Batwara 1947
Release date: August 14
Sunny Deol stars. Aamir Khan produces. Rajkumar Santoshi directs. When it comes to big names, this one is a winner already. Batwara 1947, as the name suggests, is a Partition story that releases on the day India was divided, 79 years ago. Bringing back Sunny Deol and Rajkumar Santoshi, who have delivered a string of memorable films together, including ’90s hits Ghayal and Damini, the film is inspired by Asghar Wajahat’s play Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya, O Jamya E Nai and centres on a displaced Muslim family in Lahore on one hand and an elderly Hindu woman who refuses to leave her home on the other. Exploring themes of humanity, displacement and collective grief, Batwara 1947 has a stellar cast in the form of Shabana Azmi, Preity Zinta, Ali Fazal, Abhimanyu Singh and Sunny’s son Karan Deol.
Bottomline: Sunny Deol in Gadar mode, tempered with Aamir Khan’s nuance and Santoshi’s ability to play to the masses even while reining it in.
Batwara 1947
Awarapan 2
Release date: August 14
Fighting for screen space on the Independence Day weekend with Batwara 1947 is Emraan Hashmi’s return with Awarapan 2. Arriving almost two decades after Awarapan — which was a box-office bomb on release, but buoyed by its music and the love story at its centre, has gained a sizeable following over the years — Awarapan 2 is directed by Nitin Kakkar (taking over from Saiyaara man Mohit Suri) and also stars Disha Patani and Shabana Azmi, making it a double August 14 bill for the veteran actor.
Said to be a direct continuation of the 2007 film, in which Emraan played Shivam Pandit, a gangster whose tragic past is redeemed by love, the actor plays the same character in Part II. Tera mera rishta and Toh phir aao still ring in our ears, with the new film poised to hit high nostalgic notes.
Bottomline: Emraan Hashmi in visceral bad boy-turned-lover mode and Awarapan’s music that still dominated playlists.
Awarapan 2
Mirzapur: The Movie
Release date: September 4
Guddu Pandit and Kaaleen Bhaiya lock horns, Munna Tripathi for company, in the film version of Mirzapur, the first-ever small-to-big-screen adaptation of an Indian series. Bringing together the rich ensemble cast of the Prime Video smash-hit show, including fan-favourite Munna (played by Divyenndu), who was bumped off at the end of Season 2, Mirzapur: The Movie serves as both a continuation and an origin story to the series, focusing on a power struggle for the throne and escalating threats in Purvanchal. Jitendra Kumar and Ravi Kishan are additions to the cast, with the former playing Bablu Pandit, Guddu’s (Ali Fazal) brother, who was slain in Season 1 (and was then played by Vikrant Massey).
Bottomline: An upgraded cinematic scale with familiar characters in a fresh tussle but retaining an origin story vibe.
Mirzapur: The Movie
Haiwaan
Release date: September 11
The khiladi and (not so) anari duo of Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan reunite, this time for an action thriller film directed by Priyadarshan. Built around a cat-and-mouse high-stakes format in which a visually challenged man does all it takes to protect a young man from a psychopathic killer, the first-look posters of Haiwaan — mirroring the dark thriller vibe and striking visual contrast between its lead actors — have piqued curiosity, with the film said to be a blend of courtroom tension, intense psychological suspense, and the pursuit of an elusive killer. Shriya Pilgaonkar and Saiyami Kher co-star, with Haiwaan being the late actor Asrani’s final screen appearance. There are also loud whispers of a cameo by Mohanlal in this official adaptation of the acclaimed Malayalam hit Oppam.
Bottomline: The Akshay-Saif reunion (and face-off), with Priyadarshan switching tracks from comedy to thriller.
Haiwaan
Daayra
Release date: September 18
Meghna Gulzar directs the interesting pair of Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran in this investigative thriller that is said to be based on true events. Exploring the faultlines of moral conflict and collective prejudices, with both Kareena and Prithviraj playing police officers, Daayra — whose tagline reads: “Some lines are drawn. Some lines are crossed. A choice awaits” — promises to bring in Meghna’s trademarks of methodical research supplemented by heart-tugging storytelling, even as it holds a mirror to society.
Bottomline: The fresh pairing of two consummate performers in a Meghna Gulzar about crime, justice, and punishment.
The team of Daayra
The Vvan — Force of the Forest
Release date: September 25
Sidharth Malhotra plays a rational, city-bred man who returns to his ancestral village and dismisses local warnings about a forbidden forest, only to awaken an ancient divine goddess and face unexplainable, dark forces. Tamannaah Bhatia also features in this folklore fantasy film co-produced by Ekta Kapoor and directed by Arunabh Kumar and Deepak Kumar Mishra.
Bottomline: A genre-bending project that promises extensive (and, we hope, effortless) visual effects.
The Vvan — Force of the Forest
