BizAsia�۪s 10 Must-See Movies of Winter 2014-15
It’s that time of year again when we are just about waving goodbye to the beautiful sunny summer and getting ready for the colder winter months. And what better way to uplift yourself from those winter blues than BizAsia‘s must-see list of movies for the season. 2014, so far, has been a very mixed bag but it can be said that the most awaited movies will be releasing in the final part of the year. The selection for the next 6 months of movie-watching is hand-picked once again and this time, to chose just ten out of the films coming out of B-town in the forthcoming months was a task in itself.
‘Finding Fanny’
Release date: 12th September 2014
Director: Homi Adajania
*ing: Arjun Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Dimple Kapadia, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapoor
To start off the list is a film with a difference, ‘Finding Fanny’. It is a film which is aiming for international acclaim as well as praise from the target audience in India. Homi Adajania is bringing together what seems like an effective cast of talents in this story where the character are all in search for a lady. The initial promos and song have given a fresh feel and no doubt the film itself – if first reviews are anything to go by – will strike the right chord with the audiences.
‘Daawat-E-Ishq’
Release date: 19th September 2014
Director: Habib Faisal
*ing: Aditya Roy Kapur, Parineeti Chopra, Anupam Kher, Karan Wahi
Yash Raj Films, it seems, are venturing into something new with every film. Not long after the hard-hitting ‘Mardaani’ last month, the production house are all set with ‘Daawat-E-Ishq’ which promises a tale of love, food and deceit. With Aditya Roy Kapur in his second film as a male lead and Parineeti Chopra in a very different avatar, the film definitely looks like the perfect package and we certainly have high hopes for it.
‘Bang Bang’
Release date: 2nd October 2014
Director: Sidharth Anand
*ing: Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif
When Bollywood attempts a Hollywood remake, many hold their heads in their hands waiting for something to go wrong. However, in the case of ‘Bang Bang’, everything looks and feels so successful already. The film is a remake of ‘Knight and Day’ (2010) and brings together Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif for the second film. It has to be said that visually together they have helped the appeal of the film immensely and that coupled with the intense action and beautiful romance, a sneak peek of which has been given in the first promos, makes this one unmissable.
‘Haider’
Release date: 2nd October 2014
Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
*ing: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Tabu, Irrfan Khan
Vishal Bhardwaj is perhaps the perfect director for a Bollywood adaptation of another Shakespearean tale and this time it’s ‘Hamlet’. With Shahid Kapoor playing protagonist ‘Haider’ in the twisted story alongside Shraddha Kapoor, Tabu, and Irrfan Khan, it seems as if audiences will find this one oozing with unforgettable performances. The film very much encompasses what should be a role of a lifetime for Shahid and no doubt the audiences will find this a refreshing change to the comedies the actor has been seen in most recently.
‘Happy New Year’
Release date: 24th October 2014
Director: Farah Khan
*ing: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood, Vivaan Shah
‘Happy New Year’ is one of the most heavily anticipated films in a long time. Farah Khan puts on the director’s hat once more and brings together a huge star cast in the process. It is larger than life in true Farah style but its appeal very much lies in bringing to many actors together all at once. The buzz around the film has been ongoing since it’s gone on the floors and no doubt that will remain until it’s Diwali release. One can only hope that what the end result is that is portrayed to the audiences is exactly what they expect and no less that they deserve.
‘Kill Dil’
Release date: 14th November 2014
Director: Shaad Ali
*ing: Ranveer Singh, Parineeti Chopra, Ali Zafar, Govinda
Ranveer Singh and Parineeti Chopra are coming together for the second time in ‘Kil Dill’, another Yash Raj offering. Along with Ali Zafar and Govinda, the film is touted as being in the Hindi romantic action genre. After 2007’s ‘Jhoom Barabar Jhoom’, director Shaad Ali is turning director once again in a film that almost fits in with his style like a hand to a glove. The first looks of the film seem to portray a cowboy feel somewhat but it is yet to be seen what it is really about and no doubt the trailer will be on its way sometime soon.
‘PK’
Release date: 19th December 2014
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
*ing: Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma, Sushant Singh Rajput
An Aamir Khan film is always one that audience wait eagerly for. Rajkumar Hirani’s ‘PK’ is no different especially as it sees the duo team up after the huge success of 2009’s ‘3 Idiots’. Anushka Sharma adds to the mix as Khan’s new heroine and Sushant Singh Rajput is always a pleasure to see on screen. This one has too many credentials to mention and it will be arriving just before Christmas.
‘Tevar’
Release date: 9th January 2015
Director: Amit Sharma
*ing: Arjun Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha, Manoj Bajpai
Being the remake of the award winning Telugu film ‘Okkadu’ (2003), ‘Tevar’ instantly has expectations attached to it. Arjun Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha come together for their first film together in what is already looking like a film that will be an interesting watch. There is also an international music collaboration with Imran Khan coming into the film for one of the film’s special tracks. The film is produced by Sanjay Kapoor and Boney Kapoor – bringing nephew and son in on their project for the first time too.
‘Dolly Ki Doli’
Release date: 6th February 2015
Director: Abhishek Dogra
*ing: Sonam Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pulkit Samrat
Having only ever produced the successful ‘Dabangg’ franchise, this time Arbaaz Khan has taken on a very different project in ‘Dolly Ki Doli’. Starring Sonam Kapoor, Pulkit Samrat and Rajkummar Rao, the film is being directed by debutante Abhishek Dogra. Malaika Arora Khan is doing a special item song too. This film is portraying a somewhat fresh feel and no doubt the first looks will show just that in a few months time.
‘Badlapur’
Release date: 20th February 2015
Director: Sriram Raghavan
*ing: Varun Dhawan, Huma Qureshi, Yami Gautam, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
‘Badlapur’ makes our list purely because of such a unique cast and story. With three actors – Varun Dhawan, Huma Qureshi and Yami Gautam – cast in the lead roles, the story will see Dhawan in a new avatar. There is an intrigue to the story which will no doubt compliment the performances and this is why it had to be put on our list as one of those to watch before the summer months settle in once more.
As with every list we compile, there are always some films that don’t quite fit in but are definitely ones to watch. Firstly on that sub-list comes Sonam Kapoor and Fawad Khan starrer ‘Khoobsurat’. The film is a remake of the popular Rekha film and sees Khan make his debut in a transition from television to the big screen. The early promos have been interesting to say the least and the lead pair are definitely sizzling enough together to make this one a definite must-see. It is slated for release on 19th September.
Director Anees Bazmee returns with a sequel to 2007’s ‘Welcome’ with John Abraham starrer ‘Welcome Back’. The film is minus Akshay Kumar but it seems it will still be a good watch with Bazmee’s very own genre of comedy to see it through. Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar are reprising their roles of the prequel and Shruti Haasan is now the leading lady. The film promises to be a fresh take on the prequel and is therefore on our list. It does, however, clash with the release of ‘PK’ as it stands currently but no doubt both films are very different and will garner their own audiences.
One of the first releases of next year will be Sanjay Leela Bhansali produced ‘Gabbar’. The film sees Akshay Kumar as lead and will have Shruti Haasan as his lady love. The first look sees Kumar in a brand new avatar and no doubt he will wow the audiences. The film is a remake of Tamil film ‘Ramanaa’ (2002) about the abolition of corruption and will see Kumar in an interesting role.
Akshara Haasan is making her debut in the film ‘Shamitabh’ and it also makes our list, although it will be clashing at the box office in 2015 with ‘Dolly Ki Doli’. The film also stars Amitabh Bachchan and Dhanush and is directed by R Balki whose films always do well with the audiences. The first looks of the characters have proved interesting and have sparked interest with the fans who are eagerly awaiting this one.
Our final special mention comes in the form of ‘Detective Byomkesh Bakshy’, the protagonist in which is being played by Sushant Singh Rajput. Dibaker Banerjee is bringing this story on the screen and there is no better male lead than Singh Rajput whose first look was enough to get people talking. With his performances always being appreciated, no doubt this will also be a film in which Singh Rajput raises the bar once more.
That brings our list to a fitting end. We know that you’ll all be as excited about the forthcoming months as we are and we hope you can share your thoughts about the films you’re particularly waiting for with us. Until summer is upon us again, make sure you feast on the platter of films coming our way starting today!
