It's that time for Bollywood when the 'big boys' of the industry need to come for the rescue. After all, 2020 has turned out to be a forgettable year for many industries, leave along just Bollywood, and as a result there were hardly any collections to boast of.
At last count, due to films that released in the first quarter of the year, the box office haul concluded at 780 crores. Now all eyes are on 2021 and this is where one looks forward to the multiple films that many of the top stars and superstars of Bollywood are currently working on.
The top guns who have time and again come to the rescue are the BIG 5 - Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan, each of whom has been around for three decades and are is a bona fide superstar.
Then there is another top actor who has made a place for himself in the last couple of decades gone by, John Abraham. Add to them Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Tiger Shroff and Kartik Aaryan, each one of whom has made an impression in the last 10 years, and with the combined effort of each one of them, there would be a lot more to cheer for audiences in next 12 months.
Between just 10 of them, there are over 30 films being planned for release in 2021, and that's a humungous number indeed. While few of these are already complete, many are already under production and a few of these would be going on floors soon enough.
As always, it's Akshay Kumar leading the charge with six films in different stages of production. These are Sooryavanshi, Prithviraj, Bachchan Pandey, Bell Bottom, Atrangi Re and Raksha Bandhan. The first to arrive would be Sooryavanshi, which was the first movie to halt its release plans due to the onslaught of pandemic.
In the last nine months, he has already completed Prithviraj and Bell Bottom, while the shooting of Atrangi Re is going full throttle. Bachchan Pandey is set to go on floors soon and then it would be time for Raksha Bandhan.
Meanwhile, Ajay Devgn continued to be busy as ever too with Bhuj: The Pride of India arriving first. Though it was originally planned for an OTT release, one waits to see if it manages to have a dual arrival in theatres too. He has already started work on his next directorial Mayday with himself and Amitabh Bachchan in lead roles for 2022 release. As for Maidaan, it is eyeing a Dushehra release and should be his next big one in theatres.
Salman Khan is ready with his Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai and there is very good probability that the film would be seeing an Eid arrival, a year after its original release plans. This also means that his Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali would shift ahead from the Eid slot. It would all boil down to when does he begin shooting for the film as he has already started work on Antim: The Final Truth which will definitely arrive first.
The other Khans, Shah Rukh and Aamir, are busy too. After the debacle of Zero, Shah Rukh has finally picked Pathan. The film's shooting is on full swing and one just hopes that it makes it in time for Diwali or Christmas 2021 to bring on great moolah. As for Aamir, he has already booked the Christmas slot for Laal Singh Chaddha, which was earlier planned for Christmas 2020.
However, one actor who is keeping his head down and shooting for multiple films non-stop is John Abraham. Had things gone as per plans, he would have had three releases in 2020 - Mumbai Saga, Satyameva Jayate 2 and Attack. While each of these would now release in 2021, he has already picked on Pathan where he said to be playing an antagonist against Shah Rukh.
Then there is his production Sardar & Grandson where he has a special appearance too. The one which is keenly awaited as well is Ek Villain 2 where he has an author backed role.
Same holds true for Kartik Aaryan who has multiple films in different stages of production. He is set to wrap up Dhamaka in qucik time by January itself, where he would be experimenting with a different image. As for those who love to see him in light hearted avtar, there are Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and Dostana 2 scheduled as well for completion.
Soon enough, he would also begin shooting for Shah Rukh Khan production Red Chillies' next with Ajay Behl. However, the big one would be the remake of Allu Arjun’s Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo which is much awaited.
Also much awaited are Ranbir Kapoor's Brahmastra and Shamshera, which have seen elaborate making plans. While former by Karan Johar is a big budget extravaganza designed for the big screen, latter with Aditya Chopra sets him up as a dacoit. Meanwhile, he is also set to do something light hearted soon with Luv Ranjan as he gears up to begin the shoot.
On the other hand Ranveer Singh has already shot for '83 and Jayeshbhai Jordaar, both of which are all set to release the moment producers are willing to give a nod. Former has waited for way too long to arrive in theatres and it's going to be worth it indeed. Meanwhile, the actor has paired up with Rohit Shetty again after Simmba and they are busy shooting for Cirkus.
One actor though on whom all eyes would be to bring mass back in theatres is Tiger Shroff. He holds the record of the biggest opener of 2020 with his Baaghi 3 enjoying 17.50 crores Friday. No wonder, when he reunites with Sajid Nadiadwala and Ahmed Khan for Heropanti 2, it would be crowd hysteria again. Same is expected from Ganapath - Chapter One as well which is set to go on floors soon.
All in all, even though 2020 has turned out to be a full year, these 10 men are promising to get the adrenalin pumping all over again once curtains go up all over in a big way in 2021.
We are waiting!
Superstars and their multiple releases in 2021
· Akshay Kumar [Sooryavanshi, Prithviraj, Bachchan Pandey, Bell Bottom, Atrangi Re, Raksha Bandhan]
· Ajay Devgn [Bhuj: The Pride of India, Maidaan]
· Salman Khan [Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai, Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali, Antim: The Final Truth]
· Shah Rukh Khan [Pathan]
· Aamir Khan [Laal Singh Chaddha]
· John Abraham [Mumbai Saga, Satyameva Jayate 2, Attack, Pathan, Ek Villain 2, Sardar & Grandson]
· Ranbir Kapoor [Brahmastra, Shamshera, Luv Ranjan's next]
· Ranveer Singh ['83, Jayeshbhai Jordaar, Cirkus]
· Kartik Aaryan [Dhamaka, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Dostana 2, Red Chillies' next with Ajay Behl, remake of Allu Arjun’s Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo]
· Tiger Shroff [Heropanti 2, Ganapath: Chapter One]
