Rann
(Dir Ram Gopal Varma, out now)
Amitabh Bachchan’s latest flick uncovers the exploitative nature of the Indian media industry. The tagline is ‘Truth is terrible’, but fear not, Big B fans – your hero is a morally upstanding advocate of journalistic ethics. The film has already hit controversy for pinching the melody of the Indian national anthem for its title song, resulting in a promo ban and song censorship by the Supreme Court. A surefire hit, then.
Veer
(Dir Anil Sharma, out now)
Salman Khan’s first film of the year sees him star as a ripped warrior hunk who takes on the British army in 1870s India. While he’s at it, of course, he gets the
girl. Khan has said that he wrote the
story some 20 years ago and that this is his ‘dream project’. His presence and Titan-like physique ought to secure box office success. Bollywood newcomer, Zarine Khan, brings the eye candy.
My Name is Khan
(Dir Karan Johar, expected February 12)
In an apparently true story, Shah Rukh Khan stars as a Muslim who is detained as a terror suspect in LA. Intriguing as the storyline already is, Khan’s character also suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, and is involved in the pursuit of love in a journey across the US. They like to cram them in there, don’t they?
Kites
(Dir Anurag Basu, expected May 14)
Set in Las Vegas, Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori star as a pair of Indian and Mexican lovers hindered by the language barrier. In time they split, only to be reunited years later, once the rom-com has become a murder mystery and Hrithik Roshan a wanted man.
Stepmom
(Dir Siddharth Malhorta, release date to be confirmed)
Hindi cinema has a habit of lifting plotlines wholesale from Hollywood hits. This Kareena Kapoor vehicle, also starring the aforementioned Kajol, is likely to be a direct remake of the Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts 1998 also-ran. Quite why they’re bothering is anyone’s guess, but Bollywood internet forums are already buzzing with excitement.
Dabanng
(Dir Abhinav Kashyap, release date TBC)
Whereas Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots took potshots at the education system, Dabanng (starring Salman Khan, again) takes a swipe at the police. Khan’s portrayal of a corrupt police officer in the UP-Bihar territory has a lot of people talking, but we’re wondering how they’ll shoehorn singing and dancing into the drama. Serpico meets Annie? The mind can’t help but boggle.
See them here
Bollywood movies are famously colourful and loud, so there’s little point settling down in front of the TV with the latest DVD. Get out to the cinema while you can – the atmosphere is usually the best part. Audiences are vocal, often screaming encouragement or abuse at the screen as though they were at a pantomime matinee.
There are several theatres in Abu Dhabi that appeal to fans of Indian cinema. Grand Safeer (Safeer Mall, Mussafah, 02 552 1515, Dhs25) has four screens that deal in Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil movies; National Cinema (Najda Street, 02 671 1700, Dhs25) specialises almost exclusively in Hindi cinema, again with four screens, while Eldorado (Electra St, 02 676 3555, Dhs25) gives screen time to Malayam and Tamil movies. Abu Dhabi’s main cinema multiplexes (Khalidiyah Mall’s CineRoyal in particular) frequently show the bigger hits.
Indian films are nearly always subtitled in English and Arabic, though occasionally there’s an exception – worth giving the theatre a call beforehand to find out.
