It?s going to be a busy year for composer A R Rehman who?s scoring the music for three of 2008?s most awaited films. Think Ashutosh Gowarikar?s love and war epic, Jodha Akbar, starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan, which has been delayed by a few months, A Murugadoss? remake of Ghajini starring Aamir Khan and Subhash Ghai?s replay of Amadeus, titled Main Yuvraj and starring real-life pair Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif.
The spotlight?s on two other real-life pairs ? Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan; Shahid Kapoor and Vidya Balan ? whose films Tashan, an action flick from Dhoom writer Vijay Krishna Acharya, and Kismet Connection, a romantic comedy by Aziz Mirza, are slated for an April and end-2008 release respectively.
The year will also keep the Bachchans busy. After Aishwarya?s turn in Jodha Akbar as Jodha Bai, AB senior will appear in Bhootnath, the Ravi Chopra production set to release in April, about a little boy and his grandfather, er ghost. Then May and June will see the release of Ram Gopal Varma?s Sarkar Raaj, the sequel of Sarkar, featuring all three Bachchans, and Goldie Behl?s Drona starring AB Junior, respectively.
Post Rang De Basanti, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra returns to direct Dilli 6 starring Abhishek Bachchan and Saawariya girl Sonam Kapoor.
After Sony Pictures produced an Indian film, Sanjay Leela Bhansali?s Saawariya, in 2007, Warner Brothers and the Sippys are producing Chandni Chowk to China, set around a chef who is mistaken for a martial arts expert. Starring Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone, who sizzled in Om Shanti Om, it?s being directed by Nikhil Advani of Salaam-e-Ishq fame. Akshay Kumar, whose comedy flicks in 2007 were among the top grossers, will also appear in Vipul Shah?s Singh is Kinng, along with favourite heroine Katrina Kaif. Scheduled to release in August, the team has just completed a 50-day shoot in Gold Coast City in western Australia.
?2008 should be a big year by all means,? says Ashish Saksena, CEO, PVR Film Cell. ?We have all the biggies like Jodha Akbar, Tashan, God Tussi Great Ho, Ghajini lined up for release.?
The biggies apart, there are a host of other films jostling for release through the year. Like Ajay Devgan?s home production U Me Aur Hum, UTV?s Fashion, directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, which has just gone on the floor, PNC?s Ugly & Pagli starring Ranvir Sheorey and Mallika Sherawat, Nagesh Kukunoor?s two films Eight by Ten and Aashayein, Rakesh Roshan production Krazzy 4 where Hrithik Roshan is slated to twirl in an item number, Harry Baweja?s sci-fi flick to launch his son Harman titled Love Story 2050, Sahara Motion Pictures? Kaccha Limbu directed by Sagar Ballary, Nishikant Kamat?s Bombay Meri Jaan and so forth.
According to Alok Tandon, COO, INOX Leisure, ?Post the success of Dhoom 2 and Chak De, films with youth and sports as themes will be the core this year.? Tandon also says viewers will get to see better production quality with everyone willing to spend phenomenally to make the movie quality better. Also, coming soon to a multiplex near you are a slew of English titles including Sony Pictures National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Across the Universe, Jane Austen Book Club, Enchanted and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.
