Book your tickets, grab your popcorn and stand for the national anthem for some of Bollywood's most awaited films of 2017. Here are the promising ones that we are all excited about watching on the big screen next year.
Rangoon
With Vishal Bhardwaj behind the camera, it's obvious why this would be on every cinephile's list of films to look out for in 2017. A World War II backdrop with Saif Ali Khan, Kangana Ranaut and Shahid Kapoor in the lead only makes the film all the more alluring. Bhardwaj last stunned us with Haider in 2014, we saw his brilliance at work as producer and screenwriter on Talvar in 2015, let's now roll the red carpet for Rangoon.
2.0
You bet Shankar's 2.0 will be outrageously commercial and that's exactly why we are looking forward to it. Though technically not a Bollywood' film, the Rajinikanth - Akshay Kumar face-off is another reason why this sequel to Robot should be worth waiting for. Some sources put the budget of this tri-lingual film at Rs 400 crore, making it the most expensive film in Indian cinema ever. Get ready to be gobsmacked by the awesome VFX and Thalaivar + Khiladi Kumar's inimitable swag.
Simran
The real life story the Bombshell Bandit' Sandeep Kaur had all the makings of an entertainer. Filmmaker Hansal Mehta spotted it and roped in Kangana Ranaut to play a Gujju housekeeper who goes around looting banks in the US of A. Mehta wrapped his film earlier this month and we're looking forward to a release date.
The Ring (Working Title)
What really makes this one interesting is the coming together of Imtiaz Ali and Shah Rukh Khan. While Imtiaz's films have predictably been zoning out into journeys that are outward (exotic foreign locations) and inward (finding yourself), let's hope he has something more to offer with Shah Rukh as his protagonist. Will Imtiaz and SRK rewrite Bollywood romance as we know it?
Tubelight
Salman Khan and Kabir Khan join hands once again after their blockbuster Bajrangi Bhaijaan. Reportedly set during the Indo-Chinese war of 1962, the film has Salman playing a Forrest Gump like character who falls in love with a Chinese lady (Chinese actress Zhu Zhu). While this one may not go anywhere near the similarly themed Malayalam classic Arabikatha, it might just hit the spot.
Kaalakaandi
While Saif Ali Khan will also be seen in the desi remake of Chef in 2017, what makes this film interesting is the involvement of the writer of Delhi Belly - Akshat Verma as both writer and director. If the writing is anything as bindaas and edgy as Delhi Belly was, and if Saif plays it as cool as he did in Ek Hasina Thi or Omkara - this could be one cracker of a film. I still have to figure out what the title means though.
Baahubali: The Conclusion
Palace intrigue, bloody battlefields and high melodrama packaged with grand sets and top of the line VFX - Baahubali's sequel just can't be ignored. Besides, Prabhas and Rana Daggubati have been working their pecs out and of course everyone wants to know why Kattappa killed Baahubali.
Jagga Jasoos
We may finally get to see this modern day Mughal-E-Azam in 2017. If you loved what Anurag Basu did with Ranbir Kapoor in Barfi!, then there is no reason why you wouldn't line up to watch Jagga Jasoos. Despite all the plagiarised bits in Barfi!, you got to admit that Basu tells a story with lan and has a firm grip over his craft. So yes, we do hope this film finally sees the light of day after 3 (or is it 4?) years in the making.
Jolly LLB 2
I quite enjoyed Phas Gaye Re Obama but felt Jolly LLB wasn't written out to its full potential. Did budget constraints keep Jolly LLB from evolving into the brilliant comment on the country's judicial system that it could have been? Now with Akshay Kumar on board, Subhash Kapoor won't have that excuse to hold him back. Khiladi Kumar's flair for comedy along Kapoor's flair for finding funny' in the most ordinary and commonplace nooks of life makes this a promising film.
A Death in the Gunj
With premieres and screenings at various film festivals including Toronto, Busan and New York and praise from the international press (check out what the The Hollywood Reporter said, above), Konkona Sensharma's directorial debut A Death in the Gunj will be a film to look out for. Konkona's atmospheric indie drama set in the 1970s is brought to life by a top notch set of actors that include Ranvir Shorey, Tillotamma Shome, Kalki Koechlin and Om Puri.
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