The year 2023 has been a revival of sorts for the Hindi film industry. After the pandemic, Bollywood films’ box office returns had seen a severe downturn. No Hindi film grossed over Rs 500 crore for all of 2020, 2021, and 2022. Then, this year changed that with as many as four Bollywood films crossing the mark and several others doing well too. This has meant that many actors have banked upon these successes to sign mega projects for the future. The likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Ranbir Kapoor are set to appear in big films. But all of them are dwarfed by one particular star, who has films worth Rs 2000 crore awaiting release.
India’s most bankable star with films worth Rs 2000 crore
Deepika Padukone is the star with most number of big films up for release. The actress, who was part of 2023’s two highest-grossing Indian films – Jawan and Pathaan – now has mega films like Fighter, Kalki 2898 AD, and Singham Again, all of which will release in 2024. Her first release Fighter is an aerial actioner also starring Hrithik Roshan. The film has a reported budget of Rs 250 crore. Then Deepika will be seen in Nag Ashwin’s Prabhas and Kamal Haasan-starrer pan-India film Kalki 2898 AD. It is reported to be the most expensive Indian film ever with a budget of Rs 600 crore. Deepika wil then round off the year with Rohit Shetty’s Singham Again, being made on a Rs 200-crore budget.
In addition, reports have claimed that Deepika is part of two more projects, which may go on the floors in 2024 if not release so soon. The first of these is Brahmastra Part 2 from Aya Mukerji. Deepika had appeared in a cameo in Part 1 and is expected to reprise her role in the sequel, which is being written right now. As per reports, the film is being mounted on a Rs 400-crore budget. Then, Deepika will be seen in two more YRF Spy Universe films – Tiger vs Pathaan and Pathaan 2. Reports state that each of these films will have a budget of over Rs 250 crore. Deepika’s other pending release is the Hindi adaptation of The Intern, which also stars Amitabh Bachchan. All these films collectively cost around Rs 2000 crore, making Deepika the most in-demand and bankable star in India currently.
