Screen sweep: The year ahead in movies, by Anupama Chopra
Look out for blockbusters, entertainers, Kiran Rao on missing brides, and Fahadh Faasil as a cop and as a gangster, in 2024.
It’s a new year and hope springs anew, that 2024 will bring a slew of movies that dazzle, transport and entertain. Here are a few that I’m looking forward to.
First, there’s Merry Christmas, due for release next week. The combination of director Sriram Raghavan and stars Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi is mouth-watering in itself. The trailer gives us two strangers meeting on Christmas Eve. Romance ensues and then some sort of hell breaks loose. Sriram’s last film was the deliciously twisted Andhadhun (2018), so the bar is high.
The trend of A-list women actors going out on a creative limb promises to yield exciting results in 2024. Last year, we had Kareena Kapoor Khan collaborate with Sujoy Ghosh on Jaane Jaan (about a single mother who will do anything to protect her daughter from the shadows of her troubled former life). This year, the actor goes a step further with The Buckingham Murders, in which she plays a British policewoman battling with a personal tragedy. (This was the opening film at the 2023 Jio MAMI festival, but is due for a theatrical release this year). We will also see Alia Bhatt in Vasan Bala’s prison-break thriller, Jigra.
I’m intrigued by Laapataa Ladies, the second film directed by Kiran Rao. It’s about two young brides who disappear during a train journey. The teaser promises a rollicking ride and I love that title. There’s also Mr & Mrs Mahi, in which Janhvi Kapoor reunites with Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl director Sharan Sharma, and stars alongside Rajkummar Rao.
The great American film critic Gene Siskel used to have a basic test that asked: Is this film more interesting than a documentary of the same actors having lunch? Truth be told, I would happily watch a documentary of the Kalki 2898 AD actors having lunch because the cast includes Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Rana Daggubati and Disha Patani. There are reports that Dulquer Salmaan might feature too. What’s thrilling is the ambition. Writer-director Nag Ashwin is creating a futuristic world that promises to be a first of its kind for Indian cinema.
From Pa Ranjith, there’s Thangalaan, which is Tamil for Protector of the People. The film is set in colonial India and features an unrecognisable Chiyaan Vikram as head of a tribal community labouring in the Kolar gold fields. The visuals released so far are absolutely electric.
There will be a slew of sequels in 2024. Rohit Shetty is back, doing what he does best: testosterone-fuelled films brimming with stars and action. Singham Again features Ajay Devgn, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor Khan. For added allure, there is Tiger Shroff, and Deepika Padukone as Shakti Shetty, who Rohit describes as Lady Singham. I’m excited.
Sukumar’s Pushpa 2: The Rule is the other highly anticipated sequel out this year. Allu Arjun returns as the sandalwood smuggler who rises through the ranks. The sequel will hopefully have more of Fahadh Faasil as the unhinged cop Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat.
I’m also excited about Stree 2, directed by Amar Kaushik. A headless man plays a key role! I can’t wait to see where Amar will take the story.
There’s L2: Empuraan, the sequel to Lucifer, starring the legend Mohanlal and directed by another superb actor, Prithviraj Sukumaran. Prithviraj also features in the rebooted Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, alongside Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff. That’s an intriguing combination.
Diljit Dosanjh, a favourite of mine, will star in Imtiaz Ali’s Amar Singh Chamkila, which tells the story of Punjab’s legendary rockstar. This will be an AR Rahman musical. What’s not to love?
Actor-writer-director Rishab Shetty will also return, with Kantara: Chapter 1, a prequel to his 2022 blockbuster. It looks spectacular.
There’s Aavesham by writer-director Jithu Madhavan, starring Fahadh Faasil as a gangster. For me, Faasil is the gold standard of acting. I will watch anything he’s in.
But before all these, we have Fighter with Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor. I’m hoping this one, directed by Siddharth Anand, is the desi answer to Top Gun. I think it might also set the limit for how much beauty and superstar charisma can be squeezed into one movie. All in all, it looks set to be a film feast through the new year.
