9 Bollywood Movies to look forward to in 2018

The year 2017, despite getting a pretty decent start with films like ‘Raees’, ‘Kaabil’ and ‘Jolly LLB 2’, turned out to be one of the most disappointing years for Bollywood movies in recent times. Movies like ‘Hindi Medium’, ‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’, ‘Judwaa 2’, ‘Shubh Mangal Saavdhan’, ‘Tumhari Sulu’, and ‘Golmaal Again’ left a great impact on audiences as well as performed very well at the box office whereas the highly anticipated outings like ‘Tubelight’, ‘Jab Harry Met Sejal’ and ‘Jagga Jasoos’ failed to hit the mark.

The Hindi-dubbed South Indian magnum opus ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’ created history not only in India but worldwide, while in the same year, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s much-awaited ‘Padmavati’ got indefinitely postponed due to Censor Board issue. Although 2017 saw the release of some of the most diverse movies in a long time, with storylines, that were not just unconventional and away from the thumkas, but also more character driven rather than superstar driven, majority of them being failed to enthrall the audiences made 2017 a forgetting year, with only pocket-sized achievements to be rejoiced for.

But as they say, “a bad moment, a bad day, a bad week does not make you a bad parent,” Hindi film industry is also going to bring back the magic it lost in 2017, with an amazing line-up of films that will keep the cash registers ringing next year. Salman Khan’s ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ which released yesterday has already started the good days for Bollywood and that, it seems, will continue the whole next year as it has a big whopping slate of great movies to come in the next 12 months.

The coming 2018 holds a lot of promises for Bollywood, especially because a variety of films that are fascinating and thrilling in their own way is set to enthrall audiences in cinemas. From Sci-Fi movies to historical dramas to biopics, romcoms, action thrillers, comedy and Masala movies, 2018 has something for everyone to look forward to.

As we are just a couple of days away from 2018, it’s time to look forward to the movies that the audiences are psyched about next year. Here we are running down the nine movies that hold the most promise in 2018:

*Two South Indian movies have also been included in this list as they will be releasing in Hindi as well.*

2.0 – April 27

2018 will be a year where Bollywood will catch up with the Hollywood in terms of scale and quality. ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’ created storm everywhere in the world this year and the same is expected from Shankar’s ‘2.0’. The sequel to ‘Enthiran’, the biggest blockbuster of 2010, this film is being considered as an epic that everyone has their eyes on.

Made on the humongous budget of over £52 Million, this most expensive Indian movie has been shot directly in 3D, being the first-ever Indian movie to be shot with this latest technology. Akshay Kumar’s addition as the villain in this Rajinikanth movie has just boosted the excited for this  The hype around this movie is sky high even though it’s four months away from its grand release in 15 languages worldwide.

Padmavati:- March 2018

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Padmavati’ was initially scheduled to release on December 1st, 2017 but it got postponed to an indefinite time after Indian censor board refused to clear the movie due to several reasons. Now, the Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, and Shahid Kapoor starred, in all probability, is likely to release in February or March 2018. It might also hit screens in June 2018 if the makers decide to premiere the film at the Cannes International Film Festival 2018.

The exact release date is not confirmed yet but it’s certain that whenever this film graces the silver screen, the box office will be on fire as its trailer which was released in November, has already excited the movie-goers enough to watch this on the big screen.

Thugs of Hindostaan – November 7

credit: Faking News.

Based on Philip Meadows Taylor’s 1839 novel “Confessions of a Thug”, this Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan starred is about a gang of Thugs who posed a serious challenge to the British Empire in India during the early 19th century. This film has also been made on a grand scale with the production budget of around £24.50 million making it the most expensive project for Yash Raj Films.

‘Thugs of Hindostaan’ promises to have some never-seen-before-in-Bollywood action sequences including a sea battle similar to ones seen in films such as Pirates of the Caribbean. The combination of Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan and that too in a movie that is set in the 19th century is enough to get excited about this movie. Moreover, both the veteran actor’s looks were leaked a few months back and that has left everyone astonished raising the expectations from it a notch higher.

Race 3 – Eid 2018

‘Race’ was already a big brand and with Salman Khan now leading its third installment, the Race franchise has become bigger than ever and is being touted as a record-breaking hit already. Salman with supporting cast – that includes Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Saleem and Anil Kapoor – will be playing the game next Eid, the Muslim festival that has now become synonymous with a Salman Khan film in India.

With Remo D’Souza’s direction and Salman on board as the main player in the race replacing Saif Ali Khan, ‘Race 3’ is said to have a completely new take on the franchise. Salman’s character is yet another reason to be thrilled about this film. He plays a grey character which is an extremely slick, stylish and exciting one, something he hasn’t done before.

Sanjay Dutt Biopic – March 30

Tentatively titled ‘Sanju’, filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani’s this biopic film has an immense anticipation among moviegoers. One of the most talented young actors, Ranbir Kapoor portrays the character of Sanjay Dutt in the film that deals with the highs and lows of the controversial actor’s life. The high-budget movie also has veteran actors Paresh Rawal as Sanjay’s father Sunil Dutt, Manisha Koirala as his mother Nargis, Dia Mirza as his wife Manyata Dutt headlining the cast along with actors like Sonam Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Anushka Sharma, Jim Sarbh, Karishma Tanna and Tabu playing other short but prominent roles.

Ranbir who has gone the extra mile to get in the skin of Dutt had recently said, “He (Sanjay Dutt) hasn’t been a hypocrite about it (his life). So it’s not a propaganda film trying to portray him as God or something. We are trying to show a very human side of Sanjay Dutt, his perils, his downfall, his will to fight, his time in jail, terrorism charges, his drug phase, how he handled his mother’s death two days before the release of his debut film, his relationship with his father. These were human conflicts in his life.”

The title and the official poster of this film will release in the second week of January.

Shah Rukh Khan and Anand L Rai’s Next – December 21

Even though the production of this film has come to an end, the makers haven’t announced its title yet. But that’s not making this Christmas 2018 release lesser anticipated than other Khan movies. What deviates this film is that it’s about a happy dwarf, who brings families together, something that has been rarely explored in Bollywood. The unusual storyline of this movie makes it a very interesting project but at the same time, it’s also very risky as no one knows how the public will react to three-fit tall Shah Rukh Khan.

It will be the first time SRK, known for playing mostly romantic characters, will be seen in a dwarf avatar. His character is said to be along the lines of Tyrion Lannister, who is happy and always celebrating his life. The movie that also stars Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma as female leads reportedly celebrate the differently abled rather than sympathize with them. A lot of VFX and special effects are being used to make his and other vertically challenged characters look real.

Saaho – Not Decided

After delivering India’s biggest blockbuster, ‘Baahubali’ series, Prabhas has become a household name in India, from east to west to north to south. The actor is now returning with his next trilingual, ‘Saaho’ which is touted as an ultramodern action flick. Ever since the makers made a sensational announcement of this film in April 2017 by releasing a phenomenal teaser, there has been a tremendous curiosity among the movie-watching public.

To be made on the estimated budget of £17.54 Million, ‘Saaho’ is a high-tech action drama which is expected to deliver a triumph of scale, size, and spectacle. Directed by Sujeeth and also stars Shraddha Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Chunkey Pandey and Neil Nitin Mukesh, this film is being shot at striking locations in Romania, Abu Dhabi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. Reportedly, this film also has a 20-minute long chase sequence that involves cruising across different places in Dubai, including the famous Burj Khalifa.

A mystique poster of the film was released in October and that has further raised the anticipation for this action movie. The release hasn’t been officially announced yet but it’s rumored to hit screens sometime during Diwali 2018.

Pad Man – January 26

Inspired by the story of one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential entrants, Arunachalam Muruganantham, a rural welder from India turned incredible innovator and inventor, ‘PadMan’ is the world’s first feature film on menstrual hygiene. Starring Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor and Radhika Apte, this film traces Muruganantham’s international journey from an outcast exiled from society for his endeavors to delve into such a taboo subject, to becoming a super-hero of India’s modern history, as he followed his dream to bring a revolution to menstrual hygiene in India.

Billed as the most progressive family entertainer yet, ‘PadMan’ is a tribute to every ordinary and simple man and woman, who dare to dream and impact the lives of millions of others. The film’s trailer was recently released and it has garnered everyone’s attention, thanks to its theme that educates both men and women on the impact of menstrual hygiene and ensures all women have menstrual dignity.

Super 30 – November 23

Based on the life of Patna-based mathematician Anand Kumar who runs the famed “Super 30” program which trains 30 deserving, economically backward students for the most prestigious exams of IIT each year with commendable success rate. Hrithik Roshan portrays the character of Anand Kumar and he is expected to encapsulate the spirit of Anand’s character perfectly even though he doesn’t look like him.

‘Super 30’ will show not just what the world knows about Anand, but also his intriguing backstory. Director Vikas Bahl had recently said,  “Super 30 is a story of the struggles of those genius kids who have one opportunity and how those 30 amongst thousands of others redefine success. The film will focus on the Super 30 programme that Kumar started, which trains 30 IIT aspirants to crack its entrance test.”

This human story of struggle and inspiration is all set to go on floors in mid-January.

Those are my most anticipated movies. Besides it, there are so many more films I didn’t have room to include like ‘Raid’, ‘Simmba’, ‘Total Dhamaal’, ‘Sui Dhaaga’, ‘Gold’, ‘Manikarnika’, ‘Aiyaary’, ‘October’, ‘Gully Boy’, ‘Hichki’, ‘Commando 3’, ‘Badhaai Ho’, ‘Hate Story 4’ among others. Every month has one or two interesting films to watch out for this year. It won’t be wrong to say that movie theatres will be a great place to be in 2018.