As 2025 begins, we can expect action, action and more action! Fateh, Sonu Sood’s directorial debut, will actually be the first Hindi film made in India to open the year. Featuring also Jacqueline Fernandez and Naseeruddin Shah, the film is the story of an ex-special ops officer who exposes a nationwide racket.
The same day sees the release of Santosh (an Indian film made in UK that was its official entry to the Academy Awards last year!). It is the story of a woman who is a widow at 28, is given her husband’s job as a police officer, who investigates a girl’s murder. Shahana Goswami heads the cast and Sandhya Suri writes and directs this thriller.
(Both these titles have been used before in contemporary times. The first was a Sanjay Dutt flop in 1991, and the second was a Manoj Kumar-Hema Malini behemoth that was delayed and released in 1989).
Let us now look, date-wise, at the other on-screen ‘battlegrounds’ of early 2025.
January 17
Emergency: This Kangana Ranaut-directorial examines the darkest chapter of Indian democracy, and Kangana portrays its architect, Indira Gandhi, who was the Prime Minister when Emergency was declared in 1975. Action here might be sparse, but thrills are certain.
Azaad: A full-blooded actioner, this film introduces Amaan Devgan, Ajay Devgn’s nephew, and Rasha Thadani, daughter to Raveena Tandon and Anil Thadani. Ajay himself heads the cast and Abhishek Kapoor, who is known for introducing new faces, directs.
Mission Grey House: This small film, presented by Reliance Entertainment, is about a young boy (newbie Abeer Khan), who wants to be a police officer at any cost and is trapped by criminals. Naushad Siddiqui directs.
January 24
Sky Force: Akshay Kumar stars in another patriotic war drama about India’s retaliatory attack on the Sargodha airbase of Pakistan in the 1965 Indo-Pakistani war, remembered as India’s first and deadliest airstrike. Veer Pahariya makes his debut and Nimrat Kaur and Sara Ali Khan co-star. The film is directed jointly by newbies Sandeep Kewlani and Abhishek Anil Kapur, marking the second Abhishek ‘Kapoor’/’Kapur’ in a week to direct a film, that too an actioner top-lined by a major star along with a new hero! Coincidences, indeed, are stranger than fiction!
January 31
Deva: The title that Subhash Ghai could never make into a film is the latest Mumbai production (Zee Studios with Siddharth Roy Kapur) to be helmed by a big name from the South (Kerala)—Rosshan Andrrews. The film is so heavy on action that while Shahid Kapoor does his next commercial actioner after R…Rajkumar, the heroine’s name (Pooja Hegde) was neither taken nor mentioned in the credits at the recent teaser launch!
And after that…
Badass Ravikumar: February too will commence with Himesh Reshammiya’s sequel to his actioner, The Xpose. Himesh produces, directs and co-writes the film, with Prabhudheva as antagonist. Of course, he scores the music and will sing his own songs. Directed by Keith Gomes, the film releases on February 7.
February 14 or Valentine’s Day will also see the following actioners!
Chhava: Director Laxman Utekar and his regular producer, Dinesh Vijan, whose forte is mid-budget socials, try their hands at a mammoth historical action drama featuring Vicky Kaushal as Emperor Shambhaji, Chhatrapati Shivaji’s son. Rashmika Mandanna plays Yesubai, his wife, and Akshaye Khanna is Aurangzeb. A.R. Rahman scores music.
Sanki: The first Sajid Nadiadwala release of this year, the film is about a young man fighting a mysterious series of events, and is an action-filled drama. Suniel Shetty’s son Ahan Shetty has another go at stardom after his unsuccessful debut in Nadiadwala’s Tadap in 2021. Yasir Jah and Adnan A. Shaikh direct the film with Pooja Hegde in the female lead.
And the first quarter will end with…
Sikandar: Sajid Nadiadwala reunites with one of his favorite heroes, Salman Khan, in this mega-actioner that features him with Rashmika Mandanna, Kajal Agarwal and Sathyaraj. A.R. Murugadoss directs him for the first time. The music is scored by Pritam, Hindi cinema’s biggest name since 2006, who reunites with the director nine years after Holiday.
(Used with permission)
