Bollywood is banking on sequels and remakes to be money-spinners this year, with films such as “Race 2”, “Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai 2”, “Himmatwala” and “Chashme Buddoor” prompting trade experts to predict that there will be movies which could end up spinning Rs2 billion (Dh134 million) each at the box office.
“I think the industry is only growing with each passing year and there will be no downfall as far as the film industry is concerned. The year 2013 will be better than 2012 and there are some wonderful films lined up,” said Balkishan Shroff of Shringar Films.
The year begins with the release of “Table No. 21”, featuring Rajeev Khandelwal and Tena Desae, and “Rajdhani Express”, which marks the directorial debut of tennis ace Leander Peas. Both are small budget films.
Next up is Vishal Bhardwaj’s much-awaited rustic drama “Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola” featuring Imran Khan, Anushka Sharma and Pankaj Kapoor. Its desi Haryana appeal, witty one-liners and quirky song lyrics have already created a lot of buzz and movie buffs are eagerly looking forward to its release (it’s the UAE’s first Hindi release of the year, on January 10).
“Matru...” will be followed by Sudhir Mishra’s bold and serious film “Inkaar”, on workplace exploitation. That will be followed by Abbas-Mustan’s “Race 2”, a sequel to 2008 film “Race”. While Saif Ali Khan and Anil Kapoor reprise their roles in the sequel, the new additions include John Abraham, Deepika Padukone, Jacqueline Fernandez and Ameesha Patel.
After rocking 2012 with five successful films, Akshay Kumar’s first major release in 2013 will be heist drama “Special Chabbis”, and he will later be seen in “Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai 2”.
After “F.A.L.T.U.”, choreographer-turned-director Remo D’Souza will present his first 3D dance film “ABCD: AnyBody Can Dance” with Prabhudheva in the lead. Promotions for the movie will begin full swing in January.
Director Abhishek Kapoor, who rocked the nation with the 2008 film “Rock On”, is set to release “Kai Po Che”, a big screen adaptation of Chetan Bhagat’s bestseller “The 3 Mistakes of My Life”. The film features Amit Sadh, Raj Kumar Yadav and Amrita Puri and marks the Bollywood debut of popular TV actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
Movie aficionados are also looking forward to the release of Farhan Akhtar-starrer “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”, a biopic of former athlete Milkha Singh. It is directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, and its theatrical trailer has already garnered a positive response.
Overall, there are going to be several sequels all the way in the new year —- “Murder 3”, “Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns”, “Aashiqui 2”, “Yamla Pagla Deewana 2,” “Ragini MMS 2”, “Krrish 3” and “Dhoom 3”. Vivek Oberoi and Aamir Khan play baddies, in “Krrish 3” and “Dhoom 3” respectively.
Where there are sequels, remakes can’t be far behind: Filmmaker Sajid Khan releases “Himmatwala”, a remake of the 1983 film of the same name; while the original featured Jeetendra and Sridevi, the new film has Ajay Devgn and southern actress Tamannaah.
Ali Zafar, Siddharth and Divyendu Sharma will recreate the magic of the 1981 film “Chashme Buddoor” with an eponymous remake.
Southern superstar Ram Charan Teja will bring alive the young and angry cop Vijay in Apoorva Lakhia’s “Zanjeer”. It is a remake of 1973 film of the same name, which proved to be a turning point in megastar Amitabh Bachchan’s acting career.
Other films to look forward to in 2013 are “Aatma”, “I, Me Aur Main”, “Nautanki Saala”, “Ghanchakkar”, “Raanjhnaa”, “Ek Thi Dayan”, “Chennai Express” and “Lootera”.
“The prediction for 2013 is very positive. We have some big films coming up including ‘Chennai Express’, ‘Krissh 3’ and at the same time we also have many small and medium budget films in the line-up,” said distributor Rajesh Thadani of Multimedia Combine.
“I personally feel 2012 has achieved so much and taken the box office collection to the next level. So in 2013, we will be talking of Rs2 billion, at the least. I hope 2013 will be very fruitful for everyone,” Thadani added.
