Films to look forward to this April

Come April, and it's the season for summer movies. In fact, the month is considered audience-friendly by the Bollywood movie trade. School and college examinations are usually about to end and the holiday mood nearly sets in, accounting for a discernible rise of footfalls at the multiplexes.
Indeed, over the years, Hollywood has catered specifically to summer-time viewers with premieres of high-budget, futurisitic, multi-superhero blockbusters. Special effects-suffused adventures aren't the norm in Bollywood, though. Currently, trade soothsayers predict that light-hearted entertainers have an edge over the more serious and dark films during April. Incidentally, the one big surprise hit of the year, so far, has been Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, directed by Luv Ranjan of the Pyaar Ka Punchnama franchise. Clearly, the genre of romedies is back in favour.
The movie menu for the weeks to come is a mixed bag, though. Here, then, are the summer flicks that may well be worth a dekko:
Blackmail: Abhinay Deo, who directed the far-out laugh-raiser Delhi Belly (2011), returns to the ha-ha terrain with a goofball comedy toplining Irrfan Khan in the company of Kirti Kulhari (who gets another shot at stardom after Madhur Bhandarkar's non-starter Indu Sarkar). Urmila Matondkar, who has been missing from the scene for years now, is believed to have delivered a cameo appearance. Meanwhile, Khan, who disclosed that he is suffering from a neuroendocrine tumour, has travelled abroad for treatment. Undoubtedly, the film will make for a poignant experience for the charismatic actor's legion of fans.
Nanu Ki Jaanu: Rule-breaking actor Abhay Deol will be back after a two-year hiatus since Happy Bhag Jayegi in this after-life story, which pairs him with Patralekhaa, an underused actress who has, till now, been seen only in the grim, slice-of-life CityLights (2014) and the utterly forgettable thriller Love Games (2016). Chances are that the box-office prospects of the ghost story directed by Faraz Haider may suffer majorly since its release date clashes with that of the more eagerly-anticipated Blackmail.
October: This love story, starring Varun Dhawan and debutante Banita Sandhu (who earlier worked as a child artiste in several TV shows), is the big ticket of the season. A changeover for Varun from his usual muscle-flaunting, ever-grinning image has been masterminded by Madras Café and Piku director Shoojit Sircar. Talk had circulated that the story was 'inspired' by the Oscar-nominated Joaquin Phoenix film Her (2013) about the relationship of a lonely writer with an intelligent computer system voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Sircar has gone on record to rubbish the rumours, emphasising that October is an original.
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi: Here's Kangana Ranaut's attempt to revive her career and avoid controversies. Back in 1953, India's first technicolour opus Jhansi Ki Rani had saluted the courage of Rani Lakshmibai, who led her army against the British during the Mutiny of 1857. Actor-producer-director Sohrab Modi had presented his real-life wife, Mehtab, in the eponymous role. However, it had tanked at the ticket windows. This year's historical drama has been directed by Telugu and Tamil cinema's Krish, sparking a legal case filed by Ketan Mehta (of Mirch Masala fame) who had approached Kangana for the same subject earlier. The wrangle has been sorted out, and now it's up to the actress to reassert her mettle.
Omerta: Hansal Mehta has asserted his credentials with Shahid and Aligarh. He is in peak form while handling bold, socially-relevant topics. To point out that his shot-in-America giggle-fest Simran was a disappointment would be an understatement. Gratifyingly, he's back with this adaptation of the true-life story of the murder of journalist Daniel Pearl. Mehta's bankable actor Rajkummar Rao essays the part of a British terrorist of Pakistani descent. The purpose of the avowedly 'uncomfortable' film is to raise questions without providing facile answers.
Baazaar: The month-end may also improve the fluctuating star power of Saif Ali Khan, whose last two films Chef and Kaalakaandi were nothing to write home - or anywhere - about. Flanked by Chitrangada Singh and Radhika Apte, Saif is still the main selling point of this crime thriller, directed by Gauravv K. Chawla for producer Nikkhil Advani, revolving around the vagaries of the stock market.
Here's hoping, then, that the summer market proves to be bullish.
wknd@khaleejtimes.com