This year, the Bollywood industry finally returned to its glorious, blockbuster form after two years of terrible lows due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a dreadful 2022 in which only a handful of Bollywood films made a splash at the box office. After becoming accustomed to over-the-top streaming, moviegoers went back to cinemas to see their idols on screen. Top Bollywood performers reclaimed their fame with consecutive hits that broke the stranglehold of South Indian cinema in North India and brought the exhibition business back to its former grandeur. In the days remaining until 2023 ends, let’s take a look back at the performances of Bollywood’s biggest performers this year and what to expect from them in 2024.
Shah Rukh Khan and his fantastical 2023 success narrative
Shah Rukh Khan’s year 2023 was extremely remarkable, as he managed to reclaim his status as the “King of Bollywood” by earning over 1300 crore (including Dunki, which is expected to gross over 200 crore) at the Indian box office in just one year. This kind of achievement would be unattainable for any star for a long time. When SRK returned after a four-year absence with Yash Raj Films’ “Pathaan” in January, Indian moviegoers and fans alike probably missed him so much that they went bonkers and enthusiastically welcomed the “King of Romance” in a full-fledged action avatar. The Siddharth Anand action film went on to earn 543 crores, making it the “biggest Bollywood grosser ever,” but SRK himself beat it after six months with “Jawan.” Fans went bonkers when the Atlee mass action entertainer showed the global superstar in a form they had never seen before.
The Rajkumar Hirani picture “Dunki,” which closed the year on a high note for SRK, may have received mixed reviews from audiences, but it’s still doing quite well at the box office. SRK began the year with an all-time action blockbuster and concluded it with a moving, patriotic social comedy. In addition to the three films, SRK’s personal life was noteworthy in 2023 since his two children entered the entertainment industry. In Zoya Akhtar’s Netflix version of “The Archies,” Suhana Khan made her acting debut. Meanwhile, Aryan directed and served as showrunner for his debut series, “Stardom,” a tinseltown drama series that starred Bobby Deol and Lakshya Lalwani, among others.
Shah Rukh intends to take things a little slower in the upcoming year after setting a record in 2023. In contrast to the numerous rumors circulating in the media, he is now only working on two projects. First, an action thriller starring Sujoy Ghosh and his daughter Suhana Khan is scheduled to begin production in February with a release date at the end of the year. The second is “Tiger Vs. Pathaan,” the most ambitious film directed by Aditya Chopra, in which Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan play rival YRF espionage squad members. Although Salman and SRK have both officially agreed to this epic showdown movie, the shooting schedule is still pending. In 2024, SRK will also have a cameo in Aryan’s web series. To create a strong lineup for 2025, he is also discussing a number of projects with a number of directors.
Ranbir became an animal, and the Deol family came back into the limelight.
Ranbir Kapoor and Shah Rukh both made waves this year with two hits that took in a combined total of over 600 crores at the Indian box office. Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s violent tale “Animal” angered his female audiences with its misogynistic undertones and exaltation of toxic masculinity, while Luv Ranjan’s “Tu Jhutti Main Makkar” made even males fall in love with him. Nonetheless, he gave himself over to the roles of both characters completely, putting on an amazing performance that won the crowd over as well as their hearts. In the near future, he is working on two projects: Anurag Basu’s biopic of Kishore Kumar, which is back on track following the resolution of copyright difficulties with the renowned singer’s family, and Nitesh Tiwari’s long-awaited “Ramayana,” which is currently scheduled to begin production in March 2024. However, more information on the events of the Kishore Kumar biopic is still pending.
Saying that 2023 was the Deol family’s year wouldn’t be incorrect. This year, Dharmendra, Bobby Deol, and Sunny Deol all had six releases between them. In Karan Johar’s family dramedy “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani,” everyone’s favorite, the devoted Dharmendra, taught us how to be romantic, and in “Gadar 2,” Sunny Deol returned to Pakistan to reunite with his son, and his roar was so powerful that it earned 525 crores at the domestic box office, surpassing the forecasts of every trade analyst in the nation. After years of a run of failures, “Gadar 2” helped him return to the mainstream. The same was true for Bobby Deol, who starred as the primary antagonist opposite Ranbir Kapoor in “Animal,” the biggest hit of his career.
The Deols had an incredible year, and they plan to build on it in the upcoming year with a number of exciting projects. While Sunny is planning to kick off 2024 with Rajkumar Santoshi’s “Lahore 1947,” JP Dutta’s “Border 2,” Ahmed Khan’s “Baap,” and the Hindi versions of “Pravas” (Marathi) and “Joseph” (Malayalam), Dharam Ji has Sriram Raghavan’s biographical war drama “Ekkis” in front of him. On the other hand, Bobby is slated to make his debut in Southern cinema with three films: Pawan Kalyan’s Telugu action adventure “Hari Hara Veera Mallu,” Suriya’s Tamil period drama “Kanguva,” and Telugu star Nandamuri Balakrishna’s “NBK109.” Additionally, he has three completed projects ready for release in 2024: Abbas-Mustan’s “Penthouse,” Kunal Kohli’s “Desi Sherlock,” Aryan Khan’s Amazon Prime series “Stardom,” and Abbas-Mustan’s “Penthouse.”
Salman’s Tiger barked, and Akshay carried on with his social dramatization.
Though neither Bhais nor Jaans were impressed by his Eid offering, they cheered and whistled when he played the spy Tiger, first in his cameo appearance in “Pathaan” and then in his Diwali release, “Tiger 3.” The YRF actioner, however, was still an underperformer at the box office, making 2023 not so good for Salman. Salman Khan returned to the big screen after two years, contributing nearly 400 crores at the box office with his two releases, “Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan” and “Tiger 3.” With the release of Vishnuvardhan and Karan Johar’s next action drama, scheduled to begin production in the first quarter of 2024, he is now expecting to regain his former grandeur. After the Dharma project, Salman is also working on “Prem Ki Shaadi” with Sooraj Barjatya, which is probably his next project.
This year, Akshay Kumar also starred in several socio-dramas. The box office success of his first and last 2023 releases, “Selfiee” and “Mission Raniganj,” wasn’t sufficient to validate his celebrity. The only movie to surpass the 100-crore milestone was “Oh My God,” which took in about 150 crores despite having to compete with Sunny Deol’s enormously successful hit “Gadar 2.”
Having learned from his “one release every two months” approach, Akshay now intends to increase the amount of time that passes between his next releases. Five months after his last release, “Bade Miyan Chote Miyan,” his next movie, is slated to be released. This new strategy’s viability is still in doubt, though, because he still has four completed films that are scheduled for release in 2024. As for Sky Force, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, the remake of Soorarai Pottru, and the C. This year will see the release of the Shankar Nair biography, the Khel Khel Mein, Welcome to the Jungle, and Singham 3 films directed by Mudassar Aziz, Housefull 5, Jolly LLB 3, and movies starring Priyadarshan and Mohit Suri.
Hrithik and Aamir were not released, and Ajay’s Bholaa was a colossal failure.
Despite not having any films released this year, Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan will be making comebacks to the big screen in 2024 with “Sitare Zameen Par” and “Fighter,” respectively. Hrithik is working with filmmaker Siddharth Anand of “Bang Bang” and “War” on an action film that will be released on January 25, 2024, and is billed as India’s first airborne film. In parallel, he is filming “War 2,” YRF’s upcoming spy thriller directed by Ayan Mukherji, which is scheduled for release in August 2025. On the other hand, following the controversy surrounding “Laal Singh Chaddha,” Aamir has decided to make a comeback with the adaptation of the Spanish sports drama “Campeones,” which is set to be released around the Christmas holiday in 2024. Aamir starts filming it during the final week of January.
Despite having one of the biggest hits of the previous year with “Drishyam 2,” Ajay Devgn did not make a significant impact this year. After his highly anticipated sports biopic “Maidaan” was repeatedly postponed, he only had one release in Bholaa. The adaptation of Lokesh Kanagraj’s Tamil smash Kaithi, which Ajay directed himself, had excellent visual effects and action scenes, but it was unable to match the original’s commercial success. “Bholaa” was a resounding disaster, earning a pitiful 82 crore at the box office. The five films that Ajay has slated for 2024 are: Neeraj Pandey’s “Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha,” Vikas Bahl’s horror thriller, Abhishek Kapoor’s period drama, Amit Sharma’s “Maidaan,” and Rohit Shetty’s “Singham Again.” Ajay is also expected to begin filming three sequels the following year: “Raid 2,” “De De Pyaar De 2,” and “Son of Sardar 2.” Despite these setbacks, Ajay remains optimistic about reversing the trend.
Jodi, Alia, and Ranveer reworked, and they are scheduled to work on another project together.
After experiencing financial difficulties at the box office with his previous few films, Ranveer Singh made a successful return this year with Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, directed by Karan Johar. In addition to receiving a great deal of praise from critics for its innovative plot, the movie made over Rs 350 crore at the box office globally. He will next be seen opposite Alia Bhatt once more in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Baiju Bawra. After that, he probably has two more roles in Don 3 and the ambitious three-part Shaktiman adaptation from Sony Pictures (which has not yet been announced).
Regarding his co-star in RARKPK, Alia Bhatt, she continued her success with Karan Johar’s movie this year, following an amazing 2022 in which four of her films (Gangubai Kathiawadi, RRR, Darlings, and Brahmastra Part 1) made waves all over the world in quick succession. In Tom Harper’s Netflix film Heart of Stone, she also made her big-screen debut as an enemy to Wonder Woman lead Gal Gadot. Her upcoming filmography includes three films directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali: Baiju Bawra (starring Sanjay Leela Bhansali), Jigra (starring Vasan Bala), and Yash Raj Films’ first female-led spy thriller, Sharvari Wagh, along with a potential biography drama starring Hansal Mehta.
Vicky made the year even more amazing, and Shahid was amazing on OTT.
Shahid Kapoor saw it as a year of coming full circle. With Raj & DK’s Amazon Prime series Farzi, the actor Kabir Singh made his OTT debut and found an entirely new fan following that is very different from the theatergoer. He then saw Ali Abbas Zafar’s Bloody Daddy, an action-packed movie that is a sleek adaptation of the French thriller Sleepless Night and is streaming on Jio Cinema. Despite not having a theatrical release this year, Shahid’s two over-the-top projects received great reviews, making 2023 a prosperous year for him. In 2024, Shahid will make a comeback to the big screen in two films: Rosshan Andrews’ cop thriller, Deva, and Dinesh Vijan’s robotic love story starring Kriti Sanon. A large-scale mythological project centered on Ashwatthama has also been signed by him; it is scheduled to begin production in August 2024.
Vicky Kaushal had an incredible 2023, releasing four unique albums. He began the year with Zara Hatke and Zara Bachke, a sleeper smash. He then went on to release Dunki, Sam Bahadur, and The Great Indian Family, which was a huge Indian flop. It would be a shame to deny that Vicky’s presence elevated this cinematic 2023, especially when Sam Bahadur and Dunki both did wonderful jobs and received positive reviews for their respective roles. Then, he’ll be seen in Laxman Utekar’s Chhava, which is based on the life of Chhatrapathi Sambhaji Maharaj, and Anand Tiwari’s as-yet-untitled romantic comedy starring Tripti Dimri. Vicky and Aanand L. Rai are also talking about a movie, although it’s still in the early stages. Katrina Kaif, Vicky’s wife, also had a prosperous year; Tiger 3 brought in about 285 crore at the Indian box office. After that, on January 11, 2024, she co-stars with Vijay Sethupathi in Sriram Raghavan’s Merry Christmas.
The audience acknowledged Kartik as Satya and rejected him as Shehzada.
Kartik Aaryan had a terrible start to the year with Shehzada, a drab parody of Allu Arjun’s Telugu blockbuster, Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo. The film came and went without leaving much of an impression in theaters. Kartik, however, swiftly overcame the disappointment when his outlandish romance, “Satyaprem Ki Katha,” became a huge hit at the box office. Looking ahead, he has Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (starring Anees Bazmee) and Chandu Champion (starring Kabir Khan), a sports drama. In addition, he has Anurag Basu’s Aashiqui 3, although the filming schedule is still pending.
Deepika and SRK’s huge hit together, and Kareena’s triumphant OTT debut
With Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone has one release under her belt in addition to a masterful cameo. Her performances in Pathaan and Jawan, as well as her on-screen chemistry with Shah Rukh Khan in both films, won over everyone’s hearts and proved to be a box-office hit combo. She is getting ready to start the new year strong with Siddharth Anand and Hrithik Roshan’s Fighter, and then she will see Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD. As the first female police officer in Rohit Shetty’s world of cops, Deepika will appear in Ajay Devgn’s Singham Again. It is anticipated that this year will see the completion of her long-awaited The Intern adaptation, starring Amitabh Bachchan.
With her performance in her OTT debut, Jaane Jaan, directed by Sujoy Ghosh of Kahaani fame, Kareena Kapoor Khan won praise from critics. She played incredibly well and bravely entered an unexplored area, showcasing an elegance that only she can. Kareena will next be featured in Rajesh Krishnan’s comic chick flick heist film The Crew, which is set against the backdrop of the airline business, alongside Tabu and Kriti Sanon. In addition, she plays the major role in Singham 3 opposite Ajay Devgn and is apparently committed to Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s upcoming movie starring Kiara Advani. The Buckingham Murders by Hansal Mehta, which has been well received at international film festivals, is also scheduled for a streaming platform release in 2024.
Sidharth is still searching for a hit, while Ayushmann finds success.
Regarding the younger audience, Ayushmann Khurrana’s Dream Girl 2 (Raaj Shaandilyaa) broke the curse of flops this year, and Border 2 (with Sunny Deol) is next in line. Additionally, he and Luv Ranjan are in discussions to star in Sourav Ganguly’s biography, though that project’s confirmation is still pending. This year, Varun Dhawan starred in Nitesh Tiwari’s Bawaal, which was panned for one of its phrases and fell short of the film’s intended frenzy. Varun is scheduled to debut in two web series in the coming year: VD18, created by Atlee and Murad Khetani, and Raj & DK’s Citadel India. Along with his father, David Dhawan, he is now producing a comedy show that will debut in April 2024. There is also a movie starring Shashank Khaitan in discussion.
The one bright spot in 2023 for Sidharth Malhotra was getting married to Kiara Advani. Mission Majnu, his lone release of the year, was a box office disaster, prolonging his search for a commercial hit. But 2024 seems promising because it will see the premiere of Dharma Production’s action film Yodha and Rohit Shetty’s Amazon Prime series Indian Police Force. He is talking about a film each with Dinesh Vijan and Sidharth Anand for the new cast, which is expected to start production in 2024.
Tiger didn’t do anything, but Manoj Bajpayee gained sympathy.
Read More – Dunki vs Salaar
With his eagerly anticipated Ganapath failing miserably at the movie office, Tiger Shroff had a dreadful 2023. Although his Jagan Shakti movie is also in jeopardy, we’re hoping that in 2024 Bade Miyan Chote Miyan will make things right for him. His next endeavors include an Anand Pandit-produced Shivam Nair movie and a cameo in the Rambo adaptation, Singham Again.
I would like to draw special attention to Manoj Bajpayee, even if it may not be feasible to examine and review every performance by a leading Bollywood star in 2023—there are undoubtedly many amazing talents that I have missed. This year, he gave three outstanding performances. The Family Man actor gained popularity with the stirring Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hain after first winning hearts with the lovely family drama Gulmohar. As the world was discussing Animal’s sexist theme this month, Manoj Bajpayee delivered yet another outstanding performance in the suspenseful survival thriller Joram. The story follows a desperate man and his little daughter as they escape a system that wants to smash them at any cost. With three films each in 2023, SRK and Manoj Bajpayee each dominated the year in a unique way.
