SRK, Rajnikanth, Ranveer Singh set to fire up the silver screens in 2023: Here are the most-anticipated upcoming Indian movie releases

• 2023 has multiple big-budget releases starring superstars like Shah Rukh Khan, Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Alia Bhatt, among others.
  
• After a long break, Shah Rukh Khan has three releases lined up for the year - starting with Pathaan in January and ending with Rajkumar Hirani’s Dunki in December.
  
• The year also has a few sequels lined up, like Mani Ratnam’s PS-2 and Kamal Haasan- starrer Indian 2.
  

After a number of ups, downs and lockdowns – Indian movie theatres are slowly but surely back to their pre-pandemic days. Pulling more and more people away from their connected TVs and mobile phones, big screens in 2023 are lining up a slew of interesting releases from superstars across the country.

From Shah Rukh Khan and Prabhas to Ajay Devgn, Ranveer Singh and Kamal Hassan – many actors are lining up their movies, all carefully curated for the much more demanding movie goers.

Even as the much-awaited sequel to 2021’s super hit Pushpa: The Rise is postponed beyond 2023, there are many other movies – ranging from action to comedy to popular South remakes that are vying to hit the big screens in 2023. Here are the most-anticipated theatrical releases of 2023:

1. Pathaan

After 2019, Shah Rukh Khan only featured in brief cameos in movies in 2022. But finally, Bollywood’s Badshah is all set to return to the silver screen with the action thriller Pathaan. Directed by Siddharth Anand of War fame, the film also stars Deepika Padukone and John Abraham and is slated to release on January 25, 2023.

2. Indian 2

Indian 2 is a sequel to the superhit 1996 Tamil vigilante action drama Indian. The film stars Kamal Haasan, Kajal Aggarwal, Gulshan Grover, and Rakul Preet Singh among others. The film, which was announced in 2017, was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, among other reasons. But it’s finally scheduled for a 2023 release.

3. Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan

Though Salman Khan’s films have always been more about his fan following and less about content, 2022 indicated that Bollywood’s star power may be waning. Now only time will tell how the Hindi-language action comedy Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan fares at the box office. Directed by Farhad Samji, the film’s shoot wrapped in early December 2022.

4. Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani

After 2016, Karan Johar is back to directing a full-length feature film with Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani starring Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh. A romantic drama, the film also stars veteran actors Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi and Jaya Bachchan. Saif Ali Khan’s son, Ibrahim Ali Khan, worked as an AD (assistant director) on the film.

5. Adipurush

Om Raut’s mythological drama Adipurushu, starring Prabhas, Kriti Sanon and Saif Ali Khan, became the butt of memes and criticism this year after the release of its teaser - thanks to what the audience considered to be substandard CGI. The film, which cost a whopping ₹500 crore as per reports, is based on the Indian epic Ramayana and scheduled to release in June 2023.

6. Jailer

Superstar Rajnikanth will appear next in the upcoming Tamil-language action comedy, Jailer. The film has been helmed by Beast and Doctor director Nelson Dilipkumar. Though multiple rumours floated about Aishwarya Rai Bachchan joining the starcast, there has been no official confirmation about it.

7. Jawan

Shah Rukh Khan’s second film of the year, Jawan has been directed by ace director Atlee, known for movies like Raja Rani, Theri and Mersal. Jawan, which also stars Sanya Malhotra, Nayanthara, and Vijay Sethupathi, will release in June 2023 in five languages - Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. A brief teaser announcing the title was released earlier this year, and racked over 30 million views.

8. Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar

After delivering hits like Pyaar Ka Punchnama and Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, Luv Ranjan is returning with the romantic comedy Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar starring Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor. The film, whose poster released recently, also marks producer Boney Kapoor’s acting debut and will release around Holi, 2023.

9. Salaar

Salaar director Prashanth Neel is the man behind the blockbuster Kannada-language hit series, KGF 1 and 2. However with Salaar, which stars Prabhas in the lead role, he is venturing into Telugu-language cinema. Though not much is known about the film, Neel recently quashed rumours that the film is an adaptation of his own Kannada-language drama, Ugramm. The star cast also includes Prithviraj Sukumaran and Shruti Haasan.

10. Dunki

Shah Rukh Khan’s third and final film releasing in 2023, Dunki has been directed by Rajkumar Hirani. Hirani, who is best known for his social dramas Munna Bhai and 3 Idiots, is directing Shah Rukh Khan for the first time. The film also stars Taapsee Pannu.

11. Merry Christmas

National Award-winning director Sriram Raghavan holds a special place in Bollywood, and the hearts of his fans - as the king of neo-noir action thrillers. After his last blockbuster and critically-acclaimed hit Andhadhun in 2018, he is returning with Merry Christmas in 2023, which stars Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi.

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12. Bholaa

After Drishyam and Golmaal, Tabu and Ajay Devgn are once again sharing screen space in the action thriller Bholaa. The remake of the 2019 Tamil film Kaithi, Bholaa is directed and produced by Ajay Devgn and will be released in 3D. The original was directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and is considered the first film in his ‘Lokesh Cinematic Universe’.

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13. Shehzada

Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon starrer Shehzada is the remake of the 2020 Telugu action-drama Ala Vaikunthapuramuloo. It also stars veteran actors Paresh Rawal and Manisha Koirala. Both Aaryan and Sanon first came together for the hit Luka Chuppi –it remains to be seen if the pair is able to recreate their on-screen magic.

14. Bawaal

Yet another action drama, Bawaal brings together actors Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor on screen for the first time. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari – of Dangal fame – the film is scheduled to release in April 2023. This marks Tiwari’s second collaboration with producer Sajid Nadiadwala, after Chhichhore.

15. Thunivu

Starring Ajith Kumar and Manju Warrier in the lead roles, Thunivu is the first major non-Hindi film scheduled to release in 2023. If reports are to be believed the film, produced by Boney Kapoor, is a heist drama inspired by a 1987 bank robbery in Punjab.

16. Dream Girl 2

Known for woke boy-next-door avatars, actor Ayushmann Khurrana will share screen space with actor Ananya Panday for the first time in Dream Girl 2. Releasing in June 2023, the film is directed by Raaj Shandilyaa, who also directed the 2019 blockbuster Dream Girl. Dream Girl 2 also stars Annu Kapoor, Manoj Joshi, and Vijay Raaz, among others.

17. Animal

Sandeep Reddy Vanga courted his fair share of controversy and fame for Arjun Reddy and its Hindi adaptation Kabir Singh - both of which he directed. Now, he has teamed up with actor Ranbir Kapoor for Animal - which Vanga states is a ‘character-driven’ story. Vanga confirmed that while Kapoor’s character is not similar to Kabir Singh, the film will feature violence. However, not much else is known about the film.

18. Tiger 3

The third film in the Tiger series, Tiger 3 is directed by Maneesh Sharma of Band Baajaa Baaraat fame. The film will see Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif reprise their roles from the earlier films, while Revathi joins the starcast. Interestingly, 32 years ago, Revathi played Salman Khan’s love interest in the 1991 romantic drama Love.

19. Bade Miyan Chote Miyan

Arguably India’s most popular ‘action heroes’, Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff are coming together for the first time in Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. Ali Abbas Zafar, whose filmography includes hits like Sultan (2016) and Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), is directing the film. The film is scheduled to release in December 2023. Interestingly, Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda had played the leads in a 1998 David Dhawan-directed film of the same name.

20. Ponniyin Selvan: Part 2

After delivering hits like Iruvar and Guru in the past, actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and director Man Ratnam came together for the historical fictional drama Ponniyin Selvan: I this year, based on Kalki Krishnamurthy's novel (serialised and later integrated into five volumes between 1950-1955) of the same name. Its sequel, Ponniyin Selvan 2, is most likely to be released in 2023

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