India is a diverse country of various religions. This religious multitude is all the more evident from how Bollywood manages to cash in on major festival release windows. Shah Rukh Khan has been the king of the Diwali season from 1995’s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge to 2014’s Happy New Year. Meanwhile, his perpetual competitor Salman Khan has successfully monopolised the Eid season.
But when it comes to the Christmas season, Bollywood has been deprived of any major hits as of late. Starting with the late 2010s, Aamir Khan has dominated December, delivering record-breaking hits like Ghajini, 3 Idiots and Dangal. But Khan seems to have taken a backseat since the commercial failure of the Forrest Gump remake Laal Singh Chadha last year. Akshay Kumar’s Good Newwz did good business as the final blockbuster of 2019, but since the pandemic, December has mostly looked dull for the Hindi film industry.
But the drought ends this year as December 2023 floods with high-profile releases that might just become the biggest hits of the year. From Ranbir Kapoor’s blood-soaked crime drama to Shah Rukh Khan’s attempts at a 2023 hat-trick, these are some of the biggest Bollywood releases to anticipate this Christmas.
December 1: Animal could be Ranbir Kapoor’s next big blockbuster
Ranbir Kapoor has been having a good 2023 so far, with his romantic comedy Tu Jhoothi Mai Makkaar emerging as a commercial success despite mixed critical reviews. His next movie Animal was initially slated for an August release, but with excessive post-production work, the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer now eyes a December release date. Talking to Pinkvilla, Kapoor said that playing a hyperviolent gangster in Animal is way out of his “comfort zone” as he’s not used to playing morally grey characters.
From the first look poster to the official trailer, social media has been abuzz with what promises to be an intense watch and a change in form for Kapoor, who is usually seen as a romantic lead. While the actor has had a hit-or-miss record throughout his career, chances for Animal’s box-office success are high considering that Sandeep Vanga is in the director’s chair. Initially gaining fame for his controversial Telugu hit Arjun Reddy, Vanga made a stunning debut in Bollywood with the equally polarising remake Kabir Singh (which still ranks among the highest-grossing Indian films of all time).
Made at a relatively modest budget of Rs 60 crore, Vanga’s Kabir Singh minted a whopping Rs 379 crore at the box office. With Animal amping up the budget to Rs 100 crore, it seems like Vanga and Kapoor might have another hit on their hands, no matter how divided the critics might be (as they are with all of Vanga’s movies). The supporting cast includes Anil Kapoor playing the antihero’s toxic father, Rashmika Mandanna as the romantic interest and Bobby Deol as a villainous crime lord.
December 1: Sam Bahadur might do good business (but not as much as Animal)
The only competition that Animal faces on December 1 is from Sam Bahadur, a biopic on the late Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw. The army veteran is highly regarded as one of India’s greatest military leaders, and Vicky Kaushal is all set to represent him on the big screen. Sam Bahadur marks Kaushal’s second collaboration with Meghna Gulzar, who previously directed the spy thriller Raazi.
While Raazi was a massive success (earning Rs 197 crore against a budget of Rs 35-40 crore), Gulzar’s last release Chhapaak only made Rs 5 crore more than its budget. Yet Kaushal is a bankable star who has enjoyed critical acclaim in the biopic genre before, having played the titular freedom fighter in the Prime Video release Sardar Udham. And as far as movies with nationalist overtones go, Kaushal also led the immensely successful military action thriller Uri: The Surgical Strike in 2019.
Industry insiders are estimating Sam Bahadur’s budget to be Rs 50 crore, half of Animal’s budget. While the odds might be in its favour, it’s still possible that Animal might rake in more money than its competitor. What Sam Bahadur can still bank on is luring in the family audiences. Judging by its blood-soaked trailer, Animal will probably be stamped with an Adult rating by the censor board (the same as Vanga’s other movies). Sam Bahadur can capitalise on this with its family-friendly story of a revered national hero.
December 8: Merry Christmas might overshadow Yodha
The second weekend of December will find two thrillers clashing at the box office: Merry Christmas and Yodha. But while Merry Christmas is more of a psychological noir starring Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi, Yodha aims to be a full-blown action flick with Siddharth Malhotra playing a hijacker-fighting soldier.
Simultaneously shot in Hindi and Tamil, Merry Christmas promises to be a critical darling considering that it’s directed by Sriram Raghavan, who has helmed many a successful thriller before, like Andhadhun and Badlapur. Kaif is already eyeing a glorious November, as she stars alongside Salman Khan in Tiger 3, the latest installment in the wildly successful YRF Spy Universe. Sethupathi, who is chiefly reputed as a Tamil character actor, has also had a dashing Bollywood record this year, as he played the antagonist in the Shah Rukh Khan-led hit Jawan (the fifth highest-grossing Indian film so far). While not much is known about the plot of Merry Christmas, Raghavan is a leading proponent of modern Indian suspense. So, it might just be a delectable Christmas mystery after all.
Yodha, on the other hand, has Bollywood titan Karan Johar serving as producer. But that doesn’t necessarily guarantee box-office success (considering how poorly the Johar-backed sports drama Liger performed in 2022). Lead actor Siddharth Malhotra might be in the public eye often, but unfortunately, his commercial track record has been sloping downwards as of late. Since 2016’s Kapoor and Sons, Malhotra has not been able to deliver a full-fledged hit. Will Yodha turn the tables for him? Only time can tell.
December 22: Salaar: Part 1 could be Prabhas’ comeback
Telugu star Prabhas has entertained a loyal legion of fans for decades now and with the success of the historical epic franchise Baahubali, Prabhas went on to become a household name all over the country. While Prabhas acts in his native language Telugu, Baahubali’s dubs in Hindi and Tamil also proved to do great business. However, the formula for such pan-Indian hits could not work in his favour. 2019’s Saaho was a hit but 2022’s Radhe Shyam ended its run as a flop. Matters only got worse this year with his Rs 600 crore-budget epic Adipurush being categorised as a box-office disaster.
Prabhas aims for redemption in the final week of December with the gangster action film Salaar Part 1. Aiming to be the first chapter in an action saga, a lot is riding on the movie. After all, it is being directed by Prashant Neel. Known for directing the two-part saga KGF (yet again a pan-Indian success), Neel’s last effort KGF: Chapter 2 still ranks as the fourth highest-grossing Indian movie. With Prabhas playing a gang leader taking on other gangs, Salaar might do good business in South Indian territories during the Christmas weekend. But its success in the Hindi-speaking territories might definitely get affected by its box-office rival Dunki.
December 22: Dunki could make SRK strike gold thrice this year
After a few box-office flops, Bollywood’s “King Khan” took a four-year-long sabbatical from acting, with his appearances limited to just cameos. Then, he kickstarted 2023 with a bang with his action thriller Pathaan dominating Bollywood for the first quarter of the year. This feat was followed by the action thriller Jawan in September that managed to surpass even Pathaan in terms of commercial returns.
Now, the 57-year-old star takes a backseat from being an action hero and leads the upcoming comedy-drama Dunki. Delving into the lives of Indians who illegally immigrate to the West and struggle to return home, Dunki promises to be yet another successful family-friendly comedy by director Rajkumar Hirani. As can be seen from his previous Christmas releases like 3 Idiots and PK, Hirani has been the undisputed king of the holiday season. And with him collaborating with Shah Rukh Khan for the first time, the box-office possibilities seem to be overwhelmingly positive. If all goes well, Khan will have the rarity of leading three Bollywood blockbusters in the same year.
Merry Christmas in advance and let the best movie win!