Zoya Akhtar’s next, Dil Dhadakne Do, is one of the most awaited films of 2015. One of the reasons being the stellar cast she's managed to get together. Sooraj Barjatya had earlier assembled huge star casts for his films Hum Aapke Hai Koun..! and Hum Saath-Saath Hain. In recent times, our filmmakers have brought several big stars together for a film, and while some of these films have worked wonders at the box office because of it, others are unable to keep up. Take a look at some of the recent films that shine thanks to a great ensemble cast.
Dil Dhadakne Do
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Star cast: Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Farhan Akhtar, Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah and Rahul Bose
Come June 5th, we shall see Zoya’s illustrious Mehra family, who set out on a cruise together. The trailer and promos look amazing and we cannot wait to watch this film.
Life... In A Metro
Director: Anurag Basu
Star cast: Shilpa Shetty, Shiney Ahuja, Kay Kay Menon, Kangana Ranaut, Konkona Sen Sharma, Irrfan, Sharman Joshi, Dharmendra and Nafisa Ali
Anurag Basu gave us a great look into what life is like in a metropolitan city. Beautifully interconnecting 6 stories together, each character in the film was handled so well that you’re sure to connect with each one of them. The film did decent business at the box-office as well. Konkona Sen Sharma and Irrfan Khan won the Filmfare Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female) and (Male) respectively for their portrayals.
Salaam-e-Ishq
Director: Nikhil Advani
Star cast: Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Anil Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Govinda, Shannon Esra, Ayesha Takia, Akshay Khanna, John Abraham, Vidya Balan, Sohail Khan, Isha Koppikar and Anjana Sukhani.
Nikhil Advani, who gave us a memorable film like Kal Ho Naa Ho, sadly went wrong with Salaam-e-Ishq. The director assembled the baap of all casts at the time, but couldn’t effectively weave all six love stories into a cohesive whole. Also, the running time of the film (3 hours, 44 minutes) was a deterrent to the success of the movie.
Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd
Director: Reema Kagti
Star cast: Kay Kay Menon, Raima Sen, Abhay Deol, Minnisha Lamba, Dia Mirza, Ranvir Shorey, Arjun Rampal, Shabana Azmi, Boman Irani, Shahana Goswami, Ameesha Patel, Karan Patel, Sandhya Mridul and Vikram Singh Chatwal.
Reema Kagti showed us 6 married couples who set off on their first honeymoon trips to Goa. Rife with infidelity, homosexuality and even superheroes, the film did average business at the box-office. But a number of adorable moments and the memorable music make Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd a delightful film to watch.
Housefull (1 and 2)
Director: Sajid Khan
Housefull star cast: Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Arjun Rampal, Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta, Boman Irani and the late Jiah Khan
Housefull 2 star cast: Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Riteish Deshmukh, Shreyas Talpade, Rishi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Mithun Chakravorthy, Boman Irani, Asin, Jacqueline Fernandez, Zarine Khan and Shahzan Padamsee.
Sajid Khan’s no-brainer Housefull franchise has gone on to get blockbuster numbers each time. The film has the staple Akshay Kumar humour, an item number, a comedy of errors and a crowded climax. Filled with comic sequences that use very little logic, the Housefull films might be worth one watch. And with a third one in the offing, we wonder what Sajid Khan has in store this time.
Humshakals
Director: Sajid Khan
Star cast: Saif Ali Khan, Riteish Deshmukh, Ram Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Tamannaah and Esha Gupta.
The film had Saif, Riteish and Ram playing triple roles and the girls playing their arm candies. What’s more, the three male leads also cross dress and turn into women in the film to woo other male counterparts. Humshakals is regarded as one of the most crass and terrible films of all time. Enough said!
Happy New Year
Director: Farah Khan
Star cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Boman Irani and Vivaan Shah
Farah Khan had the idea for HNY in mind for the longest time and she finally got a chance to make it a reality in 2014! The film revolves around a diamond heist planned during a World Dance Championship. Though her brother Sajid failed to impress with his witless comedies, Farah Khan surely tickles our funny bone with spoofs and gags aplenty.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Star cast: Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol, Katrina Kaif and Kalki Koechlin
Three friends decide to go on a road trip across Spain as a bachelor party for one of the three. But the trip ends up changing each of their lives in a number of ways. It was incredible to see a one-film old Zoya getting all the nuances of male-bonding right in a road movie format. ZNMD was a super-hit and also swept the Filmfare Awards, including wins for Best Film and Best Director.