In 2023, cinephiles and OTT connoisseurs had multiple reasons to either make a beeline for theatres or comfortably flick through Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Hotstar. Filmmakers, after all, consistently upped their game, unveiling fresh talent and reintroducing familiar faces with their exceptional content.
Shah Rukh Khan gave us three back-to-back hits with Pathaan, Jawan and Dunki, reminding us to never doubt that he’s truly the king of entertainment. OTT, too, created a slew of stars, connecting languages and the many movie ‘woods’ of India.
But who’s ‘booking’ in 2024? Let’s take a look at some actors who are ready to make a big splash this year.
Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone courted multiple controversies in 2023, be it over her saffron bikini in Pathaan’s hit number Besharam Rang or her take on dating and relationships in Koffee With Karan. 2024 looks like a much bigger year for the actor, who has three big releases lined up – Siddharth Anand’s Fighter, Rohit Shetty’s Singham 3 and Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD, which is reportedly the most expensive Indian film to be made so far.
She is set to play an Air Force squadron leader in Fighter, a tough-as-nails cop in Singham 3 and an undisclosed but highly anticipated role in Kalki. While controversy hasn’t quite left her side – people are already discussing her monokini in Fighter – Padukone looks ready to stamp her name all over 2024.
Vijay Sethupathi
The Makkal Selvan, known for his work in Tamil movies like Vikram (2022), Master (2021), Super Deluxe (2019) and Vikram Vedha (2017), had a breakthrough moment on OTT as the alcoholic but dedicated cop Michael Vedanayagam in Raj and DK’s Farzi (2023). The versatile actor also left his mark on Bollywood as Kalee Gaikwad, SRK’s pill-popping enemy in Jawan. Sethupathi’s next venture is Sriram Raghavan’s Merry Christmas, where he is paired opposite Katrina Kaif. He is also slated to star in Farzi 2, and the Tamil movie Gandhi Talks. Let’s see if he can truly establish himself as a pan-India star.
Manoj Bajpayee
From The Family Man (2019) to Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai (2023) and Gulmohar (2023), Bajpayee has undoubtedly taken Indian OTT by storm in recent times. A Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) spy on Raj & DK’s The Family Man, Bajpayee’s Srikant Tiwari struck an instant chord with viewers. Wildly popular for its titular character’s eccentricities and freewheeling Hindi abuses, the web series was a major turning point in the actor’s career. A third season of the show is expected to come out this year, where Bajpayee reprises his role and faces yet another challenge in his career and ‘family life’. The actor is also set to star in a crime series called Killer Soup with Konkona Sen Sharma.
Also read: 10 films that were a total waste of time in 2023
Prabhas
The year 2023 was a mixed bag for the Telugu star, whose first Bollywood venture Adipurush crashed and burned due to terrible VFX, bad dialogues and sub-par acting.
Despite becoming a household name with Bahubaali in 2015, Prabhas has not performed consistently at the box office. His Saaho (2019) managed to earn money but was criticised almost unanimously for its poor plot. However, the actor has surely made a comeback with Salaar (2023), which has breached the Rs 600-crore mark to emerge as a top grosser and re-established Prabhas’ star power.
As of 2024, the actor is gearing up for some meaty projects – Kalki 2898 AD to the Telugu film Raja Deluxe by Maruthi – that can reestablish his box office supremacy.
Allu Arjun
Allu Arjun has been a household name since the early 2000s. One of the highest-paid actors in India, Arjun’s Pushpa: The Rise (2021) is often considered responsible for giving rise to the phenomenon we now refer to as ‘pan-Indian films’. From his hand gestures, body language, to dance moves, Arjun’s Pushpa became a massive hit across India.
Rashmika Mandanna’s career also took off after this movie as she bagged several big-budget projects in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu – Sita Ramam and Goodbye in 2022 to Varisu and Animal in 2023.
The sequel, Pushpa 2: The Rule will release on Independence Day this year and is likely to recreate the magic of the earlier installment. Arjun does not even need to do any other film to be the man of the hour.
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)