31 December,2024 07:08 AM IST | Mumbai | Mohar Basu
Salman Khan and Aamir Khan
Would it be too simplistic to say that one of the reasons 2024 was a lean year at the box-office was because the Khan troika - Shah Rukh, Aamir and Salman - did not have a single release? Perhaps. But ask any Hindi movie fan, and they'll tell you that the superstars were sorely missed. Which is why all eyes are on this year, when at least two Khans will be back on the big screen.
Salman hasn't had a release since Tiger 3 (2023). But a lot happened with the superstar throughout 2024, beginning with a round of firing outside his Bandra house in April to receiving death threats from gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. So, his return to celluloid with Sikandar is eagerly awaited. What makes it better is that in his maiden collaboration with director AR Murugadoss, he will do what he does best - be a larger-than-life hero and avenge the wrong. Expect high-octane action, drama, a fresh on-screen jodi with Rashmika Mandanna, and a script that requires suspension of disbelief. Oh, and presumably a bumper opening. After all, his fans will go in droves for their Eidi.
While the audience's Eid is dedicated to Salman, Aamir Khan will be their summer date. It has taken the superstar four years since the underwhelming response to his passion project, Laal Singh Chaddha (2021), to face the camera again. This time, he promises another heartfelt story with Sitaare Zameen Par. The actor-
producer considers it a spiritual successor to Taare Zameen Par (2007). An adaptation of the Spanish sports comedy, Campeones (2018), Aamir said the new film was "way ahead" of its predecessor, flipping the narrative as it shows how far people can go despite their challenges. Directed by RS Prasanna of Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (2017) fame, it also stars Genelia Deshmukh and Darsheel Safary. Will it create the box-office magic that Laal Singh Chaddha couldn't? Who can tell? But then, as we start 2025, we can hope this is the year the audience loves movies for their narratives, not box-office numbers.
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Director S Shankar may have had a misfire last year with Indian 2. But the director, known for his visual spectacles, blends politics and action again in Game Changer. Ram Charan plays an IAS officer determined to battle corruption and promote fair elections in the Telugu action thriller scheduled for a
January 10 release.
With franchise films becoming a ticket to success in 2024, Ajay Devgn has lined up two sequels this year. Director Raj Kumar Gupta's Raid 2 is set to release on May 1, coinciding with Maharashtra Day. The film sees Devgn reprise his role as IRS officer Amay Patnaik, who conducts another high-stakes income tax raid. The cast includes Riteish Deshmukh, Vaani Kapoor, and Rajat Kapoor. The superstar also has the rom-com, De De Pyaar De 2, in which he reunites with his Shaitaan (2024) co-star R Madhavan.
A new year, and there is a new instalment of Housefull. Housefull 5, led by Akshay Kumar and Riteish Deshmukh, comes five years after the last instalment. Tarun Mansukhani's directorial venture promises to have everything you expect from the franchise - read an ensemble cast, a gag a minute and a wafer-thin plot. This one, also starring Abhishek Bachchan, Fardeen Khan, Jacqueliene Fernandez, and Nargis Fakhri, is largely set on a
luxury cruise.
After Sardar Udham (2021) and Sam Bahadur (2023), Vicky Kaushal leads his third biopic, this time playing Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Based on the novel Chhava by Shivaji Sawant, Laxman Utekar's historical drama depicts Sambhaji Maharaj as a fierce warrior who upheld the Maratha legacy during his reign in the 17th century. Rashmika Mandanna portrays Yesubai Bhonsale, Sambhaji's wife.
You will definitely not miss Akshay Kumar this year, because the superstar has four releases lined up. This Karan Johar production, based on Indian lawyer and statesman C Sankaran Nair, chronicles how the lawyer challenged the British empire to acknowledge the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Directed by Karan Singh Tyagi and also starring Ananya Panday, it is an adaptation of the book, The Case that Shook the Empire. Kumar will also be seen in the Republic Day release, Skyforce, and Jolly LLB 3.
A female spy is finally headlining a film in the YRF spy universe. Alia Bhatt joins the on-screen espionage world that is populated by Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif. Joining Bhatt in Shiv Rawail's directorial venture is Sharvari, who caught people's attention with Munjya last year. Alpha is scheduled for a Christmas 2025 release.
Two of the most popular superstars of the current crop, Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR are set to battle it out in the Independence Day release, War 2. Roshan returns as Kabir, the R&AW agent who went rogue in the 2019 blockbuster, War. The sequel to the spy thriller comes with new faces in front of and behind the camera. While RRR (2022) star Jr NTR makes his highly anticipated Bollywood debut, director Ayan Mukerji takes the directorial baton from Siddharth Anand. Added to the mix are Kiara Advani, and a potential crossover with Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan and Salman Khan's Tiger.
In June, we'll witness the reunion of two icons. More than 35 years after they first collaborated on Nayakan (1987), superstar Kamal Haasan and director Mani Ratnam have reunited for Thug Life. The Tamil gangster action drama features a pan-India cast, including Trisha Krishnan, Ashok Selvan, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Pankaj Tripathi, Sanya Malhotra, Ali Fazal and Rohit Saraf. To top it all, Oscar winner AR Rahman, who composed for Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan 1 and 2, has lent the score for the upcoming film.
Following his romantic turn in Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya last year, Shahid Kapoor is in the mood for mayhem. He turns a no-nonsense cop in the January release, Deva. Expect high-octane action sequences and a rising body count in this action thriller that sees Malayalam filmmaker Rosshan Andrrews foraying into Hindi cinema.
It's the year of Varun Dhawan's return to the romance genre. In April, the actor will bring Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, also starring Janhvi Kapoor, Sanya Malhotra and Rohit Saraf. It reunites Varun with his Dulhania franchise director Shashank Khaitan. He will follow it up with Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, marking his fourth collaboration with director-father David Dhawan.
Lahore 1947 is a case of something old and something new. While the period drama marks the fourth collaboration between actor Sunny Deol and director Rajkumar Santoshi, it marks the maiden union of the leading man with producer Aamir Khan. Also starring Preity Zinta, the film explores the emotional and physical journey of people caught in the turmoil of the Partition.
