Showbiz can be brutal, with little mercy for those who fall off the fame bandwagon. But as Shah Rukh Khan famously said, ‘haar ke jitne walon ko baazigar kehte hai. People who bounce back after setbacks are true heroes. This year saw several once-popular faces claw their way back into the spotlight. There were also a few newer entrants who bounced back after controversy. Here’s a look at ThePrint’s Comebacks of the year.
Himesh Reshammiya
The list of things Reshammiya can do is long, but in the early 2000s, he was the undisputed hitmaker of Hindi music. His nasal twang, the unmistakable ‘oooo’ became the anthem for millennials. But the maverick with a cap had disappeared over the years—only to be seen on his Instagram reels.
Now, he is back with a bang. All it took for him to embrace the cringe, which included his cap. It started with his movie Badass Ravikumar—a desi, Reshammiya-style pulp fiction that only he could have pulled off. His concerts this were were housefull, no matter wherever he performed. The Internet had a meltdown, with fans relieving the good old days. The Cap Mania Tour set a benchmark for how Indian performers can engineer a comeback.
Smriti Irani
The politician is proof that when one door is firmly shut, there’s always a back to the OG avenue. In Irani’s case, that meant returning to acting with Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. The show that once determined India’s dinner timings and outings, came back for a second season after 25 long years, and became the comeback vehicle of Irani. She has since then, been reinstated as India’s favourite bahu, now talking about progressive topics, from aging to men’s issues.
Samay Raina
In February this year, it looked like the comedian’s career was over. His show, India’s Got Latent was mired in controversy when podcast host Ranveer Allahabadia made a crass joke that offended many and even got the attention of the Indian judiciary. By August, he was the subject of a Supreme Court order over jokes on persons with disabilities. All in all, it looked pitch black, for the comedian who considers himself the prime example of dark comedy in India.
But then, he started his tour, ‘Still Alive and Unfiltered,’ which sold 40,000 tickets within hours of being announced, and has since been running house full across cities.
Also read: Dharmendra, Zubeen Garg, Sulakshana Pandit—the stars India lost in 2025
Aryan Khan
October 2021 was a dark phase for Shah Rukh Khan’s family, when Aryan Khan was arrested during a cruise party raid for alleged recreational drug use. He was cleared of all charges in 2022, and three years later returned with the most talked-about debuts in recent memory. Almost overnight, he became the favorite nepo baby, with fans and critics both singing praises for his show The Ba***ds of Bollywood.
The best part? He made a dig at the former Mumbai zonal director at the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Sameer Wankhede who had arrested him. Backed by his family, and loved by the industry, Aryan Khan created a show that will keep everyone talking about it for years.
Akshaye Khanna
While audiences have had a bit too much of Akshay Kumar’s multiple releases every year, they didn’t realise how much they were missing the other Akshaye. After years of hiatus, Khanna first appeared in Drishyam 2 (2022), and he did not even try to hide his bald patch. It was oddly refreshing to see a mainstream actor embrace the reality.
He took things several notches up this year. He was the perfect, evil, gaunt Aurangzeb in Chhaava, opposite Vicky Kaushal’s Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. And he ended the year playing an evil local goon and butcher in Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar. His entry scene is all anyone could talk about for weeks online.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)