Clash of the Titans: Bollywood's biggest box office clashes in 2016

As the year 2015 comes to a close, here's a list of the big Bollywood releases that are set to clash at the box office in the year 2016. Take a look!

EID

'Raees'
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Mahira Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Dir: Rahul Dholakia
Lowdown: A crime thriller based on a bootlegger from Gujarat. It is set in the '80s.
USP: SRK playing a baddie.

'Sultan'
Cast: Salman Khan
Dir: Ali Abbas Zafar
Lowdown: Story of a wrestler, but packed with romance.
USP: Salman's brawns on display.

MAY 13

'Mirziya'
Cast: Harshvardhan Kapoor, Saiyami Kher
Dir: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Lowdown: A contemporary take on the tragic Mirza-Sahiban love story starring newcomers.
USP: Gulzar's script teamed with Mehra's direction.

'Azhar'
Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Prachi Desai, Nargis Fakhri
Dir: Tony D'souza
Lowdown: A biopic on the controversial life of ex Indian cricket skipper Mohd Azharuddin.
USP: Rise and fall of one of India's most successful captains.

AUGUST 12

'Mohenjo Daro'
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pooja Hegde
Dir: Ashutosh Gowariker
Lowdown: As the title suggests, it is set in the Indus valley civilisation era, but the plot remains fiercely guarded by the makers.
USP: The hit actor-director combo.

'Rustom'
Cast: Akshay Kumar
Dir: Neeraj Pandey
Lowdown: A romantic thriller which will see the director-actor duo collaborating for the third time. The film is said to have been inspired by real life events.
USP: Here too, the hit actor-director jodi.

DIWALI

'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Fawad Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Anushka Sharma
Dir: Karan Johar
Lowdown: The film is Karan Johar's next directorial venture and has an ensemble cast.
USP: KJo's direction and the star cast.

'Shivaay'
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Sayesha Saigal
Dir: Ajay Devgn
Lowdown: Not much about the plot has been revealed, except that it will be an action-thriller in which the actor plays dad to a 12-year-old (Lawless child artiste Abigail Eames).
USP: High octane action.

JUNE 3

'Jagga Jasoos'
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif
Dir: Anurag Basu
Lowdown: A comedy-drama that revolves around a teenage detective in search of his missing father.
USP: Real life lovers coming together on screen after a seven-year gap.

'Housefull 3'
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Lisa Haydon, Nargis Fakhri, Jacqueline Fernandez
Dir: Sajid-Farhad
Lowdown: Third part of the chaotic comedy franchise.
USP: Comic timing of Akki, Riteish, Jr B in one film; sexy actresses.

JANUARY 22

'Airlift'
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur
Dir: Raj Krishna Menon
Lowdown: Based on the 'biggest human evacuation' with an Iraq-Kuwait war background.
USP: Story of true grit and of course, Akki.

'Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3'
Cast: Tusshar Kapoor, Aftab, Mandana Karimi
Dir: Sangeeth Sivan
Lowdown: An adult comedy packed with dollops of sex jokes, chaos and confusion.
USP: Touted as India's first porn com.

JANUARY 29

'Saala Khadoos'
Cast: R Madhavan, Ritika Singh
Dir: Sudha Kongara
Lowdown: A sports drama which revolves around a boxing coach and his protégé.
USP: Affable Maddy playing an uptight coach.

'Mastizaade'
Cast: Sunny Leone, Tusshar Kapoor, Vir Das
Dir: Milap Zaveri
Lowdown: A sex comedy with Sunny Leone in a double role.
USP: The presence of Sunny Leone and Milap's writing, replete with puns and sexual innuendos.

midday

Birthday girl Vidya Balan returns home from hospital

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan, who turned 37 on the New Year's Day, is back home after being discharged from a hospital in Mumbai.

She was admitted to a hospital after she faced suspected kidney-related issues.

Vidya Balan

Vidya took to Twitter on late Thursday to thank fans for their “prayers and wishes”. She even wished a happy New Year to all.

“Grateful to be back home in time to bring in my birthday. Thank You for all your love, prayers and wishes. Happy 2016 to each of you,” Vidya tweeted.

The National Award winner had plans to celebrate New Year with her husband and producer Siddharth Roy Kapur abroad, but they had to cancel their outing as she suffered excruciating pain.

Mandana Karimi sizzles in 'Oh Boy' song from 'Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3'

'Bigg Boss 9' contestant and actress Mandana Karimi turns up the heat in the latest song titled 'Oh Boy' from the porn-com 'Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3' also starring Tusshar Kapoor and Aftab Shivdasani.

Watch 'Oh Boy' song video

Along with Mandana Karimi, the film also features former 'Bigg Boss' contestants Gizele Thakral, Andy and Claudia Ciesla.

Video: 'Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3': Watch the trailer of the 'porn-com'

Tusshar Kapoor has two sex comedies -- 'Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3' and 'Mastizaade' -- lined up for release in the third and fourth weeks of January.

Also read: Is Tusshar Kapoor giving his sister Ekta's film priority over 'Mastizaade'?

Directed by Umesh Ghadge, the film is produced by Balaji Motion Pictures.

'Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3' is set to clash with Akshay Kumar's 'Airlift' on January 22.

Ready to roll: The most awaited debuts of 2016

A mix of freshers and former child artistes are set to burst on to the big screen in prominent Bollywood roles this year

Every year, the industry welcomes new talents, be it star kids or rank outsiders, who hope to make a mark in the industry.

A look at some of the most awaited acting debuts of 2016

Saiyami Kher


The youngster, who stars in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's 'Mirziya', has a lot of industry connections — she is the granddaughter of yesteryear actress Usha Kiran and niece to Tanvi Azmi. Saiyami's mother Uttara Kher is a former beauty pageant winner and her father Adwait is a model-turned-restaurateur. Born and brought up in Nashik, Saiyami graduated from St Xavier's College in Mumbai and began her career as a model. Mehra selected Saiyami to play the female lead in his film from among three aspirants.

Harshvardhan Kapoor

Bollywood runs in his blood. Set to be launched in 'Mirziya', Harshvardhan is Anil Kapoor's son. He studied screenplay writing and acting in the US, and worked as an AD in Anurag Kashyap's 'Bombay Velvet'. In 2012, Katrina Kaif's younger sister Isabel and Harsh featured in a short film, 'Coming Home'.

Ritika Singh

The boxer-turned-actress features in Rajkumar Hirani's production 'Saala Khadoos' with Madhavan. She was chosen from among 100 ringsters. She is a national-level kick boxer and a black belt in karate. Ritika has also learnt MMA.

Pooja Hegde

A beauty pageant winner, she will be seen as Hrithik Roshan's ladylove in Ashutosh Gowariker's epic drama 'Mohenjo Daro'. The model was handpicked by the director during auditions.

Mahira Khan

One more actress from across the border in Bollywood this year. Mahira, better known to the Indian audience as Khirad from Pakistani TV series Humsafar, makes her debut in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer 'Raees'. She grew up watching Hindi films and her show's popularity here brought her to the attention of Indian filmmakers.

Fatima Shaikh — Sanya Malhotra

Mumbai girl Fatima (left), who has dabbled in acting and photography, will be seen as one of Aamir Khan's daughters in 'Dangal'. Fatima featured as a child artiste in 'Chachi 420' (1997) and has done bit roles in films like 'Bittoo Boss' (2012) and 'Akaash Vani' (2013) and the TV show 'Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo'. Sanya (right), a trained ballet dancer from Delhi, who has done a bit of modelling, will play her sister.

Nidhi Dutta—Ajit Sodhi

Daughter of veteran filmmaker JP Dutta and yesteryear actress Bindiya Goswami, she will be seen in her father's production 'Jee Bhar Ke Jee Le'. She has been paired opposite Ajit Sodhi (right), son of yesteryear actress Nafisa Ali.

Sayesha Saigal

She is the daughter of Saira Banu's niece actress Shaheen, who featured in 'Maha-Sangram' (1990) and 'Ayee Milan Ki Raat' (1991) and actor Sumeet Saigal who featured in late '80s films. Sayesha, who has done Telugu films, features opposite Ajay Devgn in his directorial venture, 'Shivaay'. The youngster had been grooming for Bollywood for the last couple of years.

Diljit DosanjhThe well-known Punjabi singer makes his Bollywood debut in Abhishek Chaubey's 'Udta Punjab' opposite Kareena Kapoor Khan. He is already a name in the Punjabi film and TV industry and now hopes to make a mark in Bollywood.

Shekhar Ravjiani
One half of the music composer duo Vishal-Shekhar, turns actor in Ram Madhvani's Sonam Kapoor-starrer 'Neerja'. With aspirations to become an actor lately, Shekhar had groomed himself and knocked off a few kilos too. He will play Sonam's love interest in the film.

midday

Nargis Fakhri to ring in New Year in Dubai

Actress Nargis Fakhri is going to celebrate New Year in Dubai. She will be experiencing various aspects of Dubai and her trip also coincides with the 21st edition of Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF).

Nargis Fakhri. Pic/Santa Banta

There will be four retail themes - Beauty, Gold and Jewellery, Apparel and Fashion, and Perfume - that are aimed at encouraging innovative activations from malls and stores across UAE -- at the Dubai Shopping Festival, which will start from January 1 and will go on till February 1.

Saeed Mohammed Mesam Al Falasi, director, Strategic Alliances Division of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), announced the themed lineup of events and activities for DSF 2016.

An exhibition by French luxury house Hermès titled ‘Wanderland’ will be a highlight. The exhibition has been showcased in both London and Paris this year, with Dubai being the third stop.

Along with “Kick” fame actress, there are other Bollywood celebrities too who are heading in Dubai to celebrate the coming year.

Just can't wait! Must-watch list of Bollywood movies in 2016

From biopics and thrillers to rom-coms and period dramas, there's plenty for cinephiles to look forward to in 2016. Here are our top 16 picks of Bollywood films

'Wazir'

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, Aditi Rao Hydari
Director: Bejoy Nambiar
Lowdown: The story of two unusual friends — a paralysed chess Grandmaster and a grief stricken ATS officer — who are brought together by a twist of fate as part of a bigger conspiracy.
USP: The casting — Big B and Farhan Akhtar.
Release: January 8

'Ghayal Once Again'

Cast: Sunny Deol, Soha Ali Khan, Om Puri
Director: Sunny Deol
Lowdown: An action drama which is a sequel to Deol’s 1990 super hit film Ghayal. USP: The actor's comeback plus the fact that the story will take off from where the original. ended. Release: January 15

'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story'

Cast: Sushan Singh Rajput, Kiara Advani
Dir: Neeraj Pandey
Lowdown: A biopic on the Indian cricket captain, highlighting his struggles and journey so far.
USP: Revelation about certain unknown facts of MSD’s life.
Release date: September 2

'Sarbjit'

Cast: Randeep Hooda, Richa Chadda, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Dir: Omung Kumar
Lowdown: Based on the true story of an Indian farmer, Sarabjit Singh, who was convicted of espionage and terrorism in Pakistan for several years, until a brutal assault by fellow prisoners ended his life.
USP: The story and Ash’s ageing, de-glam avatar.
Release: May 20

'Fan'

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan
Dir: Maneesh Sharma
Lowdown: Based on the life of the superstar himself. It will have the star essay a double role — as himself and his biggest fan.
USP: SRK as his own fan
Release: April 15

'Aligarh'

Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Rajkumar Rao
Dir: Hansal Mehta
Lowdown: A reel account of a real life incident where
Dr Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras was suspended from his university job because of his sexual orientation.
USP: The subject; acclaim at various film festivals.
Release: February 26

'Fitoor'

Cast: Aditya Roy Kapur, Katrina Kaif
Dir: Abhishek Kapoor
Lowdown: A desi retelling of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations.
USP: Unusual pairing of Aditya-Kat; adaptation of a classic.
Release: February 12

'Neerja'

Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Shekhar Ravjiani
Dir: Ram Madhvani
Lowdown: Cinematic version of the 1986 Pan Am hijack episode in which flight purser Neerja Bhanot saved hundreds of lives before falling to the terrorists’ bullets.
USP: Replication of the real-life story of a braveheart.
Release: February 19

'Jai Gangaajal'

Cast: Priyanka Chopra
Dir: Prakash Jha
Lowdown: It is about a firebrand cop, who is appointed as the first female SP of a Bihar district. She goes against the Local MLA and his henchmen and all hell breaks loose.
USP: PeeCee as a gritty cop
Release: March 4

'Do Lafzon Ki Kahani'

Cast: Randeep Hooda, Kajal Agarwal
Director: Deepak Tijori
Lowdown: A romantic drama based on a Korean movie titled Always. It is about an ex-boxer who has closed his heart to the world and a telemarketer who remains spirited despite slowly losing vision.
USP: Randeep’s look and character
Release: March 4

'Kapoor & Sons'

Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt and Fawad Khan
Dir: Shakun Batra
Lowdown: A romantic comedy drama in which Sid and Fawad play brothers.
USP: The ensemble cast, especially the boys.
Release: March 18

'Udta Punjab'

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Diljit Dosanjh
Dir: Abhishek Chaubey
Lowdown: A dark thriller on rampant drug abuse among youth in Punjab.
USP: Shahid and Kareena feature in the same film for the first time since their not-so-amicable split.
Release: June 17

'Rangoon'

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Kangana Ranaut
Dir: Vishal Bhardwaj
Lowdown: A romantic drama set against the backdrop of World War II.
USP: The cast; Kangana teaming up with the revered director for the first time.
Release: October 14

'Dangal'

Cast: Aamir Khan, Sakshi Tanwar
Dir: Nitesh Tiwari
Lowdown: A biopic on wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat who trained three Commonwealth Games gold medalists, including his daughters Geeta and Babita Kumari, to success.
USP: Aamir as a wrestler and dad to grown-up girls. 
Release: Christmas week

'Rocky Handsome'

Cast: John Abraham, Shruti Haasan
Dir: Nishikant Kamath
Lowdown: An action thriller loosely based on Korean film 'The Man From Nowhere' in which a man sets out to take revenge against the drug mafia after they abduct an eight-year-old girl, with whom he shares a special bond.
USP: The plot of intrigue.
Release: March 25

'Ki and Ka'

Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor
Dir: R Balki
Lowdown: A rom-com centered on a married couple and the challenges they face in their day-to-day life.
USP: Unusual pairing; the director.
Release: April 1

midday