The 3 Idiots song,Gimme Some Sunshine,could actually be the theme song of the Box Office. It’s been a B-A-D year so far. Save some movement by My Name Is Khan and a little flutter by Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge? and Love Sex Aur Dhoka,Bollywood’s first quarter has been strictly forgettable. Everybody is now waiting for the IPL frenzy to get over so that we can get down to business.
Here’s a cheat sheet for the ones most likely to burn the BO:
The film I’m most excited about is Kites. Director Anurag Basu has successfully straddled the commercial (Murder) and the critical (Life in a Metro) world. Kites is his first attempt to direct a superstar and I’m keen to see what he does with Hrithik Roshan. The film has been in the news almost from the day the project was announced. Rumours of discontent between Basu and producer Rakesh Roshan refuse to die. Hrithik’s chemistry with the Latino starlet Barbara Mori has been debated on primetime news. There were stories of mismanagement during the film’s shoot,with talk of the Director of Photography being replaced. Kangna Ranaut has been missing from the film trailers but that can be a publicity strategy.
The sheer volume of behind-the-scenes drama makes you want to see the final product. Hrithik has not been seen since his delightful cameo in Luck By Chance,and let’s hope the sizzle quotient between him and Mori is the real deal. Everyone loves forbidden love and Kites promises lots of it.
The summer only gets bigger with Prakash Jha’s Rajniti. The poster of the film sells it hard: names like Ajay Devgn,Nana Patekar,Naseeruddin Shah,Manoj Bajpai,Katrina Kaif,Arjun Rampal and Ranbir Kapoor say it all. The story is inspired by the Mahabharat,and there’s lots of buzz about Devgn and Bajpai as the contemporary Karna and Duryodhan. This is also the first film where Katrina gets a chance to show off her acting skills,and it’s good to see her leave the glampuss image behind. Jha knows how to do a good drama,and with this star cast,he has the scope to excel.
We’ll be watching.
