Hindi Movies, Coming Up in 2010

1. My Name is Khan

Rahul and Anjali are back! Okay, only this time in far more serious skin than ever.

Nothing less than the world is expected from the magical troika of Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Karan Johar in My Name is Khan. As the title suggests, MNIK touches the topic of ethnic discrimination wherein SRK plays an individual with Asperger syndrome, residing in post 9/11 US.

2. Ramayana

Inspired from the copious Indian mythological epic, Ramayana, filmmaker Mani Ratnam brings his own vision and sensibilities to this wildly-anticipated interpretation.Considering the secrecy surrounding this project, simultaneously shot in Tamil, Raavan with its curious title and casting is expected to hit the marquee during the first quarter of 2010. Known to extract career-best performances from his actors, Raavan had a lot going for it.

Here's the rumoured lowdown: Abhishek Bachchan plays the title role avenging his sister's derision by Vikram, modelled after Lord Rama by abducting the latter's wife, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Sita. Supposedly, there's a masterful twist to it all, which we shall wait for Ratnam to reveal at his own accord. Until then, it's back to twiddling thumbs in excitement and wait.

3. Kites

Salsa on the rocks? Check. Steaming love scenes? Check. Super sexy cast? Check. No wonder, the buzz on Hrithik Roshan's Kites is hot.

After what seems like forever, director Anurag Basu's ambitious romantic thriller in Hindi, English and Spanish is all set to soar with its tale of blazing passions and nasty betrayals.

Roshan (in his Jesus Christ Superstar-inspired avatar) and his gorgeous Mexican co-star Barbara Mori play two intense, star-crossed lovers striving to make it against all odds. Their explosive chemistry is already talk-of-the-town. Kangna Ranaut completes this puzzling triangle.

4. Rann

In his latest, Rann he takes on the media and its existing strategy of substituting sensationalism in place of news. It's topical, yes. So far, however, the entire 'Breaking News' lunacy has been more of a sloppy gimmick than a point of debate in our movies. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to see Varma's take on a medium he enjoys a bittersweet relationship with.

Rann has previously attracted controversy for its distortion of the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana in the title song. Varma promptly replaced it with Vande Mataram. The ensemble cast led by Amitabh Bachchan, playing a fiercely ethical media baron, features Varma's usual suspects Sudeep, Ritesh Deshmukh, Suchitra Krishnamurthy and Rajpal Yadav along with Rajat Kapoor, Neetu Chandra, Gul Panag and Paresh Rawal.

5. Veer

Wanted goes period? If last year saw him beat the baddies like a flock of flies (casually, if you please), his new offering, Veer, a lavish-scale Salman Khan wagon coloured in the Anil Sharma School of filmmaking witnesses him do Conan in true blue Bollywood tradition of grandeur and disbelief.

Credited for its incredulous plot, the beefy superstar plays a brave warrior of some exotic tribe fighting the British for honour and all those Samurai-like qualities whilst hobnobbing with its pretty new-finds Zarine Khan and Lisa Lazarus.

6. Ishqiya

Ah well, Ishqiya isn't a Vishal Bhardwaj film. He's *only* written, composed and produced it while assistant Abhishek Chaubey calls the shots. It's easy to recognise the Bhardwaj stamp even as you get over the sheer audacity of its trailer.

Brilliance of blasphemy aside, Ishqiya takes its fabulous cast to places we had never thought we would see them go. And so you have a robber duo of lyrical Naseeruddin Shah and flaky Arshad Warsi give it up for the scheming, seductive hellcat in Vidya Balan.

Conventionally speaking, Ishqiya is not exactly a money-spinning prospect but given Bhardwaj's success with the offensive, it very well could be.

7. Rajneeti

When Prakash Jha nails it, he nails it good. And Rajneeti, with its wholesome line-up of actors -- Naseeruddin Shah, Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgan, Ranbir Kapoor, Manoj Bajpai, Arjun Rampal and Katrina Kaif in her first serious assignment looks very, very interesting.

Influenced by the pages of Mahabharata, Jha explores the science of politics in the face of personal equations, in his under production slated for a May release. Earlier on, enthused by the intricate complexities evident in the epic saga, filmmaker Shyam Benegal set his Kalyug against the backdrop of warring industrialists.

8. Guzaarish

It's a creative circle. Hrithik Roshan creates unforgettable screen moments with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Aishwarya lights the soulful frames of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's imagery. Bhansali paints poetry with his uncontrollably lavish imagination. Just imagine what their collective combination will do?

It's quite simple, really. Either Guzaarish will become immortal in the pages of history. Or fade into nothingness like a wasted opportunity.

Few months into its announcement, Guzaarish has already generated terrific buzz. Rumoured to touch the topic of Euthanasia, the drama features Hrithik as a paraplegic patient and his unique relationship with a nurse, played by Ash. Stock those pack of tissues, folks. They will come in handy.

9. Main Azaad Hoon

'Itne baaju Itne sar, gin le dushman dhyan se. Harega woh har baazi, jab khelein hum jee jaan se.'

Remember Amitabh Bachchan's powerful baritone expounding the same to a spell-binding effect in Tinnu Anand's Main Azaad Hoon. Drawing its title from the same, Ashutosh Gowariker goes back in time to adapt Manini Chatterjee's novel, Do or Die, revolving around a revolutionary's initiation of the 1930 Chittagong Uprising.

His What's your Raashee? may have shook your faith in astrology but the usually durable filmmaker promises to bounce back with this patriotic fare starring Abhishek Bachchan and Deepika Padukone. While Bachchan works well under a keen eye, let's see how Deepika evolves with Gowariker's stickler attitude.

10. Karthik Calling Karthik

There's something edgy about his films. Whether he's directing, producing or acting in them, there's always something original about his execution. Farhan Akhtar has earned this reputation quite early in his career. And that's why we are eyeing this queerly titled Karthik Calling Karthik with utmost interest.

As the press junket will tell you, Akhtar plays Karthik, a recluse-types in an extraordinary situation where his only hope is another guy called Karthik. Somewhere in these baffling scheme of things, fits in Deepika, a hip chain smoker in great need of rescuing herself.

It all sounds deliciously vague and intriguing. Directed by newbie, Vijay Lalwani, could Karthik Calling Karthik be that breakthrough film around the corner? We'll soon find out.

Akshay Kumar and Ash time-travel to the 1950s in Action Replay.

Imran Khan explores the grim side of the capital in Delhi Belly.

Kajol and Kareena Kapoor slips into the shoes of Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts in the official remake of Stepmom.

Strangers in the night, exchanging glances Ranbir Kapoor serenades Priyanka Chopra along these lines in Anjaana Anjaani.

John Abraham dials 1-800-Love to experience the conversation of a lifetime.

Movie Review - Slumdog Millionaire

It's a Hollywood movie but for me seems to be Bollywood type movie. Slumdog is in fact a movie that used to be made very often in Bollywood about a poor boy that falls in love with a girl whose worth is measured by her body. But he can see into her soul and knows that they are meant to be together and will move heaven and earth to make it so.

Now after updating a review on Ghajini where, Aamir Khan is a man who lives each day fifteen minutes at a time. A trauma victim with a rare form of short term memory loss, Khan's Sanjay Singhania wakes up every morning in a world he does not recognize and reminds himself to solve the mystery surrounding his last real memory - the voice of his girlfriend whispering a name into his ear.

But In Slumdog Millionaire, young Jamal lives a life in the Mumbai slums a ugly face of the city, where he have seen so much things in very early part of life which helped him to get a millions of rupees in the end. The only thing he knows for sure is that he and his childhood sweetheart were meant to be.

In Bollywood terms, they're both stories of men who've gone crazy in love.

In Ghajini's Sanjay isn't just trying to find out what happened before the world went blank: his need for revenge is a compulsion that simply cannot lead to closure of any kind. It gives him no pleasure; he has to actively remind himself of its very existence to remember its importance.

Where in Slumdog's it's a completely opposite Jamal is the little boy whose remembers everything that has happened to him in excruciating detail in his early part of life and ultimately it fell in his advantage. (it fascinated me that how one can remember so much of his childhood).

I would like to appreciate director's vision and imagination, he has an astonishing ability to capture a realm of the city, some of the scenes are unforgettable, kid's playing in Airport area, Amitabh Bachhan, Riots, soul searching, etc. I don't know enough about the filmmaking process to know whether this stems from his technical brilliance but it's something open secret of the city. There is one scene where LORD RAM watching a riot of 1992, I don't know how many of you felt that but that scene had very deep message. The violence in this movie is terrible, and it becomes all the more horrendous because you feel it more than you see it.

Its great that Hollywood movie captured what even bollywood movie find difficult to captured an interim part of the city.

I liked the role of Anil Kapoor, but Irfan khan has done great play. There is something in movie which makes you to think something about this society.

Ending song was completely waste but it was movie to watch.

It's a movie where you feel it more than you see it.

Much Awaited Hindi Movies of 2009.....

3 Idiots

Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi, R Madhavan, Kareena Kapoor

Chetan Bhagat's first novel Five Point Someone based on student life at IIT was a big hit when published some years back. Rajkumar Hirani takes a break from the Munnabhai series to adapt this literary work into cinema. Aamir Khan will once again play a college student post Dil Chahta Hai . With Hirani's expertise this one shouldn't turn out into some Hello , a tacky adaptation of Bhagat's second novel which was way too filmi and formulaic as compared to his much interesting first.

What's Your Rashee?

Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Cast: Harman Baweja, Priyanka Chopra

More than Harman Baweja, we have faith in Ashutosh Gowariker who has a grand cinematic vision. Just like he directed a simple and small-scaled Swades post Lagaan , he is directing a comparatively undemanding film What's Your Rashee post the exasperating magnum opus Jodhaa Akbar . The film is based on an Indian novel and it will be interesting to see Gowariker recreate the Harman-Priyanka chemistry.

My Name is Khan

Director: Karan Johar
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol

Karan Johar takes a U-turn from his candyfloss filmmaking and tackles a more serious issue with My Name is Khan where Shah Rukh Khan plays a Muslim named Rizwan Khan and is detained in LA as a suspected terrorist. Add to it his character also suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, a milder form of autism and his impairment makes his behaviour more suspicious. Shah Rukh has gained weight and will be sporting a new trimmed hairdo for the film.

While Karan maintains that the film is a true story based on a couple's life in LA, some say it is inspired from the Oscar nominated Dustin Hoffman - Tom Cruise starrer Rain Man . Incidentally the film is already in news for its alleged similar storyline with Yash Raj Films' New York starring John Abraham, Neil Mukesh and Katrina Kaif. But to us the plot sounds more similar to Naseeruddin Shah's Shoot on Sight .

Kambhakkt Ishq

Director: Sabir Khan
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Sylvester Stallone, Denise Richards

Expect Sajid Nadiadwala to make his project as grand as possible. His favourite and the current superstar Akshay Kumar plays the lead role with Kareena for company. But the film is making news for its international star cast and this time there are no itsy-bitsy names but established stars like Sylvester Stallone and Denise Richards who have cameos in the film.

London Dreams Director: Vipul Shah Cast: Salman Khan, Ajay Devgan, Asin The film was originally launched in 2006 with Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan and was being directed by Rajkumar Santoshi then. Some scenes were even canned with Salman Khan in Amritsar's Golden Temple. But then like most Santoshi films, this one too got shelved. In 2008 the film was revived with the same cast but Vipul Shah at the director's seat. London Dreams is seemingly about rock musicians played by Salman and Ajay Devgan and rumoured to be inspired by the Oscar winner Amadeus . It would be interesting to see the Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam duo of Salman and Ajay together after a decade. Another attraction is Asin who is already making her presence felt in Bollywood. Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani Director: Rajkumar Santoshi Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Upen Patel Ranbir Kapoor takes the Salman Khan legacy by being named as Prem in this love story. Interestingly he is paired opposite Salman's ladylove Katrina Kaif in the film. This is director Rajkumar Santoshi's first love story, who is otherwise known for socially driven action films. Not an intense romance flick, this one will have some light-hearted humourous moments. Santoshi explains the character of Prem as the Charlie Chaplin and Raj Kapoor of present times.

Main Aur Mrs Khanna Director: Prem Soni Cast: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Sohail Khan Kareena Kapoor confessed that she was nervous working with Salman Khan in this film despite having shared screen space with him in Kyon Ki . Salman and Kareena play a happily married couple until Kareena falls for a club worker played by Sohail Khan. Govinda plays a marriage counselor who attempts to patch up their strained relationship. Does that sound like Biwi No. 1 with gender-reversal of sorts? Allegedly Main Aur Mrs Khanna is the same film that was responsible for the Shah Rukh - Salman spat on Katrina's birthday party as, reportedly, Salman wanted SRK to play a cameo in the film which he refused. Hook Ya Crook Director: David Dhawan Cast: John Abraham, Genelia D'Souza, Uday Chopra The film was announced in 2006 with R Siddharth (of Rang De Basanti fame) and Amrita Rao in lead roles. In 2008 the lead pair was replaced by John Abraham and Vidya Balan. The film finally goes on floor in 2009 with Vidya being replaced by Genelia D'Souza. Scripted by Renzil D'Silva (of Rang De Basanti fame), Hook Ya Crook is a comedy but not like David Dhawan's earlier slapsticks. This one has dark shades with a good dose of action, as well. Aladin and the Mystery of the Lamp Director: Sujoy Ghosh Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Riteish Deshmukh, Jacqueline Fernandes Sujoy Ghosh's Aladin is a magnanimous fantasy film based on the popular Arabian Nights fable and has Riteish Deshmukh play Aladin while Amitabh Bachchan is the Genie. Sanjay Dutt plays a negative character while Aladin's love interest Jasmine will be played by newcomer Jacqueline Fernandes. Raavan Director: Mani Ratnam Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Vikram, Ravi Kishan After years of speculation on a cinematic version of Indian epics like Mahabharat and Ramayan, finally one director has set to do the honours. This Mani Ratnam project is being directed amidst complete secrecy in the forests of Kerela. All that is conjured about the film is that while Aishwarya Rai is obviously playing Sita, its not husband Abhishek Bachchan but south actor Vikram playing Ram. Rather Ratnam has turned tables with casting Abhishek Bachchan as the Raavan. Let's see what difference Mani Ratnam imparts to the epic, which is known to almost every citizen of the country.

Luck

Director: Soham Shah
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Imran Khan, Shruti Hassan, Mithun Chakravarthy, Ravi Kishan

Luck marks the debut of Kamal Hassan's daughter Shruti Hassan who will star opposite Imran Khan and will also lend her voice for some rocking numbers composed by Pritam. Luck also brings together the Kidnap duo of Imran Khan and Sanjay Dutt together. Ravi Kishan plays a psycho in the film and his character is akin to several animals rolled into one. One could credit the animal instincts to director Soham Shah who last directed the wildlife horror Kaal for Karan Johar and has now shifted to the Sanjay Dutt camp. The film is shot throughout in South Africa and promises to be high on adrenaline action.

Rajniti

Director: Prakash Jha
Cast: Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgan, Manoj Bajpai, Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif

Prakash Jha delves into his favourite territory again and as the title clearly suggests Rajniti is a film on present-day politics merged with chapters of Mahabharat. Ajay Devgan will symbolize the character of Karn, Nana Patekar of Krishna, Ranbir Kapoor of Arjun and Katrina Kaif of Draupadi. Also Vivek Oberoi was offered a role in the film but he opted out due to date problems.

Kaminay

Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra

Kaminay is an action-comedy and, as the title suggests, is about cunning people. Shahid Kapoor has lost weight for this role and his look in this film is being kept as a close-guarded secret. So much so that Shahid has stopped making public appearances until the promos of the film are out. Insiders reveal that Shahid sports a tanned look in the film with beard and different haircuts. Priyanka Chopra, on her part, is learning
Marathi for her character in the film. There's also buzz of a passionate lip-lock between the two in the film.

enzil D'Silva - Karan Johar Project

Director: Renzil D'Silva
Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Vivek Oberoi, Tara Sharma

Not much is known about this untitled project other than the fact that it's a political thriller and the first film to have Saif Ali Khan opposite Kareena Kapoor post their couple status (if you could overlook their vocal chemistry in Roadside Romeo ). Tara Sharma is cast opposite Vivek Oberoi in the film.

Kites Director: Anurag Basu Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Barbara Mori, Kangana Ranaut Post Jodhaa Akbar , Hrithik is really taking it easy and this would be his first release as the main lead (other than an extended special appearance in Luck By Chance ). After proving his credentials with Gangster and Life in a Metro , Anurag Basu is amongst the top league and is directing an intense romantic film. Originally producer Rakesh Roshan was trying to rope in actress Penelope Cruz but finally they zeroed in on Latin actress Barbara Mori for the role. This one promises some terrific chemistry between Hrithik and his female costars.

Movie Review – Ghajini

Typical baseline story

Love at first sight - - > love - -> Murder - - > Revenge

Yes its typical movie precisely typical south indian kinda movi with Aamir’s Perfection, very well directed and screen play was the best part of the movie.

Well I started to watch movie with many hopes (that can expect from Aamir khan’s Movie) but truly speaking it not satisfied me as I always look to take something good points from movie but from Ghajini there is nothing to take except a dedication, commitment, hard work and Perfection of Aamir Khan.

Music is good but not the best of A R Raheman.

Except Aamir khan all other character of the movies looks like typical south indians. Even director can not resist himself to avoid south flavor in movi.

Asin is good but don’t you feel that she was too much good in the movie?? Hehe....

Well no moral in the story so we shouldn’t discuss that.

I have one question here for director, what were police is doing in movie??? Except that girl hostel police was not seen up any where … interesting na…lolzzz

And one more observation Sanjay Singhania was an ordinary guy with extraordinary power because he had a 'mission'.The fact that he could not remember what that mission was made for the twist in a tale which would otherwise have been a 'kameene main tera khoon pi jaoonga' kind of revenge drama from the 1970s or 80s.

I was happy to see that Aamir's rippling muscles and even the Ghajini 'hair style' were not mere packaging but integral to the storyline of the film. That's what one expects from this very fine actor :)

All in one "One Time Watch Movie"