After Dhurandhar 2, What’s Next For Bollywood?

Okay, Dhurandhar 2 has arrived and will be gone in a couple of more weeks. The film might end up collecting around ₹1800 crores easily, which is no small thing. So what’s next for Bollywood? In case if they are thinking that Dhurandhar 2 gave the right comeback at the Box Office, they need to follow it up with more hit films.

If we look at the upcoming Summer releases, a bunch of films are lined up. Bhooth Bangla with Akshay Kumar is one of them. Then there is Raja Shivaji featuring Riteish Deshmukh. On the other side, smaller but notable films like Ek Din with Aamir Khan’s son, and a rom-com film Pati Patni Aur Woh with Ayushmann Khurrana, Sara Ali Khan and Rakul Preet Singh, is also coming. But here is where things get interesting. Bollywood has been in this situation before. After big hits like Pathaan and Jawan, the follow-up films couldn’t really match that scale. The momentum didn’t carry forward for months. So naturally, the question is simple. Can any of these films create that next big wave?

On paper, Bhooth Bangla looks like the safest bet. Horror comedy has worked before with films like Stree, Munjhiya and even Thamma. If the content clicks, ₹300 crore is very much possible. Then comes Raja Shivaji. This one has a different advantage because of regional emotion and heightened Hindutva feelings. We have already seen how films like Chhaava connected strongly with local audiences and then expanded.

On the flip side, the rest of the films look mid-scale. They might work, but expecting Dhurandhar-level numbers would be unrealistic. Only content will decide, but then, it looks like Bollywood needs a real biggie, maybe a dubbed film like Toxic, to come the rescue again.