Fifteen reasons why you should queue up at the cinemas in 2009

Ladies’ Special
Farah ‘Om Shanti Om’ Khan has shown that women directors equal big moolah. The coming year will set a record of sorts with five female directors vying for the BO. Most awaited is the debut of Kiran Rao. Mrs Aamir Khan is directing Dhobi Ghat starring Prateik Babbar. Zoya Akhtar’s Luck By Chance also looks good with Farhan Akhtar’s second outing as an actor. Shabd director Leena Yadav directs Amitabh Bachchan and R Madhavan in Teen Patti while Pooja Bhatt is readying a big-budget romantic thriller, Kajrare, with Himesh Reshammiya in the lead. Mira Nair’s trusted screenwriter, Sooni Taraporewala, also makes her debut with Little Zizou.

Big Daddies
Seven of the country’s biggest directors are readying their films for release. First up is Rakeysh Mehra’s semi-autobiographical Delhi 6. Vishal Bharadwaj is gearing up for his Kaminey, followed by Ajab Prem Ki Gajab Kahani by Rajkumar Santoshi, who’s been lying low after Halla Bol, Lajja and Family. This will also be the comeback year of Mani Ratnam who has teamed up again with Guru couple, Abhishek and Aishwarya Bachchan, for Ravan. Last heard, Abhishek had lost 15 kilos for the role. Shah Rukh Khan too has got a crew cut for best bud Karan Johar’s My Name Is Khan. Trade buzz is already rife with a possible Diwali clash between SRK’s film and the Aamir Khan starrer 3 Idiots, directed by Rajkumar Hirani, who is keen to shake off the Munnabhai hangover. Movie marathon man Ashutosh Gowariker too has switched gears from epic sagas to directing the romantic comedy What’s Your Rashee?

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