Month-by-month guide to Hindi film highs and lows from the past year

EVERY month of 2023 had its winners and losers, with successes being balanced out by less-than-memorable moments.

Eastern Eye looks back on some of the Bollywood highs and lows from the past year, with a month-by-month guide.

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January

 Good: Shah Rukh Khan reclaimed his crown as the king of Bollywood with the blockbuster hit Pathaan. It would set up a dream year for the actor that was followed up with blockbuster films Jawan and Dunki.

Bad: Arjun Kapoor added to his many film failures with the flop Bollywood release Kuttey. He would headline an even bigger disaster, The Lady Killer, later in the year.

February

Good: Anil Kapoor delivers a winning performance in the Indian adaptation of The Night Manager. He makes the villainous role his own.

Bad: After a strong 2022, Kartik Aaryan had high hopes for Shehzada. Unfortunately, the film turned out to be a box-office dud despite being a remake of a Telugu hit.

March

 Good: Legendary actress Sharmila Tagore makes a great comeback after over a decade with a strong performance in the acclaimed family drama, Gulmohar.

Bad: Ajay Devgn directed and starred in flop film Bholaa. The action remake of the Tamil hit, Kaithi, did so badly that it will likely be the last film he attempts to direct.

April

Good: Priyanka Chopra-Jonas delivers a riproaring performance in the mega-budget web series Citadel, which has been renewed for a second season.

Bad: Salman Khan, once the king of Eid film releases, added to his increasing number of failures on the annual holiday with the boxoffice disaster, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan.

 

May

 Good: Sonam Kapoor is the surprise choice to represent India at King Charles’ coronation concert held outside Windsor Castle and joins a star-studded line-up on stage.

Bad: Sara Ali Khan makes her debut on the Cannes red carpet, but is heavily trolled for her choice of outfits, including a lehenga that made her look like a bride.

June

Good: Award-winning playback singer Asees Kaur gets married to musician Goldie Sohel. A month later, in July, she delivers arguably the best Bollywood-led concert of 2023 in the UK.

Bad: Kangana Ranaut’s production debut, Tiku Weds Sheru, is a colossal failure. She would follow that up later in the year by headlining one of the year’s biggest flops, Tejas.

July

 Good: Alia Bhatt scores a big international win with the romantic comedy Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. Weeks later, she makes her Hollywood debut opposite Gal Gadot in the high-profile film, Heart of Stone.

Bad: Bawaal, starring Varun Dhawan and Jahnvi Kapoor, is heavily criticised for trivialising the Holocaust, and there are calls for the film to be removed from Amazon Prime.

August

 Good: After a prolonged spell in the Bollywood wilderness, Sunny Deol strikes back with a starring role in Gadar 2. The action sequel defies negative reviews to become a super hit.

Bad: Abhishek Bachchan is left disappointed when his film Ghoomer massively underperforms at the box office and adds to his many disappointments in recent years.

September

Good: Richa Chadha and her Fukrey 3 co-stars score a surprise success with the third instalment of the comedy franchise. Great boxoffice numbers result in the film being declared a hit.

Bad: Sadly, former Miss World Manushi Chhillar makes it two flops in a row with The Great Indian Family.

October

Good: Ali Fazal followed up a winning performance in the Hollywood blockbuster, Kandahar, in May, with a terrific turn in the Indian film, Khufiya.

Bad: Tiger Shroff stars in one of the year’s biggest box office disasters, Ganapath. The film clocks up shockingly low figures and kills any chance of a planned sequel.

November

Good: Tiger 3 turns out to be the biggest success for lead stars Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in six years since they starred in the 2017 film, Tiger Zinda Hai, despite underperforming at the box office.

Bad: Mrunal Thakur’s comedy Aankh Micholi is a box-office disaster. Her other November release, Pippa, is dumped straight onto a streaming site and received largely negative reviews. That makes it three film failures for the actress in 2023.

December

Good: Ranbir Kapoor delivers the year’s best performances in the hit film, Animal, and demonstrates why he is the most in-demand of the younger Bollywood stars.

Bad: Vicky Kaushal delivers a spirited performance in Sam Bahadur, but it isn’t enough to save the army drama from adding to his many recent failures as a leading man.