From murky murders to finding lost love, next year promises to be one of genre-bending sagas, dark comedy and suspense thrillers.
Son Rise
Babil, son of powerhouse actor Irrfan Khan, will make his big-screen debut in Anvitaa Dutt’s sophomore directorial outing Qala. The film, described as a “beautiful, heartbreaking story about a daughter who craves her mother’s love”, is shot in gorgeous snow-covered locations of Jammu and Kashmir. The cast includes Tripti Dimri, who delivered a breakout performance last year in Dutt’s Bulbbul. And, going by Babil’s Instagram post, it sure looks like he is excited to be part of the Qala team.
New Pair
With poetic images and glimpses of those undefined emotions, the trailer of Shakun Batra-directed Gehraiyaan has created much excitement. Gehraiyaan, which releases on Amazon Prime Video on January 25, explores the intricacies of modern relationships and emotions. Adding an extra layer of allure to this upcoming release is the fresh pairing of Deepika Padukone and Siddhant Chaturvedi.
Border Tales
The on-screen reunion of Sanam Saeed and Fawad Khan, the lead pair in the popular television series Zindagi Gulzar Hai, has their fans on both sides of the border excited. Khan described the upcoming Zee5 show, directed by Asim Abbasi, as “a genre-bending saga of familial traumas and reconciliations, a tale of love and loss set in a world of magic and mystique”.
Dark and Devious
There is a brand of quirky humour that Vasan Bala specialises in and his directorial debut Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota has already established that. Black comedy and white-collar crime collide in Monica, O My Darling in which a young man “desperately tries to make it big with some unlikely allies and a dastardly diabolical plan to pull off the perfect murder”. Promising to be a roller coaster of dark and devilish fun, this crime drama featuring Rajkummar Rao, Radhika Apte, Huma Qureshi and Sikandar Kher will release on Netflix in 2022.
Truth Matters
After the pack-packed performance delivered by Sushmita Sen and Raveena Tandon in digital shows Aarya and Aranyak respectively, the stage is set for Madhuri Dixit-Nene’s to make her web debut with Finding Anamika, to be released on Netflix. This suspense family drama is about a global superstar, wife, and mom who suddenly vanishes without a trace. As police and loved ones search for answers to her disappearance, her perfectly crafted facade is stripped away, revealing hidden truths and painful lies in the life of an iconic actress.
Web of Stories
Filmmaker Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari keeps pushing her boundaries. After co-directing a riveting docu-series, Break Point, about Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi in 2021, she currently working on her first web show – a SonyLIV original titled Faadu. “An intense poetic love story” between two characters with very different thoughts, this show is written by Saumya Joshi, will feature Pavail Gulati and Saiyami Kher.
All things chocolate
Laal Singh Chaddha, remake of Forrest Gump, brings back the much-loved Kareena Kapoor Khan and Aamir Khan pairing on screen. With this movie, adapted in Hindi by Atul Kulkarni and directed by Advait Chandan, Khan will return to the screen in a leading role after four years.
Year of Alia Bhatt
Actor Alia Bhatt’s much-anticipated projects – RRR, Gangubai Kathiawadi and Brahmastra – are scheduled to release in 2022. Adding to the buzz are speculations regarding her wedding with actor Ranbir Kapoor. Next year, the audience might see Bhatt’s name in the credit roll as a producer. Bhatt, who is a co-producer of Darlings, will be part of its cast, along with Shefali Shah.