Bollywood | Bollywood Watch

HINDI MOVIE RELEASES EXPECTED THIS MONTH
By SHEPHALI J. RELE

�My Wife�s Murder�: Starring Anil Kapoor, Suchitra Krishnamurthy, Boman Irani, Nandana Sen; directed by Jijy Philip.

Anil Kapoor plays Ravi Patwardhan, a simple middle-class man trying to earn a living for his family. Ravi�s job and his editing studio are a source of happiness where he works on tight deadlines with his faithful assistant Reena, played by Nandana Sen. Suchitra Krishnamurthy is Sheila Patwardhan, Ravi�s possessive, controlling wife, who persistently mistrusts him. Her pesky nagging drives the mild-mannered man to absolute fury. One day, he gets pushed a bit too far. And now she�s dead. Boman Irani plays the police inspector with the suspect in his sights. This film marks the debut for director Jijy Philips who previously assisted Ram Gopal Varma on �Bhoot.� The script for the thriller was written by Varma himself. Co-producer Anil Kapoor considers this one of his best films.

�Mangal Pandey � The Rising�: Starring Aamir Khan, Rani Mukerji, Amisha Patel, Toby Stephens; directed by Ketan Mehta; music by A.R. Rahman.

	Aamir Khan as Mangal Pandey

A historical epic set against the 1857 Indian Mutiny, the much-anticipated �Mangal Pandey� marks the return of Aamir Khan to the silver screen after a four-year absence. Khan plays the legendary martyr Mangal Pandey, one of the Indian sepoys in the British infantry. After 100 years of the British rule, the people of India are growing tired of their unfair treatment. Meanwhile, brave sepoy Mangal Pandey rescues his commanding officer William Gordon, played by Toby Stephens, during a battle. A strong friendship and loyalty grows between the two men, which is later confronted by circumstances. Controversial new gun cartridges are introduced among the troops. These cartridges had a casing made of animal fat that had to be bit through before use. This was an affront to the soldiers� religion and feelings. The sepoys were first told no animal fat was present. Pandey discovers the bitter truth. This event sparks a resentment that spreads across India. Mutiny breaks out among the sepoys. That�s how Pandey becomes India�s first revolutionary freedom fighter. He was hanged by the British in 1857 for revolting against them. �Mangal Pandey� is based on historical events and tells a tale of friends, enemies, betrayal and the awakening of a man and a nation.

NOW ON DVD/VIDEO If you didn�t get a chance to see this film in theaters, now�s your chance to watch it at home.

�Bunty Aur Bubli� stars Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, Amitabh Bachchan. It is directed by Shaad Ali with music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. After a successful debut with �Saathiya,� director Shaad Ali�s second venture features Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji as the title characters in this stylish adventure story. Bunty and Bubli are runaways who use many disguises during their cons while on the run in the back waters of Uttar Pradesh. Amitabh Bachchan plays the cop trying to track down the elusive culprits. The film features Aishwarya Rai in the hit song (�Kajra re� sung by Alisha Chinai) dancing with Amitabh and Abhishek.

Whether you are a Bachchan senior, junior or Rani fan, this film is a delight to watch. With likable characters, snappy dialogues and rocking music, this adventure caper offers sheer entertainment value for the entire family. Rani�s comic timing and snazzy outfits are a treat. Abhishek�s performances keep improving with every film. After a serious turn in �Yuva,� he proves his mettle in comedy as Bunty. It�s always nice to see Amitabh in a character-driven role. Even if you are not an avid Hindi film viewer, be sure to check out �Bunty Aur Bubli.� You will surely enjoy this exciting comedy and don�t forward any of the songs!

After last year�s �Mujhse Shaadi Karogi�, director David Dhawan and Salman Khan team up in another comedy. Salman Khan plays Samir, a flirtatious doctor who falls for every other good-looking female, breaking many hearts and not ready for commitment. Whenever a girlfriend gets serious, he informs them he is already married. This ploy usually works until Soniya, a model, played by Katrina Kaif, enters his life. This time, Samir truly is in love. Sohail Khan plays an aspiring actor named Pyaare who also loves Soniya. Somehow, Samir�s false married status is revealed to Soniya. But she still loves him and asks him to get a divorce. Naina, played be Sushmita Sen, is a dutiful nurse at Samir�s hospital who comes to his rescue. Naina agrees to be his fake wife while harboring secret feelings for Dr. Samir herself.