Sonakshi to keep setting Trends: Chopping my hair was the boldest thing that I could’ve ever done,” says Sonakshi, who made headlines as she knocked off those extra pounds. Experimenting with looks and following her own style made her 2014’s newsmaker. “In 2015, I’d continue to follow my heart and not succumb to monotony.” She says 2015 will be the year of intelligent films, adding that she wants to “act and watch films that cater to sensible audiences”.
Expect to see more rjs on reality TV: Radio jockeys who had been behind the scenes made their presence felt on reality shows be it RJ Pritam on Bigg Boss or RJ Malishka on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa or RJ Teejay Sidhu on Khatron Ke Khiladi. Teejay says: “After a while it becomes hard to source celebs who have not been featured on TV. Radio hosts are still an untouched bank of celebs. They are popular, but they have not been overexposed on TV.”
Selfie fun for stars: Selfie mania took over our B-town stars. Parineeti Chopra says: “Selfies are fun and fans like to see another side to stars.” Arjun Kapoor echoes her views: “Promoting films via selfies gives an insight into our personal lives via Instagram. 2015 will provide a platform to the industry to work in perfect tandem with social media.”
Stars plug for rivals: This year saw stars promoting each other’s films. It wasn’t just about rivalry. There was enthusiastic participation in Hrithik Roshan’s Bang Bang Dare, in which the superstar pulled his B-town friends out of their comfort zones to promote his film Bang Bang. Hrithik says, “It’s great that we as an industry can think beyond competing with each other. The Bang Bang Dare wasn’t just about attracting attention to my movie. I wanted to make actors do something for their fans. The reaction was overwhelming.”
Biopics to rule: While action films with social message like Singham 2 did well, Action Jackson took a nosedive. “I feel 2014 is the year in which cinema has grown. You can’t cheat the audience. If a film flops, it flops because it failed to connect with the audience. Action films were and will always have their niche audience. What sets them apart is the treatment. Since I’ve been synonymous with both the action and comedy genres, I thought I could pull off an Action Jackson,” says Ajay Devgn. Another genre that seems to be diminishing is sequels. “Making sequels is a huge risk, unless you genuinely have a story to narrate.” Ajay feels 2015 will be the year of biopics. “With films on the lives of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Dhyanchand and Kishore Kumar, cinema will see a huge growth,” says the actor.
Priority to TV: Filmmakers gave priority to TV, even if it meant postponing their films for a while. Ashutosh Gowariker admits Mohenjo Daro has been delayed because of Everest. “What is most important for me is the planning stage. Once that is in place, implementing the ideas becomes easier. The research (for Everest) took longer than usual. So yes, I did have to push the movie a little bit because Everest took up a lot of my time. It is my dream project and needed more attention,” he says.
Fusion to rule: This year and 2015 belong to fusion wear. Casual clothes and your tees will never go out of fashion. Since Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor continue to be the quintessential style icons, their look is the trendsetter in many ways,” says Manish Malhotra. Traditional wear will rule the wedding arena, he says. “Subtle or bold prints, I think the one who wears it should have the attitude to pull it off with élan.”
Dance films click: After a long time, dance films like ABCD and Happy New Year have successfully established dance as a genre. 2015 will have ABCD 2 highlighting dance as the backdrop of the film, says Prabhu Deva. He is ecstatic that his counterparts Farah Khan and Remo Fernandes have been successfully handling their jobs of direction and choreography.
