Looking at Bollywood's summer blockbusters

With both IPL and exam fever out of the way, Bollywood is breathing easy and gearing up its potential blockbusters for release.

Starved for the quintessential biggie replete with big banners, mega stars and all the ensuing hullaballoo, the enthusiastic viewer is only too glad to lap it up. And so, despite abysmal reviews Sajid Khan's Housefull took a bumper opening.

Here's a look at the next in line.

Badmaash Company

Post-Kaminey, Shahid Kapoor has only delivered a hat-trick of box-office turkeys -- Paathshala, Chance Pe Dance and Dil Bole Hadippa. At this stage, a hit would be nice. To Shahid's credit, the lad has a flair for bouncing back in the game every now and then.

Let's hope the audience enjoys his schemes and scams along with co-star Anushka Sharma's sizzling makeover in Parmeet Sethi's directorial debut for Yashraj Films' Badmaash Company.  

If hype was the sole criteria for success, Kites is already a winner.

Right from the infamous link-up between its stunning leads -- Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori to the actor lending his voice for one of the songs in the soundtrack, Kites has stayed in news.

Director Anurag Basu's lavishly staged plot revolves around forbidden romance and looming betrayals against the scenic backdrop of Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New Mexico.

In his previous films -- Gangster and Life in a... Metro, Basu has convincingly projected the complexities of human psyche. His ability to reiterate the same as well as Hrithik's assured intensity makes Kites worth looking out for.

Mani Ratnam's films are always a much-awaited affair. His latest, Raavan starring husband-wife duo Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai is no exception.

Only here Vikram plays the good guy trying to hunt down Bachchan Jr, portraying the contemporary face of the mythological villain, after the latter abducts Ash.

With its striking visuals, spectacular music and curious twists, Raavan promises to be epic fun.

Director Prakash Jha brings together an assorted mix of fancy stars and gifted actors to convey the bittersweet workings of Indian politics in his upcoming Raajneeti.

The promos have already generated tremendous buzz. While hard-hitting issues and relevant topics are widely regarded as Jha's forte, it will be especially heartening to see if Katrina Kaif's metamorphosis from eye-candy to a woman of substance is not just limited to an inspired pose and cotton saris.

Quite a title, that. Coming from producer Karan Johar, no less.

After all the man owes his illustrious career to glossy romances like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho, right? Nevertheless, for all its tall proclamations, I Hate Luv Storys is anything but anti-romance.

Directed by first-timer Punit Malhotra, nephew of fashion designer Manish Malhotra, IHLS is a breezy date flick about how members of a film crew -- Sonam Kapoor and Imran Khan end up falling for each other.

You know how it goes but the prospect of seeing these two ravishing actors is too tempting to resist.

A courtroom comedy, Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai seeks Hollywood classic My Cousin Vinny for inspiration.

Doing that landed filmmaker Ravi Chopra, best-known for kerchief capers like Baghban and Baabul, in a lot of legal trouble with its creators at 20th Century Fox.

Now that matters are settled the Govinda-Salman Khan starrer is all set to see the light of the day. Tabu and Lara Dutta also star.

Seeing what David Dhawan's favourite boys did with Partner, they're sure to up the ante of Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai as well.

A grim Sanjay Dutt and deglamourized Bipasha Basu get together to play no-nonsense characters in Rahul Dholakia's action drama, Lamhaa, which highlights the plight of Kashmir owing to cross border terrorism and internal politics.

While the tone of his latest is decidedly more mainstream than the National award-winning Parzaania, Dholakia's credibility leads us to believe this won't be yet another jingoistic bam-wham.