Bollywood’s Most Exciting Films in 2018

For Bollywood, 2017 has been a year worth forgetting. Although a number of major films did release, this year will be largely remembered for is disastrous box office collections. Biggies like Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan tasted dirt, and directors like Kabir Khan and Imtiaz Ali delivered their worst.

As the industry collectively hopes for a better 2018, here we look at the most exciting films that we see in the year.

 

Padman

Akshay Kumar is back on Republic Day, a date he has marked as his own over the last five years with Special 26, Baby and Airlift. With Padman, he draws inspiration from another real-life personality, Arunachalam Muruganatham – a social activist known for inventing low cost sanitary pads making machine. The film talks about importance of hygiene practises around menstruation in rural India. This happens to be Twinkle Khanna’s debut production venture under her own banner Mrs Funnybones Movies. The film also marks the return of Columbia Pictures to Indian movies after wrapping up ops post the debacle of Saawariya. Padman also stars Sonam Kapoor and Radhika Apte and has been directed by R Balki.

 

Sanju

He is regarded as one of the best directors in Indian cinema. So, it is only expected that Rajkumar Hirani’s next film makes it to this list. But if his name was not enough, the film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Sanjay Dutt! This biopic promises to showcase the emotionally turbulent life of Sanjay Dutt, one of Bollywood’s most mercurial stars, on the big screen. The film also stars Anushka Sharma, Sonam Kapoor, Manisha Koirala and Tabu in cameos. The film is schedule to release on March 30.

 

2.0

The year’s biggest Indian film in terms of budget will be 2.0, the much awaited sequel to Rajinikanth’s Robot (2010). Budgeted at Rs 450 crore, the film directed by Shankar also stars Akshay Kumar as the primary villain. The actor was signed after Hollywood legend Arnold Schwarzenegger had to opt out of the film. The release of this film has already been postponed multiple times due to deadline failures. Rajinikanth’s latest is expected to shatter records world over. Of course it will release in Hindi as well, Robot, along with a bunch of other languages across the world. The film is scheduled to release in April.

 

Manikarnika

Manikarnika is another biopic in the list. The film sees Kangana Ranaut turning producer, apart from taking up the challenge of playing Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi, who fought against the British Raj during the Sepoy Mutiny. The film that has already generated much controversy due to various reasons is presently under production and is scheduled to release on April 27, 2018.

 

Race 3

 

Race 3 is the Salman Khan film for 2018. A part of the superhit franchise, this film however id not directed by Abbas Mustan but Remo DSouza. The film brings the Dabangg actor back with his Kick-heroine Jaqueline, along with a barrage of other actors like Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Pooja Hedge and of course Anil Kapoor! This film is expected to better the scores of the earlier ‘Race’ films. Race 3 is slated to release on May 4 but might be delayed due to change in shoot schedules.

 

October

Scheduled to release on June 1, October is director Shoojit Sircar’s next film after the superhit Piku. This is the first time the director has collaborated with Varun Dhawan, who is yet to deliver a flop in his career. This one is being termed an ‘unusual love story’, and will see Varun romancing a debutante Banita Sandhu.

 

Gold

2018 clearly will be Akshay Kumar’s year as the actor makes it back to the list. Gold is his second biopic of the year, and adds to his portfolio of real-life story inspired movies. Gold is a film on Indian hockey legend Balbir Singh Sr, who was a part of the Indian hockey team that won it’s first Gold medal at Olympic in 1948. Often called the greatest hockey player ever, he went on to captain the Indian team that won the Gold in Melbourne Olympics 1956. Singh still holds the record for most number of goals scored by a player in an Olympic final (5). To go with the patriotic fervour, Akshay stakes claim to August 15 as the date of release for Gold. The film’s shoots were recently completed under the direction of Reema Kagti and it has been produced by Excel Entertainment.

 

The SRK-Aanad L Rai film

Yet to be titled, this film will see Shah Rukh Khan donning the avatar of a dwarf. Being termed a love story, the film also features Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif as leading ladies. SRK, Katrina and Anushka have earlier worked together in Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Interestingly, the film will also see Salman Khan in a guest appearance. The film was earlier scheduled to release on Dec 21, 2018 but there are talks that the release might now be shifted to another date.

 

Thugs of Hindostan

Aamir Khan’s only release in 2017 was Secret Superstar, where he played a cameo. That makes Yash Raj Film’s Thugs of Hindostan much looked forward to. To make things exciting, the brings Aamir together with Amitabh Bachchan and Katrina Kaif. This is the first time Aamir is acting with Bachchan, though they have a long history. The septuagenarian actor was the narrator of his film Lagaan. The film is reportedly based on Philip Meadows Taylor’s novel Confessions of a Thug (1839) is being directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, who had earlier made Dhoom 3. The film is slated for a Diwali 2018 release.

 

Simbaa

Announced only recently, Simbaa makes it to the list just because it brings Rohit Shetty and the livewire Ranveer Singh together. The actor will be seen playing a cop, but one unlike what we have seen in Rohit’s Singham franchise. Ranveer will seen playing corrupt, cunning and daring police inspector in this action drama. The film will be a remake of Jr NTR starrer Telugu film Temper. The film has been announced to release on Dec 21, 2018 setting up a possible clash with the Shah Rukh Khan-Aanand L Rai film.

 

These apart, some other exciting films for 2018 are Anurag Kashyap’s Mukkabaaz, Ajay Devgn starrer Raid, Anushka Sharma’s Pari, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan starrer Fanney Khan (official remake of Everybody’s Famous), John Abraham’s Parmanu: The story of Pokhran, Varun Dhawan-Anushka Sharma starrer Sui Dhaaga: Made In India, Neeraj Pandey’s Aiyaary, Rani Mukerji starrer Hickhi, Hindi remake of Sairaat, Dhadak, that launches Sridevi’s daughter Jahnvi Kapoor and Prabhas’s Saaho!

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