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Never mind the miserable overall business in 2025, trade analysts and the industry, and of course, we the audience, do look forward to a great 2026. The first half of January has passed, with a tepid performance by Ikkis, and the latest smaller films likely to flounder. Coming up are Border 2 and Mardaani 3, on which the industry has pinned great hopes.
A flurry of sequels has been announced, are in the making, or being ideated. Among the highest-anticipated films themselves are three more (Border 2, Mardaani 3 and Dhurandhar 2), and we also have Hera Pheri 3, Khosla Ka Ghosla 2, Awarapan 2, Kaabil 2, Dhamaal 4, Bhediya 2 and Drishyam 3 are also happening, not to forget Krrish 4 set to probably hit the screens in 2027.
What’s more, one 2026 movie belongs to the YRF Spy Universe, and the other to the Maddock Horror Comedy franchise. We are sure going the Hollywood way of sequels for a while now. And the fever isn’t dying down despite most sequels plummeting in 2025!
Here’s finding out the most promising releases in 2026.
Alpha / Due date: April 17 / Director: Shiv Rawail
Yash Raj Films’ Spy Universe gets a female spin with Alia Bhatt and Sharvari Wagh in the lead and Bobby Deol as the antagonist in his second Yash Raj assignment after Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. The film has Anil Kapoor as well. As of now, it is avoidably clashing with Battle of Galwan.
Battle of Galwan / April 17 / Apoorva Lakhia
The much-expected respite from Salman Khan’s unceasing barrage of flops and also-rans since 2020 co-stars Chitrangada Singh. Produced (after Bajrangi Bhaijaan) by Khan himself (that is, officially), the film marks the return of Salman protégé, Himesh Reshammiya, to his camp after Prem Ratan Dhan Payo way back in 2015, It is also Himesh’s comeback to A-grade setups as a solo composer. The film is a war epic based on the events that took place between the Indian and Chinese troops at the Galwan region on June 15, 2020 when 200 Indian soldiers bravely defended their territory against a force of 1200 Chinese Liberation Army soldiers. This is Salman’s entry into real cinema and, believe it or not, the Chinese are already seeing red with this film!
Bhooth Bangla / 15th May / Priyadarshan
If the film matches what it promises (a good horror comedy), this will mark Priyadarshan’s return to Hindi cinema, again after several non-starters post his last hit, the horror comedy, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, 19 years ago. The film features Akshay Kumar, Tabu, Wamiqa Gabbi and Paresh Rawal.
Border 2 / January 23 / Anurag Singh
Post-Kesari, the director has now completed another saga in which real and reel are mixed. Pertaining to the 1971 India-Pakistan war like the 1997 precursor, Border 2 repeats Sunny Deol in a different role, and also remixes two of Anu Malik’s iconic songs. Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh and Ahan Shetty co-star.
Dhurandhar 2 / March 19 / Aditya Dhar
With Dhurandhar still running (from December 5) and nearing the Rs. 1300 crore global gross, outwitting (on its 43rd day) the opening collections of Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos and Rahu Ketu, the release of Dhurandhar 2 is likely to be explosive, ditto its final collections—the simultaneously-made sequel is also likely to garner record-breaking figures. As for the combined Rs. 280 crore investment in production for the two films, the mathematics has already worked out to a super-profit, apart from the near-universal acclaim.
King / October 2 or December 4 / Siddharth Anand
Shah Rukh Khan has, Jawan fashion, cobbled up an interesting cast for this action thriller. Shah Rukh Khan, daughter Suhana Khan, lucky mascot Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Arshad Warsi and even Rani Mukerji! Sujoy Ghosh has written the story, but neither Ghosh’s nor Anand’s favorite composers Vishal-Shekhar are in: the film has music by Anirudh Ravichander, who did Shah Rukh’s Jawan.
Love & War / 14th August / Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt come together again after Brahmastra: Part 1—Shiva, with Vicky Kaushal. Reportedly, Deepika Padukone, an SLB favorite, will make a cameo. As always now since 2007, Bhansali’s directorials have his own music.
Mardaani 3 / January 30 / Abhiraj Minawala
In a unique case, this is one film whose release has been tactically preponed to the end of this month, even withstanding positive response to Border 2. Rani Mukerji is back as Shivani Roy, the ruthless cop, in this first female-driven Hindi film franchise, with this part stated to be the darkest and most brutal of the lot.
Ramayana Part 1 / November (?) / Nitesh Tiwari
Will the film release in Diwali? The hype is strong, but the makers wanted a minimum six-month gap between Love & War and this film. Sai Pallavi plays Sita to Ranbir’s Ram, while Yash is Raavan and Sunny Deol is Hanuman. TV actor Rvai Dubey plays Lakshman. The cast is mixed, the face value high because of the story, scale and more.
Shakti Shalini / 24 December / Amar Kaushik
The latest installment in Maddock Films’ Horror Comedy Universe features Aneet Padda and, reportedly, Lakshya Lalwani, and is directed by Amar Stree Kaushik. It carries the hype around the Universe (Stree, Bhediya, Munjya, Thamma), a good director and a lead cast fresh from the success of Saiyaara and The Ba***ds of Bollywood.
Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai / June 5 / David Dhawan
The film stars Varun Dhawan, Mrunal Thakur, Pooja Hegde and Maniesh Kaul. The film has Janhvi Kapoor, Mouni Roy, Sahher Bambba, Prajakta Koli and Kubbra Sait in cameos and is about a boy rejected by multiple girls, who is guided and helped by God himself!
Some other releases that look fairly interesting are Naagzilla: Naag Lok Ka Pehla Kaand featurong Kartik Aaryan as an icchadhari naag (a person who can turn into a snake at will) and directed by Mrighdeep Lamba; Riteish Deshmukh’s ambitious Raja Shivaji in which he plays the emperor as well, with Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan, Genelia Deshmukh, Vidya Balan and Salman Khan in the cast; and O Romeo, starring Shahid Kapoor, Triptii Dimri, Nana Patekar, Tamannaah Bhatia and Disha Patani and music by Vishal Bhardwaj, who also directs the film.
Pan-Indian & South fare
Jana Nayagan, which has been facing censor issues, stars Vijay, Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol and Mamitha Baiju. Prabhas, Triptii Dimri and Kiara Advani star in Spirit, Prabhas, Imanvi Ismail,Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Jaya Prada feature in Fauzi, Yash, Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth feature in Toxic, while The Paradise, Peddi (Ram Charan, Janhvi Kapoor, Vijay Sethupati), Patriot (Mohanlal and Mammooty) and Benz are other fare from Down There (South!).
