1. Sooryavanshi
The biggest release of the first quarter of 2020 is now in limbo, courtesy the coronavirus pandemic. But there is no doubt that whenever it releases, Sooryavanshi will roar into theatres. The Rohit Shetty guns-and-guys franchise has Akshay Kumar in the title role of the daredevil cop, but what we are looking forward to is his chemistry with the other players — Singham (Ajay Devgn) and Simmba (Ranveer Singh) — of Shetty’s cop universe. Jaw-dropping stunts to paisa-vasool lines, what’s not to love? And then, of course, is Katrina Kaif.
2. ’83
One of the greatest moments in Indian cricket — the World Cup win of 1983 — will come alive in the Kabir Khan directorial. Ranveer Singh plays Kapil Dev, looking uncannily like the skipper, while the rest of the cast boasts credible names like Tahir Raj Bhasin as Sunil Gavaskar and Saqib Saleem as Mohinder Amarnath. Deepika Padukone pitches in with a cameo as Kapil’s wife Romi. “For me, ’83 is not a cricket film… it’s the coming-of-age story of a country,” is what Kabir had told us about his film on a recent trip to Calcutta.
3. Jhund
Amitabh Bachchan teams up with Nagraj Popatrao Manjule, the man behind the Marathi blockbuster Sairat, who makes his Bolly debut with Jhund. Bachchan plays real-life hero Vijay Barse, the man behind the NGO Slum Soccer that motivates slum children to play football. Akash Thosar and Rinku Rajguru — the lead pair of Sairat — co-star with Bachchan. The first-look poster — Bachchan’s back, the typically middle-class India look and feel — has us intrigued.
4. Gulabo Sitabo
The redoubtable combo of Amitabh Bachchan and Shoojit Sircar — who have given us gems like Piku and Pink together — is back with the intriguingly titled Gulabo Sitabo. While Bachchan’s out-of-the-box look — bulbous nose to long, white beard — has piqued curiosity, we can’t wait to see the kind of magic he brings to the screen with Ayushmann Khurrana. Another big #win? Juhi Chaturvedi, who has written Vicky Donor, Piku and October for Shoojit, has penned what seems like a fun and quirky script.
A scene from Coolie No 1 Source: The film
5. Coolie No 1
Varun Dhawan will be looking to reprise Govinda’s comic chops and dance moves in dad David Dhawan’s retelling of the 1995 hit Coolie No 1. After Judwaa 2, this will be the second remake for Varun, who recently shared a picture of wrapping up the film’s dubbing in the middle of the Covid-19 chaos. Stepping into Karisma Kapoor’s shoes will be Sara Ali Khan, with Paresh Rawal, Johny Lever, Jaaved Jaaferi and Rajpal Yadav guaranteeing enough bang (read, laughs) for your buck.
6. Laxmmi Bomb
The first look of the Bolly remake of the Tamil horror comedy Kanchana has a virtually unrecognisable Akshay Kumar sporting a red sari and bindi... and owning the look. The Khiladi’s Good Newwz co-star Kiara Advani stars opposite him in the directorial debut of Tamil director Raghava Lawrence, who also helmed the original. This one has hatke written all over it.
7. Radhe
Roaring in — all guns blazing — will be Salman Khan with Radhe. Our ‘most wanted bhai’, who was named Radhe in his 2003 film Tere Naam, has already shot a sizeable portion of the film that sees him team up once again with his Dabangg 3 director Prabhudheva. Disha Patani, who starred in a few scenes in Salman’s 2019 hit Bharat, is his Radhe co-star, with Randeep Hooda and Salman slated to share screen space again after Kick and Sultan.
8. Ludo
Three years after Jagga Jasoos, Anurag Basu returns to the director’s chair with this ‘dark anthology comedy’ that boasts names like Abhishek Bachchan, Rajkummar Rao, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Shaikh. Parts of Ludo — with junior Bachchan sporting an intriguing look — were shot in end-2018 on the outskirts of Calcutta.
10. Bunty aur Babli 2
Abhishek Bachchan bows out and Saif Ali Khan steps in for the second outing of the 2005 con caper that scored with its fun moments and foot-tapping music. Rani Mukerji returns as Vimmi/Babli, with the young pair of Gully Boy man Siddhant Chaturvedi and newcomer Sharvari set to co-star. Directed by Varun V. Sharma, Team Bunty Aur Babli 2 has just wrapped up a schedule in the UAE.
11. Shakuntala Devi
Vidya Balan brings a special something to every role, and she looks all set to live up to her reputation as real-life math genius Shakuntala Devi in the eponymously titled film that’s being directed by Anu Menon. Playing Shakuntala’s daughter Anupama Banerji will be Sanya Malhotra — who brought so much spark to both Dangal and Badhaai Ho as well as to the criminally underwatched Photograph — and we can’t wait to watch the two together!
