Indian Cinema in 2024: The Year of Hell-Raising Heroes & Sequels

After some trials and several flops, Indian cinema has hit upon a formula for success, and it seems that the way forward is to regress.

Having spent the last three to four years amid macho, gun-wielding men whose raison d’être is only to save Desh from imagined enemies, 2024 is going to be more of that, but with a difference. Indian movies in 2024 will remain patriotic, of course, but the stories, scenarios, and characters will get more and more prehistoric—literally, but also metaphorically.

Many more Indian heroes will go back in time this year to take super-human avatars, and, with the help of CGI, they will be busy saving Bharat as it was. There will be guns galore, but we will see many more burly heroes in choti-choti dhotis, with chest and facial hair, shaggy dreadlocks, and an itch to kill with swords, axes, and spears.

Sometimes the people they will go after will be gora Britishers; at other times, it’ll be anyone challenging India’s Sanskriti, sanskar, and ahankaar.

And in this endeavor, there will be unprecedented unity—2024 is going to be the year when films try to maximize viewership in India and abroad by going “pan-Indian.” So several Bollywood stars will make their debut in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam films, more and more Bollywood films will not just star southern biggies, but will also have south Indian directors.

Nawazuddin Siddique, Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan, Kriti Sanon, Deepika Padukone, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, and Amitabh Bachchan are all set to go south this year.

Churn, and not creativity, is going to be the other mantra this year.

Several actors—male, of course—will reprise their iconic, chauvinistic characters. While most will do so to save Bharat’s izzat, land, ladies, and properties, a few will attempt to make us laugh or scream in horror.

Allu Arjun, whose 2021 Telugu film, Pushpa: The Rise, basically established that the south is bigger and louder than Bollywood, will return in Pushpa: The Rule. Like the original, the sequel is directed by Sukumar and stars Rashmika Mandanna and Fahadh Faasil.

Writer-director-actor Rishab Shetty will also be back with Kantara Chapter 1, a prequel to his 2022 hit Kannada film, Kantara.

Indian 2, a sequel to director S. Shankar’s 1996 film, Indian, will return Kamal Hassan to the screens as freedom fighter-turned-vigilante Senapathy. This time he is rushing back home from Hong Kong after learning about the growing corruption and injustice in India.

Director Prithviraj Sukumaran’s 2019 Malayalam film, Lucifer, which starred Mohanlal and was a massive hit, is also getting a sequel titled L2 – Empuraan.

Apart from the usual “based on true events” rescue missions from Akshay Kumar and John Abraham—in Sky Force, Kumar will play an Indian Air Force officer in the 1965 India-Pakistan war, and Abraham will play the lead in The Diplomat and try to bring back an Indian girl from Pakistan—Sidharth Malhotra will join the ranks of Bollywood’s prime saviors with Yodha, in which he plays a soldier on board a hijacked plane.

Vicky Kaushal will play Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the son of Chhatrapati Shivaji, in Chava, and Pankaj Tripathi is set to arrive in theatres later this month as the former Prime Minister in Main Atal Hoon.

Thankfully, there will be some comedies and comedic horrors to provide relief from all this doom and boom.

Houseful’s fifth edition, Welcome to The Jungle, is Rohit Shetty’s Singham Again.  

Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao will return in Stree 2, and Kartik Aaryan in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3. 

There will also be writer-director Dibakar Banerjee’s LSD2, a sequel of his 2010 film Love, Sex Aur Dhokha, and Anurag Basu-directed two sequels — Aashiqui 3 with Kartik Aaryan, and Metro… In Dino.

Here is a list of the big commercial films that are set to release this year:

Kalki 2898 AD

A sci-fi film set in a dystopian future, Kalki 2898 AD’s story is a mix of imagined threats in the future that require some Hanuman-powered courage to save humanity. Headlined by Telugu star Prabhas and directed by Nag Ashwin, the film has been shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi and its cast includes Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, and Deepika Padukone. It releases on January 12.

Merry Christmas

Six years after Andhadhun, writer-director Sriram Raghavan returns with another thriller and a thrilling cast. Merry Christmas stars Vijay Sethupati and Katrina Kaif and is reportedly a love story. 

But given the twist in the casting, the film won’t be a simple Prem Kahani. Expect some suspense and horror in the film that releases on January 12.

Richard Anthony

Director-actor Rakshit Shetty, who made the cute doggie film 777 Charlie last year, is set to direct and star in Richard Anthony.

The film’s lead character is reportedly based on the character Rakshit played in his 2014 cult classic Ulidavre Kandante (As Seen By The Rest), which was about a murder and an accused who may or may not be dead.

Richard Anthony, too, will have a touch of noir and is to be released on January 12.

Fighter

Billed as India’s first aerial action film—i.e. desi Top Gun—the Bollywood film directed by Siddharth Anand of War and Pathaan fame, stars Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor. 

Apart from the film’s hair-raising mid-air action sequences involving pointy fighter jets and Anil Kapoor’s Instagram posts about his “Cryo Center Workout At -110 Degrees,” what’s most exciting about Fighter is the gorgeous lead pair’s sizzling chemistry. The film releases on January 25.  

Malaikottai Vaaliban

There’s a lot of excitement about the first-ever collaboration between acting powerhouse Mohanlal and the critically acclaimed director, Lijo Jose Pellissery, who made Ee.Ma.Yau. and Jallikattu.

Though it’s not clear what Mohanlal plays in the Malayalam film, Malaikottai Vaaliban (Hero of Malaikottai) is a period action drama and is scheduled to hit screens on January 25.

PS: This year will also mark Mohanlal’s directorial debut. The 63-year-old is directing Barroz, an epic fantasy in which he plays a mythical figure who has been guarding Vasco da Gama’s treasure for over 400 years. It is scheduled to be released in March.

Thangalaan 

If we were to rate trailers, Pa Ranjith’s Thangalaan (The Son of Gold), starring Chiyaan Vikram in what looks like an unforgettable, chilling performance, would get five stars.

In the Tamil historical drama set during British rule in India, Vikram plays Thangalaan, a tribal leader who wields a fierce growl and primitive weapons to protect his people’s land and gold.

Since it’s a Pa Ranjith film, we are expecting some caste and land rights politics. The film releases on January 26.

Captain Miller

Set in the pre-Independence era, Captain Miller, directed by Arun Matheshwaran, stars Dhanush in the titular role of Analeesan ‘Easa’ alias Captain Miller, a rebel who fights the Britishers.

The action-adventure film has horses, chases, and gun fights in a dusty landscape, and the soundtrack of a Western. Captain Miller is set to be released in January.

Bramayugam

The black-and-white poster of Bramayugam, on which a bare-chested Mammootty is holding a menacing grin, carries the eeriness of Rahul Sadasivan’s 2022 horror film, Bhoothakaalam. 

Sadasivan is just two films old, but with Bhoothakaalam, he established his skill at playing more with our minds than with characters on the screen to create a haunting horror film. With Mammootty, we are expecting to keep jumping off our seats.

The film is scheduled to be released in February.

The Crew

Directed by Rajesh Krishnan, who made the funny and fabulous 2020 film, Lootcase starring Kunal Khemu, the all-female Crew starring Tabu, Kareena Kapoor, and Kriti Sanon will be a welcome relief from all the blood, mayhem, and bellowing by men.

The comedy-drama follows three ambitious women who want to become rich, but the schemes don’t go as planned. It is scheduled to be released in March. 

Laapata Ladies

Laapataa Ladies, a heartwarming film set in a fictional north Indian town, is writer-director Kiran Rao’s second directorial venture after Dhobi Ghat (2010).

Based on a screenplay that’s knitted with fiery feminist threads, the film tells a sweet, simple story of long ghunghats and a bride switch. 

Laapata Ladies stars Nitanshi Goel, Chhaya Kadam, Sparsh Srivastav, and Ravi Kishan in memorable role as a pan-chewing cop. It is scheduled to release on March 1.

Aadujeevitham

An adaptation of an acclaimed Malayalam novel of the same name, Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life) tells the true story of a Malayali migrant laborer forced into slavery as a goatherd on a deserted Arab farm. 

Directed by veteran filmmaker Blessy, the film is an Indian-American co-production. Starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, the survival drama is scheduled to release in April.

Kanguva

Kanguva (Man with the Power of Fire), is a Tamil period action drama that is set in an imaginary world 1500 years ago and draws inspiration from history and mythology.

The film stars Suriya, who has won two national awards for his performances in Jai Bhim (2021) and Soorarai Pottru (2022), along with Disha Patani and Bobby Deol.

Directed by Siva, known for action hits, Kanguva is one of the most expensive films made in India and is scheduled to release in April.

Jigra 

Alia Bhatt’s next film, Jigra, is an action drama involving a prison break and the promise of a rakhi-tying sister to protect her brother.

While not much has been revealed about the film, reportedly it also stars Vedang Raina, who played Reggie in Zoya Akhtar’s The Archies, and is being directed by Vasan Bala of Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota and Monica, O My Darling fame. 

The movie is to be released in September. 

Kill

Kill premiered in the very special Midnight Madness section at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and was described by most critics as “bloody” and “brilliant.”

Kill is about dacoits looting a train that’s heading to Delhi, a couple in love, and commandos who are also on board. 

Directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, the film’s story, which he has co-written, is somewhat similar to Bhat’s tense, gory survival-thriller Apurva (streaming on Disney Hotstar), but Kill’s action is more graphic and stunningly choreographed on a moving train.

The film stars newcomer Lakshya, Raghav Juyal and Tanya Maniktala (who played Lata Mehra in Mira Nair’s A Suitable Boy). Its release date is yet to be announced.

Aavesham

In 2024, we will get to watch Fahadh Faasil in the films scheduled, including Aavesham, in which he plays the lead.  

Directed by Jithu Madhavan, Faasil plays a local gangster that is reportedly a spin-off from a cameo character in Madhavan’s hit 2023 comedy-horror film Romancham (Goosebumps).

The Malayalam film is scheduled to release in April.

Chandu Champion

Four years after paying homage to Kapil Dev and his men in ’83, director Kabir Khan returns this year with another real-life sports drama: Chandu Champion.

The film, starring Kartik Aaryan in the lead, is based on the life of Murlikant Petkar, a boxer and an Army jawan who was disabled in the 1965 war against Pakistan but went on to become India’s first paralympic gold medalist. In the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Germany, Petkar set a world record in the 50-meter freestyle swimming.

The high-on-inspiration film also stars Katrina Kaif and is set to release in June.

Maidaan

Often, when Bollywood decides to mine India’s history instead of mythology, it comes up with heartwarming stories of a nation whose ethos was secular.

Ajay Devgn is set to star in one such film based on the life of Syed Abdul Rahim, the man who is regarded as the architect of Indian football.

Maidaan, directed by Amit Sharma of Badhaai Ho fame, tells the story of Rahim Saab, the coach, and manager of India’s football team from 1950 until his death in 1963, under whom India won gold medals in two Asian Games and competed in the semi-finals at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. The film is set to release in June.

Vettaiyan

Rajini Sir has two releases this year — Lal Salaam, a sports drama in which he has an “extended cameo,” and Vettaiyan (Hunter), in which he plays the lead.

In Vettaiyan, directed by TJ Gnanavel (who made Jai Bhim), Rajinikanth reportedly plays a Muslim police officer. The film’s cast includes Fahadh Faasil, who plays the main antagonist, Rana Daggubati and Amitabh Bachchan.

Vettaiyan is Bachchan’s debut in Tamil films, and it also marks 32 years since Rajinikanth and Bachchan were seen together on the screen—in Mukul S. Anand’s 1991 film, Hum.

Baiju Bawra

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Baiju Bawra, which he has been planning for over 20 years, may or may not be released in 2024.

Some reports suggest that Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh have been signed to star in Baiju Bawra, but that may or may not be true. 

Some reports say that the film is about two singers, while others say that it is a remake of the 1952 film, Baiju Bawra, starring Bharat Bhushan and Meena Kumari. 

Baiju Bawra was a musician whose singular purpose in life was to defeat Emperor Akbar’s favorite singer, Tansen, in a singing competition.

In the original, Baiju ‘the Crazy’ pulled off miracles by the sheer power of his singing. It’ll be interesting to see what Bhansali does, and more than who plays Baiju and Tansen on screen, I want to know who the background singers are.  

Sitare Zameen Par

After the disaster of Laal Singh Chaddha, Aamir Khan has decided to go back to his tried and tested formula of playing the coach/teacher/mentor to kids. Much like Taare Zameen Par, Dangal, and Secret Superstar, in his next film, scheduled to release this year, he will play a sports coach.

The film, titled Sitare Zameen Par, is reportedly a copy of the 2018 Spanish film, Campeones (Champions). Spain’s Oscar entry, the film, was inspired by a real-life basketball team of kids with intellectual disabilities that won 12 Spanish championships between 1999 and 2014.

Khan’s film is reportedly being directed by R.S. Prasanna, who directed the Tamil original and its Hindi remake, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan.