It seems like the era of biopics in Bollywood will reach its peak in 2019 with big productions in the pipeline. These real-life stories feature some of the top actors of the industry like Kangana Ranaut, Ranveer Singh, R Madhavan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Hrithik Roshan, Anupam Kher, Shraddha Kapoor and Richa Chadha. Here’s a look at what to expect and why fans are eagerly awaiting these screen adaptations of real-life stories:
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Kangana Ranaut turns director with this biopic in which she also plays the titular role. Manikarnika is based on the real life story of Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi who fought against the British during the First War of Independence in 1857.
Gully Boy
He delivered a hit — Simmba — soon after his wedding celebrations were over, and now Ranveer Singh is prepping for the promotions of his next release, Gully Boy. A biopic on the lives of Vivian Fenandes aka Divine and Naved Shaikh aka Naezy, who are known for their song, Mere Gully Mein, it captures the life of these rappers. Ranveer plays Divine’s role and going by his social media posts, the actor looks like a pro at rapping.
Thackeray
One of Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s most-awaited films this year is Thackeray. A bilingual in Marathi and Hindi, this is a biographical film on the late Shivsena leader Bal Thackeray. Ever since the teaser released sometime last year, the film and its lead actor have been in the news. Although the prosthetics and the actor’s body language is close to the late Thackeray, audience and the industry is waiting to watch if Nawaz will be able to pull this role off with ease.
The Accidental Prime Minister
Anupam Kher- and Akshaye Khannastarrer, The Accidental Prime Minister has already stirred a controversy. But going by the trailer and the actors’ looks in the film, it looks promising as a biopic on the career of the former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
Rocketry: The Nambi Effect
Actor R Madhavan revealed his look as the scientist Nambi Narayanan in the upcoming biopic, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect. Madhavan plays the scientist and portrays the role between the ages of 25 to 75 years. The actor has gained some weight to shoot the later parts of the film first. The story chronicles the scientist’s life and the ISRO espionage case. However, it’s the charming actor, Madhavan, who is the biggest draw of this film which will be ready in the latter half of 2019.
Super 30
Hrithik Roshan plays the role of Anand Kumar in Super 30. Anand is a Patna-based mathematician known for his Super 30 programme under which he trains underprivileged students to crack the IIT entrance exams. Hrithik’s scruffy look which was revealed through a poster, has become the talking point of the film that is scheduled to release soon.
Chhapaak
After a year’s break, actor Deepika Padukone will be back on sets with Meghna Gulzar’s Chhapaak. The story is based on the life and experiences of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal. The actor plays the role of Laxmi who is now a TV show host and campaigner with Stop Acid Attacks. The film stars Vikrant Massey in the lead role opposite Deepika.
Gunjan Saxena
Although her first film didn’t make a mark, Jhanvi Kapoor’s performance did make an impression. Next, the young actress will be seen playing the role of a female combat aviator in the biopic on Gunjan Saxena. Gunjan was India’s first female combat pilot who put her life on the line to rescue injured soldiers during the Kargil war in 1999. From the leaked images, Jhanvi, who is dressed in the blue dungarees of a pilot, looks perfect for the role.
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