Take 2: 10 movies to watch out for in the 2nd half of 2017

“Kattapa ne Baahubali ko kyun maara?” (Why did Kattapa kill Baahubali?) The question that haunted all of us was finally answered this year. Baahubali 2: The Conclusion smashed all box-office records by becoming the only film to cross Rs. 100 crore on the Day 1 of its release. 2017 is surely going to be a memorable year for setting new standards in Bollywood.

But it’s been a mixed year for movies so far. Cinephiles have got to see small and big budget films across different genres. Raees, Badrinath ki Dulhania, Jolly LLB 2 joined the 100 crore club whereas some much-talked about films like Sarkaar 3, Rangoon and Raabta tanked at the box-office. Sachin: A Billion Dreams, a biopic on the master-blaster made us witness his astounding journey while Hindi Medium, a slice of life film, entertained us and gave a very important social message as well.

But picture abhi baaki hai mere dost! We are just halfway through the year and the second half of 2017 has much in store. Here’s what we’re most excited about.

Mom

Release Date – July 7

After a brilliant performance English Vinglish, veteran actress Sridevi is back with Mom, a suspense thriller directed by debutant Ravi Udyawar. The movie also stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Akshaye Khanna in never-seen-before avatars. The trailer looks very intriguing as it gives us a glimpse of the estranged relationship between Devki (Sridevi) and her daughter Arya (Sajal Ali). One cannot think but wonder about the situation that Devki is in when she has to make a choice between something wrong and very wrong. The icing on the cake is the music by the legendary A. R. Rahman.

Jagga Jasoos

Release Date – July 14

Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor come together in Anurag Basu’s musical adventure Jagga Jasoos. The film is a story of a gifted detective who sets out in search of his father. Produced by Disney, the trailer does have a magical feel to it. One cannot help but draw similarities between this film and Barfi, Anurag and Ranbir’s previous successful film together, purely based on the beautiful visuals. Pritam has composed the music for this film. The songs ‘Ullu Ka Pattha’ and ‘Galti Se Mistake’ have already garnered attention with their well choreographed movements. Jagga Jasoos has had several delays and has been in the making for around two years now! We can’t wait for it to finally release.

Lipstick Under My Burkha

Release Date – July 28

Directed by Alankrita Shrivastava under the banner of Prakash Jha Productions, Lipstick Under My Burkha stars incredibly talented actors like Konkana Sensharma and Ratna Pathak Shah alongwith newcomers Aahana Kumra and Plabita Borthakur. The film explores female sexuality through the stories of four women and their world of secret fantasies and desires. After getting a lot of grief from the Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for its “sexual content, abusive words and audio pornography” Lipstick Under My Burkha is finally being released in cinema halls thanks to the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) who asked for a few cuts, which the director agreed to. The film, which received several international accolades, has also become eligible for the prestigious Golden Globes.

Jab Harry Met Sejal

Release Date – August 4

Imtiaz Ali is back with another romantic drama and this time with the king of romance himself, SRK. The announcement of the movie’s title created quite a stir on social media as it resembles Hollywood rom com When Harry met Sally and Imtiaz’s previous film, Jab We Met. The poster of the film reads ‘What you seek is seeking you’ and has a very fun vibe to it. In a recent Twitter conversation, SRK revealed that the film has around 10 songs. Known for making enchanting love stories on screen, let’s see if Imtiaz can create the magic once again.

Toilet Ek Prem Katha

Release Date – August 11

This movie caught our attention ever since it was first announced. Shree Narayan Singh’s directorial debut film, Toilet Ek Prem Katha is a unique love story with a very strong message around the grave issue of lack of toilets in rural areas of our country. It is aligned with Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Swacch Bharat Abhiyan’. The film also has a fresh and interesting lead pair in Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar. The film is also said to be made tax free in all BJP run states in the country.

Newton

Release Date – August 18

National Award-winning actor Rajkummar Rao known for his stellar performances in movies like Shahid, Aligarh, City Lights et all,  is back with another film that everyone must watch. Newton directed by Amit Masurkar, of Sulemani Keeda fame, is based on a crucial topic – ‘Right to Vote’. A dark comedy about a young election officer Newton Kumar who heads to oversee the voting in a remote part of Chhattisgarh, Newton has been traveling to film festivals all over and gaining international recognition. The film, produced by Drishyam Films, received a standing ovation at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.

Simran

Release Date – September 15

Hansal Mehta directs Kangana Ranaut in her next film Simran, where the actor plays an NRI Gujarati in US named Praful Patel who tries to survive overseas, till one day she gets addicted to the world of crime. The trailer that looks fun and racy, brings back memories of Queen, though it does not reveal much of the plot. With Kangana, who was last seen in Rangoon, one can expect an entertaining and memorable performance. However the film is facing its share of trouble with Writer Apurva Asrani and Kangana caught in a battle over the story and dialogue credits of the film.

Chef

Release Date – October 6

Chef is the Indian adaptation of Jon Favreau’s successful Hollywood movie by the same name. Directed by Raja Krishna Menon of Airlift fame, the film revolves around a chef who quits his jobs at a leading restaurant to fulfill his dream of starting a food truck. His son joins him in this endeavor. Saif Ali Khan who plays the lead has been training for this role with the Marriott hotels in Mumbai to learn basic kitchen skills, understand how a kitchen works and also watch the body language of a chef. Will this adaptation match up to its Hollywood counterpart? We are eager to see!

Padmavati

Release Date – November 17

Post the success of Bajirao Mastani, Sanjay Leela Bhansali once  again directs the super hit duo of Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh along with Shahid Kapoor in the period drama Padmavati.  Deepika plays Queen Padmavati, Shahid essays the role of her husband Raja Rawal Ratan Singh while Ranveer plays Alauddin Khilji who is smitten by Padmavati. SLB is undoubtedly the king when it comes to period dramas but his latest venture has been plagued with problems with the film’s set being vandalized, even burnt down, shooting being stalled and more. However, now things seem to have been clarified and the shoot schedule is back on track.

 Tiger Zinda Hai

Release Date – December 22

After breaking records at the box office with Sultan last year, Ali Abbas Zafar is now directing the sequel to the 2012 action thriller Ek Tha Tiger. Titled Tiger Zinda Hai, the film sees Salman Khan reprise his role as Tiger who is on an impossible covert mission against an international terrorist organization. Katrina Kaif will also reprise her character Zoya. Fans can expect a dose of action and entertainment in true Salman Khan style. This is going to be Salman’s Christmas treat for his fans.

Whether it is romance or comedy, suspense or action, Bollywood has a great mix of films coming our way in the second half of the year. Seems like we are going to have our weekend scenes sorted!

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