Four Hollywood releases, one Indian romantic comedy, and an Indo-Australian co-production – it’s a busy week at the movies from August 19.
Happy Bhaag Jayegi Mudassar Aziz’s second wedding-themed film after Dulha Mil Gaya (2010) stars Diana Penty as Happy, the runaway bride who lands up in Pakistan while trying to flee her nuptials with Daman (Jimmy Shergill). Happy finds herself in Lahore, where she meets Bilal (Abhay Deol). Also in the cast are Ali Fazal and Pakistani actress Momal Sheikh.
Ben-Hur The latest remake of a Hollywood classic has been directed by action specialist Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter). The original movies, including a silent film and the popular version starring Charlton Heston, were based on Lew Wallace’s 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ and follow the adventures of the Jewish nobleman who becomes a slave, a charioteer, and finally a follower of Jesus Christ. The new movie stars Jack Huston as Ben-Hur, Toby Kebbell as his back-stabbing adoptive brother Messala, Morgan Freeman as the Sheikh who trains Ben-Hur to become a charioteer, and Rodrigo Santoro as Christ.
UnIndian The Indo-Australian co-production UnIndian stars cricketer and Indophile Brett Lee as an Australian teacher in love with a single mother (Tannishtha Chatterjee). The Sydney-set film has been directed by Anupam Sharma. The cast includes Pallavi Sharda, Supriya Pathak and Gulshan Grover.
Pete’s Dragon David Lowery’s live action remake of the 1977 animated film offers a variation of the feral child theme. The orphaned Pete (Oakes Fegley) spends six years in the forest with the dragon Elliot for company. Found at the age of 10 by a kindly forest ranger (Bryce Dallas Howard), Pete is separated from Elliot, who comes looking for his beloved friend.
War Dogs Todd Phillips (The Hangover, Due Date) directs a war-themed comedy based on real events. Two stoners, David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, bag a lucrative government contract to sell arms to America’s allies in Afghanistan in 2007. Based on a Rolling Stone article by Guy Lawson, the movie stars Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street) and Miles Teller (Whiplash) along with Bradley Cooper.