It is going to be a filmi Independence Day for cinema lovers with as many as nine films hitting theatres on August 15. Be it Hindi, Bengali, Tamil or Telugu, there’s a wide range of movies to choose from for a weekend watch.

Stree 2 (Hindi)

Directed by: Amar Kaushik

Cast: Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee and Aparshakti Khurana

A sequel to the 2018 hit horror comedy film Stree, and the fifth instalment in the supernatural universe created by Maddock Films, Stree 2 introduces a new ghost called Sarkata. As women become the target of this new devil, the residents of Chanderi — led by Vicky (Rajkummar Rao), Bittu (Aparshakti Khurana), Jaana (Abhishek Banerjee) and Rudra (Pankaj Tripathi) — seek the help of Stree to ward off the evil.

Vedaa (Hindi)

Directed by: Nikkhil Advani

Cast: John Abraham, Sharvari Wagh, Abhishek Banerjee, Tamannaah Bhatia

This action drama tells the story of a young woman, Vedaa (Sharvari), who takes on an oppressive caste system and positions herself against a formidable antagonist (Abhishek Banerjee). John Abraham plays Abhimanyu, an ex-soldier who was court-martialed, who becomes Vedaa’s mentor. Tamannaah Bhatia plays John’s love interest.

Khel Khel Mein (Hindi)

Directed by: Mudassar Aziz

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Ammy Virk, Taapsee Pannu, Vaani Kapoor, Fardeen Khan, Aditya Seal and Pragya Jaiswal

A remake of the 2016 Italian film Perfect Strangers, this comedy drama revolves around seven friends who gather one evening and choose to play a unique game where everyone has to put their phones on the centre table for the night, with all texts and calls being answered in front of the entire group. What follows is a night of revelations as every person in the room is hiding a secret from their partner.

Thangalaan (Tamil)

Directed by: Pa. Ranjith

Cast: Chiyaan Vikram, Malavika Mohanan, Parvathy Thiruvothu and Daniel Caltagirone

An action-adventure film set in the British Raj, Thangalaan revolves around a tribe and its leader (played by Chiyaan Vikram) as they help Lord Clement (Daniel Caltagirone), a British general, search for gold in their village. Their quest incurs the wrath of Aarathi (Malavika Mohanan), a mysterious sorceress, prompting Thangalaan to confront her with all his strength.

Raghu Thatha (Tamil)

Directed by: Suman Kumar

Cast: Keerthy Suresh, M.S. Bhaskar, Ravindra Vijay, Devadarshini

The film follows a young woman (played by Keerthy Suresh) on a challenging journey to protect the identity and rights of her people. A political period drama, Raghu Thatha depicts the struggles of Tamil people during the language protests in the decades following India’s independence. Keerthy plays a police cadet who refuses to conform to societal norms.

Double iSmart (Telugu)

Directed by: Puri Jagannadh

Cast: Ram Pothineni and Sanjay Dutt

A sequel of sorts to iSmart Shankar, the film revolves around Big Bull (Sanjay Dutt), a notorious assassin who seeks immortality by transferring his memories to Shankar (Ram Pothineni), who already carries another person’s memories. This sets the stage for an intense showdown.

Mr. Bachchan (Telugu)

Directed by: Harish Shankar

Cast: Ravi Teja, Bhagyashri Borse, Jagapathi Babu, Sachin Khedekar

An official remake of Ajay Devgn-starrer Raid (2018), Mr. Bachchan is based on the real-life income tax raid on Indian industrialist Sardar Inder Singh. The plot revolves around Mr Bachchan (Ravi Teja), an upright income tax officer who is tipped off about cash stashed away by a long-time tax evader (played by Jagapathi Babu).

Padatik (Bengali)

Directed by: Srijit Mukherji

Cast: Chanchal Chowdhury, Monami Ghosh, Korak Samanta, Samrat Chakrabarti

Srijit Mukherji’s biopic on legendary filmmaker Mrinal Sen features Bangladeshi actor Chanchal Chowdhury in the role of the famous auteur. The film explores the different stages of Sen's life, highlighting his challenges, successes, and his deep impact on the world of filmmaking, especially during periods of major political change.

Babli (Bengali)

Directed by: Raj Chakrabarty

Cast: Subhashree Ganguly, Abir Chatterjee, Sauraseni Maitra

Raj Chakrabarty is back with another poignant love story with Babli, adapted from Buddhadeb Guha’s novel of the same name. In this romantic drama, Abir Chatterjee and Subhashree Ganguly share the screen for the first time. The story revolves around forest officer Abhi Chowdhury, who is stationed in Manipur where he forms a bond with Damayanti, also known as Babli, a relative of his superior.