Thriller, comedy, drama at the box office this Friday

New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) A comedy, a drama and a thriller -- 'Kashmakash', 'Pyar Ka Punchnama' and '404' that are set for a Friday release promise variety by taking audiences to different genres.

Directed by avant-garde filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh, 'Kashmakash' is a period film based on a story by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and director has roped in Prosenjit Chatterjee, Jishu Sengupta, Raima Sen and Riya Sen to narrate it on celluloid.

Set in the 1920's, 'Kashmakash' sees a tender romance between a law student Ramesh (Prosenjit) and his friend's sister Hemnalini (Raima Sen) in Kolkata. However, their love hits a roadblock after Ramesh's father calls him back to his native village.

In the village, Ramesh is asked to marry Susheela, the daughter of a hapless widow, but he refuses and confessing his love for Hemnalini. However, the widow's fervent pleas forces him to marry her daughter. After the wedding, the couple set out on a river boat journey back to Kolkata and are caught in a storm. What happens after that is what the film all about.

If you like watching thrillers, then you have Prawaal Raman's '404', a psychological thriller woven around paranormal forces and science. The drama takes place in a medical college where professor Aniruddh (Nishikant Kamat) denies the existence of paranormal forces and believes only in science, while his student Abhimanyu (Rajvvir Arora) battles with his conflict of illusion and reality.

It also stars Naseeruddin Shah's son Imaad, who plays the super genius college senior.

There will a flavour on of romance in the form of director Luv Ranjan's 'Pyar Ka Punchnama', where newcomers will show their best on screen to entertain the audiences. Produced by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and Wide Frame Pictures, the cast includes Kartikeya Tiwari, Rayo Bhakhirta, Divyendu Sharma, Sonalli Sehgal, Nushrat Bharucha and Ishita Sharma.

Three best friends - Rajat, Chaudhary and Liquid - are stuck in their boring jobs. They are looking for girlfriens and their wish is fulfilled. Rajat meets Neha, who is exactly like a girl he was looking for and Chaudhary meets Riya, but there is a twist in the tale.

All the films lack big names, but small-budget movies are doing well so one can hope for a good dose of entertainment on big screen.