1. FATEH
Release date: January 10
Fateh
What: Sonu Sood turned director and cast himself as the leading man in this action thriller, playing a one-man army fighting cybercrime. Coming unstuck at the box office, Fateh, meaning ‘victory’, failed to live up to its name.
What worked: An earnest Sonu Sood, the gritty action. What didn’t: Its been there-done that look and feel.
t2 review: Some of the action appears so forced and unconvincing that when the final shot has been fired and Honey Singh’s Hitman starts playing, it is cue for most among the audience to escape the theatre and embrace reality.
Box office: FLOP. Couldn’t even earn 40 per cent of its ₹40-crore investment.
2. EMERGENCY
Release date: January 17
Emergency
What: Long mired in controversies, this film finally released in January, with Kangana Ranaut both directing and playing the central role of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
What worked: A potentially engaging look at the nation’s immediate history, some credible acts, especially from the late Satish Kaushik.
What didn’t: Kangana’s caricaturish depiction of Gandhi, ticking-the-boxes storytelling, over-dramatic situations and biased portraiture.
Box office: FLOP. Earned just ₹ 23 crore on a ₹60-crore budget.
3. AZAAD
Release date: January 17
What: Raveena Tandon’s daughter Rasha Thadani and Ajay Devgn’s nephew Aaman Devgan stepped into Bollywood with this Abhishek Kapoor-directed period piece about a boy and girl from contrasting backgrounds who fall in love in testing times.
What worked: An unconventional star kids launch, a spirited Rasha, the party starter Uuyi amma.
What didn’t: Too slow, unidimensional plot and players.
t2 review: Azaad is enjoyable in parts but does not quite deliver the goods. It has its heart in the right place but doesn’t create the magical synergy which is the mark of a memorable film.
Box office: FLOP
4. SKY FORCE
Release date: January 24
What: Akshay Kumar kicked off his 2025 calendar with yet another real-to-reel story, with this one centred around India’s first airstrike at the Sargodha airbase of Pakistan in the Indo-Pakistan air war of 1965. Newcomer Veer Pahariya fired up his PR machinery to hop, skip and jump around in our Insta Reels feed for months together.
What worked: An in-form Akshay Kumar after a long time, a crisp runtime of 125 minutes.
What didn’t: More jingoism than patriotism, Akshay’s consistent saviour complex, an inadequate Veer Pahariya.
t2 review: This bi-annual Akshay Kumar deshbhakti dose has the kind of thrill and drama that every viewer, brought up on a steady diet of Bollywood patriotic films, is familiar with.
Box office: AVERAGE. Released on the Republic Day weekend, Sky Force took a decent start but crashed quickly.
5. DEVA
Release date: January 31
What: A violent and rebellious cop loses his memory in an accident and is then tasked with reinvestigating the murder of a fellow police officer. That sums up the formulaic Deva, a remake of the 2013 Malayalam film Mumbai Police.
What worked: Shahid Kapoor’s strong screen presence, engaging in parts, especially the climax.
What didn’t: A problematic ‘hero’, an overlong Half One, a lazy remake
t2 review: Playing out like the typical masala action films that one has seen commercial Bollywood churn out in assembly-line fashion over the last few decades, Deva has cops and criminals jostling for space.
Box office: FLOP. Started weak and never recovered.
6. LOVEYAPA
Release date: February 7
What: Yet another South Indian remake (Love Today, Tamil), this Advait Chandan film that marked the big-screen debut of star kids Junaid Khan and Khushi Kapoor, revolved around a young couple’s love being put to the test after they swap their phones. But the real test was for those who walked in to watch Loveyapa.
What worked: Fresh premise, fun and frothy in bits and spurts.
What didn’t: An awkward Junaid and Khushi, lack of chemistry between the leads, average music, no emotional depth.
t2 review: While Loveyapa’s story is contemporary, relatable and utterly relevant in the era of multiple romantic relationships, what is most disturbing is that the film is a frame-by-frame copy of Love Today with no attempt to be inventive.
Box office: FLOP. Recovered less than 30 per cent of its budget.
7. BADASS RAVIKUMAR
Release date: February 7
What: Himesh Reshammiya’s long-in-the-making addition to/ spin-off of the Xpose universe had him playing Ravi Kumar, a trigger-happy badass character armed with the most howlarious lines. An ’80s-styled Bolly masala mish-mash (or mess, whatever you want to call it), Badass Ravikumar made one thing clear to its viewers — ‘logic is optional’.
What worked: A fun, mindless ride that more or less lived up to its campy promise.
What didn’t: Not spoofy enough, ran out of steam quickly.
Box office: BELOW AVERAGE. Despite a good opening (it did much better business than Loveyapa that released on the same Friday), Badass Ravikumar failed to make a dent at the box office.
8. CHHAAVA
Release date: February 14
What: The valour and sacrifice of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj — brought alive by Vicky Kaushal — was captured in this Laxman Utekar historical that is not only the biggest hit of 2025 so far, but is also sitting pretty at the 13th spot in the list of the biggest-ever Indian films of all time.
What worked: A career-defining performance from Vicky Kaushal, an adrenaline-pumping watch, the visceral war scenes, the gut-wrenching climax, Akshaye Khanna as Aurangzeb.
What didn’t: Weak and wobbly in parts, blurs the line between history and exaggerated ‘history’, often more loud than profound, a lacklustre score by A.R. Rahman.
t2 review: What ultimately holds Chhaava together are its two central performances. Akshaye inhabits Aurangzeb fully. Chhaava belongs to Vicky Kaushal, who plunges into the part and commits to it completely.
Box office: BLOCKBUSTER. ₹804.8-crore so far. With Chhaava still playing in cinemas, it is likely to cross the lifetime box-office numbers of Stree 2 soon.
9. MERE HUSBAND KI BIWI
Release date: February 21
What: A man (Arjun Kapoor) finds himself caught in a love triangle between his present girlfriend (Rakul Preet Singh) and his ex-wife (Bhumi Pednekar) after the latter develops retrograde amnesia following an accident. The rest of Mere Husband Ki Biwi — like its title — was a blurry mess.
What worked: A premise with potential, some funny moments.
What didn’t: The rest of the film.
Box office: FLOP
10. SUPERBOYS OF MALEGAON
Release date: February 28
What: Inspired by the 2008 documentary Supermen of Malegaon, this Reema Kagti directorial, written by Varun Grover, touched upon themes of friendship, dreams, resilience and the power of the human spirit, to talk about a group of amateur filmmakers from the small town of Malegaon who give cinema — and their lives — a new meaning.
What worked: An inspiring, feel-good story, superlative acts from its main players, led by Adarsh Gourav, Vineet Kumar Singh and Shashank Arora, the seamless blend of subtle wit and intense emotions, the combination of fact and fiction to make a compelling crowd-pleaser.
What didn’t: Despite unanimously positive reviews, the film’s publicity machinery wasn’t strong enough to lure audiences to theatres.
t2 review: Superboys of Malegaon is, at once, an underdog story, a tale about lasting friendships, an account of the impact of moving images on screen to change lives and perspectives, the burning desire to punch above one’s weight and prove one’s worth and a look at the power of dreams.
Box office: FLOP. Recorded one of the lowest openings of the year so far.
11. THE DIPLOMAT
Release date: March 14
What: Based on a true story, the film had John Abraham in the role of a diplomat who pulls out all the stops to help an Indian woman escape her abusive Pakistani husband, with the matter escalating into a diplomatic crisis between India and Pakistan. A dark horse, The Diplomat is the sleeper success of the season.
What worked: The intense and engaging theme, tone and treatment, John Abraham in fine form, a rare Bollywood film about India-Pakistan that doesn’t resort to jingoism.
What didn’t: Some unnecessary subplots.
Box office: SEMI HIT. Has earned almost ₹40-crore and is still playing in cinemas.
12. SIKANDAR
Release date: March 30
What: Salman Khan plays a do-gooder royal who makes the journey from Rajkot to Mumbai to protect the recipients of his wife’s organs after her death (yes, don’t even ask). A rare Eid release from the 59-year-old superstar that has come a cropper at the box office.
What worked: Some action set pieces.
What didn’t: A plot both mindless and moronic, a sluggish Salman, weak music, Salman’s mismatched jodi with Rashmika Mandanna, 31 years his junior.
t2 review: The law of diminishing marginal utility, with no effort being made by Salman to even step up a little, has resulted in the monstrosity called Sikandar.
Box office: BELOW AVERAGE. Though Sikandar has earned ₹174-crore worldwide, it ranks as one of Salman’s lowest earners, and that too as an Eid release.
ON OTT
13. MRS
Release date: February 7
What: The Hindi adaptation of The Great Indian Kitchen transposed the action from Kerala to Delhi, with director Arati Kadav — aided by a scene-stealing Sanya Malhotra — making a thought-provoking film that challenged gender roles, patriarchy and sexism. Mrs has stirred a host of conversations, and rightly so.
What worked: The socio-political context — middle-class urban India — which makes the story immediately relevant and relatable, an award-worthy turn from Sanya, strong supporting acts, never hammers in its messaging, the gut-wrenching but cathartic climax.
What didn’t: Its slow pace.
t2 review: Mrs is not just any remake. It is a thriving, breathing, nuanced film in its own right. It is the kind of film that takes the best out of its source material and enhances it. Stream it on: Zee5
14. THE MEHTA BOYS
Release date: February 7
What: Actor Boman Irani’s directorial debut had him play father to his estranged son (Avinash Tiwary), with the two being compelled to co-habit after his wife dies. The Mehta Boys received largely positive reviews.
What worked: The unpretentious tone and treatment, winning performances from Boman Irani, Avinash Tiwary and Puja Sarup, some poignant moods and moments.
What didn’t: Slow in parts.
Stream it on: Prime Video
15. DHOOM DHAAM
Release date: February 14
What: On their wedding night, a couple find themselves on the run from a gang of goons who are convinced that they are hiding an incriminating piece of evidence. Fireworks, aka ‘dhoom dhaam’ follow.
What worked: A spirited performance from Yami Gautam Dhar, the always dependable Pratik Gandhi, a story with potential.
What didn’t: Predictable situations, lines and scenes written in a force-fit manner, no spark between the lead pair.
t2 review: Dhoom Dhaam seems too much of a ticking-the-boxes exercise. Punches and punchlines are thrown around in equal measure, but very little sticks.
Stream it on: Netflix
16. NADANIYAAN
Release date: March 7
What: Ibrahim Ali Khan made his debut in this Netflix film that was a #fail on all counts. The bright side — Nadaniyaan continues to provide fodder for memes, all of which are far more entertaining than this film which had ‘disaster’ written all over it.
What worked: The dignified presence of Dia Mirza, Jugal Hansraj and Suniel Shetty.
What didn’t: An awkward Ibrahim, Khushi Kapoor’s over-acting, laughable moments and dialogues.
t2 review: What you lose during the course of this 119-minute film — a home video with a very big budget — is time, peace, sanity and grey cells. Stream it on: Netflix
ALSO...
Re-release winner
17. SANAM TERI KASAM
Released in February, this 2016 romance centred on star-crossed lovers, played by Harshvardhan Rane and Mawra Hocane drew crowds in droves, with videos of audiences dancing, laughing and even shedding a tear or two in theatres firing up the Internet. It dethroned other big-ticket re-releases like Tumbbad and Sholay to become the highest-grossing re-release in India, with a worldwide gross collection of around ₹50-crore.
FAST FORWARD TO Q2
18. Kesari Chapter 2
Akshay Kumar slips into yet another real-life role, that of advocate and statesman C. Sankaran Nair, who took on the might of the British empire in this courtroom drama centred on the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. R. Madhavan and Ananya Panday co-star in this Karan Johar production. Release date: April 18
19. Jewel Thief— The Heist Begins
Saif Ali Khan and Jaideep Ahlawat lock horns in this heist thriller, which is already being talked about for the former’s smooth dance moves. Pathaan man Siddharth Anand produces this Netflix film.
Release date: April 25
Phule
Meant to release last Friday, Phule was postponed at the last minute owing to protests from certain religious groups. The Ananth Mahadevan directorial, that brings to life the spirit and struggle of 19th-century anti-caste activists Jyotirao Phule (Pratik Gandhi) and Savitribai Phule (Patralekhaa) is still facing the heat, but hoping for a month-end release.
Release date: April 25 (tentative)
Raid 2
Seven years after the immensely watchable Raid, Ajay Devgn returns as IRS officer Amey Pathak. His nemesis, this time, is played by Riteish Deshmukh, with Vaani Kapoor replacing Ileana D’Cruz, who played Devgn’s wife in the first film. Rajkumar Gupta (Aamir, No One Killed Jessica) directs.
Release date: May 1
Abir Gulaal
Fawad Khan attempts a comeback to Hindi cinema with this romantic film, with Vaani Kapoor as his leading lady. Abir Gulaal is set in and shot in London and will be Fawad’s first Bolly release after Ae Dil Hai Mushkil in 2016.
Release date: May 9
BHOOL CHUK MAAF
Taking over from Ayushmann Khurrana as the poster-boy of small-town Bolly cinema, Rajkummar Rao plays a young man stuck in a time loop a day before his marriage. Wamiqa Gabbi co-stars.
Release date: May 9
HOUSEFULL 5
The fifth film in the franchise, which relies on broad comedy, returns with Akshay Kumar leading the cast. A large portion of Housefull 5 was shot aboard a cruise ship, with Dostana maker Tarun Mansukhani at the helm.
Release date: June 6
MAA
Kajol ventures into horror territory for the first time with this Vishal Furia-directed film that was largely shot in Bengal. Maa also stars Ronit Roy.
Release date: June 27
Which was the best and worst Bolly film of the first three months of 2025? Tell t2@abp.in
