2019 Films To Watch Out For

1.     Uri: Calling a  spade  a spade,declaring Pakistan a political enemy  in a film about India’s surgical  attack on Pakistan is not the  kind of soft-focus approach one would expect in a  film sensitive   film.  Uri tells  it like it is. And that’s what makes  it interesting.  Director Aditya Dhar  has not made an apologetic  namby-pamby film. This is the hardcore  stuff, with Vicky Kaushal playing a soldier  out to get blood.Khoon ka badla… Jai Hind! Release date: 11 January

2.     Manikarnika: The Queen  Of  Jhansi: The very fact that this  project had  to go through  a  journey  of  struggle  almost as enormous the one that  the  Queen OfJhansi undertook, makes it an  interesting project . With two  director KrishJagarlamudi and, ahem, Kangana Ranaut the film could well be more hysterical  than historical  but still worth the wait. Release Date: 25 January.

3.     Super  30: Bihar’s  world-renowned  mathematician Anand  Kumar  is being  played by Hrithik Roshan  in his first true-life project.We can only hope he doesn’t do Krish on  the  well-known  maths wizard.Release date: 25  January.

4.     Ek Ladki Ko Dekha  Toh Aisa Laga:  Debutante  director Shelley Chopra Dhar  brings  father Anil   Kapoor and daughter Sonam Kapoor Ahuja together for the  first time.I am already  game.Release  date 1  February.

5.     Sonchiriya:  Director Abhishek Choubey’s  raw real  authentic drama takes us away from the  filmy dacoit dramas into a credible  view of  violence  in  theChambal Valley. This  would be an interesting departure from the  formula  for the age-long genre  of dacoit films. Sushant  Singh Raput will face Manoj  Bajpai for the first time.Bajpai  is not  frazzled. But we  hope to be dazzled. Release date: February 8.

6.     Gully Boyz:  Zoya Akhtar trippy tale of  street rappers  brings together RanveerSingh and Alia Bhatt for the first time. Need anything more be said? Release date: 14  February.

7.     Badla: Sujoy Ghosh brings together  the Pink pair Amitabh Bachchan and Tapsee Pannu in what  promises  to be a   hardhitting revenge drama  replete  with  unforeseen twists and turns. Release date: 8 March

8.     Kesari: Akshay Kumar return this time to  play Havaldar Ishar Singh in the Battle of  Saragarhi . The tale  of untold valour and patriotism  will connect viscerally  with every Indian .This period drama  directed by Anurag Singh brings Parineeti Chopra as Akshay’s daughter.Release  date 21 March.

9.     The Zoya Factor: With cricket at its background and the fresh-as-a-daisy pair ofSonam  Kapoor Ahuja and Dulquer  Salman in the lead   and director AbhishekSharma(who helmed last year’s surprise success Parmanu )  can this go wrong? Release date: 5 April.

10.  Kalank: Director Karan Johar  brings together Madhuri Dixit, SonakshiSinha,Varun Dhawan, Sanjay Dutt, Alia Bhatt in  the biggest multistarrer since Karan  Johar’s  Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Release  date: 19 April

11.  Bharat: Ali Abbas Zafar directs  Salman Khan in a film that tracks the life of an ordinary  Indian from  1947 to the  present day.  Remains to be  seen  if Salmanmakes history this time. Release date: Eid.

12.  Mission Mangal: Akshay Kumar goes into outerspace . This time he is again navigated by a debutant director Jagat Shakti. He  has for company  some lovely leading ladies  like Vidya Balan, Tapsee Pannu and Sonakshi Sinha.Way to go, MrKumar. Release date  15 August.

13.  Batla House: Recreating the  Batla House terror encounter in 2018 directorNikhil Advani has  the newly-converted  patriotic  leading man  John Abraham  attemping an out-of-the-box film. Release date:  15 August.

14.  Hrithik Roshan-Tiger Shroff untitled  starrer: The  combats  between these two sinewy stars  prompts  me to suggest  the title Paisa Vasool  for this  actionerdirected  by  Siddharth Anand to be release on October 2.

15.  Varun Dhawan-Katrina  Kaif untitled starrer: Remo D’Souza directs  this never-before pair  in a  dance face-off that promises  to blow the screen apart.Wow. Release date: 8 November.