After two years of catastrophic lows due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a disastrous 2022 in which only a handful of Bollywood movies made a mark at the box office, the Hindi film industry finally returned to its golden, blockbuster form this year. Audiences habituated to OTT streaming returned to theaters to watch their favorite stars on screen. The top Bollywood stars regained their glory, delivering back-to-back hits that not only restored the exhibition sector to its former splendor but also broke South Indian cinema’s hegemony in North India. As 2023 draws to a close in a few days, let's look back at how the top stars of Bollywood performed this year and what can be expected of them in 2024.
 
Shah Rukh Khan and his dreamy success story in 2023

The year 2023 truly belonged to Shah Rukh Khan, as he regained his “King of Bollywood” title by contributing over 1300 crore (including Dunki, which is projected to collect around 200 crore) at the Indian box office in a single year—a milestone that would remain a dream for any star for many years. SRK’s fans and Indian moviegoers in general likely missed him so much that when he returned from a four-year hiatus with Yash Raj Films’ "Pathaan" in January, they went crazy for it and wholeheartedly welcomed the “King of Romance” in a full-fledged action avatar. The Siddharth Anand actioner went on to become the “biggest Bollywood grosser ever” with a collection of 543 crores, only to be defeated by SRK himself after six months with "Jawan." Fans went crazy as the Atlee mass action entertainer presented the worldwide superstar in an avatar unlike anything they had seen before.

SRK kicked off the year with an all-time action blockbuster and ended it with a touching, patriotic social comedy, "Dunki." The Rajkumar Hirani film might have received a mixed response from audiences, but it's still performing rather well at the box office, closing the year on a high note for SRK. Apart from the three releases, 2023 was also special for SRK's personal life as his two kids ventured into showbiz. Suhana Khan made her acting debut with Zoya Akhtar’s Netflix adaptation of "The Archies," while Aryan called the shots as a showrunner and director on his debut series, "Stardom," a tinseltown drama series starring Lakshya Lalwani and Bobby Deol, among others.

With a record-breaking 2023 behind him, Shah Rukh plans to take things a little slower in the coming year. Contrary to all the speculations doing the rounds in the media, he is committed to only two projects at this moment. The first is Sujoy Ghosh’s action thriller with his daughter Suhana Khan, which goes on floors in February, looking at a year-end release. The second is Aditya Chopra’s most ambitious "Tiger Vs. Pathaan," which pits Salman Khan and SRK’s YRF spy characters against each other. Both SRK and Salman have verbally committed to this massive showdown flick, but the shooting timelines are yet to be locked. SRK will also make a special appearance in Aryan’s web series in 2024. In addition, he is talking to several filmmakers about a number of projects to set a strong roster for 2025.
 
Ranbir turned Animal; the Deol family returned to the spotlight

Along with Shah Rukh, Ranbir Kapoor also made a splash this year with two successes that collectively accumulated over 600 crores at the Indian box office. While Luv Ranjan’s "Tu Jhutti Main Makkar" made even men fall in love with him, Sandeep Reddy Vanga's violence saga "Animal" infuriated his female audiences with its misogynistic undertones and glorification of toxic masculinity. He did, however, fully surrender to both characters, giving a spectacular performance that won hearts as well as pockets of the audience. Looking ahead, he is committed to two projects: Nitesh Tiwari’s long-in-the-making "Ramayana," which is now expected to get off the ground in March 2024, and Anurag Basu’s Kishore Kumar biopic, which is back on track after the resolution of copyright issues with the legendary singer's family. The clarity on the happenings of the Kishore Kumar biopic, however, is still awaited.

It won't be wrong to say that 2023 was the Deol family’s year. Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, and Bobby Deol all had releases this year, hitting six with each film. Everyone's favorite, the loving Dharmendra, taught us to romance in Karan Johar’s family dramedy, "Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani," while Sunny Deol went to Pakistan again to bring his son back in "Gadar 2." Sunny's roar was so powerful that it earned 525 crores at the domestic box office, exceeding the predictions of every trade analyst in the country. "Gadar 2" brought him back to the mainstream after years of a string of flops. It was the same for Bobby Deol, who witnessed his career’s biggest blockbuster in "Animal," where he played the main villain against Ranbir Kapoor.

It was a memorable year for the Deols, and they would be hoping to continue the momentum this coming year as well, with multiple projects lined up. Dharam Ji has Sriram Raghavan’s biographical war drama, "Ekkis," ahead, while Sunny is looking to begin 2024 with Rajkumar Santoshi’s "Lahore 1947." He also has JP Dutta’s "Border 2," Ahmed Khan’s "Baap," and the Hindi remakes of "Pravas" (Marathi) and "Joseph" (Malayalam) in the lineup. Bobby, on the other hand, is set to foray into Southern cinema with three movies: Pawan Kalyan’s Telugu action adventure "Hari Hara Veera Mallu," Suriya’s Tamil period drama "Kanguva," and Telugu star Nandamuri Balakrishna’s "NBK109." He also has Kunal Kohli’s "Desi Sherlock," Abbas-Mustan’s "Penthouse," and Aryan Khan’s Amazon Prime series, "Stardom," finished and ready for release in 2024.
 
Salman’s Tiger roared, Akshay continued his social drama streak

Salman Khan returned to the big screen after two years and contributed nearly 400 crores at the box office with his two releases, "Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan" and "Tiger 3." Although neither Bhais nor Jaans were impressed by his Eid offering, they cheered and whistled when he played the spy Tiger, first in his cameo appearance in "Pathaan" and then in his Diwali release, "Tiger 3." The YRF actioner, however, was still an underperformer at the box office, making 2023 not-so-good for Salman. He is now hoping to reclaim his lost glory with Karan Johar and Vishnuvardhan's upcoming action drama, set to go on floors in the first quarter of 2024. Salman also has Sooraj Barjatya's "Prem Ki Shaadi" in the offing, likely to be the next for Salman after the Dharma project.

Akshay Kumar had multiple socio-dramas this year as well. His first and last releases of 2023—"Selfiee" and "Mission Raniganj," drew an audience to the theatres but that wasn't enough to justify his stardom. The only film that crossed the 100-crore mark was "Oh My God," which earned around 150 crores despite clashing directly with Sunny Deol's monster blockbuster "Gadar 2."

Acknowledging the lessons from his "one release every two months" strategy, Akshay is now planning to introduce a more substantial gap between his future releases. His next film, "Bade Miyan Chote Miyan," is scheduled to hit screens five months after his last release. The sustainability of this new approach, however, is still questionable, given that he has four more movies completed and ready for release in 2024. While Sky Force, the Soorarai Pottru remake, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, and the C. Shankaran Nair biopic are finished, Mudassar Aziz’s Khel Khel Mein, Welcome to the Jungle, and Singham 3 are in production, in addition to Housefull 5, Jolly LLB 3, and films with Priyadarshan and Mohit Suri scheduled to hit floors this year.

Aamir and Hrithik had no release, Ajay’s Bholaa failed miserably 

Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan did not have any releases this year, but they are set to return to the silver screen in 2024 with "Sitare Zameen Par" and "Fighter," respectively. Hrithik is collaborating with his "Bang Bang" and "War" director Siddharth Anand on what's billed as India's first aerial action movie, scheduled for release on January 25, 2024. He is also simultaneously shooting for YRF's next spy thriller, "War 2," under Ayan Mukherji’s direction for an August 2025 release. In contrast, Aamir has chosen the adaptation of the Spanish sports drama "Campeones" for his comeback after the "Laal Singh Chaddha" debacle, with a scheduled release during the Christmas weekend of 2024. Aamir begins shooting for it in the last week of January.

Ajay Devgn, who delivered one of the biggest hits of last year with "Drishyam 2," did not leave a lasting impression this year. He had only one release in Bholaa after his much-awaited sports biopic "Maidaan" was postponed multiple times. Ajay's own directorial venture was the remake of Lokesh Kanagraj’s Tamil hit Kaithi; however, it could not replicate the success of the original, despite praiseworthy VFX and action sequences. "Bholaa" barely made 82 crores at the box office and ended up becoming a huge failure. Ajay is, however, hopeful to reverse the trend with his five movies scheduled for 2024: Neeraj Pandey’s "Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha," Vikas Bahl’s horror thriller, Abhishek Kapoor's period drama, Amit Sharma's "Maidaan," and Rohit Shetty's "Singham Again." Additionally, he is supposed to shoot for three sequels next year: "Raid 2," "De De Pyaar De 2," and "Son of Sardar 2."

Ranveer and Alia’s Jodi worked again and are set for one more project together 

Ranveer Singh, whose last few films financially struggled at the box office, finally made a strong comeback this year with Karan Johar's Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. The film not only garnered huge critical acclaim for its progressive storyline, but it also turned out to be a big money spinner by collecting over 350 crore worldwide. Next up, he stars alongside Alia Bhatt again in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Baiju Bawra and will likely follow it up with Don 3 and Sony Pictures’ ambitious three-part adaptation of Shaktiman (not confirmed yet though).

Speaking of his RARKPK co-star Alia Bhatt, she carried on her triumph with Karan Johar’s film this year after a spectacular 2022 that witnessed four of her movies (Gangubai Kathiawadi, RRR, Darlings, and Brahmastra Part 1) consecutively making waves across the world. She also made her Hollywood debut with Tom Harper’s Netflix movie, Heart of Stone, where she played an antagonist against Wonder Woman heroine Gal Gadot. Coming ahead, she has three movies lined up, which include Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Baiju Bawra, Vasan Bala’s Jigra, and Yash Raj Films' first female-led spy thriller with Sharvari Wagh, in addition to a possible biopic drama with Hansal Mehta.
 
Shahid shined on OTT, Vicky made the year more awesome 

For Shahid Kapoor, it was a year of reinvention. The Kabir Singh actor made his OTT debut with Raj & DK’s Amazon Prime series, Farzi, and discovered a whole new fan base that is completely different from the theater-going audience. He followed that with Ali Abbas Zafar's Bloody Daddy (available on Jio Cinema), a slick action-packed drama adapted from the French thriller Sleepless Night. Although Shahid didn't have a theatrical release this year, both of his OTT projects were highly appreciated, making 2023 a successful year for him. Shahid will return to theatres in 2024 with two releases: Dinesh Vijan's robotic love story with Kriti Sanon and Rosshan Andrrews' cop thriller, Deva. He has also signed an ambitious mythological project based on Ashwatthama, set to go on floors around August 2024.

Vicky Kaushal had a fantastic 2023 with four releases, all diverse from each other. He kicked off the year with a sleeper hit, Zara Hatke Zara Bachke, and followed that with The Great Indian Family (which was a great Indian flop), Sam Bahadur, and Dunki. With Sam Bahadur doing a respectable business and Dunki also performing quite well, and Vicky getting great responses for his performances in both movies, it would be a crime not to say that Vicky made this cinematic 2023 more awesome with his presence. He will next be seen in Anand Tiwari's yet-untitled romantic comedy with Tripti Dimri, followed by Laxman Utekar’s Chhava, based on the life of Chhatrapathi Sambhaji Maharaj. Vicky is also discussing a movie with Aanand L. Rai; however, that's still in the initial stage. Vicky's wife, Katrina Kaif, too enjoyed a successful year, with Tiger 3 earning around 285 crore at the Indian box office. Next, she stars alongside Vijay Sethupathi in Sriram Raghavan's Merry Christmas, hitting cinemas on January 11, 2024.

Audience rejected Kartik as Shehzada and accepted as Satya 

Shehzada, a lackluster imitation of Allu Arjun’s Telugu blockbuster Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, marked a disastrous start to the year for Kartik Aaryan as the film came and went without making much of an impact in theatres. But Kartik bounced back quickly from the setback, as his unconventional romance, “Satyaprem Ki Katha”, became an enormous smash at the box office. Looking ahead, he has Kabir Khan's sports drama, Chandu Champion, and Anees Bazmee’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 in the pipeline. He also has Anurag Basu’s Aashiqui 3, but the shooting timelines for that haven’t been locked yet.

Deepika’s blockbuster combination with SRK, Kareena’s successful OTT debut

Deepika Padukone had one release and a brilliant cameo to her credit, both alongside Shah Rukh Khan. Her roles in Pathaan and Jawan, and her on-screen chemistry with SRK in both movies, captured the hearts of all, proving to be a blockbuster combination at the box office. As the new year approaches, she is gearing up to kick it off on a high note with Hrithik Roshan and Siddharth Anand’s Fighter, and will follow that with Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD. Deepika is also set to join Rohit Shetty's cop universe as its first female cop in Ajay Devgn's Singham Again. Her much-delayed The Intern remake with Amitabh Bachchan is also expected to finally roll this year.

Kareena Kapoor Khan earned critical acclaim for her performance in her OTT debut, Jaane Jaan, directed by Kahaani fame Sujoy Ghosh. She ventured into uncharted territory and performed exceptionally well, displaying an elegance that only she can bring to the table. Kareena will next be seen with Tabu and Kriti Sanon in Rajesh Krishnan's The Crew, a comedy chick flick heist film set against the backdrop of the airline industry. She is also the female lead opposite Ajay Devgn in Singham 3, and is reportedly also committed to Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s next film with Kiara Advani. Hansal Mehta's The Buckingham Murders, which has been receiving great response at international film festivals, is also expected to release in 2024 on a streaming platform.
 
Ayushmann found a success, Sidharth is still looking for a hit 

In the youngsters' lot, Ayushmann Khurrana broke the jinx of flops this year with Raaj Shaandilyaa’s Dream Girl 2 and has Border 2 with Sunny Deol next in line. He's also in talks with Luv Ranjan to headline Sourav Ganguly’s biopic, but confirmation is still pending on that project. Varun Dhawan was seen in Nitesh Tiwari's Bawaal this year, which faced harsh criticism for one of its dialogues and failed to create a frenzy as its title suggests. Next year, Varun is set to make his web series debut with Raj & DK’s Citadel India, followed by VD18, produced by Atlee and Murad Khetani. He is also working on a comedy entertainer with his father, David Dhawan, scheduled to go on floors in April 2024. A Shashank Khaitan movie is also on the discussion stage.
For Sidharth Malhotra, the only positive aspect of 2023 was his wedding with Kiara Advani. His only release this year, Mission Majnu, was a box office disaster, extending his quest for a commercial hit a little longer. However, 2024 holds the promise of a better year, as he has Rohit Shetty's Amazon Prime series Indian Police Force and Dharma Production's actioner Yodha up for release next year. On the new lineup, he is discussing a movie each with Dinesh Vijan and Sidharth Anand, both supposedly going into production in 2024.
 
Tiger’s action pales, but Manoj Bajpayee won hearts

Tiger Shroff had a terrible 2023, with his much-awaited Ganapath sinking at the box office without taking a breath. His Jagan Shakti film is also hanging in balance, but we hope Bade Miyan Chote Miyan will turn things around for him in 2024. His upcoming projects include a cameo appearance in Singham Again, the Rambo remake, and a Shivam Nair film, produced by Anand Pandit.

 
While discussing and reviewing the performances of all top Bollywood stars in 2023 may not be possible here, and there are certainly many incredible talents not covered, I specifically want to mention Manoj Bajpayee. He delivered three superlative performances this year. The Family Man star first won hearts with the beautiful family drama Gulmohar and then with the powerful Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hain. Just when everyone was talking about the misogynistic theme of Animal this month, Bajpayee came up with one more splendid performance in a tense survival thriller, Joram, which revolves around a desperate man and his infant daughter fleeing a system that wants them crushed at any cost. Both SRK and Manoj Bajpayee had three releases in 2023, and they owned the year in their own style.