Bollywood in 2019 a mix of contemporary, biopics

This year Bollywood seems to be in a mood to reminisce the past and personalities.

The films lined up this year include Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi starring Kangana Ranaut, biopics on former prime minister Manmohan Singh and late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, military-action film Uri: The Surgical Strike, Hrithik Roshan-starrer Super 30 and Sanjay Dutt-Arjun Kapoor combine Panipat.

The Accidental Prime Minister is a biopic on former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, specifically related to his tenure as the head of the Congress-led UPA governments, would be released in January.

Among the big-budget period films on the offing is Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, based on the life of Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi and her war against the British East India Company.

Kangana, a three-time national award winner, besides acting is also part of the film's direction team. Its release is expected in January.

Another period film is Panipat, directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar and stars Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and Kriti Sanon.

The film, set to release in December, is based on the Third Battle of Panipat fought on January 14, 1761 between the Marathas and the forces of Afghan ruler Ahmad Shah Abdali and his allies.

Adding to the list of period dramas is Taanaji: The Unsung Warrior and Kesari.

While the first of the two stars Ajay Devgn, the second has Akshay Kumar in the lead role.

Taanaji: The Unsung Warrior is based on the life of Tanaji Malusare, a commander of the Maratha empire who is famously known for his role in the Battle of Sinhagad in 1670.

Kesari tells the story of Havildar Ishar Singh, who participated in the Battle of Saragarhi in which an army of 21 Sikhs fought against 10,000 Afghans in 1897.

Contemporary topics, too, would have its own share but they mostly include stories relating to anti-terror operations.

Uri: The Surgical Strike is based on Indian Army's surgical strikes on Pakistan in 2016 as a retaliation for the Uri attack— the film stars Vicky Kaushal and Paresh Rawal.

Batla, starring John Abraham, is based on the Batla House encounter of 2008.

Following the theme of personality biopics, which has been in trend for quite some time, two interesting biopics are in line for a release.

One is on Wing Commander (Retd) Rakesh Sharma, an Indian astronaut, and the other is on Kapil Dev, the legendary all-rounder and former Team India skipper.

While Shah Rukh Khan would essay the role of Sharma, Ranveer Singh would be seen as Kapil in the film titled 83, based on the historic victory of India in the World Cup.

If "history" or biopics are not one's cup of tea, the year also has the regular Bollywood entertainers like Salman Khan-starrer Bharat, Govinda's Rangeela Raja and Student of the Year 2, featuring Tiger Shroff.