"I am scared, but at the same time very excited."
The coming 12 months are big for Indian cinema with several big-budget, star-laden films lined up.
The anticipation is high and fans and industry insiders are all hoping for these films to ‘revive’ Bollywood.
However, a new report suggests that it is a film from the South that is the most-awaited Hindi film right now, beating titles featuring heavyweights such as Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan.
The report puts Allu Arjun’s Pushpa: The Rule at the top of the list of most-awaited Hindi films right now.
DESIblitz presents the most anticipated Indian films of 2022.
Pushpa: The Rule
Pushpa: The Rule, starring Allu Arjun, Fahadh Faasil, and Rashmika Mandanna, is the sequel to the 2021 blockbuster Pushpa: The Rise and is slated to release early next year.
The Telugu film will release in Hindi as well as other south languages too.
A recent report by Ormax Media puts Pushpa 2 at number one on the list of most-awaited Hindi films.
The report has considered “only films releasing Dec 2022 onwards whose trailer has not been released yet have been considered”.
No release date has been announced so far but the Sukumar directorial is set to bring back the principal cast.
The makers have promised fans that it will be ‘bigger and better’.
Adipurush
Adipurush is a retelling of the Ramayana with Prabhas starring as Raghava, Kriti Sanon as Janaki, and Saif Ali Khan as Lankesh, characters based on Lord Ram, Sita, and Ravana respectively.
The teaser was criticised by many to contain ‘cartoonish’ VFX and bad CGI.
The team soon organised a screening of the teaser in 3D on the big screen, where director Om Raut defended his film.
He said: “I was disheartened for sure, not surprised because the film is made for a larger medium – the big screen.
“You can cut it down to some extent but can’t bring it down to a mobile phone.
“It’s made for a larger screen and I can’t consume it on a smaller screen.”
Pathaan
After keeping his fans waiting for over three years now, megastar Shah Rukh Khan is all set to return to the silver screen with Pathaan.
The film is being produced by Yash Raj Films, and Siddharth Anand is directing it.
Shah Rukh Khan was last seen in Anand L Rai’s Zero in 2018.
In the teaser, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham can be seen introducing Shah Rukh Khan’s character Pathaan.
From the teaser, we can figure out that Pathaan is the story of an orphaned child.
Following this, Pathaan chose his name and made his country his religion.
Animal
Animal is an upcoming Hindi film scheduled to be released on August 15, 2023.
The film is directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga and will feature Ranbir Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol as lead characters.
Another popular actor who was roped in for Animal is Rashmika Mandanna.
According to reports, Ranbir will soon undergo a body transformation for the Kabir Singh director’s next.
In a chat with Pinkvilla, he said: “I have shot for a few days and I will be taking a two-month break after Brahmastra‘s release to do a little bit of transformation.
“I am looking forward to Animal because that’s a script that’s way out of my comfort zone. I am scared, but at the same time very excited.”
Tiger 3
Yash Raj Films’ Tiger 3 is the next chapter in the spy action-thriller franchise, which will see Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif reprise their roles as agents Tiger and Zoya.
The film will also star Emraan Hashmi as the antagonist. Shah Rukh Khan will also have a cameo in the thriller.
Speaking about sharing the screen with Shah Rukh Khan, Salman during a media interaction on his birthday last year said:
“We are coming together in Tiger and Pathaan. Tiger 3 should be released by December 2022, before that Pathaan will release.
“Then maybe both of us will come together.”
The action drama, which will also hit cinema halls in Telugu and Tamil, will release on April 21, 2023.
Dunki
Dunki, which reportedly chronicles the use of an illegal backdoor route called ‘Donkey Flight’ by Indians to immigrate to countries like Canada and the USA, marks the first screen collaboration between Shah Rukh Khan and Taapsee Pannu.
It is also the first time that both the actors are working with Rajkumar Hirani, known for directing blockbusters like Sanju, 3 Idiots and PK.
Produced by JIO Studios, Red Chillies Entertainment and Rajkumar Hirani Films, Dunki was announced in April, following which the team began its first schedule in Mumbai.
Several pictures featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Taapsee Pannu surfaced on the internet in July while they were filming.
It was also reported that the filmmaker was not pleased and had heightened security on set to avoid further revelation of the actors’ looks.
Jawan
While Shah Rukh Khan fans are excited about a triple treat at the box office in 2023, Jawan has been the most hyped among these.
In terms of content, Jawan has an edge considering all the major hits post-pandemic have been mass entertainers with a Desi feel to them.
While Pathaan and Dunki will have a wide release across India, Jawan is truly going to be a pan-Indian film due to the presence of several popular South Indian actors including Nayanthara.
This is not to say that Jawan will surely be a bigger box office hit than Pathaan or Dunki as finally, all will be dependent on the content.
But as far as initial hype is concerned, Jawan has an edge over Pathaan and Dunki.
Salaar
Salaar is directed by Prashanth Neel, known for helming the blockbuster KGF franchise. The film is expected to release in September 2023.
Salaar also stars Shruti Haasan in the female lead.
Jagapathi Babu, who has earned a reputation as a stylish villain, is roped in for the antagonist role in the film.
Composer Ravi Basur and cinematographer Bhuvan Gowda, who worked in the KGF franchise, have been retained for the much-awaited film.
Salaar is billed as a pan-India project and will feature Prabhas playing a “violent character”.
The film was announced in 2020 and went on floors in January last year.
Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani
Filmmaker Karan Johar returns as a director after Ae Dil Hai Mushkil with Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani.
The film stars Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt in the lead roles, who previously were seen in Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy.
The film also will see Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi in prominent roles.
While the actors have wrapped the film, one song shoot remains which will be shot after Alia Bhatt gives birth to her first child.
The film, which was previously scheduled for February 2023 release, does not have a finalised date yet.
Fighter
Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone starrer Fighter will hit theatres on September 28, 2023.
Fighter marks the first collaboration between Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone.
Talking about the collaboration, Deepika told Bollywood Hungama: “Yeah, I have always wanted to work with him.
“I feel like it’s the… You know, sometimes it’s not about working with someone. I feel like there are so many things.
“It has to be the right script, it has to be the right director, the right time in your life.”
“So many things that decide (whether to do a film or not). So yeah, I guess it’s the right time for us to come together.”
So, there we have it! A list of the most anticipated Indian films releasing in 2023.
Which of these Indian films are you looking forward to watching on the big screen?
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