We take a look at the promising Hindi movies to watch out for in 2012.
It came. It saw. It got over.
2011 in Bollywood left an unsatisfactory taste in the mouth with most of last year's anticipated fare turning out to be damp squibs.
Nonetheless, optimism is the hallmark of a new year. One can always hope Bollywood will learn from its past mistakes and give us something insightful, intelligent and incredible to swoon over.
On that promising note, take a glance at some of the keenly awaited Hindi films of 2012:
Agneepath
Dharma Productions take a break from phoren-shot posh, urban sagas to produce a gritty remake of the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Agneepath with a cool line-up of stars like Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt, Rishi Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra.
As far as promos go, including item girl Katrina Kaif in a feistier-than-thou avatar, the high-strung revenge drama, directed by newbie Karan Malhotra, looks nothing like the usual KJo fare.
And while purists may scowl, the modern-day Agneepath is packaged to please with its larger-than-life feud between Krrish and Khalnayak.
Talaash
Any Aamir Khan film is accompanied with a fair bit of curiosity. And if it includes Kareena and Rani Mukerji, the enthusiasm decibel just gets higher.
All the better if it's written by the talent duo of friends and filmmakers -- Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti.
Kagti, who made her debut with Honeymoon Travel Pvt Ltd, also directs this suspense thriller for which the perfectionist Khan specially grew a moustache to make an effective, believable cop.
Talaash has a lot going in its favour; let's hope it scores just the same.
Rowdy Rathore
Farce overkill out of the way, Akshay Kumar's back to kicking butt with Rowdy Rathore.
And if the poster is anything to go by, it looks like a lot of fun too.
Keeping in the tradition of remaking action-packed South Indian hits, RR is an official adaptation of Telugu flick, Vikramarkudu and stars the Khiladi in a double role, a feat he earlier accomplished in films like Jai Kishen, Aflatoon and 8x10 Tasveer.
Moreover, it's helmed by dancing sensation turned director Prabhudeva, responsible for Salman Khan's indissoluble commitment in Wanted, again a remake of the Tamil blockbuster, Pokkiri.
Ek Tha Tiger
With back-to-back money spinners to his credit, it is now widely believed that Salman Khan can do no wrong.
Can Ek Tha Tiger follow suit? It just might.
The Dhinka chika star sticks to dishoom-dishoom under Kabir Khan's (Kabul Express, New York) refined sensibilities to play an undercover RAW agent globetrotting to save the world from the clutches of evil in Yash Raj's action-romance co-starring Katrina Kaif.
Agent Vinod
Saif Ali Khan's ambitious espionage thriller has been in the making forever.
It featured in our last year's most-awaited list too. The delay, thankfully, hasn't diminished our interest in seeing what director Sriram Raghavan (Ek Hasina Thi,Johnny Gaddar) has in store.
Raghavan's deft filmmaking skills combined with Saif's suave persona and girlfriend Kareena Kapoor's currently numero uno status lends Agent Vinod a picture-perfect appeal on paper.
Will it translate to big screen as well? We'll soon find out.
Yash Chopra's untitled next
Love stories are Yash Chopra's forte.
The veteran filmmaker returns to direction after a seven-year break since Veer-Zaara to weave yet another celebration of romance and relationships with his new untitled film starring his favourite Shah Rukh Khan alongside Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma.
Other than SRK-Katrina's untried pairing, there's a tremendous excitement about the soundtrack as well.
Chopra Sr's discerning ear for music collaborates with the Oscar-winning team of composer A R Rahman and poet Gulzar to produce some phenomenal score.
Heroine
After Tabu (Chandni Bar), Raveena Tandon (Satta), Konkona Sen Sharma (Page 3), Bipasha Basu (Corporate) and Priyanka Chopra (Fashion), Madhur Bhandarkar is all set to explore the highs and lows in the life of an actress with Kareena Kapoor in and as Heroine.
Previously started with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan amidst much fanfare in Cannes,Heroine met with a bit of a setback after its leading lady learned about her pregnancy.
Bhandarkar heaved a sigh of relief after signing on Bebo for a remuneration that earned her the Highest Paid Bollywood Actress title.
Let's see if it will bring her a National Award as well. Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola
Vishal Bhardwaj didn't quite hit the mark with his last offering, 7 Khoon Maaf.
That's hardly a reason not to feel kicked about his oddly titled upcoming rustic comedy with Imran Khan, Anushka Sharma and Pankaj Kapur. Although it's bizarre to imagine Imran in a role originally meant for Ajay Devgn, Bhardwaj is known to produce fine results with the most unlikely choices.
Remember Langda Tyagi?
As of now, Imran's gymming out with bulky pahelwans at local akhadas, like only his uncle would, to achieve a rugged physicality. Sounds fun, yeah?
Gangs Of Wasseypur
One expects nothing short of pounding, uncompromised vision from director Anurag Kashyap's latest, Gangs of Wasseypur.
Set in Jharkhand, the crime caper delves into the mafia's hold around the coal mines of Dhanbad.
With a cast of compelling actors led by Manoj Bajpai, Gangs..., with its Godfather-ish undertones and Kashyap treatment promises to be recommended viewing. And it comes out in two parts.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
Adapting the extraordinary life of Indian athlete Milkha Singh aka The Flying Sikh on big screen is a project close to Rakesh Omprakash Mehra's heart.
Following rigorous research on the sports legend, the Rang De Basanti director zeroed in actors Farhan Akhtar and Sonam Kapoor to play the key roles in his under production biopic.
Although it's not a cast we are truly confident about, risks have a way of paying off. And for Mehra's sake, let's hope it's doesn't meet the fate of Delhi 6.
Shanghai
With the pressure of completing a hatrick of incredible movies (Khosla Ka Ghosla, Oye Lucky Lucky Oye and Love Sex Aur Dhoka) off him, Dibakar Banerjee dabbles with a new genre in Shanghai.
Considering Banerjee's knack for constructing intriguing characters and incisive story-telling, one can expect quality filmmaking in this political thriller based on Greek writer Vassilis Vassilikos's novel, Z interspersed with an interesting mix of actors like Emraan Hashmi, Abhay Deol, Pitobash and Kalki Koechlin.
Student Of The Year
Just when you thought Karan Johar is all about established stars; he resolves to hone fresh talent in his campus caper, Student of the Year.
And if this turns out anything like the frolic generated by Rahul, Anjali and Tina inKuch Kuch Hota Hai, we have a sure shot winner.
Co-produced by his superstar friend, Shah Rukh Khan, Student of the Yearintroduces a bunch of celebrity kids like Mahesh Bhatt and Soni Razdan's daughter Alia and David Dhawan's son Varun alongside model Siddharth Malhotra.
Barfee
Ranbir Kapoor's portrayal of Janardhan-goes-Jordan in Rockstar was one of the most unanimously loved performances of 2011.
Obviously when an actor's this delightful to watch, his next release is bound to find prominence in any most-anticipated compilation.
His next, Anurag Basu's Barfee is a tender story documenting the interactions between a hearing-impaired individual and a mentally-challenged girl (Priyanka Chopra).
We spy more accolades.
Kahaani
The Ooh la la lady returns with a bulging belly yet again.
Only this time Vidya Balan is an expecting mother in search of her missing husband. This pretty much sums up the premise of Sujoy Ghosh's Kahaani.
Given the Parineeta star's uninterrupted flow of superlative performances and box-office hits, Kahaani is already carrying a good deal of buzz.
Rumoured to take inspiration from Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, Kahaani reunites Vidya with her The Dirty Picture co-star Emraan Hashmi.
The Sequels
Bollywood's sequel fever reaches an all-time high with as many as half a dozen follow-ups lined up for release.
So whether you like it or not, there's Hrithik Roshan taking his supernatural strength to a new level in Krrish 2 whereas Akshay Kumar gets into gangster mode to narrate Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai 2.
Salman's Chulbul Pandey gets in the middle of implausible action with characteristic wit and swagger in Dabangg 2.
And Sajid Khan continues to find humour in Housefull 2 even as Race 2 andRaaz 3 continue to prosper despite bashing reviews.
