Hear the box-office go boom

In 2023, it rained blockbusters. As we step into the New Year, the Indian film industry hopes to continue the success streak as it doles out visual spectacles, mind-bending thrillers and biopics. There’s something for everyone

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas follows two strangers who meet on Christmas Eve, and their new romance suddenly takes a dramatic turn. After the resounding success of AndhaDhun (2018), this sounds like another twisted thriller from filmmaker Sriram Raghavan. Add Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi to the mix, and you’ve got the perfect start to the year’s Bollywood binge with the January 12 release.

Pushpa 2: The Rule

After the monstrous success of Pushpa: The Rise (2021) and Allu Arjun’s National Award win, the stakes are high for Pushpa 2: The Rule. Director Sukumar has upped the ante, reportedly mounting the sequel on a Rs 500-crore budget. The Telugu action drama, also starring Fahadh Faasil, will delve deeper into the life of the red sandalwood smuggler Pushpa as he faces new enemies.

Kalki 2898 AD

With Savitri (2018), Nag Ashwin took us into the past. Now, he will transport us to the future. Kalki 2898 AD has been one of the most anticipated projects, and for good reason. The bilingual epic—to be released in Hindi and Telugu—brings together heavyweights Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Prabhas and Deepika Padukone. Plus, the sci-fi dystopian epic promises to be a visual spectacle. We’re sold!

Jigra

Can you blame us for being excited about Jigra? Alia Bhatt, who is at an all-time career high after back-to-back hits and a National Award, teams up with director Vasan Bala of Monica O My Darling (2022) fame. The two are dishing out a prison-break thriller, also starring The Archies’ find Vedang Raina, and Sobhita Dhulipala.

Metro...In Dino

Almost 17 years after Life in a Metro (2007), director Anurag Basu gives us a sequel, showcasing bittersweet tales of love, loss and relationships. He has brought together a fine ensemble comprising Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Neena Gupta, Pankaj Tripathi, Konkona Sen Sharma, and many more. There’s just one thing missing—Irrfan Khan, who was our favourite from the earlier edition.

Emergency

Will Kangana Ranaut score a hit after 11 consecutive flops? Her best bet is Emergency, which sees her step into the shoes of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Given the powerful material, the actor has also taken charge as the director, lending her vision to the biographical drama.

Singham Again

Rohit Shetty has called upon his most trusted aide from the cop universe—Bajirao Singham. Ajay Devgn reprises his role in the third instalment of the Singham franchise. And he’s got company. Besides Akshay Kumar and Ranveer Singh, the Independence Day release will see Deepika Padukone and Tiger Shroff join the cop-verse.

Fighter

Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor’s Fighter is touted as India’s answer to Top Gun. Director Siddharth Anand offers a heady mix of action, style and more with this aerial action thriller. Will the January 25 offering repeat the magic of last year’s Republic Day release, Pathaan? Here’s hoping.

Indian 2

Kamal Haasan’s popular character Senapathy showed us that you’re never too old to take on the system. And now, the megastar is showing us that it’s never too late for a sequel. Almost 28 years after his hit vigilante actioner Indian (1996), he reprises his role under S Shankar’s able direction. Popular musician Anirudh Ravichander has composed the Tamil offering’s music.

Chandu Champion

Kartik Aaryan and Kabir Khan come from different schools of cinema. But the uplifting story of Murlikant Petkar, India’s first Paralympic gold medalist, has brought them together. With Chandu Champion, Aaryan attempts his first biopic, and arguably his toughest role to date.

Chhaava

Vicky Kaushal seems to be dominating the sub-genre of historical biopics. After Sardar Udham (2021) and Sam Bahadur (2023), the actor will play Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s son, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in Chhaava. The film reunites him with director Laxman Utekar after their sleeper hit, Zara Hatke Zara Bachke (2023). Kaushal also has Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam lined up.

The Buckingham Murders

We want to see more of Kareena Kapoor Khan after her mature act in her OTT debut, Jaane Jaan (2023). In the same vein is her next, Hansal Mehta’s The Buckingham Murders, in which Kapoor plays a grieving detective assigned a murder case. The moody thriller, which premièred at The BFI London Film Festival last year, marks the actor’s debut as a producer.

Yodha

Picture this: an airplane, a soldier and a battle for survival in the face of a hijack. Sidharth Malhotra is on a high after enjoying successes in Shershaah (2021) and Mission Majnu. He hopes to continue his hot streak with the action thriller backed by Karan Johar. At the helm are director duo Sagar Ambre and Pushkar Ojha.

Main Atal Hoon

Indira Gandhi isn’t the only Indian Prime Minister whose life we’ll take a deep dive into this year. With Main Atal Hoon, Pankaj Tripathi will play the beloved statesman, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Ravi Jadhav’s directorial offering is layered with untold stories of Vajpayee’s life, giving us a glimpse of the talented poet behind the astute politician.

Devara

Jr NTR returns to the big screen two years after RRR (2022). Much has changed for the Telugu actor in the interim, as he became a pan-India star with SS Rajamouli’s blockbuster.

He hopes to maintain the momentum with director Koratala Siva’s action drama that marks Janhvi Kapoor’s Telugu debut and sees Saif Ali Khan as the antagonist.

Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba

Taapsee Pannu’s Rani isn’t done with her escapades yet. Three years after the success of Haseen Dillruba (2021), Pannu and Vikrant Massey return with another thriller revolving around desire and deceit. Sunny Kaushal joins the sequel, with Jayprad Desai helming the Netflix offering.

Stree 2

Once upon a moonlit night, Stree (2018) spooked us with a tale of a witch who abducts men. Now, Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi and the team have reunited for a much-awaited sequel. This time around, Rao’s Vicky and his bumbling friends are in for a new terror—the headless man who is tormenting their town. Expect chills and laughs from director Amar Kaushik, who introduced Bollywood to horror comedy. 

The Crew

It’s not often that we see three female actors headline a mainstream Bollywood movie. That’s what makes The Crew—starring Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kriti Sanon—special. Rajesh Krishnan’s directorial venture, which also stars Diljit Dosanjh, could well usher in more all-women films in Hindi cinema.

Kannappa

Another big Telugu release of the year is the Vishnu Manchu-led Kannappa. Director Mukesh Kumar Singh’s fantasy drama is based on the folk tale of Kannappa, a tribal hunter who became Lord Shiva’s devotee. The ambitious project has star-studded cameos by Mohanlal, Mohan Babu, Prabhas and Shiva Rajkumar.

Kanguva

If Telugu cinema is doling out spectacles, its Tamil counterpart isn’t far behind. Tamil star Suriya will headline the period action drama, Kanguva, which revolves around a valiant warrior. Siva’s directorial venture, to be released in 3D, is reportedly mounted on a staggering budget of over R300 crore. It also marks the Tamil debut of Bobby Deol and Disha Patani.

Amar Singh Chamkila

Four years after the debacle of Love Aaj Kal 2 (2020), filmmaker Imtiaz Ali gives romantic dramas a rest and instead trains his lens on legendary Punjabi musician, late Amar Singh Chamkila. Diljit Dosanjh will play the singer whose career was tragically cut short, while Parineeti Chopra portrays his wife, Amarjot. We’ve got another reason to look forward to the film—music by AR Rahman.

Bade Miyan Chote Miyan

Action-film fans gather here. Bade Miyan Chote Miyan brings together the two action heroes of our times, Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff. Locking horns with them in Ali Abbas Zafar’s directorial venture is Prithviraj Sukumaran as the antagonist. The April 10 offering also stars Sonakshi Sinha and Alaya F.

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