Cinematic goalposts – The Tribune

Each year, as we venture into fresh beginnings, the question uppermost on any cinephile’s mind is, will our entertainment industry find a new robust voice? Can it reset its formula button and sweep us off our feet with new visions and ingenious storytelling, or will it be business as usual? As the year ended with ‘Baby John’ failing to enthuse audiences, the cheer around the stupendous success of ‘Pushpa 2’ and earlier ‘Stree 2’ did get muted.

Yet, there is every reason to begin the year with hope and optimism. The first Friday of the New Year does not bring any big-ticket film to the booking windows, but January sure is a crowded month. Sonu Sood’s ‘Fateh’ and UK’s official Oscar entry ‘Santosh’, directed by British-Indian Sandhya Suri, are expected to clash on January 10.

Kangana Ranaut’s much delayed if not most awaited political drama ‘Emergency’ will finally hit the screens on January 17.

Though 2024 showed that films releasing on the same date doesn’t bode well for the industry, January 17 could also lead to ‘Azaad’ and ‘Emergency’ vying for audiences’ attention. ‘Azaad’, directed by ‘Kai Po Che!’ fame Abhishek Kapoor, launches yet another new face, this time with filmi connections. Aaman Devgan, nephew of Ajay Devgn, makes his tryst with Bollywood in ‘Azaad’, whose star cast includes the superstar uncle himself.

Also possibly scheduled for January is Raj Kumar Santoshi’s ‘Lahore 1947’. After a not-so-successful run in recent years, he reunites with his ‘Ghayal’ actor Sunny Deol. Sunny is currently enjoying renewed star power courtesy ‘Ghadar 2’s ghadar at the box office. ‘Lahore 1947’ also bears the quality stamp of Aamir Khan Productions.

Aamir’s son Junaid Khan, who made his debut on OTT with ‘Maharaj’, will be seen again, not in his father’s production house though. In Phantom Studios’ ‘Loveyapa’, a romcom helmed by Advait Chandan, he will be romancing yet another star-kid, Khushi Kapoor. But the star kid everyone will truly be watching out for is Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, who interestingly has not followed in his father’s footsteps as an actor. He begins his starry innings as a director with a web series tentatively titled ‘Stardom’. Can this insider truly dive deep into fame’s many complexities and secrets? Nevertheless, it stars many biggies, including his superstar father.

OTT, we all know, has already created its own superstars. And one who entertainment buffs and critics alike love unanimously is Jaideep Ahlawat. The second season of ‘Paatal Lok’, the show which catapulted the seasoned actor’s career graph to dizzying heights, has got its release date. Mark your calendar for January 17 when hellish delight is likely to get more delectable.

Seasons are the forever flavour of OTT and you can certainly go on a thrilling ride with ‘The Family Man Season 3’. Jaideep, rumoured to be playing an antagonist, is likely to spar with our desi spy Srikant Tiwari, nailed to perfection by Manoj Bajpayee. Bajpayee’s last film on OTT, ‘Despatch’, may have disappointed his fans, but Raj and DK’s reinvention of the spy genre even in the third outing is unlikely to dilute his and the series’ fandom. If OTT can’t let go of its franchise models, it’s difficult to expect the big screen to stop encashing on its hit formula. Even if more often than not it is ‘tired and tested’, as with the never-ending outings of the brain-dead but commercially viable ‘Housefull’. Expect a slate of sequels — ‘Raid 2’, ‘War 2’, ‘Housefull 5’, ‘Baaghi 4’ and ‘Jolly LLB 3’.

Akshay Kumar had a dismal run in 2024, but there is no stopping this acting machine. His admirers are certain he can find his mojo back, especially with his lawyer act in the satirical ‘Jolly LLB’ series. Akshay anyway is not going down and has over four releases, including ‘Sky Force’ early in the year.

Salman Khan, whose cameo in ‘Baby John’ generated more buzz than the film itself, will be seen in AR Murugadoss’ ‘Sikandar’. The muqadar of many new Sikandars will be determined in the OTT space, which continues to get bigger, if not better, what with more and more A-list directors creating content for streaming platforms. Director of tent-pole films like ‘War’ and ‘Pathaan’ Siddharth Anand’s film ‘Jewel Thief’, again starring Ahlawat and Saif Ali Khan, is expected to land directly on OTT. Later in the year, Raj and DK’s ‘Rakt Brahmand — The Bloody Kingdom’, a fantasy horror series, will make you travel back in time sans historical or mythical reference.

Bollywood’s fascination for period films stays intact. Come February 14 and cinema will celebrate India’s love for its warriors. ‘Chhaava’, starring Vicky Kaushal in the lead, is based on the valour of Maratha king Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Much is expected from this historical, since it comes from the stable of Maddock Films. With their enviable track record in 2023, they can teach the bigger studios a thing or two on how to crack the box-office formula.

Yet another Maddock venture ‘Thama’, with which they expand their horror-verse, has Aditya Sarpotdar of ‘Munjya’ fame firmly in the saddle, holding directorial reins. ‘Thama’ also boasts of a power-packed cast and it would indeed be interesting to watch the alchemy of two talented star actors, Ayushmann Khurrana and Nawazuddin Siddqiui.

Vivek Agnihotri’s ‘Delhi Files: The Bengal Chapter’ goes back to Partition. In the two-part film, the first one, focusing on Bengal, could stir the hornet’s nest, as many of his previous films have. Farhan Akhtar’s ‘120 Bahadur’, too, is a period film and will encapsulate the story of the Battle of Rezang La during the 1962 India-China war.

Dare we place our bets on any of them, only let the words of Tom Peters — ‘Celebrate what you want to see more of’— be our guiding light.

The real path to glory, however, could be lit by indie voices, going by Payal Kapadia’s stunning show at the Cannes Film Festival. All we imagine as cinema could find newer goalposts.