Looking Ahead: The 10 most-anticipated Bollywood biopics of 2020
There are a host of biographical dramas to watch out for, this year. Some are historicals, some war dramas, and quite a few sports films. There’s also a tale about a genius math whiz.
Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl - For her sophomore effort, Janhvi Kapoor steps into the role of IAF pilot Gunjan Saxena, who was among the first female pilots of India to fly into a war zone.
This was in 1999 during the Kargil War, years before women pilots were officially commissioned into the Air Force.
During combat, Gunjan flew the IAF Cheetah helicopters, doing high-altitude reconnaissance along the Kargil–Tololing– Batalik area. She also undertook rescue missions and supply drops for soldiers.
83' - One of the biggest releases of 2020 is being rolled out slow. First came a poster, featuring lead actor Ranveer Singh’s immaculate transformation into Kapil Dev.
This was followed by a glimpse of the iconic Nataraj shot, a stunning recreation of the cricketing legend’s signature sweep.
The film revisits the Indian team’s historic win at the 1983 Cricket World Cup. Ranveer takes on captaining duty as a 24-year-old Dev; he’s flanked by Jiiva as Srikanth Krishnamachari.
83 also stars Harrdy Sandhu, Chirag Patil, Saqib Saleem, Tahir Bhasin, Jatin Sarna and others. The film was shot mainly in London, including Lords and the Oval Stadiums.
Shakuntala Devi: The Human Computer - Vidya Balan essays mathematician Shakuntala Devi in Anu Menon’s film. Born in Bengaluru, Shakuntala Devi received worldwide recognition for her mental arithmetic.
She was the subject of a study by Arthur Jensen, a psychology professor at the University of California. Arthur presented her with a series of complex calculations, which she solved in record time.
In 1982, Shakuntala earned a place in the GuinnessBook of Records. A writer & educator, she authored the book, The World Of Homosexuals, considered to be a pioneering study of homosexuality in India
Thalaivi - After Manikarnikai, Kangana Ranaut returns to the biopic space, this time as late TN CM J. Jayalalithaa. She plays the political firebrand in director AL Vijay's Thalaivi.
Going by the promos, the film charts Jayalalitha’s rise from a leading film star in the 1960s to her legislative victory in 1991. Thalaivi also stars Arvind Swami as MGR and Prakash Raj as Karunanidhi
Hollywood make-up artist Jason Collins (Captain Marvel, Ghost in the Shell) has done the prosthetics work. Kangana will voice both the Hindi & Tamil versions.
Shershah - Siddharth Malhotra takes on the part of war hero Vikram Batra in his next. Vikram, a Param Vir Chakra recipient, was killed in combat on Point 4875 in Kargil in 1999.
The character of Captain Batra was previously portrayed by Abhishek Bachchan in L.O.C Kargil (2003). In Shershah, Sidharth also essays the role of Vikram’s twin brother Vishal Batra.
In Shershah, Sidharth also essays the role of Vikram’s twin brother Vishal Batra.
Gangubai Kathiawadi - SLB teams up with Alia Bhatt for this period epic. Inspired by a chapter in Hussain Zaidi’s Mafia Queens of Mumbai, the film tells the story of Gangubai, a brothel owner.
Gangubai was also the matriarch who ruled the Mumbai underworld in the ‘60s. Gangubai was forced into prostitution at a young age.
Gangubai, who had a soft spot for the girls in Kamathipura, Mumbai’s red light district, was also involved in the city’s rabid drug trade.
Alia has been picking up cuss words and working on the body language of her character. She was previously cast as the female lead opposite Salman Khan in Inshallah. The film was shelved last year.
Sardar Udham Singh- Sardar was a revolutionary freedom fighter who assassinated Michael O’Dwyer, the former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, in 1940.
The assassination was carried out to avenge the 1919 Jallianwala massacre, in which over 400 Indians were murdered by the British. Vicky Kaushal plays Udham Singh in Shoojit Sircar’s historical drama
It’s a return to scale for Shoojit, who had directed the 2013 action thriller Madras Cafe. Vicky won a National Film Award for his performance in Uri: The Surgical Strike.
Prithviraj - Akshay Kumar’s next period film is a biopic on Prithviraj Chauhan. A ruler of the Chahamana dynasty, Prithviraj's said to have fended off Muhammad Ghor’s invasion of India in 12th century
He succeeded to the throne in 1179, while still a minor, and ruled for 13 years from the twin capitals of Ajmer and Delhi. He was finally defeated by the Ghurids at the Second battle of Tarain.
His fall is viewed as a landmark event in the Islamic conquest of India. The biopic is directed by Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi, known for helming the TV show Chanakya & the critically-acclaimed Pinjar
Maidaan - Ajay Devgn’s next is a collaboration with Badhaai Ho director Amit Ravindranath Sharma. Set in the 1950s, the film is based on the life of legendary football coach Syed Abdul Rahim.
Syed led India into the semi-finals of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. He is credited for ushering in the golden era of Indian football.
Maidaan also stars Keerthy Suresh as Abdul Rahim’s wife. (A similar football-themed historical was announced by Nikkhil Advani, about the 1911 match between Mohun Bagan & the East Yorkshire regiment.
Gajraj Rao, who worked with Amit Ravindranath in Ayushmann's Badhaai Ho, is also a part of the film.
Kaagaaz - Satish Kaushik returns to the director’s chair with Kaagaaz, a satirical drama fronted by Pankaj Tripathi. The film follows the struggles of a farmer declared dead by government records.
The story is inspired from Lal Bihari, a UP farmer, who was declared dead - or Mritak - for 18 years. The mistake was discovered to be a conspiracy hatched by his greedy uncle to usurp his properties.
Shot on a modest budget, the film is likely to find resonance in the ongoing debate around citizenship laws in India.
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