Strange jodis in Bollywood, FB becoming a search engine, trolling assailing social media, powerful sequels & big clashes that will spice up the box-office — PRAKRITI ROY puts together these and many other trends that will shape the year
GOOGlE MOVE OVER, FB’S THE NEW SEARCH
2016 could be the year when you stop Googling stuff and start Facebooking it instead with FB working on its own search engine! Can it give Google any competitionIJ
Social commerce could become a thing. Imagine Amazon meets Facebook, and ordering something with an Instagram click, after having your friends review the product, almost like a virtual mall trip!
Platforms like Instagram, Pinterest and Snapchat are slated to become huge. These advertising tactics could lead to a revolution in advertising.
Mobile wallets (like PayTM) are the next big change. All that a smartphone user needs to make payments is a mobile wallet app, and he is good to go.
WHO GETS TROllEDIJ
Trolling became a big thing in 2015, especially where politics and politicians are concerned and it’s not going anywhere in 2016. Here are some incidents that led to large-scale trolling, and you can guess what to look forward to in 2016.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi became a victim of this, what with his frequent travels. The photo-ops of every visit ended up as a troll on social media.
Where memes are concerned, how can the chocolate boy of Indian politics be left behindIJ Some of the most hilarious memes were made to celebrate Rahul Gandhi’s return from sabbatical. But that did not deter him and #RahulStumped soon surfaced on social media.
The US presidential elections is a big deal for everyone. But as soon as Donald Trump announced his candidature, netizens couldn’t control their laughter. November 8, 2016 is still nine months away, so we can only imagine how many laughs we’ll get at the expense of his toupee.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s odd-even scheme for traffic has just started off, and we don’t really know how it will turn out. But what we do know is that, as usual, he has become the butt of many jokes.
EXPERIENTIAl TRAVEl
TripAdvisor released a report that listed the coolest trends that will be seen in 2016. Travellers will want to try out something new (69 per cent); whether the pleasure of a cruise (one in five) or the thrill of travelling solo (17 per cent will try solo travel).
Manmeet Ahluwalia, marketing head, Expedia India says: “Experience and experiment have become the new trend. We will notice an increase in demand for offbeat places and activities, and sports-related activities.”
Travel too is gradually moving online. Not literally, of course, but the planning is. Experiential travel will see a steep rise this year. It basically means that you can use virtual reality to sample a place without even getting off your couch by taking a 360 degree view of the property.
Say goodbye to hotels in 2016; opt instead for a warm homestay to experience the best of culture and cuisine. While the trend has already existed in the West, even destinations like Kerala, Manali and Himachal Pradesh will offer homestays for a more relaxed holiday experience, says Ahluwalia.
HEAlTH GOES DIGITAl
More and more Indians are becoming conscious of the importance of healthcare and for that they are using the latest technology available.
A PWC report says that usage of health-based smartphone apps has doubled in the last two years and it is only expected to grow in 2016. The biggest technological innovation has been the invention of fashionable wearable heath gadgets like those that track your heart beat, diabetes, etc. and even keeps you updated with news and emails.
Then there are the Google smart contact lenses which are being engineered to take a person’s tears and measure their glucose level! Unfortunately, this technology that seems to be out of the Men In Black movies comes at a heavy price.
The shift to online platforms by both patients and doctors can now help you communicate to people about a particular health issue, even if they are in a different part of the world, courtesy social media. An engineer with Twitter recently revealed that there are about half a billion healthcare tweets that are sent out every day! That means that there will be more words on Twitter in two years than in all books ever printed.
Hisao Masuda, MD, Omron Healthcare says: “Consumers have access to millions of products and services available online. There is a rise in the purchase of preventive medical devices online including blood pressure monitor, step counter, digital weighing machine etc. This change in consumption pattern will continue to gain momentum in 2016.”
Telemedicine and digital health clinics will become big in 2016. Masuda tells you that telehealth is a combination of health services with digital information and communication technologies. “The patient can monitor their health by connecting the monitoring device with the health app. Based on the readings, the app will suggest health tips, etc. It will also remind the patient to visit the doctor, depending on the health readings. Preventive healthcare and home monitoring will pick up pace with telehealth,” Masuda says.
The best innovation is for those who like everything customised and personalised specifically for them like casts, prosthetics and wearables.
NEW FACES
Sayesha Saigal, only 18, is debuting in Ajay Devgn starrer Shivaay. A trained Kathak and latino dancer, she is the grand-niece of Dilip Kumar and Saira Bano.
Pooja Hegde, a model and the second runner-up of Miss India Universe, 2010, appears to be a good match opposite Hrithik Roshan in Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Mohenjodaro.
Saiyami Kher, Tanvi Azmi’s niece, is making her debut with Mirziya, opposite Harshvardhan Kapoor.
Mahira Khan is already a big name in Pakistan and India with her TV show Humsafar and filmBol. She has a Bollywood debut opposite SRK in Raees.
Harshvardhan Kapoor, Anil Kapoor’s son is making his debut this year with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Mirziya. Having worked as an assistant director with Anurag Kashyap on Bombay Velvet, there is a lot of expectation from him.
STRANGE JODIS
Bollywood has some suspenses in store; whether they are promising or not, we’ll just have to wait and watch. The year has an interesting (if a little mismatched) line-up of on-screen couples. Here are our top picks:
SEQUElS
Rock On 2 starring Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal and Shradhha Kapoor. The starcast of part one are reprising their roles with the addition of Shradhha. The scenic locations like Shillong are something to look forward to.
Tere Bin laden-Dead or Alive starring Praduman Singh and Manish Paul, along with the old supporting cast. Ali Zafar will also appear in a special role in the laugh riot franchise.
Ghayal Once Again starring Sunny Deol, Soha Ali Khan and Om Puri. This sequel to the 1990 film Ghayal finally found its way to completion after all these years. In fact, Sunny Deol is also co-directing the film.
BlOCKBUSTERS
Bahubali 2: The conclusion, starring Prabhas and Tamannah, is the movie that every Indian is looking forward to. The first part, released last year, was the highest earning film in the country. From the sequel, fans are eagerly waiting to know why Kattappa killed BahubaliIJ
According to latest talk, the release of the sequel may be pushed to 2017 as most of the film has not been filmed yet.
Dangal starring Aamir Khan. Missing in action in 2015, he is expected to make up for it with his biographical sports drama on wrestling. It would be interesting to see how the extra 30 kg makes him look on the silver screen.
Raees starring Shah Rukh Khan and Mahira Khan. SRK’s never-seen-before-avatar from the trailer has already got his fans excited. The film is about the prohibition of alcohol, prostitution and drugs in Gujarat, in the 1980s.
Sultan starring Salman Khan. After Bajrangi Bhaijaan, there is even more expectation riding on this sports drama, again based on wrestling. Adding to the dilemma of movie-goers, Raees and Sultan have both been slated to release on Eid, 2016. We can only speculate on how that will turn out!
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil starring Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma it is directed by Karan Johar. Hopefully, Ranbir can gain back some ground which he lost in 2015 with three flops. The other starcast includes Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Fawad Khan.
Fan starring Shah Rukh and Ileana D’cruz is all set to take SRK fans by storm. Yash Raj has gone all out with the make-up and has roped in world-renowned Academy Award winner make-up artist Greg Cannom.
Ki and Ka starring Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor is a romantic comedy by R Balki. Not only does it have a mis-matched jodi but also stars Big B and Jaya Bachchan. With a socially driven storyline about gender roles in society, this movie is definitely on the list of must-watch films this year.
Wazir starring Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar and Aditi Rao Hydari. A lot is always expected from Big B and Farhan Akhtar. This action-thriller appears to be promising, originally intended to be made as Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s first Hollywood movie with Dustin Hoffman.
Mohenjodaro starring Hrithik Roshan and Pooja Hegde. The combination of Ashutosh Govarikar and Hrithik Roshan in a period drama, is not something that Bollywood buffs can resist.
Shivaay starring Ajay Devgn, Vir Das and debutant Sayesha Saigal. The second directorial venture of Ajay has only the first look out yet and is already the talk of the industry.
Rangoon starring Shahid Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut and Saif Ali Khan. A love triangle against the backdrop of WWII with these performers is definitely promising. We hope that their combination will help them be ‘shaandaar’ so that the film does not vanish like a ‘phantom’.
THE BIG ClASHES
The clash between Dilwale and Bajirao Mastani last year left many hoping that good sense will prevail this year. Not only was it a dilemma for movie-goers to choose which film to watch, the clash of the release date also ate into their opening weekend profits. Unfortunately, the same will probably happen this year as well with some big movies clashing at the box office.
Shah Rukh Khan’s RAEES and Salman Khan’s SUlTAN — The two big Khans will go into a head-on contest at the box office if both the films release on Ramzan Eid, as has been scheduled.
Karan Johar’s AE DIl HAI MUSHKIl and Ajay Devgn’s SHIVAAY — Audience could have a bit of a tough time choosing which film to watch this Diwali.
Akshay Kumar’s RUSTOM and Hrithik Roshan’s MOHENJODARO — The clash on Independence Day weekend will not just be between the two big actors, but also two great directors, Neeraj Pandey and Ashutosh Gowarikar.
HOUSEFUll 3 and JAGGA JASOOS — The question is whether audience will prefer to watch an out-an-out comedy in Housefull 3 or a light-hearted romantic comedy with real life couple Ranbir and Katrina in Jagga Jasoos.
AIRlIFT and KYA KOOl HAIN HUM 3 — Whether people will prefer to watch a thriller based on true events or the sex-comedy time will tell.