Picture abhi baaki hai

After a year of reality checks that 2015 was, film critic and trade analyst Omar Qureshi says there won’t be any room for mediocrity in 2016. He gives us the lowdown on his top picks waiting to unravel on the big screen...

The year 2015 saw some of the biggest hopefuls sink without a trace at the box office. This year content will be king — shoddy scripts and loosely etched screenplays won’t work. Also, let’s hope there are no major clashes this year. Both Dilwale and Bajirao Mastani had a huge fan base and would have done far better business had they not clashed at the box office. The Censor Board, too, needs to up its game and revise its policies. It needs to encourage good cinema and not curb creative freedom. This year has a mixed bag of offerings and there is something for everyone. There’s Khan power, woman power, sports power and more. Here’s what 2016 has in store for you on the big screen:

A year of biopics: When Paan Singh Tomaar and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag did well, everyone started jumping on the biopic bandwagon. But biopics need to be very engaging to grip the audience, otherwise the audience begins to feel that they are watching a documentary.

Azhar and Dhoni: Both of them are cricketing stalwarts. There is so much to the life of Mohammad Azharuddin and Mahendra Singh Dhoni that they automatically make for good film material. So even though both films are about cricket, people will want to hear both stories.

Neerja: This is bound to be very good film. The trailer looks promising, it is based on a real-life incident that not many are aware of. I have a good feeling about this film.

Other projects of promise:

Mohenjo daro - Hrithik Roshan and Ashutosh Gowariker are reuniting after Jodhaa Akbar — magic is bound to happen. It’s not that period films based on history are anything new, but what will work for it is the mammoth scale and the specific historical period chosen.

Rangoon - Period love stories are always appealing and they are known to work in Bollywood. Vishal Bhardwaj has proven his worth time and again and here he’ll be reuniting with his Haider actor Shahid Kapoor and his Omkara bad man Saif Ali Khan. Also, Sajid Nadiadwala (producer) is known to put his buck on something different. That only adds to the promise of Rangoon.

Shivay - This Ajay Devgn directorial holds a lot of pro-mise. He is one of the most underrated and intelligent filmmakers we have in Bollywood. He is also nice human being and he gives it all to a film. With Singham, he made a workable preposition and it went very well with the audience. He directed Kajol in U, Me Aur Hum and it turned out to be very good. In Shivay, expect no less, he will go all out and make it worth the wait.

Dishoom - Rohit Dhawan will be directing his brother Varun Dhawan for the first time. And adding to the force will be John Abraham who worked with Rohit in his directorial debut Desi Boyz. Both combinations have great potential.

Jagga Jasoos and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil - Both are Ranbir Kapoor films and in spite of a few recent hiccups in his career, he is still a top-rung actor. He is the best of the breed and as an actor, someone who is miles ahead of his contemporaries. Yes, he hit a bad patch and two films he was banking on didn’t work. But one good film, and he will be back there. People want to see him in a romantic film and not in some alien roles they cannot relate to. In Jagga Jasoos he is reuniting with his Barfi director Anurag Basu, and with lady love Katrina Kaif, after Rajneeti. Both pairings have worked in the past. Ae Dil… has a stellar cast comprising Aishwarya Rai and Anushka Sharma with Karan Johar captaining the ship. What’s not to like?

A sequel and then some

• We have Housefull 3 and this time it’s being directed by duo Sajid-Farhad of Entertainment fame and not Sajid Khan who helmed the first two films of the franchise.
• Kya Kool Hai Hum 3 is a sex comedy and will definitely work. So will Mastizaade even though it is not a sequel. Sunny Leone will sell the movie.
• Priyanka Chopra looks powerful in the trailers of Jai Gangajal. Expect fireworks.
• Rock On 2 is a project I am hearing good things about. The shoot is on in Shillong and they have a good story in place. The key cast has been retained, so no reason why it should not work.