The ‘josh’ for patriotic films was at an all-time high in 2019, given the sheer number of scripts that professed the theme of nationalism. Filmmakers also cashed in on the tried-and-tested genre of biopics. We take you through all the trends that rocked this year...
The cool wave of patriotism
‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’ left the whole nation chanting, “How’s The Josh?” The stupendous success of the Vicky Kaushal-starrer, based on the September 2016 surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army, laid the groundwork that allowed sagas on patriotism and nationalism to rule the roost this year. Directed by Aditya Dhar, ‘Uri...’, was made on a paltry budget of Rs 25 crore, and grossed a humongous Rs 245 crore at the domestic box-office.
Next came ‘Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi’ to stimulate the patriotic zeal. The historical biopic saw Kangana Ranaut portraying the fiery queen on the big screen.
Not to be left behind, Akshay Kumar, who has a penchant for picking projects on Indian moments of glory, came up with ‘Kesari’ and ‘Mission Mangal’. The former was based on the Battle of Saragarhi while the latter narrated the dramatic true story of the scientists behind India’s first mission to Mars. Both set the cash register ringing at the box-office. In fact, ‘Mission Mangal’ became Khiladi Kumar’s first film to breach the Rs 200 crore mark.
John Abraham is the new face of patriotism. Not surprisingly, the ‘Madras Cafe’ actor served two helpings of nationalism with ‘Romeo Akbar Walter’ and ‘Batla House’. With ‘Bharat’, Salman Khan delivered a perfect Eid blockbuster. An official adaptation of South Korean drama ‘Ode to my Father’ (2014), ‘Bharat’ is about the journey of a man and a nation together. It sailed into the Rs 200 crore club with ease.
The year of Biopics
Is it the tried-and-tested formula, the easy availability of the plot, or moviegoers’ keen interest in real-life stories? Whatever the reason may be for biopics to be popular, Bollywood’s love-affair with it is here to stay. This year too, like last year, we saw multiple biopics hit the theatres. Besides ‘Manikarnika’, January saw two political biopics: ‘Thackeray’ and ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’. While Nawazuddin Siddiqui essayed the Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ chronicled the tenure of former prime minister, Manmohan Singh, with Anupam Kher in the lead.
The biopic ‘PM Narendra Modi’, based on the life of our current Prime Minister, failed to create flutter at the box-office.
Hrithik Roshan drew flak for his accent and complexion in ‘Super 30’. He played the role of a Patna-based mathematician, Anand Kumar, who tutors underprivileged children and helps them crack the tough IIT entrance examination.‘
‘Saand Ki Aankh’, starring Bhumi Pednekar and Taapsee Pannu, was an inspiring tale of two of the oldest sharpshooter champions in the world – Chandro and Prakashi Tomar.
Surprise blockbusters
Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff unleashed ‘War’ on box-office. The action thriller took trade analysts by surprise by breaching the Rs 300 crore mark domestically without breaking a sweat. ‘Kabir Singh’ too was a massive hit, but it was panned by a section of audience for advocating toxic masculinity and misogyny. The Shahid Kapoor-starrer was a remake of Telugu hit ‘Arjun Reddy.’
Sequels
Technically, Bollywood doesn’t make sequels! A sequel refers to the continuation of the narrative, taking place after the events of the original film. Anyway, 2019 saw the release of ‘Housefull 4’, ‘Student of the Year 2’, ‘Commando 3’, ‘Mardani 2’ and ‘Dabang 3’. While ‘SOTY’ and ‘Commando 3’ failed to pass the litmus test, ‘Housefull 4’, ‘Mardani 2’and ‘Dabang 3’ raked in the moolah.
Ayushmann on a roll
Ayushmann Khurrana’s golden run continued in 2019. The ‘Andhadhun’ actor has made a niche for himself by backing content that’s fresh and disruptive. He first hit the ball out of the park with ‘Article 15’. Then came ‘Dream Girl’ , where he played the role of a man with the talent of mimicking a woman’s voice. In ‘Bala’, he played a young man afflicted with premature balding.
Offbeat track
Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Gully Boy’ may have been booted out of the Oscar race but the film surely raised the bar for storytelling. ‘Gully Boy’, which tracks the story of an aspiring rapper, won almost everyone with its plot and extraordinary performances. Other films that went off the beaten track include ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga’, ‘Photograph’, ‘Hamid’, ‘Sonchiriya’ and ‘Laal Kaptaan’.