Watch out for mega releases in 2004

Posted By: Gaurav Sharma On Thursday, 11th December 2003,23:12

Watch out for mega releases in the new year as Bollywood warms up for 2004. Click Read More to know more about it.

Bride and Prejudice (Director: Gurinder Chaddha; Starring: Aishwarya Rai, Martin Henderson, Anupam Kher) Budget: Rs 25 crore; Likely release date: Summer’04. Gurinder Chaddha’s next, after the box office success of Bend It Like Beckham. Not strictly from Bollywood stable, the Indian adaptation of Jane Austin’s famous novel will also mark Ash’s foray into world cinema.

Rudraksh (Director: Mani Shanker; Starring: Sanjay Dutt, Bipasha Basu, Suniel Shetty) Budget: Rs 30 crore; Likely release date: January/February. Touted as a sci-fi drama with high dose of special effects. Can it repeat the success of Koi Mil Gaya ?

Plany: inline-block;'>Lakshya (Director: Farhan Akhtar; Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta) Budget: Rs. 30 cr - Rs 35 cr; Likely release date: August. This will be the first Hrithik release in 2004, after the blockbuster success of Koi Mil Gaya .

Main Hoon Na (Director: Farha Khan; Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Suniel Shetty, Sushmita Sen) Budget: Around Rs 30 crore plus. Likely release date: April-May. This will be Shah Rukh Khan’s first offering of the year after the twin-success of Chalte Chalte and Kal Ho Naa Ho in 2002.

1857: The Rising (Director: Ketan Mehta; Starring Aamir Khan, Amisha Patel) Budget: Rs 70 crore; Likely release date: Second half of 2004. The most expensive movie of the year, the historical epic on the life and times of Mangal Pandey will woo the international audience in a major way. More in news for Aamir’s reported record remuneration of Rs 7 crore for the project and Amisha replacing Ash following a payment dispute.Khakee (Director: Raj Kumar Santoshi; Starring: Amitabh Bachchan; Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgan, Aishwarya) Budget: Rs 25 cr-30 cr; Release date: January. The long-awaited cop action drama was slated for a December 2003 release. Pushed to January to avoid a clash with JP Dutta’s L.O.C Kargil . May still make it in December if LOC gets postponed to January.

Aetbaar: (Director: Vikram Bhatt; Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, John Abrahim, Bipasha Basu) Budget: Rs 15 crore; Likely release date: January. Bipasha’s sex appeal pitched with Big B’s intensity, along with father-daughter clash.

Chameli (Director: Sudhir Misra; Starring: Kareena Kapoor, Rahul Bose) Budget: Rs 10 crore; Release: December 03/ January ’04) Kareena’s foray into art-house movie has already set the music charts on fire.Netaji (Director: Shyam Benegal; Starring: Sachin Khedekar, Om Puri, Rajit Kapur, Divya Dutta) Budget: Rs 20 crore; Likely release: Second half of 2004.The autobiographical drama aims to capture the high points Netaji’s contribution the country’s struggle for independence. Deewaar (Director: Milan Lutheria Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt) Budget: Rs 25 cr-30 crore; Likely Release: Last quarter of 2003. The war movie captures the travails of Indian POWs in Pakistan and their escape from the enemy camp.

Mujhse Shaadi Karoge (Director: David Dhawan; Starring: Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra) Budget: Rs 20 crore; Likely Release date: Second half of 2003. David Dhawan’s take-off from popular TV series Baywatch, along with a love-triangle.

Plan (Director: Sanjay Gupta; Starring: Sanjay Dutt, Dino Morea) Budget: Rs 20 crore; Likely release date: January/February. A suspense thriller with fair degree of twists and turns in the story. Yuva (Director: Mani Ratnam; Starring: Vivek Oberoi, Abhishek Bachchan, Kareena) Budget: Rs 15cr -Rs 20 cr;   For the first time Abihishek Bachchan will appear on a negative role.Ab Tumhare Hawale Waton Saathiyo (Director: Anil Sharma; Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol) Budget: Rs 30 crore Release date: July/August. Another war movie that bets high on anti-Pak rhetoric.

Rain Coat (Director: Rituparno Ghosh; Starring: Ajay Devgan, Aishwarya) Budget: Rs 10-12 crore; Likely release date: January/February. This emotional love story will mark Ghosh’s first foray into Bollywood. Page 3 (Director: Madhur Bandarkar; Starring: Konkona Sen Sharma) Budget: Rs 10 crore; Likely Release date: First half of 2004. Konkona Sen Sharma makes a foray into Bollywood, after National Award winning performance in Mrs & Mr Aiyer. Gulel (Director: Aparna Sen; Starring: Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan, Bipasha Basu, Urmilla) Budget: Rs 15 crore Likely release date: First half of 2004. Marks Aparna Sen’s directorial debut in a Bollywood venture. Munnabhai MMBS (Producer: Vidhu Vinod Chopra; Starring: Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Dutt, Gracy Singh) Budget: Rs 15 crore Release date: Janaury. Sunil Dutt will face the camera after seventeen years as Sanjay Dutt’s father. Music is picking up on the popularity chart.