Aamir Khan to Akshay Kumar: 21 big-ticket Bollywood films headed to cinemas

It’s time to grab that popcorn and head to the cinema for your fix of Bollywood kitsch as some of the biggest names in the business announce their return to theatres. We pick the 15 most anticipated Bollywood movies that have confirmed their global release in the coming months. Happy viewing!

‘Sooryavanshi’ (November 4): The Rohit Shetty-directed action drama is the third part in his record-breaking cop universe, which stars Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif in the lead. The crime drama features Kumar as a bloodthirsty cop, out for justice. Ranveer Singh from will reprise his role from ‘Simmba’, along with Ajay Devgn from ‘Singham’.

‘Bunty Aur Babli 2’ (November 19): The release of Bollywood movie ‘Bunty Aur Babli 2’ has finally been announced by Yash Raj Films. ‘Bunty Aur Babli 2’, which was filmed extensively in Abu Dhabi, was set to release in India on April 23 last year before the pandemic hit. Saif Ali Khan, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Rani Mukerji star in the movie, along with debutante Sharvari. ‘Bunty Aur Babli 2’ is a sequel to the 2005 hit film ‘Bunty Aur Babli’, which starred Mukerji alongside Abhishek Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan.

‘Satyameva Jayate 2’ (November 26): The John Abraham patriotic action thriller is directed by Milap Zaveri and features the muscle man in a double role. Singer-actress Divya Khosla Kumar, Rajeev Pillai and Anup Soni also star in the film. ‘Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui’ (December 10): Aayushman Khurrana and Vaani Kapoor star in this small-town drama where the former will be seen portraying the role of a cross-functional athlete in the film. While details of the film are still under wraps, it is directed by Abhishek Kapoor and produced by Pragya Kapoor.

'Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui' (December 10): Ayushmann Khurrana and Vaani Kapoor star in this small-town drama where the former will be seen portraying the role of a cross-functional athlete in the film. While details of the film are still under wraps, it is directed by Abhishek Kapoor and produced by Pragya Kapoor.

‘Tadap’ (December 3): Veteran actor Suniel Shetty’s son Ahan will be making his big Bollywood debut with this film. The movie, which also stars Tara Sutaria in the lead, is a remake of the Telugu film ‘RX 100’ where the woman wrongs the leading man by leading his astray in a doomed love affair.

’83 (December 25): Actor Ranveer Singh plays the legendary Indian cricketer Kapil Dev in the sports film who led India to its first Cricket World Cup victory back in 1983. Deepika Padukone will play his on-screen wife in the movie, which is co-produced by Madhu Mantena, Sajid Nadiadwala, and Reliance Entertainment. Directed by Kabir Khan, the film was originally set to release on April 10 last year but the release was pushed after cinemas across India shut down on account of the coronavirus pandemic.

‘Jersey’ (December 31): ‘Jersey’ is a Hindi remake of the Telugu hit of the same name. The Hindi version will be directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri, who also helmed the original movie. The story is about a talented but failed cricketer named Arjun, who decides to make a comeback in his late 30s and play for India in order to fulfil his son’s wish. The Hindi version also features Mrunal Thakur, and is being presented by Allu Aravind, and produced by Aman Gill and Dil Raju.

‘Prithviraj’ (January 21): Akshay Kumar’s ‘Prithviraj’ serves next on the roster, releasing worldwide on January 21. The movie will also serve as a launch vehicle for the former Miss World 2017, Manushi Chhillar. Directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi, the film also stars Sanjay Dutt and Sonu Sood. Kumar plays the Rajput warrior Prithviraj Chauhan in the film, while Chhillar plays Sanyogita.

‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ (February 14): The official ‘Forrest Gump’ remake was earlier scheduled to release over Christmas, but the release of the film starring Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan has been deferred to next year. Aamir Khan Productions shared the announcement on their official Instagram page as well. “Due to delays faced as a result of the pandemic, we will be unable to release our film, ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’, this Christmas. We will now be releasing ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ on Valentine’s Day 2022,” the statement read. The movie also stars Mona Singh and Naga Chaitanya in the lead and is being directed by Advait Chandan. Knowing Khan, this is a film we simply cannot miss.

‘Jayeshbhai Jordaar’ (February 25): The upcoming social comedy film is written and directed by Divyang Thakkar and produced by Yash Raj Films and Maneesh Sharma. Ranveer Singh stars in the titular role of a Gujarati man who believes in equal rights between males and females in the society. Shalini Pandey makers her Hindi debut, while Boman Irani and Ratna Pathak Shah also star.

‘Bachchan Pandey’ (March 4, 2022): Akshay Kumar plays the titular character in ‘Bachchan Pandey’, with Kriti Sanon, Jacqueline Fernandez and Arshad Warsi as his co-stars. In the Farhad Samji directorial, Kumar reportedly plays a gangster who aspires to be an actor, while Sanon is playing a journalist who wishes to be a director.

‘Shamshera’ (March 18, 2022): On March 18, get ready to watch Ranbir Kapoor in ‘Shamshera’. Directed by Karan Malhotra, the period epic also features Vaani Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt in pivotal roles. ‘Shamshera’ is set in the 19th century and chronicles the adventures of a dacoit tribe who go against the British.

‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ (March 25, 2022): Kartik Aaryan steps into Akshay Kumar’s shoes for this horror comedy. The sequel to the 2007 film feature Kiara Advani and Tabu as well, while Anees Bazmee is helming the project. The original was the official Hindi remake of the 1993 Malayalam comedy psychological thriller, ‘Manichitrathazhu’.

‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’ (April 1, 2022): R. Madhavan’s much-awaited directorial debut has finally secured a date for release. The biographical drama showcases the journey of Indian scientist Nambi Narayanan, a former ISRO scientist and aerospace engineer who is accused of being a spy. Madhavan will be playing the role of Nambi Narayanan ande has also produced and written the film, which has been shot in parts of India, Georgia, Russia, and France. The film also features an ensemble cast comprising Simran, Rajit Kapur, Ravi Raghavendra, Misha Ghoshal, Gulshan Grover, Karthik Kumar and Dinesh Prabhakar, with special appearances by Shah Rukh Khan and Suriya.

‘KGF Chapter 2’ (April 14, 2022): ‘KGF Chapter 2’, which also stars Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, is directed by Prashanth Neel. The story continues on from the first instalment that sees Yash play the criminal mastermind Rocky who lands in Mumbai to seek power and wealth in order to fulfil a promise to his dying mother. In the second instalment he faces off Dutt’s Adheera. The film also stars Srinidhi Shetty, along with Raveena Tandon and Prakash Raj.

‘Mayday’ (April 29, 2022): The Bollywood film, which stars Ajay Devgn, Amitabh Bachchan and Rakul Preet Singh, is reportedly based on a 2015 incident where a Jet Airways from Doha to Kochi averted disaster after it was unable to land due to bad weather and faced similar issues when it was diverted to another airport, which also resulted in a fuel crisis and the pilot forced to call a Mayday. While he is directing and producing the film, Devgn will also be essaying a pivotal role of a pilot in the film.

‘Heropanti 2’ (May 6, 2022): Action man Tiger Shroff returns to the sequel of ‘Heropanti’, which appears to be a new story from his first outing with Kriti Sanon. The Ahmed Khan directorial sees Shroff play a messiah of sorts who gets involved with the Russians in a case of mistaken identity and finds himself on the run. Tara Sutaria stars as well.

‘Adipurush’ (August 11, 2022): South Indian superstar Prabhas teams up with Saif Ali Khan and Kriti Sanon for this take on the epic Ramayana that is being directed by Om Raut. Khan said he will play the Hindu demon King Raavan adding that he aimed to justify the demon king’s actions who had kidnapped Sita that resulted in a war with the Hindu deity Ram. The story of this epic war is recorded in the tome ‘Ramayana’, which is revered by Hindus.

‘Raksha Bandhan’ (August 11, 2022): The action film ‘Adipurush’ will clash with the Akshay Kumar-led family drama, which he said was an ode to his sister. Directed Aanand L Rai, Bhumi Pednekar also stars in the film, along with Sahejmeen Kaur, Deepika Khanna, Sadia Khateeb and Smrithi Srikanth who play Kumar’s sisters in the film.

‘Ram Setu’ (Diwali 2022): While Akshay Kumar has locked in Diwali 2021 for ‘Sooryavanshi’, he decided not to stop there and has locked in the festival holiday weekend the following year as well for his film ‘Ram Setu’. Directed by Abhishek Sharma and starring Jacqueline Fernandez and Nushrratt Bharuccha, the film reportedly sees Kumar play an archaeologist in the film.

‘Ganpath’ (December 23, 2022): The action drama, which stars Tiger Shroff and Kriti Sanon, is still more than a year away but the makers did not want to miss the opportunity to announce the release of the film through a new motion poster. It is going to be a festive time and the makers are planning to make the most of the Christmas weekend next year.