04012024-LSTC-01.qxd 1/4/2024 12:23 AM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE GROOM’S EMOTIONAL POSTS Gratitude! Life Aamir Khan's daughter Ira Khan is tying the knot with her long-time beau Nupur Shikhare. On Tuesday night, Nupur Shikhare shared a series of pictures with Ira and he wrote, "One more day of being your fiancé @khan.ira. I love you so much." Vikrant Massey, who is receiving appreciation for his role in 12th Fail, on Tuesday, shared a picture with the director Vidhu Vinod Chopra and called him "My light". CHANDIGARH | THURSDAY | 4 JANUARY 2024 Let the camera roll… After getting back on its feet with actioners like Pathaan, Jawan and Gadar 2 in 2023, the Hindi film industry promises an eclectic mix of genres in 2024. Here’s what to watch out for HOLLYWOOD'S OFFERING Fighter Singham Again MOVIES TENTATIVE RELEASE DATES Bob Marley: One Love January 12 Madame Web February 16 Dune: Part Two March 1 Mickey 17 March 29 Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire April 12 Challengers April 26 The Fall Guy May 3 Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes May 24 Ballerina June 7 Inside Out 2 June 14 Despicable Me 4 July 3 Deadpool 3 July 26 Kraven the Hunter August 30 Joker: Folie à Deux October 4 Gladiator 2 November 22 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim December 13 Main Atal Hun rules FAST FORWARD Janhvi Kapoor calls dating actors ‘chaotic’ Sheetal Joker: Folie à Deux T HE past year helped the film industry recover from Covid-induced financial stress and move towards profits. As we enter the New Year, there’s anticipation and excitement in the air. And how can movies, our source of entertainment, be ignored? We bring you a list of films that are expected to work their magic at box office, thanks to the buzz they have created since their announcement. Here’s your chance to save the dates! FRANCHISE FRENZY Fighter: The year’s first big release is the Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor-starrer Fighter. It is directed by Siddharth Anand, who belted out blockbusters like War and Pathaan. Part of YRF spy universe, Fighter releases exactly a year after Pathaan, on January 25. Chances are that the audience will get to catch a glimpse of SRK (Pathaan) and Salman Khan (Tiger) in this film. Fighter follows the story of Air Force pilots and promises an entertaining story with action. Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2: Next on the list is filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee’s highly awaited sequel to his 2010 sleeper hit Love Sex Aur Dhokha. The narrative will focus on the role of social media in current times and how things may take a sinister turn on different social media platforms. The film will release on February 16. Dating Madame Web Bob Marley: One Love Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha The cast and crew of Metro... In Dino Metro... In Dino: Another film which has caught people interest is Metro... In Dino. Directed by Anurag Basu, the film is said to be the spiritual sequel of 2007 film Life in a… Metro. An ensemble star cast includes Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta, Pankaj Tripathi, Konkona Sen Sharma, Ali Fazal and Fatima Sana Shaikh. The Barfi director has announced the release date, which is March 29. Bade Miyan Chote Miyan: This upcoming release is an attempt to bring back the nostalgia of 1998 film Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, which starred Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda in the titular roles. It has two action heroes Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff. Prithviraj Sukumaran will serve as the antagonist. The film is set to release in theatres on Eid. Despicable Me 4 Dune: Part Two Bade Miyan Chote Miyan Godzilla x Kong Stree 2: The fan-favourite 2018 horror-comedy is set to return with its sequel and it promises more fun and jump scares in equal proportion. The franchise’s second instalment stars Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee and Pankaj Tripathi. It is set to arrive in theatres on August 30. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3: Kartik Aaryan worked in the sequel of Bhool Bhilaiyaa and made it his franchise. In its third instalment, Kartik will be seen reprising his role of Rooh baba. The 2022 film actually brought much respite to Hindi cinema industry while it was struggling after the pandemic. Directed by Anees Bazmee, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is set to release on November 1. Welcome To The Jungle: The Welcome franchise of Firoz A Nadiadwallah has announced its third instalment, which is titled Welcome To The Jungle. It stars Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Jacqueline Fernandez, Disha Patani, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav, Tusshar Kapoor and Shreyas Talpade. It is directed by Ahmed Khan and it will hit theatres on December 20. REMAKE READY Soorarai Pottru remake: Superstar Akshay Kumar would like to maintain his winning spree at the boxoffice after OMG 2 and what better way to do that with the Hindi remake of one of the most loved Tamil films. Soorarai Pottru, which originally starred Tamil actor Suriya, is set to release in Hindi on February 16 in theatres. The original Tamil film was inspired by events from the life of G R Gopinath, the founder of Indian low-cost airline Simplifly Deccan, as described in his memoir Simply Fly: A Deccan Odyssey. BIOPIC WORTHY Main Atal Hoon: The upcoming biopic drama is based on late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Helmed by director Ravi Jadhav, actor Pankaj Tripathi will be seen portraying the role of Vajpayee. The actor has created enough buzz after his first character look was released. The film is co-written by Rishi Virmani and Ravi Jadhav. It will release on January 19. FRESH TAKE Merry Christmas: Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi-starrer Merry Christmas will finally see the light of the day after being postponed twice. Helmed by Sriram Raghavan, Merry Christmas is a genre-defying tale. It is shot in two languages, with different supporting actors. In Hindi, the supporting cast have names like Sanjay Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Pratima Kannan and Tinnu Anand whereas in Tamil version, actors Radhika Sarathkumar, Shanmugaraja, Kevin Jay Babu, and Rajesh Williams will be seen. It will hit the theatres on January 12. Kalki 2898 AD: The first big clash in theatre this year will between Merry Christams and Kalki 2898AD. The latter is a sci-fi action film has been helmed by Nag Ashwin. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Deepika Padukone, Prabhas, and Disha Patani in lead roles. It is expected to be a mythology-inspired sci-fi spectacular set in the future. Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha: Ajay Devgn, who was last seen in Bholaa, is returning with She’s done it Music to the ears Taylor Swift breaks Elvis Presley’s record as solo artiste with most weeks at top spot on album chart Singer Taylor Swift has broken Elvis Presley’s long standing record for the most weeks spent atop the Billboard 200 album chart by a solo artiste. She set a new mark of 68 total weeks, as 1989 (Taylor’s Version) landed on top of the chart for a fifth time in the final full tracking week of 2023. Though Swift set a new record for an individual, the ultimate high-water mark among all artistes is still held by The Beatles. — IANS Music legend Elton John and Brandi Carlile apparently have recorded a new album together, according to an interview with Elton’s longtime friend Pete Townshend of the English rock band, The Who. The interview was published by Clashmusic late last month. Townshend said, “Elton is so fraught with loss at not knowing what to do next. He’s just gone over to Los Angeles to make an album with Brandi Carlile.” He added, “They made an album together in two weeks. He says it’s one of the best things they’ve ever done.” According to reports, Elton c m y b Elton John collaborates with Brandi Carlile for a new album himself teased a new album when inducting his longtime song writing partner Bernie Taupin into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last November, noting that the pair recently completed an album that “is going to surprise the s*** out of you.” Townshend didn’t specify what role Carlile was playing in the collaboration. — IANS another entertainer, titled Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha. The film, directed by Neeraj Pandey, also stars Tabu, Saiee M Manjrekar and Shantanu Maheshwari. The film will be Pandey’s first directorial in five years after his last Aiyaary. It is touted to be a musical journey spanning over a period of 20 years. The film will release on April 26. Also Ajay Devgn and Rohit Shetty’s hit franchise Singham is expected to hit the theatres this year. Chandu Champion: The upcoming film, directed by Kabir Khan, is based on a true story of a sportsperson. Chandu Champion went on the floors with its mahurat shot in London. The film is scheduled to release on June 14. Jigra: Alia Bhatt, who had a great run in 2023, will be seen in the Vasan Bala directorial. It is set to release on September 27. Janhvi Kapoor has opened up on dating actors and called it “chaotic,” adding that actors often get very ‘competitive and weird’. Dating actors can be tricky at times and looks like Janhvi has had enough of it. The gorgeous diva spilled the beans on the Koffee couch. Koffee with Karan host Karan Johar asked, “You also have a philosophy which we have spoken about that you don’t really want to date actors, because you think it is somewhere or the other turbulent.” Janhvi said, “It is chaotic for sure. Vanity is such a big part of this profession. You need to be with someone who is okay to let you have your moments also. But I find with actors, they get competitive and weird.” IANS