Every year many faces are seen in Bollywood films. Some of them leave a mark with their performances, and some of them are in the news as they are star kids. Last year, we had actors like Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Pranutan Bahl, and others who made their Bollywood debut and impressed us with their performances.
Today, let’s look at the list of actors who will be making their Bollywood debut this year…
Pooja Bedi’s daughter Alaya Furniturewala is all set to make her Bollywood debut with Saif Ali Khan starrer Jawaani Jaaneman. Recently, the trailer of the film was released and Alaya surely looks promising in it.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra is all set to introduce us to two new faces this year in his movie Shikara. It will mark the debut of Aadil Khan and Sadia. The trailer of Shikara was released recently and Aadil and Sadia both were fantastic in it.
Sanjana Sanghi was supposed to make her Bollywood debut last year, but unfortunately, her film Dil Bechara has been getting postponed. The film is now slated to release in May this year (hopefully it will release). Dil Bechara is a remake of Hollywood film The Fault In Our Stars.
Last year, television actresses Ankita Lokhande and Mrunal Thakur made their Bollywood debut, and this year we have Krystle D’Souza entering the B-Town. She will be seen in Chehre which also stars Amitabh Bachchan and Emraan Hashmi. It is surely a big debut for Krystle.
After making a mark in Kannada, Tamil and Telugu films, Pranitha Subhash is all set to make her Bollywood debut with not one but two films this year, Bhuj: The Pride of India and Hungama 2. Interestingly, both the films are slated to release on the same, 14th August 2020.
Following the footsteps of all the former Indian Miss Worlds, Manushi Chhillar is all set to make her big-screen debut this year. She will be seen in YRF’s Prithviraj which stars Akshay Kumar as the male lead. A biopic in king Prithviraj Chauhan, Manushi plays the role of the King’s wife Samyukta in the film.
Last year Keerthy Suresh won a National Award for her performance in Telugu film Mahanati, and this year she is now all set to make her Bollywood debut with the film Maidan opposite Ajay Devgn. Directed by Amit Sharma, the film is slated to release in November this year.
Shalini Pandey impressed one and all with her performance in the Telugu film Arjun Reddy. She is now all set to make her Bollywood debut this year with Jayeshbhai Jordaar opposite Ranveer Singh. Well, we are super excited to watch Shalini in a Bollywood film.
Forum brings UK and Chinese film professionals together to explore collaborations.
Emerging British-Asian talent gain mentorship and international exposure.
Small-scale dramas, kids’ shows, and adapting popular formats were the projects everyone was talking about.
Telling stories that feel real to their culture, yet can connect with anyone, is what makes them work worldwide.
Meeting three times a year keeps the UK and China talking, creating opportunities that last beyond one event.
The theatre was packed for the Third Shanghai–London Screen Industry Forum. Between panels and workshops, filmmakers, producers and executives discussed ideas and business cards and it felt more than just a summit. British-Asian filmmakers were meeting and greeting the Chinese industry in an attempt to explore genuine possibilities of working in China’s film market.
UK China film collaborations take off as Third Shanghai London Forum connects British Asian filmmakers with Chinese studios Instagram/ukchinafilm
What makes the forum important for British-Asian filmmakers?
For filmmakers whose films explore identity and belonging, this is a chance to show their work on an international stage, meet Chinese directors, talk co-productions and break cultural walls that normally feel unscalable. “It’s invaluable,” Abid Khan said after a panel, “because you can’t create globally if you don’t talk globally.”
And it’s not just established names. Young filmmakers were all around, pitching ideas and learning on the go. The forum gave them a chance to get noticed with mentoring, workshops, and live pitch sessions.
Which projects are catching international attention?
Micro-dramas are trending. Roy Lu of Linmon International says vertical content for apps is “where it’s at.” They’ve done US, Canada, Australia and next stop, Europe. YouTube is back in focus too, thanks to Rosemary Reed of POW TV Studios. Short attention spans and three-minute hits, she’s ready.
Children’s and sports shows are another hotspot. Jiella Esmat of 8Lions is developing Touch Grass, a football-themed children’s show. The logic is simple: sports and kids content unite families, like global glue.
Then there’s format adaptation. Lu also talked about Nothing But 30, a Chinese series with 7 billion streams. The plan is for an english version in London. Not a straight translation, but a cultural transformation. “‘30’ in London isn’t just words,” Lu says. “It’s a new story.”
Jason Zhang of Stellar Pictures says international audiences respond when culture isn’t just a background prop. Lanterns, flowers, rituals, they’re part of the plot. Cedric Behrel from Trinity CineAsia adds: you need context. Western audiences don’t know Journey to the West, so co-production helps them understand without diluting the story.
Economic sense matters too. Roy Lu stresses: pick your market, make it financially viable. Esmat likens ideal co-productions to a marriage: “Multicultural teams naturally think about what works globally and what doesn’t.”
The UK-China Film Collab’s Future Talent Programme is taking on eight students or recent grads this year. They’re getting the backstage access to international filmmaking that few ever see, including mentorship, festival organising and hands-on experience. Alumni are landing real jobs: accredited festival journalists, Beijing producers, curators at The National Gallery.
Adrian Wootton OBE reminded everyone: “We exist through partnerships, networks, and collaboration.” Yin Xin from Shanghai Media Group noted that tri-annual gathering: London, Shanghai, Hong Kong create an “intensive concentration” of ideas.
Actor-director Zhang Luyi said it best: cultural exchange isn’t telling your story to someone, it’s creating stories together.
The Shanghai-London Screen Industry Forum is no longer just a talking shop. It’s a launchpad, a bridge. And for British-Asian filmmakers and emerging talent, it’s a chance to turn ideas into reality.
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