This new year, brace up for a blizzard of nostalgia. A bunch of remakes, reboots and sequels will hold sway in Hindi cinema in 2020. Several of them are based on well-loved comedies from past decades, rejigged with new faces and (hopefully) fresh plots. Throwbacks, remixes and cameos will likely dominate, and it will be interesting to see filmmakers like David Dhawan and Priyadarshan (returning to Bollywood with Hungama 2) pay lavish self-tribute. As we sort out our film calendars for the coming months, here are 10 Hindi films to look forward to:
Imtiaz Ali’s untitled next
Love Aaj Kal (2009), Imtiaz Ali’s time-twisty tale about two couples across ages, was a hit in the noughties. His upcoming romance starring Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan is said to be a sequel, supposedly titled Aaj Kal. Plot details are scant, with Randeep Hooda playing a pivotal character in the fold. The highlight, of course, remains Sara, stepping into a world previously graced by her father Saif Ali Khan. Her pairing with Kartik has been cheered by fans, who are counting on the rumoured couple to recreate the magic of the original.
Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan
Trust Ayushmann Khurrana to steer his brand of social comedies in new directions. In 2017, he starred in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, about a newly-married man with performance anxiety and erectile dysfunction. His next film, directed by Hitesh Kewalya, centres on a gay couple in small-town India. Mainstream Hindi cinema is finally opening up to queer stories (we had the Sonam Kapoor-starrer Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga last year), so an Ayushmann film in the space is certainly welcome. He’s got the super-talented Jitendra Kumar beside him, as well as Badhaai Ho alums Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao.
Baaghi 3
Tiger Shroff’s Baaghi franchise has been a consistent performer at the box-office. The threequel, directed by Ahmed Khan, is reportedly a remake of the Tamil hit Vettai. Besides Tiger, the action epic stars Ritiesh Deshmukh, Shraddha Kapoor, Vijay Varma and Ankita Lokhande. The film was shot in Morocco, Egypt, Serbia, Turkey and Mumbai. Tiger has collaborated on the film’s action design, combining elements of Kung Fu, Krav Maga and Muay Thai. According to the makers, he’ll be seen defending a desert city in the climax.
Angrezi Medium
Irrfan Khan returns to Hindi cinema with a spin-off of Hindi Medium, a massive 2017 hit about the faultlines of the Indian education system. The new film, which focuses on foreign education, was shot in Rajasthan and London. Kareena Kapoor Khan and Radhika Madan have joined the cast, with the former playing the role of a cop. Producer Dinesh Vijan has stated that the character will recur in future iterations, hinting at plans of an extended franchise.
Coolie No. 1 remake
David Dhawan’s 1995 remake of Chinna Mapillai grew a cult in Indian comedy. The film followed a porter (Govinda) who marries a rich girl (Karisma Kapoor) under false pretenses. The filmmaker returns to the farce once again, this time set in Bangkok and starring his son Varun Dhawan. The duo had attempted something similar with Judwaa 2, and while the formula feels ripe, it will be tough to top the enduring legacy of the source material.
Sadak 2
Mahesh Bhatt’s Sadak was the biggest hit of 1991. It paired Sanjay Dutt and Pooja Bhatt in a Taxi Driver-ish romance about an insomniac cabbie and a brothel girl. Mahesh, who hasn’t directed a film in 20 years, returns with a sequel in 2020. Releasing on July 10, Sadak 2 brings back Sanjay and Pooja alongside Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapur. The plot picks up from the original, with Sanjay’s Ravi battling with depression and assisting a young girl (Alia) expose a fake godman. The great Gulshan Grover is in the cast, though not as the antagonist.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2
This one’s big. In 2007, Akshay Kumar and Priyadarshan teamed up for a Hindi remake of Manichitrathazhu. The result was a blockbuster horror comedy, a hilarious romp through a Rajasthani palace seemingly haunted by a pirouetting ghost. Despite the popularity of the title, the genre failed to take root up north.Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is directed by Anees Bazmee and stars Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani. The script is by Farhad Samji, quite the man for crowd-pleasing chaos.
Hungama 2
Hindi television has survived the past two decades on Priyadarshan re-runs. The ace director is finally back, parading a reboot of one of his most enduring comedy hits. It stars Meezaan Jaffery, Pranitha Subhash, Paresh Rawal and Shilpa Shetty Kundra.