On Screen in 2013

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

Ranbir Kapoor, after his much-appreciated performance in Barfi!, has two movies slotted for release this year. Apart from Abhinav Kashyap's Besharam, he will be joining forces with two very interesting colleagues. Being directed by Ayan Mukerji, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, which releases on May 31, will see Ranbir work with Ayan after the successful and fresh Wake Up! Sid. Ranbir will also share screen space with ex-flame Deepika Padukone. Their personal history aside, whether the duo will be able to recreate the chemistry on screen is a question that needs to be asked. But between that film and this, Ranbir has definitely charted an impressive career graph, with films like Rockstar, Rocket Singh and Barfi!, which has set him apart from his contemporaries.

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

For a country that is known to forget its heroes, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is one of the rare reminders of one such hero, the Flying Sikh, Milkha Singh. After the reception Tigmanshu Dhulia's Paan Singh Tomar received, it is fair to say that the life of Milkha Singh will definitely draw audience into the theatres. Rang De Basanti director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra returns to the helm after Teen They Bhai. Farhan Akhtar's astonishing resemblance to the Olympian, captured by legendary cinematographer Binod Pradhan adds real value to the film. And with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Prasoon Joshi's hit music and lyrics combo, the film seems to have got it all right before the release. Looks like Milkha may not fall short of a medal this time around.

Nautanki Saala

Slotted for an April release, this Rohan Sippy film is a hilarious real-life drama. Built around the journey of two central characters and a comedy of errors that befalls them, it appears to be a breath of fresh air that one needs when the summer gets unbearable. Starring Ayushmaan Khurana, who amused us with his Vicky Donor performance, and Kunaal Roy Kapur, who has shown tremendous potential and brilliant comic timing in Delhi Belly, in the roles of Ram Parmar and Mandar Lele respectively, Nautanki Saala has the potential of becoming one of this year's best comedies. Whether it is or not, time will tell.

David

Bejoy Nambiar, known primarily for his out-of-the-box film Shaitan, returns with what looks like an equally fascinating film. From the trailers, it projects an image of yet another well-crafted film. The plot revolves around three main characters, all named David, who are about to take a decision that is going to change their life forever. The leads are played by Vikram, who we know from Mani Ratnam's Raavan, Neil Nitin Mukesh, who was at his best in his debut film Johnny Gaddaar and Vinay Virmani, the Canadian-Indian actor from Speedy Singhs. This web of intrigue will open to audiences on the first day of February.

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola

Releasing next week, this Vishal Bhardwaj movie marks his return after 7 Khoon Maaf, a film that received fairly mixed responses. However, if the quirky trailers are not enough to get you excited to watch this film, maybe this will -- Pankaj Kapoor collaborates with Bhardwaj after a long gap, and a pair that gave Indian cinema two gems in Maqbool and Blue Umbrella. To add to that, the film also brings with it a chance for Imran Khan to catapult his career graph that has been quite inconsistent.

Published in DNA After Hrs (Pune) on January 5, 2013