15 films to watch out for in 2019

Uri: The Surgical Strike

Declaring Pakistan a political enemy in a film about India’s surgical attack across the Line of Control can’t involve a soft approach. Uri: The Surgical Strike tells it like it is. And that’s what is its USP. 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

Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi

The very fact that this project had to go through a journey of struggle almost as enormous as the one that the Queen of Jhansi undertook, makes it an interesting project. With two directors, Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi and, ahem, Kangana Ranaut, the film could well be more hysterical than historical but still worth the wait.

Release Date: 25 January

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 a Krish on the well-known maths wizard.

Release date: 25 January

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

Sonchiriya

Director Abhishek Choubey’s raw real authentic drama takes us away from the filmy dacoit dramas into a credible view of violence in the Chambal Valley. This will 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.

Gully Boyz

Zoya Akhtar’s trippy tale of street rappers brings together Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt for the first time. Need anything more be said?

Release date: 14 February

Badla

Sujoy Ghosh brings together the Pink pair Amitabh Bachchan and Tapsee Pannu in what promises to be a hard hitting revenge drama, replete with unforeseen twists and turns.

Release date: 8 March

Kesari

Akshay Kumar returns 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

The Zoya Factor

With cricket as its background and the fresh-as-a-daisy pair of Sonam Kapoor Ahuja and Dulquer Salman in the lead and director Abhishek Sharma (who helmed last year’s surprise success Parmanu), can this go wrong?

Release date: 5 April

Kalank

Director Karan Johar brings together Madhuri Dixit, Sonakshi Sinha,Varun Dhawan, Sanjay Dutt, Alia Bhatt in the biggest multi-starrer since Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.

Release date: 19 April

Bharat

Ali Abbas Zafar directs Salman Khan in a film that tracks the life of an ordinary Indian from 1947 to the present day. Will Salman make history this time?

Release date: Eid

Mission Mangal

Akshay Kumar goes into the outer-space. 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, Mr Kumar.

Release date: 15 August

Batla House

Recreating the Batla House terror encounter in 2008, director Nikhil Advani casts the newly-converted patriot John Abraham in the lead role and will attempt an out-of-the-box film.

Release date: 15 August

Untitled film starring Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff The combats between these two sinewy stars prompts me to suggest the title Paisa Vasool for this actioner directed by Siddharth Anand.

Release date: October 2

Taanaji, The Unsung Warrior

A solid historical costume drama that pitches Ajay Devgn against Saif Ali Khan, we’ve got to see, if it can be the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film of 2019 that is not directed by Bhansali.

Release date: 22 November