BizAsia’s 10 Must-See Movies of Winter 2015-16
2015 has been a year which has seen more misses than hits so far. However, it’s also seen a record-breaking hit in Kabir Khan’s ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’. Now as the winter sets in and a new year comes, full of promise, BizAsia takes a look at the films to look out for. It certainly seems that the end of the year will be more dhamakedaar and even the first few months of 2016 includes films which are well worth the wait.
*Release dates are correct as at the time of publishing but could change in the coming months
‘Hero’
Release date: 11th September
Director: Nikhil Advani
*ing: Sooraj Pancholi, Athiya Shetty
‘Hero’ has a lot to prove. Not only does the film introduce two star-offspring but it is also a remake of the 1983 hit which originally starred Jackie Shroff and Meenakshi Seshadri. The film is also a Salman Khan production which is doing wonders for it’s promotions pre-release. The film, which is directed by Nikhil Advani, is a definite part of our list as one we’re waiting for.
‘Jazbaa’
Release date: 9th October
Director: Sanjay Gupta
*ing: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Irrfan Khan, Shabana Azmi
With the first trailer of ‘Jazbaa’ being unveiled just a few days ago, the film which is easily one of the most awaited of the year has suddenly become real. With Aishwarya Rai Bachchan making a return to the big screen after five years and with her sharing the screen with the award-winning Irrfan Khan, the film already looks promising. The ensemble cast including Siddhanth Kapoor, Chandan Roy Sanyal and Shabana Azmi, only add to the mix and Sanjay Gupta’s signature style is written all over it.
‘Shaandaar’
Release date: 22nd October
Director: Vikas Bahl
*ing: Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Sanah Kapoor, Pankaj Kapur
The promise of ‘Shaandaar’ was always in its freshness in both look and story and the trailer only emphasised that further. Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt’s chemistry was interesting to say the least and the fact the Vikas Bahl was making returning as director in a romantic comedy after ‘Queen’ (2014) should make audiences sit up and take notice. This Dussehra is definitely going to be a great one if this film’s first promos are anything to go by.
‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’
Release date: 12th November
Director: Sooraj Barjatya
*ing: Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Armaan Kohli, Neil Nitin Mukesh
The Barjatyas coupled with Salman Khan have always delivered huge successes together. As they return together after a number of years with ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’, audiences will be waiting with baited breath to see the magic they’re known for come back to Indian cinema. The glamour quotient is in the form of leading lady Sonam Kapoor which is also interesting and she’ll be seen in a somewhat traditional role. The film should be the perfect release for Diwali, especially as Khan has seen success already this year with ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’.
‘Bajirao Mastani’
Release date: 18th December
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
*ing: Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone
This is a film which has been a decade in planning and finally Sanjay Leela Bhansali has brought together a cast which has been lucky for the film so far. Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra are in the lead roles for ‘Bajirao Mastani’ and the first trailer absolutely stunned both in visual and audio. Bhansali is known for his extravagance and unique ability to tug at the heartstrings with his drama. ‘Bajirao Mastani’ looks to be exactly that and it is this year’s Christmas release which will clash with Rohit Shetty’s ‘Dilwale’.
‘Dilwale’
Release date: 18th December
Director: Rohit Shetty
*ing: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon
‘Dilwale’ is definitely one movie that this list would be absolutely incomplete without. Director Rohit Shetty is bringing together Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol after five years and he’s added Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon too to make for an even more interesting watch. The film will include action and romance and no doubt his signature larger-than-life stunts will be a part of it. The film will be clashing with ‘Bajirao Mastani’ as it releases on the same day.
‘Udta Punjab’
Release date: 22nd January 2016
Director: Abhishek Chaubey
*ing: Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt, Diljit Dosanjh
A film about the drug issues in the Punjab state might not be everyone’s cuppa chai but Abhishek Chaubey will make sure that it is with the cast he has in place. Rumours suggest that Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Alia Bhatt never meet in the film but that the plot is following their intermingled stories separately. Diljit Dosanjh is due to play Kapoor Khan’s husband and this will mark his B-town debut. Are you drawn in yet? You should be!
‘Fitoor’
Release date: 12th February 2016
Director: Abhishek Kapoor
*ing: Katrina Kaif, Aditya Roy Kapur, Tabu
Abhishek Kapoor directed ‘Fitoor’ is a Hindi adaptation of Charles Dickens popular novel ‘Great Expectations’. This is Bollywood’s first at making it and this is a tall order to say the least. Aditya Roy Kapur and Katrina Kaif will be seen in the film. Rekha shot for the film but since walked out and has been replaced by Tabu who saw much success last year with ‘Haider’ and again in ‘Drishyam’ which released last month. The first shots of the film have given the audiences much promise and no doubt Kapoor’s vision will be something to look forward to.
‘Kapoor & Sons’
Release date: 18th March 2016
Director: ��Shakun Batra
*ing: Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt, Fawad Khan, Rishi Kapoor
When Karan Johar first announced the film ‘Kapoor and Sons’, it would have felt to any like a casting coup. However, as time has gone on and the prospective audiences have got used to the idea, it seems the Shakun Batra directorial will be a film that it would be a bad idea to miss out on. Fawad Khan is reportedly playing a gay character in the film and Sidharth Malhotra will be reuniting with his debut co-star Alia Bhatt for the first time since. Rishi Kapoor only adds to the mix. This film, we hope, will be an absolute delight to watch.
‘Fan’
Release date: 15th April 2016
Director: Maneesh Sharma
*ing: Shah Rukh Khan
It’s safe to say that the teaser trailer of ‘Fan’ wowed everyone. With Shah Rukh Khan playing the role of the fan and the star, the film makes one feel that there is someone out there taking notice of the millions of people who appreciate a film star. Maneesh Sharma’s directorial style fits in well with Yash Raj Films but with this film no doubt he and his team will be hoping to create history. April seems a long while away but we are sure it will be here soon ��enough.
Special mentions
As always, there are some films that are ones we are looking forward to but don’t quite make our list of ten. This time, the first that we think deserves a mention is Imran Khan and Kangna Ranaut starrer ‘Katti Batti’. Nikhil Advani directs this one too which looks into the world of a live-in relationship. The film looks fresh and sparks an interest even if it is just because of the fresh jodi. Its slated for release on 18th September.
Everyone’s favourite TV comedian and host Kapil Sharma is making his debut in Abbas-Mustan’s ‘Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon’. This film deserves to be seen just because of this TV star’s transition to the big screen and also because the director duo are shifting genres to comedy just for him. It also stars Elli Avram, Simran Kaur Mundi and Arbaaz Khan, the latter who is playing the baddie. It’s scheduled to hit the big screen on 25th September.
‘Wazir’ is somewhat of an underdog but there will definitely be expectations riding on it because of the cast. The legendary Amitabh Bachchan is going to be sharing the screen with the multi-talented Farhan Akhtar. With Vidhu Vinod Chopra producing the film, it seems it already has great credentials especially as the first teaser trailer got such a great response. 4th December is the date to mark in your diaries for this one.
The final special mention goes to ‘Airlift’ which will star Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur. The backdrop of the film is the Gulf War of 1990 and this alone should reflect how promising it seems to be. Kumar has mostly been known for his comedies of late but Nirmat Kaur has so far ‘The Lunchbox’ (2014) to her name. The film is slated for release on 22nd January 2016.
That’s it for this year, folks! We hope that this list has got you excited for the coming months which are sure to be interesting ones with many ups and downs. Do keep it with BizAsia for all the latest news.
