The year 2013 ended with a big bang, with DHOOM-3 emerging the highest grosser of Hindi cinema. Now, as we step into the second week of the new year, it's time to look at what the year has to offer. If you have glanced at the release calendar of Hindi movies in 2014, a noticeable aspect that catches your eye is the chock-a-block schedule this year. With multiple films vying for audience attention week after week, it won't be erroneous to assume that 2014 will have far more films hitting the marquee than previous years.
With MR JOE B. CARVALHO going completely unnoticed and the evergreen classic SHOLAY 3D faring better [despite a re-release and also, after everyone has watched it on all platforms - cinema, DVDs, TV, internet], one eyes the forthcoming weeks with renewed optimism…
* 2014 will witness the Khans battling it out for supremacy. The BO performance of HAPPY NEW YEAR [SRK], JAI HO and KICK [Salman] and P.K. [Aamir] will decide who's the mightiest of all. The clash will only get bigger this year!
* 2014 is a year of comebacks. Madhuri Dixit [DEDH ISHQIYA, GULAAB GANG], Ameesha Patel [her home-production DESI MAGIC], Rani Mukerji [MARDAANI], Juhi Chawla [GULAAB GANG] and Govinda [KILL DIL, HAPPY ENDING] are expected to woo their fans, after a hiatus.
* 2014 will also witness the race of the young brigade to reach the top. Sushant Singh Rajput, Ayushmann Khurrana, Ranveer Singh, Sidharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Arjun Kapoor have a lot to prove this year.
* 2014 will witness the rise of star-kids. Athiya Shetty [daughter of Suniel Shetty], Suraj Pancholi [son of Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab], Tiger Shroff [son of Jackie Shroff] and Harshwardhan Kapoor [son of Anil Kapoor, brother of Sonam Kapoor] will have to prove their credentials, thus making their place under the sun. Also, Anil Kapoor's nephew, Mohit Marwah, will make his debut this year.
* 2014 will witness unique pairings as well. Take a look: Saif - Ileana, Akshay - Tamannah, Salman - Jacqueline, Madhuri - Naseeruddin Shah, Arjun - Alia, Farhan - Vidya, John - Shruti Haasan, Sidharth - Parineeti, Randeep - Alia, Hrithik - Katrina, Ranbir - Anushka.
* 2014 will have a slew of women-centric films, like MARDAANI, Mary Kom biopic, RAGINI MMS-2, QUEEN and TINA AND LOLO arriving in cineplexes. Not forgetting the myriad genre of films, 2014 will also witness two award-winning actors attempting similar-sounding, similar-themed films -- Ranbir Kapoor in JAGGA JASOOS and Vidya Balan in BOBBY JASOOS.
* 2014 will witness actresses diversifying to film production -- Shilpa Shetty Kundra [with DISHKIYAOON] and Anushka Sharma [with NH 10].
There's so much to look forward to in 2014. I am sure, there will be many surprises… and many shocks too. Overall, the stakes in 2014 are bigger and the benchmarks will only get higher. Expect some more records to tumble this year. And as audience, we have enough on our platter to satiate our appetite for entertainment.
