Bollywood Movies in 2008

(9 votes, average: 4 out of 5)

After a surfeit of comedy last year with films like ‘Hey Baby’, ‘Partner’ and ‘Welcome’ rocking the box office, 2008 will witness a return of big action thrillers and musicals on the Bollywood scene.

After regaling cinegoers with their comic streak last year, several Bollywood heartthrobs like Akshay Kumar, Anil Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt will send testosterone levels of cinegoers soaring with on screen action stunts in many big action thrillers.

Leading the action hero brigade in 2008 will be Bollywood’s original “khiladi” and the industry’s new “Mr Dependable” Akshay Kumar. Akshay, who last year tickled many a funny bone with his successful shot at comedy with ‘Hey Baby’, ‘Namaste London’, ‘Bhool Bhulaiya’ and ‘Welcome’, will this year return to his “first love” - action.

Having made a successful makeover from action roles to intense and comic roles over the last few years, Akshay Kumar will this year display his stunts and biceps in films like Vipul Shah’s ‘Singh Is King’, Yashraj Films’ ‘Tashan’ and ‘Chandni Chowk to China’.

While Vipul Shah’s ‘Singh Is King’, an action comedy scheduled for release in August this year, will feature Akshay alongside Katrina, Neha Dhupia and Vinay Pathak, ‘Tashan’, Akshay’s first film with the Yashraj banner after a gap of 11 years since ‘Dil To Paagal Hai’, features him oposite Kareena Kapoor.

‘Chandni Chowk to China’, the third actioner in which Akshay Kumar will feature is being directed by filmmaker Nikhil Advani.

‘Chandni Chowk to China’, which is touted to be a account of Akshay’s own life, will have Bollywood’s new hot favourite Deepika Padukone in the female lead.

The year will also see the veteran actor Anil Kapoor, who sent cinegoers laughing in the aisles with his comic act of the don Majnubhai in Anees Bazmee’s ‘Welcome’, change gears to action roles in Abbas Mastan’s ‘Race’, Subhash Ghai’s ‘Black and White’ and Yashraj films’ ‘Tashan’.

While ‘Race’, an action thriller featuring Anil alongside Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu and Katrina Kaif, will hit theatres in March, Subhash Ghai’s ‘Black and White’, an action thriller in the backdrop of terrorism, will release in theatres in April.

Yashraj films’ ‘Tashan’ will release in theatres in June.

Incidentally, ‘Race and ‘Tashan’ will also have Saif Ali Khan don the ‘action hero’ mantle after his “not so successful” outings in ‘Ta Ra Rum Pum’ and ‘Eklavya’ last year.

After his career best performance in Mani Rathnam’s ‘Guru’, which had both cinegoers as well as film critics raving, Bollywood heartthrob Abhishek Bachchan will also be seen in an “action hero” avataar this year in childhood buddy Goldie Behl’s ‘Drona’ and Ramgopal Verma’s ‘Sarkaar Raaj’. While ‘Drona’, scheduled for release this Summer, features Abhishek in the role of a superhero, Ramgopal Verma’s ‘Sarkaar Raaj’, to be release at the same time, pairs him with his real life sweetheart Aishwarya Rai.

Also donning the action hero mantle this year will be superstar Aamir Khan, who is still basking in the huge accolades and overwhelming audience response to his directorial debut venture ‘Taare Zameen Par’, which seeks to stir the conscience of society over ”carefree childhood lost under the pressure of the societal norms”.

Aamir will this year be seen in the Hindi remake of the Tamil superhit ‘Ghajini’. In fact, he is reported to have undergone strenuous workouts to develop six pack abs for his role in the film, which is also being produced by him.

Not to be left behind, teenage heartthrob Salman Khan too will feature in an action thriller ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’. The film, a remake of the South Indian hit ‘Pokhiri’, features Salman alongside Ayesha Takia and yesteryears’ action star Vinod Khanna. It also marks the Hindi film directorial debut of Prabhu Deva.

Other much awaited action thrillers in 2008 are ‘Mission Istanbul’, based on a major international terrorist’s life, and Sanjay Ghadvi’s ‘Kidnap’. While ‘Mission Istanbul’, being produced by Suneil Shetty’s popcorn entertainment limited, will have Suneil, Viveik Oberoi and Zayed Khan in the cast, ‘Kidnap’ will feature Sanjay Dutt.

After the stupendous success of Farah Khan’s ‘Om Shanti Om’, 2008 will also mark a return to romantic musicals in Bollywood.

Releasing in the beginning of the year will be Ashutosh Gowarikar’s much awaited magnum opus ‘Jodha Akbar’, dealing with the “never told before” love story between Mughal emperor Akbar and his Hindu queen Jodhabai. Featuring the ‘hot’ pairing of Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai, the lavishly mounted period film is the most awaited film of the year. Being produced by UTV, ‘Jodha Akbar’ is scheduled for release on February 15.

Also releasing in February will be the Aamir Khan produced ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’, which introduces to the silver screen Aamir’s nephew Imraan Khan. Featured opposite him is Pune girl Manjari Phadnis (earlier seen in ‘Rok Sako to Rok Lo’, ‘Faltu’ and ‘Mumbai Salsa’). ‘Jaane Tu Yaa Jaane Na’ also marks the directorial debut of Abbas Tyrewala (scriptwriter of ‘Munnabhai MBBS’).

— UNI

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