Two boom years and a complete shift in the ethos and economics of filmmaking have led to a bright scenario wherein films of all shapes, sizes and colours are being made. The buffet spread for 2008, with corporate production houses continuing to rule the roots along with a few top-ranker banners will once again include both mammoth masala movies laced with daring medium-sized films.

Yash Raj Films is the Numero Uno banner despite four turnips out of five this year, and has a rich and hopefully fresher haul this year. Coming up from YRF-Aditya first is Tashan, their first action film outside the Dhoom series. Tashan is directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, who had written the Dhoom series and has a multi-star cast of Anil Kapoor (returning to YRF after Lamhe in 1991), Akshay Kumar (after Dil To Pagal Hai in 1997), Kareena Kapoor (after Mujhse Dosti Karoge! in 2002) and YRF regular Saif Ali Khan. The music is by Vishal-Shekhar.

The next expected film is Roadside Romeo directed by Jugal Hansraj, the first YRF-Walt Disney collaboration in feature animation and the first Indian film with dubbing by major stars like Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor. To digress relevantly, Karan Johar’s animation version of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, titled Kootchie Kootchie Hota Hai and ditto Pritish Nandy’s and director Suparn Verma’s EKEK v 2.0, the animated version of Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena will also make it.

Also likely to arrive is YRF’s and Siddharth Anand’s romantic comedy co-starring Ranbir Kapoor with Bipasha Basu, Deepika Padukone and one more heroine.

Kunal Kohli’s new film is presented but not produced by YRF. The film has Rishi Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukherji and Ameesha Patel and is a fantasy after his love stories Hum Tum and Fanaa.

Krrazy kiya re!

Rakesh Roshan will release the comedy Krrazy 4 in which Hrithik Roshan, obvious lucky mascot, will do a dance sequence only. Arshad Warsi, Dia Mirza and Javed Jaffrey star in the film. But the much-awaited sequel of Krrish will only take off in 2008. It is said that Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra will helm the film.
But Hrithik stars in one of the earliest biggies to come this year - UTV’s Jodhaa-Akbar directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. The film repeats the Hrithik-Aishwarya Rai Bachchan pair from Dhoom 2 in an antithetic film - a period love story and hopes to reprise the success too. This is supposed to be A.R.Rahman’s ace this year.

The producer

After Taare Zameen Par, anything that Aamir Khan does under his own banner is expected to be super-special. Coming up is his Hindi remake of the Southern thriller Ghajini, directed by A R Murugadoss and co-starring Asin, who were a part of the original’s team. Asin could well be the next Southern belle to strike gold here (it’s been 25 years since Sridevi struck big-time). Rahman reunites with Khan after Lagaan as royalty clause hiccups had necessitated his exit from TZP.

Aamir is also launching writer Abbas Tyrewala as director and his nephew Imran Khan in Jane Tu Ya Jaane Na with Genelia D’Souza, who was the lucky mascot heroine of Riteish Deshmukh in his debut film Tujhe Meri Kasam.
Two more South Indian remakes coming up are Boney Kapoor’s Wanted - Dead Or Alive, starring Salman Khan, Vinod Khanna and Ayesha Takia, based on the Telugu hit Pokhiri and marking the Hindi directorial debut of choreographer-actor Prabhu Deva. The other is Priyadarshan’s Pirate which stars Shreyas Talpade, Kunal Khemu and 2007’s stellar discovery Deepika Padukone.

After Aamir’s directorial debut will come U Me Aur Hum co-produced and directed by Ajay Devgan. The film stars Ajay with wife Kajol for the first time since his 2000 production Raju Chacha. Vishal Bhardwaj scores music.
Incidentally, Ajay’s latest collaboration with Rajkumar Santoshi, Halla Bol, was due on December 21 but Santoshi wisely decided not to fight the Welcome-TZP combo. The first Friday of any new year is conventionally considered a jinx and so this hard-hitting Ajay Devgan-Vidya Balan social that draws inspiration from some real incidents will release on January 11.

Let us move on to the films of those who scored high in 2007. Akshay Kumar delivered four super-hits and apart from Tashan he has an exciting range of films happening. His Namastey London producer-director Vipul Amrutlal Shah (their joint score is three hits and no flops) is making two films with him and of them the first, Sinngh Is Kinng, a comic thriller, is directed by Akshay’s Welcome director Anees Bazmee and yet again co-stars Katrina Kaif.

Kareena Kapoor and Akshay come together in Sajid Nadiadwala’s new film for which Anu Malik has reportedly come up with fresh and superlative songs. Akshay also has Nikhil Advani’s thriller Chandni Chowk To China which co-stars Deepika Padukone and Nagesh Kukunoor’s first thriller, Tasveer, with Shahid Kapoor as co-star. Shahid, who has had two solo super-hits in a row with Vivah (2006) and Jab We Met (2007) is going solo again in Tips’ and Aziz Mirza’s Kismet Connection, a love story with Vidya Balan.

Partner duo Salman Khan and Govinda will be going their separate ways for now as the sequel will wait. Salman Khan stars in the delayed God Tussi Great Ho with Priyanka Chopra and Amitabh Bachchan, and it remains to be seen whether his film with Shree Asthavinayak Cine Vision, his home-production remake of Amar Akbar Anthony and Tarzan get going. But Subhash Ghai’s Yuvraaj with Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, will come up this year side by side with Ghai’s first offbeat directorial film, Black And White with Anil again.

Govinda is rightly being very choosy and one of the aces up his sleeve is Money Hai Toh Honey Hai with Hannsikaa. Besides this comedy, the comeback actor is working in a crazy comedy titled Run Bhola Run (!) and Ravi Chopra in a forthcoming film. Ravi Chopra’s production Bhootnath directed by Vivek Sharma, which was expected to release in 2007 will finally make it. Shah Rukh Khan in an extended cameo co-stars with Amitabh Bachchan and Juhi Chawla.

United we stand

And what can we expect from the Bachchans? Well, the three of them (Amitabh, Abhishek and Aishwarya) will join forces in Sarkar Raj, the Ram Gopal Varma sequel to Sarkar. Abhishek Bachchan has two other big releases lined up in 2008 - Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Dilli 6 in which we will hopefully get to see Sonam Kapoor in better fettle, and of course Goldie Behl’s action and visual effects superhero extravaganza Drona with Priyanka Chopra and Kay Kay Menon.

Priyanka Chopra, of course, is very much in the top echelons despite two flops in 2007 for which she could hardly be blamed. Priyanka’s other ace this year is Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion with Arbaaz Khan, Kangana Ranaut and Mugdha Godse. This film, predicts an insider from the team, may fetch Piggy Chops (as she is affectionately called) a National award.

The topical Bhandarkar is also set to launch (and possibly complete) Jail, which he wanted to make right after his breakthrough Chandni Bar. The film has a scoop casting of Neil Nitin Mukesh, the intense debutante of Johnny Gaddaar with Nana Patekar.

2007 had one more crack debut - Himesh Reshammiya as actor. The music director-actor-singer will do films only on a package deal (reportedly of Rs 5 crore) and his first three projects are Satish Kaushik's official remake of the Subhash Ghai’s Karz titled Karzzzz (!), Pooja Bhatt’s romantic thriller partly shot in Morocco, Kajrare, and John Matthew Matthan’s comedy A Real Love Issshtory in which he will portray a tapori. All three films are being produced by T-Series.

‘Race’ to the top

Tips, another music label, is all set to release their action thriller Race (Anil Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu, Katrina Kaif) with Abbas-Mustan. Pritam's music is supposed to be a highlight.
And finally what of the King Khan and the newly-crowned Queen Bee Kareena Kapoor? Well, Bhootnath apart, Khan is doing a cameo in Dulha Mil Gaya (Sushmita Sen-Fardeen Khan) and will start his Mr Khan (with Karan Johar and Kajol) and possibly a film with YRF. And Kareena Kapoor is set to have the futuristic Love Story 2050 with Harman Baweja.