The enormous success of "Pathaan" has put an end to all questions about whether Hindi cinema can still lure people to theatres, and now industry watchers and audiences can look forward to a plethora of entertaining options in the months to come. Here is our list of some of the 2023 movies that everyone is looking forward to.

Bheed

Anubhav Sinha, who once helmed the potboiler 'Dus', the sci-fi thriller 'Ra. One' and a romantic drama like 'Tum Bin', has in the past few years, dramatically shifted to serious, introspective, and socially relevant films like 'Mulk', 'Thappad', 'Article 15', and 'Anek'. This year, he is back with another thought-provoking film 'Bheed' which addresses issues like social inequality and the power of the individual and the collective. The film stars Bhumi Pednekar, Rajkumar Rao, Dia Mirza, Pankaj Kapur, Ashutosh Rana. This film is the director's second collaboration with Dia Mirza who also starred in 'Thappad'. As Dia put it in a social media post, "Iss Bheed ki rooh ki awaaz seedhe insaniyat tak ja pahoncheji." The film is slated for a release on March 24, 2023

Bholaa

Ajay Devgn, Deepak Dobriyan, Tabu, Abhishek Bachan and Makarand Deshpande star in this much-awaited film that will release on March 30, 2023. This is Devgn's fourth directorial effort and is the Hindi remake of the Tamil hit Kaithi (2019) which revolved around an ex-convict, who after being released from the prison, tries to connect with his daughter for the first time. There is a lot of raw emotion, action, twists triggered by crime and punishment and the film is expected to appeal to a diverse range of viewers.

Jawan

After four years, Shah Rukh Khan has delivered a film that is possibly on its way to become the biggest hit in the history of Hindi cinema and now all eyes are on 'Jawan', a thriller written and directed by celebrated Tamil director Atlee. The USP of the film is Shah Rukh Khan in a dual role opposite none other than Tamil superstar Vijay Sethupathi. 'Jawan' also stars Nayanthara, Sanya Malhotra and Priyamani with Deepika Padukone and Vijay in cameo appearances. From the time the film went on the floors in September 2021, it has created huge waves and is scheduled for a theatrical release on June 2, 2023.

Animal

After delivering the controversial hit 'Kabir Singh', director Sandeep Reddy Vanga is back this year with 'Animal', a gangster, revenge drama and a multi-starrer headlined by Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandana, Tripti Dimri, Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol. 'Animal' has generated excitement for daring to portray Ranbir Kapoor in a never-before grey role and producer Bhushan Kumar says the film will also depict a surprising dynamic between Anil Kapoor and Ranbir. 'Animal' is slated for a release on August 11, 2023.

Dunki

Ace director Rajkumar Hirani and writer Abhijat Joshi came together again this year with 'Dunki', a film about the use of an illegal backdoor route called 'Donkey Flight' by Indians who want to immigrate to Canada and USA.'Dunki' is also in the news because it is one of the three films that Shah Rukh Khan has chosen to star in this year. Other highlights of the film are its sprawling human drama, Hirani's empathetic direction and a story that has never been seen or told before. Starring Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal, Boman Irani, Jeremy Wheeler and Satish Shah among others, 'Dunki' will be released on December 22, 2023.

(SJ/IANS)