2025 has come to a close and thankfully, it started with an All Time Blockbuster (Chhaava) and is now also ending with one, and that too a bigger one at that (Dhurandhar). In between there have been more flops and disasters than hits and superhits but then the fact that at least right now in the holiday season theatres are going full all over again, there is hope that 2026 will turn out to be even bigger and better.
To think of it, most of the films that have actually emerged victorious in the year gone by are either underdogs or at least unconventional. It’s not just the story of Chhaava or Dhurandhar, one look at the other commercial successes too and one would agree that big bucks weren’t quite betted on them.
Saiyaara is one such example. In a year when practically all romantic movies have struggled to perform, here came a romantic musical drama which not just turned out to be a good success but turned out to be a major blockbuster apart from setting the record for being the biggest ever for a newcomer affair. In all ways that one can think of, it arrived half a century after Bobby and replicated its success. For Ahaan Panday and Aneet Pedda, this Mohit Suri and YRF film was God sent no less.
Ditto for Harshvardhan Rane and Sonam Bajwa starrer Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat. Who would have thought that a quickie would be made and released soon after to full houses and that too on Diwali in face of completion as big as Thamma. However, Milap Zaveri had his conviction coming into play and this unconventional love story about a one sided lover who had his lady love living her life for vengeance was gladly accepted by the audiences.
Then there was Aamir Khan who brought together more than half a dozen special kids to deliver Sitaare Zameen Par. He waited, and then waited, to make it right and then give it a right release. Moreover it was also his comeback film after a disastrous Laal Singh Chaddha. One wondered whether audiences would be keen to check out a film like this in theaters. Well, they did, and the result was a solid hit.
In the midst of this all, if there was a true blue Bollywood commercial potboiler that actually kept the moolah coming, it was Ajay Devgn’s Raid 2. The film was a success and so was the case with Akshay Kumar’s Housefull 5 as well which kept the comedy formula going. Then there was his Jolly LLB 3 as well which kept the franchise alive with its 100 Crore Club success.
However by and large it was unconventional cinema that found favour amongst the audiences, the recent one being Tere Ishk Mein. The lead pair was as flawed as it could be and the brewing love story between Dhanush and Kriti Sanon was far more romantic. However yet again it was director Aanand L Rai’s conviction in his story and the way he wanted to narrate it that won audience attention.
As for the biggest blockbusters of them all, Chhaava saw Dinesh Vijan go all out to make his historic story the biggest that Bollywood had ever seen while Aditya Dhar broke all rules of filmmaking with a different grammar in Dhurandhar. No wonder, the audience gave their nod of approval as well.
While 2025 has challenged the dynamics of conventional filmmaking, one now waits to see how 2026 plays out, what with more than dozen star studded biggies lined up for release. Hopefully, it would turn out to be a bigger, and a better year.
