Diwali always means special for the theatrical business in India.
This year has shown that big-ticket films have a ready audience for them, as seen in Pathaan and Jawan, and Salman Khan probably hopes to get lucky too.
Joginder Tuteja lists the November theatre releases.
Aankh Micholi
Release date: November 3
Ready for more than a year, the Abhimanyu Dasani-Mrunal Thakur starrer Aankh Micholi will finally release this month.
This one is a family comedy by Director Umesh Shukla, who has a superhit OMG - Oh My God to his credit.
The film also features Paresh Rawal, Sharman Joshi and Divya Dutta in key roles but surprisingly arrives with limited promotion and marketing.
Japan
Release date: November 10
Karthi plays the titular character, who steals Rs 200 crore worth of jewels.
A cat-and-mouse chase between him and the police, the film is directed by Raju Murugan and co-stars Anu Emmanuel and Sunil.
Tiger 3
Release date: November 12
The highlight of the month is Tiger 3, starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif.
It has strategically chosen Sunday as the day of release to get a heady kick-start on Diwali and then take the momentum forwards in the days to follow during the holiday season.
Ek Tha Tiger was a blockbuster and its sequel Tiger Zinda Hai did very well too.
Tiger 3 is directed by Maneesh Sharma and has Emraan Hashmi as the baddie.
Khichdi 2
Release date: November 17
Khichdi is one of those rare television serials that led to a feature film.
The core cast came together in Khichdi: The Movie more than a decade back in 2010 and was a fair earner.
In Khichdi 2, Supriya Pathak Kapoor, Rajeev Mehta, Anang Desai, Vandana Pathak, Kirti Kulhari and Jamnadas Majethia are expected to bring on more laughs.
Releasing just five days after Tiger 3, one waits to see what kind of release strategy the film has.
Farrey
Release date: November 24
A Salman Khan production, Farrey marks the debut of the superstar's niece, Alizeh Agnihotri.
Directed by Soumendra Padhi (who made the Netflix series Jamtara), this is a thriller and stars Zeyn Shaw, Sahil Mehta and Prasanna Bisht.
Starfish
Release date: November 24
Khushalii Kumar had made her big screen debut with the thriller, Dhokha: Round D Corner a year ago.
Now she will be seen in yet another thriller, this time with an underwater setting to it. She is joined by Milind Soman, Tusharr Khanna and Ehan Bhat.
Dhruva Natchathiram: Chapter One – Yuddha Kaandam
Release date: November 24
Dhruva Natchathiram is an action spy drama starring Vikram.
The actor plays a covert operative who leads a team of elite professionals called The Basement. His sole intention is to take down terrorists.
Directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, it also stars Ritu Varma, Radhika Sarathkumar and Simran.
