From Karan Johar's latest directorial venture to Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone's first film together, it's been a season of surprise announcements. While we are yet to know whether they'll get a theatrical release or would directly land on our OTTs, we take a look some of the major films that have been announced this year, so far.
Karan Johar is set to don the director's hat with his newly-announced love story starring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt in the titular roles. Five years after his last directorial film, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, this romantic drama, as per Johar, will be "a love story deeply embedded in the roots of family." The film will also mark the return of Dharmendra alongside powerhouse performers Shabana Azmi and Jaya Bachchan.
Speculations of Deepika Padukone and Hrithik Roshan starring in a film had been rife for a while, but the announcement of Siddharth Anand's Fighter finally put an end to them. Touted to be India's first aerial action franchise, the film will be a tribute to the armed forces. Produced by Viacom18 Studios, the film is scheduled for a 2022 release.
Hrithik Roshan announced the next installment of the popular superhero series on the day the Rakesh Roshan film Krrish completed 15 years of release. The film was a sequel to the 2003 hit Koi… Mil Gaya, starring Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta as Rohit and Nisha, and looked at what the future held for their son, Krrish, a boy with superhuman powers. While the plot of Krrish 4 remains under wraps, it will be interesting to see whether Jadoo, our friendly neighborhood alien, returns.
Yet another Dharma Productions offering, the courtroom drama is adapted from Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat's book, The Case That Shook The Empire, based on the late lawyer-activist C Sankaran Nair. Set against the backdrop of the aftermath of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in 1919, the story, to be directed by Karan Singh Tyagi, dives into the historic courtroom battle the lawyer fought against the British Raj to uncover the truth behind the devastating firing.
Ajay Devgn announced a collaboration with producer Dil Raju for the Hindi remake of Vijay Kanakamedala's Naandhi, starring Allari Naresh. The courtroom drama revolves around an IT professional, who is wrongly accused of a high-profile murder, leading to several years of trauma in the jail as he waits for his trial to take place.
The love story, starring Kartik Aaryan, is slated for a 2022 release. However, it's already in the news for its title, which is slated for a change to "avoid hurting sentiments." The film is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and will be helmed by Marathi film director Sameer Vidwans.
Director Shankar recently announced a Hindi remake of his Vikram-starrer Tamil blockbuster Anniyan. The yet to be titled film will star Ranveer Singh and be produced by Dr. Jayantilal Gada of Pen Studios. The original film, released in 2005, was based on a common man frustrated with corruption, working as a lawyer by day and vigilante at night.
Junglee Pictures have acquired the rights to make a film based on Jeevajothi Santhakumar, a woman from Kodaikanal who fought against P Rajagopal, the founder of Hotel Sarvana Bhavan – a popular South Indian chain. Known as the 'dosa king,' Rajagopal was found guilty of kidnapping and murdering Jeevajothi's husband, and his employee, Prince Shanthakumar. The story will be written by Bhavani Iyer, screenwriter of films including Raazi and Lootera.
When Anurag Kashyap teams up with Taapsee Pannu for a sci-fi film, one has to sit up and take notice. The film, announced earlier this year, is said to revolve around time travel, and how one night changes everything – including time, space and the universe in itself.
Zee Studios and Emmay Entertainment will produce Rani Mukherjee's next film, Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway. A story of one mother's battle against an entire nation, the film will be directed by Mere Dad Ki Maruti fame Ashima Chhiber.
After Drishyam, Mohanlal's well-acclaimed Drishyam 2 too, will soon see a Hindi version. Panorama Studio International had acquired the rights of the film earlier this year, and are yet to announce the actors and director involved in the film. Set six years after the events of the original, the sequel focuses on the struggles of Georgekutty and his family as they get entangled in a criminal investigation.
An interesting combination in the making, the yet-untitled film will be directed by Hansal Mehta, and produced by Anubhav Sinha's Benaras Mediaworks. The film, touted to be an action thriller, will star fresh faces – Zahaan Kapoor and Aditya Rawal. Interestingly, Zahaan is Shashi Kapoor's grandson, while Aditya is Paresh Rawal's son.
Bhushan Kumar recently announced that T-Series had acquired the rights for making a biopic on the late choreographer, Saroj Khan. While not much is known about the details of the film yet, it'll be interesting to see a film on the journey of one of the most accomplished female choreographers in Hindi cinema.
It is the season of remakes, but then again, when is it not? Pawan Kumar's hit suspense thriller, U-Turn, first made in Kannada in 2016, and then remade in Tamil and Telugu in 2018 with Samantha Akkineni in the lead, will now see a Hindi remake starring Alaya F. Alaya made her debut in the 2020 dramedy Jawaani Jaaneman alongside Saif Ali Khan. Debutant director Arif Khan will helm the project, while Ekta Kapoor's Cult Movies is set to produce the film.
After The Zoya Factor, author Anuja Chauhan's book, Club You To Death, has been acquired by Dinesh Vijan's Maddock Films. The story is a mix of a romance and murder mystery and will be set in modern-day India. Vijan, in a statement, described it as "entertaining, funny and deliciously twisted." The details of the cast and crew are yet to be announced.
For the ones who loved the Sridevi-starrer Chaalbaaz, there will soon be a modern-day version of the hit comedy. Shraddha Kapoor will star in a double role, like the late Sridevi in the original. The film will be directed by Pankaj Parashar – also the director of the 1989 comedy and produced by T-Series and Paper Doll Entertainment.
11 years after its release, Dibakar Banerjee's well-acclaimed Love, Sex Aur Dhokha is set to return with a sequel. Produced by Ekta Kapoor's Cult Movies and Dibakar Banerjee Productions, Banerjee will return as the director to take the franchise forward. The film will, according to a statement by Kapoor, "capture newer, higher and wilder territories."