshay Kumar:
The Khiladi Kumar ended 2017 on a good note by giving ‘Toilet Ek Prem Katha’ a box office run. The year 2017 saw three releases including ‘Naam Shabana’ where he played more than a cameo, then ‘Jolly LLB 2’ a surprising hit and of course ‘Toilet Ek Prem Katha’. In the coming year, Kumar has four major releases including ‘2.0’, a sequel to ‘Robot’, where he will be seen playing a negative role opposite Thailava Rajnikant. And then there is R. Balki’s ‘Padman’ inspired by the real-life story to release in January. He will be seen in a biopic titled ‘Gold’, which is a sports film directed by Reema Kagti and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar. It is a biopic based on the life of hockey player Balbir Singh Sr., who was on the team that won the first Olympic medal for India as a free nation in 1948. The next film to release of the superstar would be ‘Mogul – The Gulshan Kumar Story’ which is again a biopic on the life of the music baron Gulshan Kumar producer and founder of T-Series.

Vicky Kaushal:
Vicky Kaushal started off his successful career with critically acclaimed film ‘Masaan’ as a lover boy and went on surprising the audience with his negative performance in ‘Raman Raghav 2.0’. Though the actor didn’t saw any releases this year but will be the only actor to have a maximum of six releases in the year 2018. These films are Raju Hirani’s Dutt biopic where Kaushal will be seen playing a character that is very pivotal the film and has been kept under wrapped since te beginning, Ronnie Screwvala’s ‘Love Per Square Foot’ which is a romantic comedy and is based on house hunting drama in Mumbai. And then there is Meghna Gulzar’s ‘Raazi’ opposite Alia Bhatt where the actor will be seen playing an army officer, later film on surgical strike ‘URI’ produced by Ronnie Screwvala, sequel of ‘Bombay Talkies’ where Karan Johar will be directing one of the quartets of the series for which Kaushal will be playing the lead. And finally, Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Manmarziyaan’ alongside Taapsee Pannu to be produced by Aanand L Rai. Kaushal’s plate is all full of so many dynamic films next year a good reason for him to celebrate his triumph.

Irrfan Khan:
Irrfan Khan’s recent release ‘Qarib Qarib Singlle’ a road trip film changed the persona of a romantic actor in Bollywood. Khan’s knack for doing content-driven films always put him on par with all the actors of his league. He continues to woo the hearts of millions of his fans across the globe with five releases next year. He will be seen in Ronnie Screwvala’s ‘Karwaan’ alongside Malayalam heartthrob Dulquer Salmaan and YouTube sensation Mithila Palkar. Then there is Abhinay Deo’s quirky comedy film ‘Raita’ with Khan and Kirti Kulhari in lead pair. Then there is much talked Vishal Bhardwaj’s crime drama film on the life of women gangster Sapna Didi played by Deepika Padukone. Next year Khan will see the release of Hollywood film ‘Puzzle’ directed by Marc Turtletaub which is a family drama and he plays a pivotal character in the film. And then there is Anup Singh’s ‘The Song of Scorpions’ which is a twisted love story with revenge and the redemptive power of a song. The film stars Khan, Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani and Waheeda Rehman. The film already received a thundering response at its India premiere at MAMI Film Festival.

Anushka Sharma:
Actress turned producer Anushka Sharma didn’t have much to celebrate for her films released this year. ‘Phillauri’ and ‘Jab Harry Met Sejal’ didn’t live up to the audience expectations. But next year Sharma has three major releases to treat back her audiences with varied performances. She will be seen in the most talked about Raju Hirani’s film on Sanjay Dutt biography with Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal. Then there is mysterious love story ‘Pari’, which will see her playing the titular role and her third production under her production company Clean Slate. And then the audience will be treated with Anand L Rai’s ambitious directorial venture starring Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma. The trio was last seen together in the film ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ (2012).

Taapsee Pannu:
2017 saw five releases of Taapsee Pannu in various avatars from de-glam roles in ‘Naam Shabana’, ‘The Ghazi Attack’ to a glamorous avatar in ‘Judwaa 2’ and then in romantic comedy film ‘Running Shaadi’ to a friendly ghost in Telugu film ‘Anando Brahma’. Pannu did it all this year and she is all set to conquer again next year with five more releases. She will be seen in a court drama film ‘Mulk’ with Rishi Kapoor where she plays an advocate. The film is set in Lucknow and is loosely inspired by the true incident. There is also Shaad Ali’s ‘Soorma’, a biopic on Indian Hockey skipper Sandeep Singh where she will be seen as a hockey player with Diljit Dosanjh and Angad Bedi. She plays a character which is very important in Sandeep Singh’s life and is a driving factor to Dosanjh in the film. ‘Soorma’ is currently in filming stage in Punjab. The mid-year 2018 will see two of most anticipated film of Pannu, Prakash Raj’s romantic comedy film ‘Tadka’ with Nana Patekar and Ali Fazal which is an adaptation of Malayalam hit film ‘Salt N Pepper’. And the next would be Vashu Bhagnani’s romantic film ‘Makhna’ with actor Saqib Saleem. The latest entrant in Pannu’s list is Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Manmarziyaan’ opposite Kaushal is also slated to release next year.

Richa Chadha:
The Bholi Punjaban of Bollywood, Richa Chadha has come a long way from doing a cameo in ‘Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye’ to her next release ‘Fukrey Returns’. The actress has proved her mettle by doing a variety of roles in different platforms says a lot about her skill as an actor. Other than ‘Fukrey Returns’ which is going to hit the screens soon, she has some amazing line up for the next year. To begin with, Chadha will be seen in Sudhir Mishra’s much-awaited film ‘DaasDev’ a modern take on acclaimed novel and film ‘Devdas’ which is slated to release in February 2018. There is also American-Indo joint venture film ‘Love Sonia’ directed by Tabrez Noorani. The film has ensemble cast including Chadha, Mrunal Thakur, Freida Pinto, Manoj Bajpayee, Rajkummar Rao, Anupam Kher, Sai Tamhankar, Adil Hussain and diva Demi Moore. The film is based on global human-trafficking racket. Later next year Chadha will treat the audience with Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s ‘Three Storeys’ where she will don the role of a desirable woman. The story follows the lives of three different people in a residential colony and how their stories get interwoven.

Tiger Shroff:
Tiger Shroff is the boy every girl wants to bring home, or hold on to on that dark walk home through a rough neighbourhood. The hero full of ‘Heropanti’ will also have few releases lined up next year. Shroff will be reviving his role in martial art action flick ‘Baaghi 2’ sequel to ‘Baaghi’ which released in 2016. The film will have loads of breathtaking action sequences as told by filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala and director of the film Ahmed Khan. Shroff will be seen reprising one of the most successful franchises of Hollywood flick ‘Rambo’ which will be an official remake of Sylvester Stallone by the same name in India. He plays the iconic action character in Rambo. The movie will be directed by Siddharth Anand. The third instalment next year would be Karan Johar’s much-awaited sequel to 2012’s ‘Student of the Year’. Shroff will be seen playing one of the students in this successful franchise that launched Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra in 2012. ‘Student of the Year 2’ will be directed by Punit Malhotra instead of Karan Johar.

Sushant Singh Rajput:
In an industry where outsiders easily fall into an image trap after the initial burst, Sushant Singh Rajput is trying to be different in each film. After a couple of debacles in the year 2017, the actor has few interesting lineups next year. The actor is all geared up to play a dacoit in Abhishek Chaubey’s ‘Chambal’ set in the 1970s. The film is being produced by Ronnie Screwvala and has Bhumi Pednekar opposite Singh Rajput. The film tries to capture the reality and the lives of dacoits in the ravines of Chambal. Singh Rajput will be seen in Abhishek Kapoor’s directorial venture ‘Kedarnath’ which is a love story set against the backdrop of pilgrimage, and the devastating floods that hit Uttarakhand in 2013 form an important part of the film. Saif Ali Khan’s daughter Sara Ali Khan is making her debut in the film which is slated to release on 21st December 2018. Early next year, Singh Rajput will be seen playing an astronaut in science fiction space film ‘Chanda Mama Door Ke’. It is directed by Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan and produced by Viki Rajani. It has also had R Madhavan playing the role of a test pilot in the film. Last but the not the least, Singh Rajput will be seen in Karan Johar’s action comedy film ‘Drive’ which is an official remake of Hollywood flick with the same name. The film will be directed Tarun Mansukhani and has Jacqueline Fernandez romancing him. As confirmed by producer Karan Johar, ‘Drive’ will be the first instalment of a new film series.

Sanjay Dutt:
The Baba of Bollywood’s comeback film ‘Bhoomi’ didn’t live up to the expectation of Sanjay Dutt’s fans but he is all set to woo back his audience with three releases next year. Dutt has signed ‘Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3’. The third movie in the franchise will be directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and will see Dutt essaying the role of a gangster. He recently took his Instagram handle to share a picture of his look from the film, and boy, he’s totally nailing the badass look. The next film in a row would be a romantic thriller ‘Malang’. The film is directed by debutante Aarambhh Singh and is set in Varanasi. After ‘Malang’, the audience would get to enjoy the sequel to Dutt’s 1991 super hit film ‘Sadak 2’. It will be Dutt and Pooja Bhatt reprising the lead roles in the movie being produced by Mukesh Bhatt. ‘Sadak 2’ will presumably reach the theatres in August 2018. The film will also have a young couple joining Pooja Bhatt and Sanjay Dutt.