Who are the Ail-Listers likely to be restored to A-listers in 2023?

2022 was not a good year for the big names of Bollywood. But will 2023 resurrect the careers of some of these Ail-Listers to A-listers?

Chances are some of the stars, super or otherwise, who failed to draw in the crowds — in fact, all of the A-listers except Ajay Devgn and Kartik Aaryan failed — are likely to bounce back.

Sidharth Malhotra who had an abysmal year with Thank God on the large screen will retrieve his career with the engrossing cross-border drama Mission Majnu on Netflix. Let’s not forget, it was the digital platform that gave Malhotra his biggest success Shershaah.

Ranveer Singh who had a frighteningly famished year with Jayeshbhai Jordaar and Cirkus is sure to bounce back with Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani where he pairs up with Alia Bhatt who saved her husband Ranbir’s career in Brahmastra, a lucky mascot that she is.

Akshay Kumar reeling under the quartet of flop Bachchhan Paandey, Samrat Prithviraj, Cuttputli (which was flop on the title level itself) Raksha Bandhan and Ram Setu, has the quirky comforting Selfiee produced by Karan Johar and directed by Raj Mehta to bail him out. This remake of the Prithviraj Sukumaran Malayalam hit Driving Licence has Akshay Kumar playing the role close to his heart: a superstar.

Varun Dhawan’s Bhediya in 2022 didn’t turn out to be the way it was meant to. But Nitesh Tiwari’s Bawaal in 2023 is likely to bring him back from the brink. Tiwari, in case he is forgotten, made the admirable Dangal with Aamir Khan and Chhichhore with the late Sushant Singh Rajput which was out of the theatres before we could count all the ‘h’ in the title.

Barring the disastrous cameo appearances in the Telugu film Godfather and the Marathi remake, Antim, Salman Khan had no full-fledged release in 2022. His home production Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan has gone through too many upheavals to be a redemptive project for Salman. But Tiger 3 which will come at the end of 2023 should do the trick.

2023 will be the grand comeback of Shah Rukh Khan. He has had no releases since Zero in December 2018. Shah Rukh Khan starts 2023 with Pathaan and follows it up with Atlee’s Jawan. SRK ends the year with Raj Kumar Hirani’s Dunki.

2023 will be the year of SRK.

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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