2011 - the year of action films

Everyone from SRK, Salman, Aamir, Hrithik and Ajay Devgn are doing action films in 2011.

Shah Rukh Khan who has always been popular as the eternal romantic in Bollywood will be seen as an action hero or rather superhero in 2011. Both his releases in this year – Ra.One and Don 2 are action-packed entertainers. Aamir Khan might have done a Ghajini in between but he has always been more popular for his chocolate boy image. However even he has beefed up his body for the suspense-thriller to be directed by Reema Kagti. Salman Khan has reason enough to celebrate his topless appeal after the success of his actioners like Wanted and Dabangg which he will take forward with their sequels and films like Bodyguard .

So how come this sudden upsurge in action films in Bollywood in recent times? Action has always been a common genre in Hindi films but off late they have become very popular. While on one side we say that Hindi cinema is evolving with more sense and sensibility coming in storytelling, on the other hand masala entertainers and blatant hardcore action films are still a big hit amongst masses. So for every Taare Zameen Par , Aamir Khan attempts a Ghajini and Ajay Devgn alternates every Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji with Aakrosh . Even his comic legacy of Golmaal is spiced up with generous dose of action. In fact his next film with Rohit Shetty is a hardcore action film – the remake of South hit Singham starring Suriya.

South is a major inspiration when it comes to exaggeration in action. Their no-hold-barred stunt sequences, which till now seemed too overstated in Hindi films, are now common phenomena in Bollywood with remakes like Ghajini and Wanted making big money. That has made way for more South films and 2011 will see remakes of superhit south actioners like Singham, Bodyguard and Kick .

South films have always gone a step ahead whether in stunts or in SFX. The kind of action sequences that are choreographed for Rajinikanth's Robot is unmatchable and Bollywood is still making efforts to reach their standards. Shah Rukh Khan's Ra.One which has a suspiciously similar storyline like Rajinikanth's Robot also has the train action sequence similar to Robot for which apparently a two-kilometer chroma-screen was erected.

Also Shah Rukh has jumped down a 300 feet building in Don 2 and confessed that at his age it is physically taxing to do an as much demanding action film. Hrithik Roshan's road adventure flick Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara promises loads of thrills including Katrina's dirt-biking stunts, Abhay Deol's deep-sea diving and a bull-running match in Spain in the climax. Ajay Devgn's Singham and Salman Khan's Bodyguard will have raw action in the form of fist-fights and physical combats.

Priyadarshan's Tez starring Anil Kapoor, Ajay Devgn and Mohanlal is an action adventure film about a man holding a speeding train between London and Glasgow to ransom. While that may sound suspiciously similar to films like The Bullet Train and The Taking Of Pelham 123 , Priyadarshan claims that Tezz resembles more to Keanu Reeves' Speed . Abbas-Mustan's Players which is remake of the Hollywood hit The Italian Job is an action-packed heist thriller. Real life lovers Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor will fight each other in Agent Vinod where director Sriram Raghavan wants to revive the charm of Bollywood spy drama of 70s like Farz and Aankhen but in contemporary context.

So, for a change, take a break from the feel-good genre and get ready to kick some butt in 2011. Bollywood is back in action!

Action films in 2011
Ra.One
Don 2
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Tezz
Players ( The Italian Job remake)
Singham remake
Kick remake
Bodyguard remake
Agent Vinod
Power
Department