The last few years brought the film industry to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic. Movies got pushed, actors itched to return to the silver screens and theatre owners waited for people to queue up at the ticket counters. Come 2023, normalcy was resumed — audiences crowded cinema halls and even bought movie tickets at hefty prices (tickets for Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan sold for Rs 2100 at some places) to satiate their appetite for big-screen entertainment. Actors, who were long considered as the most reliable ones to fill seats, made the most of the audience’s mood and reclaimed their status as box office stars, thus saving the sinking boat of the Indian movie marketplace.
Shah Rukh Khan propelled Siddharth Anand’s Pathaan and Atlee’s Jawan to financial heights, while Ranbir Kapoor delivered back-to-back hits with Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar and Animal. The Deols – Dharmendra, Sunny and Bobby – reclaimed the spotlight and gave three hits individually with Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, Gadar 2 and Animal.
2023 was an incredible year at the box office. Film producer and trade analyst Girish Johar noted, “It was one full-blown year after the pandemic when we got the box office in full swing. The audience was no longer confined to their homes and they wanted to come out and I coined a term for this – revenge cinema watching.” He revealed the Hindi box office earned Rs 3700 crore in 2022, while in 2023 it’s targeting ‘somewhere around Rs 4800-5000 crore. That’s a really good jump.’
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As we look back at the year, here is a list of actors who dominated the Indian box office, with their charm and acting prowess.
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan in Pathaan.
Shah Rukh Khan was hands down the ‘Badshah’ of Indian cinema this year. He returned to the silver screen after a hiatus of four years. As Anurag Kashyap put it in one of his interviews, he “broke the curse” on Bollywood with his three films, Pathaan, Jawan and Dunki, even if the last could not reach the box office standards set by the first two. The actor’s turn as a spy in Siddharth Anand’s Pathaan, which released in January, was lapped up by moviegoers as the film did a business of Rs 543.09 crore in India and globally earned Rs 1055 crore. Then, Atlee’s Jawan, which came out in the theatres in September, cemented his position as one of the last true box office stars. The film opened with a gross collection of Rs 89.5 crore and ended its run with Rs 640.25 crore in India and Rs 1160 crore globally.
Girish Johar said, “It was a Shah Rukh Khan’s year with Jawan, Pathaan and Dunki. He alone accumulated over Rs 2500 crore GBOC. It has been a good year for him.” Indianexpress.com conducted a poll on X and asked the readers who, according to them, was the most popular actor of 2023. They made their choice loud and clear as SRK got 76.02% votes of the total 7,849 votes.
Also read | After two years, Bollywood made a comeback in 2023, riding on Shah Rukh Khan’s coattails
Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor ruled the year with Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar and Animal.
Coming from the debacle of Shamshera and Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva in 2022, Ranbir Kapoor rose to heights in 2023 with his two releases Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar and Animal. While Luv Ranjan’s romantic comedy did a modest business of Rs 147.28 crore in India, Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal helped him become of the highest-grossing actors of 2023 and vaulted him to stardom as it earned Rs 539.48 crore. The actor impressed film critics in equal measures. The Indian Express’ Shubhra Gupta described him as an actor “who can carry a scene, and execute a mean ‘thumka’”.
Vijay
Vijay’s Leo is the third-highest Tamil grosser of all time.
Actor Vijay is emerging as the next big superstar of the Tamil film industry. The actor had two promising projects, Varisu and Leo, that made lots of money at the 2023 box office. Varisu, which received middling reviews from both the audience and critics, went on to collect Rs 60 crore just from Tamil Nadu, and its worldwide collection hovers around Rs 310 crore. Thanks to the more action-oriented Lokesh Kangaraj’s Leo that audience turned up in even bigger numbers, and the film did a business of Rs 341.04 crore in India and Rs 605.9 cr worldwide.
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“In Tamil cinema’s current generation, Vijay is the numero uno, undeniably. Consecutively, his films have done well,” Rajasekar, a Tamil film trade analyst, told indianexpress.com. Senior film journalist Sreedhar Pillai, said about Vijay, “He looks like a common man. The goosebumps moments he provides on the big screen. He is also good at comedy. He is a proper commercial mix. These are traits that he shares with Rajinikanth.”
Rajinikanth
Rajinikanth in a scene from Jailer. (Photo: PR Handout)
Rajinikanth’s popularity transcends geographical boundaries and generations. So, when he comes out with a movie, one can be sure about a constant cash inflow at the ticket counters. The actor repeated the feat this year with Nelson Dilipkumar’s action-packed film, Jailer. It grossed over Rs 650 crore worldwide.
Speaking of Rajinikanth’s superstardom at 72, Jailer producer Kalanithi Maran had noted at Jailer’s audio launch, “When you are 72, if producers queue up to make your films as they do for Rajini sir… on top of that, at that age, if you still have his speed, style, and mass fanbase… you can then claim that you have arrived at Rajinikanth’s place. Till then, there’s only one Superstar in Tamil… no… in India, and that’s Rajinikanth.”
The Deols
Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol starred in superhits Gadar 2 and Animal, respectively. (Photo: Sunny Deol/Instagram)
The Deols, Dharmendra and his two sons, Sunny and Bobby, returned to the limelight in 2023, probably getting the due credit for their work, which they believe they never got before this year. The year began with Dharmendra appearing in Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani and leaving the audience in awe of his wheelchair-bound grandfather role. The film hoarded Rs 153.55 crore at the Indian box office. Next came Gadar 2, from Sunny Deol’s brand of patriotism, which was a surprise hit as it made Rs 525.7 crore in India and Rs 620.5 crore globally. The third and the youngest Deol, Bobby got himself the moniker of ‘Lord Bobby’ as he aced the role of a mute but menacing antagonist in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal, which collected Rs 539.48 crore.
Mammootty
Mammootty captivated the audience with his performance in Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam and Kaathal. (Image: Mammootty Kampany/Facebook)
In comparison to the stars mentioned above, Mammootty couldn’t rake in as much moolah at the box office, but he sure was a huge winner in terms of performance. He delivered two gem of the films in Lijo Jose Pelliserry’s Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam and Jeo Baby’s Kaathal – The Core.
Special mention to actors like Jaideep Ahlawat, Vijay Varma, Vikrant Massey, and Manoj Bajpayee, who couldn’t excite moviegoers to buy tickets and contribute to the box office figures, but presented some of the more meaningful content, ensuring a constant delivery of good and not just massy content to the audience.
Film distributor Akshaye Rathi told Indianexpress.com, “We had these tentpole hits which did really well. What was really missing was consistency with the medium-budget films which used to do well. Back in the day, actors like Rajkummar Rao, and Ayushmann Khurrana, would deliver Rs 100 crores (film), but that is not happening now, Zara Hatke Zara Bachke, Sam Bahadur and Satyaprem Ki Katha being the exceptions. We need the mid-segment films to start firing again to keep the cash flowing.”
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