It couldn?t get better than this for film buffs. And we are not talking about some of the big ticket releases like Sanjay Leela Bhansali?s Saawariya, Ashutosh Gowarikar?s Jodhaa Akbar, Sudhir Mishra?s Khoya Khoya Chand, Aamir Khan?s Taare Zameen Par to keep movie fans busy over the next few months. Also coming soon to a multiplex near you are a host of seemingly small-on-budgets but big-on-ideas films. Think Johnny Gaddar, Mithya, No Smoking. Here?s the lowdown:

Johnny Gaddar

If you wondered where did Sriram Raghavan disappear after making Ek Haseena Thi, here?s some good news. Raghavan, who simply loves the films of the Coen Brothers (Big Lebowski, O Brother Where Art Thou), is back with a caper thriller, a story about a gang of five friends who carry out a heist and what happens when one of them decides to double-cross and the plan backfires. ?It?s not a whodunnit but very Hitchcockian. The audience knows from the very beginning who?s up to the tricks, but not the friends.? The film, set for a September-end release, stars Vinay Pathak and will be the debut for Neil Nitin Mukesh, the legendary singer Mukesh?s grandson. The story has stayed for sometime with Raghavan having had to take a ?forced break? due to lack of funds before Adlabs stepped in. Don?t miss the fantastic score, a very 70s sound, which is making quite a splash. Besides a film for Rohan Sippy production in November ? ?not a thriller? ? Raghavan will be ready to start work on Agent Vinod, a spy thriller, with Saif Ali Khan mid-next year.

No Smoking

All eyes are on Anurag Kashyap as he gets set to release his third film (his first, Paanch, got caught at the censors, and his second, Black Friday, was held up from release by a court ruling for more than two years) this October. ?It?s a bizarre thriller, a David Fincher (Se7en, The Game) meets Kafka story about an arrogant, selfish man (John Abraham plays the role), who?s a chain smoker, agreeing to give it up and go into rehab to save his marriage,? says Kashyap. Being produced by Kumar Mangat and Vishal Bharadwaj, the film also stars Ayesha Takia and Ranvir Shorey who puts in a stunning performance if the initial rushes are anything to go by.

Manorama Six Feet Under

This Shemaroo Entertainment banner film has been making waves in the festival circuit and is finally slated for a September-end release. The first feature film of Navdeep Singh, it is a noir thriller set in a sleepy Rajasthan town. Starring Abhay Deol, Gul Panag, Raima Sen among others, the interesting promos have already

stirred the imagination of film fiends. Says Hiren Gada, VP, Shemaroo Entertainment: ?Navdeep?s been making ad films for quite a while (remember the brilliant Hrithik Roshan Parle ad?) and he is a perfectionist, a stickler for detail ? that shows through in Manorama.? He points out that with Shemaroo looking for ?quality content? for its banner productions, Singh?s Manorama fits perfectly. ?It?s got rave reviews at the festivals and we are looking forward to its commercial release.?

Mithya

In this Rajat Kapoor film, produced by Planman Motion Pictures (PMP) he takes on the underworld ? again, Ranvir Shorey is a star performer ? but the making of Mithya is a story in itself. Says Shubho Shekhar Bhattarcharjee, CEO, PMP: ?One of Rajat?s assistants was working with us and wondered whether we were interested in reading a script of his, which had been floating around for seven years. I read the script and called Rajat up immediately.? Mithya is slated for a year-end release. Like Rituparno Ghosh?s The Last Lear which is doing the festival rounds. Other interesting films to watch out for from the PMP stable are a comedy by Sharad Kataria ? he wrote dialogues for Bheja Fry ? which is an adaptation of Shakespeare?s A Midsummer Night?s Dream adapted to a Punjabi wedding and a romantic comedy, I am 24, by Saurabh Shukla.

Frozen

This black-and-white splendour is an ode to ?quality cinema?, say a wide number of people who have seen it. Shivajee Chandrabhushan?s labour of love, shot at extreme conditions in Ladakh ? ?12,000 feet above sea level and temperatures ranging between -5 and -30 degrees C? ? is the story of Lasya, a teenager, who lives with her father Karma (Danny Dengzongpa puts in a superlative performance) and brother Chomo in a remote village, somewhere in the northern Himalayas. But then the Army moves in, a few hundred yards from their doorstep, and Karma and his family?s reality changes forever. Shot with great skill by Shankar Raman, this film too nearly didn?t get made due to lack of funds till Anand Surapur of Phat Phish Motion Pictures stepped in. At Cinefan it won the Special Jury award ?for pushing boundaries on various levels ? cinematographic, political, psychological and geographical ? and creating an innovative cinematic experience that has universal appeal.? Frozen will be screened at the Toronto film festival and will see a commercial release by the end of the year.

Loins of Punjab Presents

This Manish Acharya laugh riot about the comedy of life is set for a commercial release in September-end. For one, it brings together a Bhangra rapper, a philanthropist, a prodigy, a reckless actress and a love-sick businessman ? their lives collide during a singing contest in New Jersey. Acharya, a multiple-award winner from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Programme, conceived the idea for the film ? a singing contest at a small town in the US ? at a crowded coffee shop in New York while discussing the West?s growing interest in all things Bollywood. Starring Shabana Azmi, Ayesha Dharker, Ajay Naidu among others, it has a hilarious turn from Jameel Khan. The film won the Best Feature Film award at the 2007 First Run Festival in New York this April.