2025 in film: Major Hindi movies to brace for

Hindi film fans are treading into 2025 with dented optimism. The sourness of Baby John’s failure lingers in the mouth. Bollywood, in the new year, will continue to face stiff, unyielding competition from its southern counterparts as well as Hollywood. This looks like another year of chronic sequelitis (all those 3s and 4s and 5s), with notable exceptions. The first Friday has no marquee release, but things are expected to catch up soon.

Here are some titles worth bracing for:

Santosh

Shortlisted for the Oscars (as a UK entry), British-Indian director Sandhya Suri’s cop drama will open in cinemas on January 10. The international co-production has been making waves since its Cannes premiere and was picked up for domestic distribution by PVR Inox Pictures. In this procedural set in Uttar Pradesh, Shahana Goswami plays the titular Santosh, a newly enlisted constable investigating the rape and murder of a Dalit girl. The film, according to the New York Times, offers ‘searing social critique’, tackling caste, Islamophobia and institutional misogyny.

Emergency

Kangana Ranaut in ‘Emergency’

Braving censor troubles, Kangana Ranaut’s directorial will finally hit theatres on January 17, marking the first major release of the Hindi film calendar. Written by Ritesh Shah, the film presents an account of the dark years of the Emergency (1975-77), where civic and political freedoms were curtailed and the press subjugated. Ranaut, a serving parliamentarian from the BJP, takes the lead role of Indira Gandhi.

Chhaava

Vicky Kaushal in ‘Chhaava’

Vicky Kaushal goes beefy and bearded in this action historical. The Uri actor portrays Sambhaji, the eldest son and heir of Shivaji, who clashed valiantly with the Mughals. In a thrilling example of stunt casting, Akshay Khanna — once the gentle hero of Taal and Dil Chahta Hai — plays a tyrannical and calculating Aurangzeb. It’s the sort of project that could crash and burn, or set the box-office aflame.

Jolly LLB 3

Akshay Kumar, Arshad Warsi in the two ‘Jolly LLB’ films

The two Jollys, played by Akshay Kumar and Arshad Warsi in prior films, return for a throwdown in Abhishek Kapoor’s courtroom comedy. The Jolly LLB franchise has kept its course over the years and gathered a committed fanbase. Ornate wordplay and unctuous one-upmanship are merrily anticipated.

IKKIS

Sriram Raghavan

Sriram Raghavan, a bard of crime thrillers, switches genres to mount a gallant war biopic. Starring Agastya Nanda, the film is inspired by the exploits of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, martyred at the age of 21 in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Hailing from a distinguised military family, he was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, becoming the youngest recipient of India’s highest military honour. “This is not a biopic in the usual sense,” Raghavan told The Hindu in an interview. “There’s another part to it, which is what happens to his father, 30 years later, when he goes to Pakistan. So it’s a drama of sorts.”

War 2

Hrithik Roshan in ‘War’; Jr. NTR
| Photo Credit:
shilajitmitra

How time flies. A megahit from 2019, Yash Raj Films’ spy actioner is back for a second offensive, this time pitting Hrithik Roshan’s superhuman fighting and dancing skills against those of Jr. NTR. Curiously, the director in charge isn’t Siddharth Anand but Ayan Mukerji, hitherto known for romantic comedies and the soft-hued superhero film Brahmastra. Let’s be honest — we will all, when the hour descends, watch this film in theatres.

Vishal Bhardwaj’s next

Vishal Bhardwaj with Shahid Kapoor

Vishal Bhardwaj has multiple muses. Yet, when it comes to sheer screen combustibility, actor Shahid Kapoor is his trustiest steed. The duo have given us two iconic films in the past — Kaminey and Haider— while their third, Rangoon, was a fascinating flub. They have reunited for a crime drama, Arjun Ustara, supposedly inspired by real-life Mumbai gangster Hussain Ustara. To invoke a Gulzar lyric, chal chal sadko pe hogi dhan tan?

Alpha

Alia Bhatt, Sharvari Wagh

Alia Bhatt demonstrated her action chops in Jigra, to politely gloss over a thankless turn in Netflix’s Heart of Stone. Now, she braces for Alpha, the first female-fronted entry in the YRF spy universe. The film also features Sharvari Wagh in a tale of two woman agents who go on “dangerous missions in a world of espionage”. Take it away, ladies.

Sikandar

Salman Khan in ‘Sikandar’

2024, whatever its wins, was somehow incomplete without a Salman release — the Hindi film critic’s answer to a brain spa. Khan’s films operate on a simple wavelength — deliver the massy action blocks and swagger and we’ll bite. Sikandar, directed by AR Murugadoss, looks like it’s got the goods. A teaser cheekily played on Khan’s recent troubles, as he tore assassins in a gallery. Bhai-lamos!