The year 2022 will see a slew of big budget Bollywood movies that are either ready to hit the theaters or are already in production to meet their release dates. While the threat of lockdown is looming large, with B-town doing everything possible to bring films to theatres, OTT is appearing as a saving grace during these trying times.
Many celebrities including Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, Prabhas, Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Tiger Shroff, Varun Dhawan and Hrithik Roshan will be seen on screen in the coming year.
“There are opportunities for filmmakers, storytellers, actors and producers to create multiple types of content and cater to a global audience,” says Kailashnath Adhikari, Director, Happy Digital & Broadcasting Network Pvt Ltd. Ltd., which operates under its flagship company Shree Adhikari Brothers (SAB) Group. For both manufacturers and consumers, this year has opened new doors. As a producer, I am encouraged to think of new ways to please people on OTT in a more intimate way, as well as new ways to create larger-than-life entertainment for theatres.”
In 2021, there was a perfect mix of OTT releases and films on the big screen which helped the filmmakers survive the pandemic crisis.
Here’s a look at some of the 2022 releases:
1. Prithviraj: The YRF film based on Chahamana (Chauhan) dynasty king Prithviraj Chauhan features an ensemble of Akshay Kumar, Manushi Chhillar, Sanjay Dutt, Sonu Sood, Ashutosh Rana, Sakshi Tanwar, Manav Vij and Lalit Tiwari. The film directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi is slated to hit the screens on January 21.
2. Gehrayan: Shakun Batra’s third feature film is another big film starring Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday and Dhairya Karva along with Naseeruddin Shah and Rajat Kapoor in lead roles. The romantic drama, which was announced recently, will run on the OTT route and will release on Prime Video on January 25.
3. Gangubai Kathiawadi: Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s biographical crime drama, which is scheduled to have its world premiere at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival in February, is based on the life of a Madam Gangubai in the red light area of Kamathipura. Alia Bhatt is playing the lead character in the film. Apart from this, it also stars Vijay Raaz, Indira Tiwari and Seema Pahwa in important roles with Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi in extended cameos. The film will hit the screens on February 18.
4. Jayeshbhai Jordaar: Ranveer Singh plays a Gujarati man in this social comedy film written and directed by Divyang Thakkar, who advocates equal rights for men and women in the society. The film is scheduled to release in cinemas on February 25.
5. Bachchan Pandey: Akshay Kumar’s second release of 2022 is an action comedy in which the superstar will be seen in the role of a gangster. The film, which also stars Kriti Sanon and Jacqueline Fernandez, will release theatrically on March 4.
6. Shamshera: The sixth biggest release of 2022, will see Ranbir Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and Vaani Kapoor coming together under the umbrella of the period action drama. The film, which went into production in December 2018, is currently under post-production and will release on March 18.
7. Laal Singh Chaddha: The official remake of Robert Zemeckis’ Tom Hanks starrer ‘Forrest Gump’ will see Aamir Khan return to the silver screen after a long wait of 3 years. The comedy drama directed by Advait Chandan also stars Kareena Kapoor Khan, and will release on April 14.
8. Heropanti 2: Tiger Shroff and Tara Sutaria starrer, ‘Heropanti 2’ is the sequel to Tiger’s debut film. The romantic action film directed by Ahmed Khan is slated to hit the screens on April 29.
9. Jag Jug Jio: Dharma Productions’ comedy drama, starring Prajakta Koli and Maniesh Paul along with Anil Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, Varun Dhawan and Kiara Advani in lead roles, is another big ticket release slated for June 24. ,
10. Circus: The Rohit Shetty comedy drama is an official remake of the 1982 film Angoor. It stars Ranveer Singh in a double role for the first time. Apart from this, it also stars Pooja Hegde, Jacqueline Fernandez, Varun Sharma, Siddharth Jadhav, Johnny Lever and Sanjay Mishra and will release on July 15.
11. Adipurush: The mythological film based on ‘Ramayana’, starring Prabhas, Kriti Sanon and Saif Ali Khan, has been shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu. The film will release on August 11 along with dubbed versions in Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada.
12. Raksha Bandhan: After the recently released ‘Atrangi Re’, Akshay Kumar’s second collaboration with Aanand L Rai will be in the form of ‘Raksha Bandhan’ in which he will be seen sharing the screen with Bhumi Pednekar. The film will clash with ‘Adipurush’ as it releases in cinemas on August 11.
13. Brahmastra Part One: Shiva: Perhaps the biggest release on the list, ‘Brahmastra’ has been in the making for eight years. Directed by Ayan Mukerji, the superhero film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan, Mouni Roy and Nagarjuna Akkineni and will release on September 9 in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.
14. Vikram Vedha Remake: The neo-noir action thriller, starring Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan and Radhika Apte, will hit the theaters on September 30.
15. Ram Setu: Akshay Kumar has secured a Diwali release for ‘Ram Setu’ directed by Abhishek Sharma. The film also stars Jacqueline Fernandez and Nushrat Bharucha, and is scheduled to release theatrically on October 21.
16. Merry Christmas: The last big release of 2022 will see Katrina Kaif sharing the screen with Tamil superstar Vijay Sethupathi in Sriram Raghavan’s directorial debut, Andhadhun. Merry Christmas will release on 23rd December.-
IANS. with inputs
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