Bollywood is going through a massive change and really, one couldn’t quite see it coming. Post pandemic, KGF: Chapter 2 was the most bloody affair and even its 400 Crore Club success in Hindi didn’t quite prepare one for what lay ahead. I believe what really set the tone post that for a much wider phenomenon that also got accepted by the audience in a big way was Animal. There was masochism, blood and testosterone all over the narrative of the Sandeep Reddy Vanga – Ranbir Kapoor film. How did audiences react? Well, they made it the first ever A rated film to not just enter the 500 Crore Club but also ensured its entry into the annals of the film industry as an All Time Blockbuster.
This was it. It opened the doors for many more films like these to be put together in quick time by multiple industries. Some films worked, some didn’t. Marco, Kill, Devaa, Fateh, HIT: The Third Case, Baaghi 4, Akhanda 2 are some of the movies that come to one’s mind; all of which had a male lead in the midst of affairs and didn’t mind killing dozens of men, and in some cases hundreds.
Blood was all over their hands but the film which ended up making the maximum impact was Dhurandhar. It’s Akshaye Khanna who was the deadlier of the lot for most part of the film, and while Sanjay Dutt and Arjun Rampal had their own stint with violence in there, Ranveer Singh gave more than just a glimpse towards the climax that what’s going to come up in Dhurandhar 2.
Which takes me to how 2026 would look like now!
Just from Bollywood, there are three films lined up for release in next few weeks itself and rest assured, machoism, testosterone, blood and expletives would be all there to be served to the audiences in abundance. These are Toxic, Dhurandhar 2 and much before them, O’Romeo, the sneak peak of which has already surprised in a big way.
But first about Toxic.
By all means, this is the nostalgic imaginative tease that one has seen for a movie in the history of Indian filmmaking. One could never have imagined what really plays on screen when the detonator goes off and then Yash fires away all cylinders in this Hollywood style saga by director Geethu Mohandas. However it’s there for all to say and no wonder, this “fairy tale for adults” is set to live up to its tagline. As for masochism and blood, Yash is going to show as a precursor to his Ravana act in Ramayana that what is he capable of.
As for Dhurandhar 2, this time around Ranveer Singh would take charge with Akshaye Khanna out of his way and the Lyari town being all his. What he does when he takes over the gang is a story waiting to be told, and with the unhinged narrative style that Aditya Dhar is appointing, hopefully there won’t be anything muted this time around and the film would be in its absolute raw form.
The big surprise though could turn out to be O’Romeo which is the first of these releases and actually arrives this Valentine’s season on 13th February. Shahid Kapoor and Vishal Bhardwaj have collaborated on Kaminey, Haider and Rangoon, and the last in the list had Sajid Nadiadwala as the producer who is backing the same combo in O’Romeo. If the sneak peak is any indication, everyone in the film has grey shades and while Shahid Kapoor, Nana Patekar and Avinash Tiwary would be taking a violent route with language being holds-no-bar, expect women (Triptii Dimri, Disha Patani, Tamannaah), to join the party as well if that single dialogue by veteran actress Farida Jalal is any indication.
While all of this would be served and seen in the first quarter of 2026, expect the last quarter of the year to close with a bang when Shah Rukh Khan ends up showing why he is the KING! Again, there has been a glimpse of his character in the video that was revealed and by all means, it’s going to be his most violent film till date. Masochism would be on display as well and that would be inimitable SRK. Expect a lot more blood this time around.
But wait, why should men have all the fun? What if women join the party as well?
How? Well, wait for Mardaani 3 which is arriving on 30th January. If inside reports are to be believed, this one is going to be the most bloodied saga as well of the franchise.
Will Rani Mukherji show what a woman is capable of when it comes to getting on a killing spree?
You bet!
