2023 has been the year of Hindi movies. Bollywood delivered some incredible films this year, including action-filled films like Pathaan, romcoms like Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, and period dramas like Gadar 2.
While Shah Rukh Khan ruled the box office with his blockbusters, films such as 12th Fail inspired many with its story premise. Moreover, recent releases like Tiger 3 are predicted to join the club, while films like Sam Bahadur, Dunki and Animal are in the pipeline to release before the year ends.
It is no secret that the recipe for a great Bollywood film requires a star-studded cast and a gripping storyline, which these blockbusters had. Here’s a look at the best new Hindi movies of 2023.
Pathaan
A global blockbuster, Pathaan started the year with a bang for the Indian cinema. It stars Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and John Abraham alongside Dimple Kapadia and Ashutosh Rana. Siddharth Anand directed Pathaan and Yash Raj Films produced it. They released the film on January 25, 2023.
The premise of Pathaan revolves around an exiled RAW agent. He works with ISI agent Rubina Mohsin to take down Jim, a former RAW agent, who plans to attack India with a deadly virus. The film is the fourth instalment in the YRF Spy Universe and the first to witness a crossover with Salman Khan’s Tiger making a cameo appearance.
Gadar 2
A sequel to Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), this highly anticipated Sunny Deol-starrer was a commercial success. The producers theatrically released Gadar 2 on August 11, 2023. It collected over USD 87 million worldwide against a production budget of just USD 7.5 million. It is the third highest-grossing Indian film of 2023 and seventh highest-grossing Hindi film of all time.
Anil Sharma directed and produced the period action drama from the script written by Shaktimaan Talwar. The film stars Sunny Deol, Ameesha Patel, and Utkarsh Sharma, who reprised their roles from the previous film. Gadar 2 sets its premise during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. This is when Tara Singh returns to Pakistan in order to rescue his imprisoned son, Charanjeet ‘Jeete’ Singh.
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
Karan Johar directed Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, while Ishita Moitra, Shashank Khaitan, and Sumit Roy wrote the script of the film. Dharma Productions released the romantic comedy family drama on July 28, 2023. It collected over USD 44 million worldwide, becoming this year’s sixth highest-grossing Indian film and fourth highest grossing Hindi film.
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani stars Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Tota Roy Chowdhury, Churni Ganguly, Aamir Bashir, and Kshitee Jog. Produced under Dharma Productions and Viacom18 Studios, the film marked Johar’s feature film comeback after Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016).
The premise of the film revolves around a flamboyant Punjabi guy named Rocky and an intellectual Bengali journalist, Rani, who fall in love despite their differences. After facing family opposition, they decide to live with each other’s families for three months before getting married.
OMG 2
A spiritual sequel to OMG – Oh My God! (2012), this film stars Akshay Kumar, Pankaj Tripathi, and Yami Gautam Dhar. Amit Rai directed and wrote OMG 2, a comedy drama film dealing with the topic of sex education in India.
The premise of OMG 2 revolves around a devout father who takes on a school and revises his own moral convictions. This happens after the school expels his son after an embarrassing video that goes viral. The producers theatrically released the film on August 11, 2023. It grossed over USD 28 million worldwide, emerging as the seventh highest grossing Hindi film of 2023.
12th Fail
Written and directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, 12th Fail took the big screen by storm with its remarkable storyline. The film revolves around the journey of Manoj Kumar Sharma, who aims to become an IPS officer.
Vinod Chopra Films produced the film under their banner, basing the premise on the novel of the same name by Anurag Pathak. 12th Fail stars Vikrant Massey, Medha Shankar, Sanjay Bishnoi, and Harish Khanna, among others. The studios theatrically released the film on October 27, 2023. So far, it has collected over USD 3.9 million on a USD 2.5 million budget.
