From Pathaan to Shehzada: 5 films in first quarter of 2023 which are likely to repair Bollywood’s box office barometer
From Pathaan to Shehzada: 5 films in first quarter of 2023 which are likely to repair Bollywood’s box office barometer
So okay. 2022 was a terrible year for Hindi cinema. We all have our bad days. So why not Bollywood? 2023 has an impressive lineup of aspiring blockbusters. Some, if not all, will set things right for the ailing industry.
Pathaan
What comes after Zero? Shah Rukh Khan, of course! Back after a hiatus of four years, SRK adopts the action mode as though to prove that six packs are not the younger brigade’s prerogative. Admittedly, the two songs released so far from Pathaan are disappointing. But songs do not define a film, at least not this one. The high-octane action scenes, with SRK at the vortex…This Republic Day, Pathaan will in all probability take the box office by storm. Release date: January 25.
Shehzada
Because it is an astute devilishly impish adaptation of Allu Arjun’s 2020 Telugu blockbuster Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo.The popular Kartik Aaryan gives his own spin to the character. This performance will take Kartik to the next level of stardom. Kartik’s version of Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo is radically different from its Telugu version. Shehzada takes the core idea of the Telugu original and turns it into something completely different. Kartik’s co-star in Shehzada is Kriti Sanon with whom he earlier shared superhit space in Luka Chuppi. Block your date for 10 February.
Maidaan
Because it is Ajay Devgn who is to the Hindi box office what Aamir Khan once used to be. A sure sign of quality-controlled storytelling. And because the director is Amit Sharma the man who helmed 2018’s surprise hit Badhaai Ho. This time Amit treads into the life and sport of the legendary football coach Syed Abdul Rahim. It is an aspirational story with Devgn fielding a character that needs to be talked about. All the football matches from the world over seen in the film feature real footballers. Amit Sharma firmly believes you can’t fake the characters in a bio-pic any longer. My prediction: Yeh picture Maidaan maar jayega. Release date: 17 February.
Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar
Luv Ranjan’s male viewpoint on the chaos of love relationships crests to a comic high in his latest. Ranjan for the first time collaborates with Ranbir Kapoor for the first time collaborates with Shraddha Kapoor who badly needs a hit. This film should do the trick. The winsome lead pair tries to do one another in a game of Luv This is Luv Ranjan’s Hum…Aapke Hain Con. Ranjan has in the past used the romcom space to entertain his audience to the hilt, he says this time the stakes are different. It is not something we’ve seen before. We can’t wait for 8 March.
Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani
Because it is Karan Johar. This time he has assembled a dream star-cast of Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Ranveer Singh and the box office darling(s) Alia Bhatt. But trust me, this one is not about assembling stars into a complacent plot. The writing in this zany Romeo & Juliet is so crisp and engrossing, the experience is likely to be the visual version of a multi-flavour ice-cream cone. Colour, choler and karma collide in this tragic-comic love story. Box office dhamaka begins on 28 April.
Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based journalist. He has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out.
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