A Ananya Panday
Gehraiyaan and Kho Gaye Hum Kahan marked a turn for her and Ananya Panday refuted naysayers to truly come into her own this year with projects as diverse as Call Me Bae and CTRL. Off screen, she scored with sass on fashion week catwalks and spunk in her interviews.
Aaj ki raat
Sachin-Jigar’s beats, Madhubanti Bagchi’s vocals and Tamannaah’s moves gave us this instant party starter from Stree 2. Aaj ki raat, still ruling the charts, scored in being a rare ‘item song’ that didn’t look, feel or sound vulgar.
B Bennifer
The uncoupling of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez — who have been a part of our collective consciousness as ‘Bennifer’ for the last two decades — became a talking point. However, in the last few months, the couple was spotted stealing a kiss, holding hands and even spending family holidays together, leaving everyone confused. But that again is a Bennifer trademark.
Biopics
Like every year, a couple of biopics sprung up. While Bolly scored with Amar Singh Chamkila, Chandu Champion and Maidaan, Holly’s stab at the genre was boosted by performances from Angelina Jolie (as Maria Callas in Maria) and Sebastian Stan (as Donald Trump in The Apprentice).
C Chemistry
They put the ‘bro’ right back into bromance! Rocking the red carpet at Venice in September were thick pals Brad Pitt and George Clooney who broke into a fun jig at the premiere of their film Wolfs. Move over leading ladies... now this is called chemistry!
Crush
‘National crush’ made a firm place in our filmy vocabulary courtesy Taha Shah Badussha who charmed as the handsome tragic hero Tajdar Baloch in Heeramandi. A few weeks later, the impish appeal of Abhay Verma in Munjya saw his entry on many a crush list.
D Diljit Dosanjh
It has been a ‘Dosanjhwala’ domination this year with Diljit Dosanjh ruling the stage, from Canada to Calcutta, with his Dil-Luminati tour and also shining on screen as the title character in Amar Singh Chamkila. Now an international icon to reckon with, the actor-singer’s quietly defiant secularism has also won fans. ‘Dil-jeet’ for a reason!
E
Ek baar dekh lijiye
Ek baar dekh lijiye/ deewana bana dijiye/ jalne ko hum hain taiyyar/ parwana bana dijiye. These lines from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s series debut, Heeramandi, were meant to be deeply felt, but courtesy an inert and inept performance from Sharmin Segal, they became an instant meme goldmine.
F Franchise fever
Franchises — call it a cash cow or creative paucity — dominated the box office. Seven out of the top 10 Holly big earners were sequels and follow-ups. In Bolly, Stree 2, a franchise film, became the biggest-ever Hindi film hit in India.
G Glen Powell
The title of the Holly heartthrob of the year belonged to Glen Powell, whose cowboy-ish turn in box-office winner Twisters was complemented by his geek-turned-assassin role in Hitman, which he also co-wrote. That the drop-dead handsome Texan carries his pet pooch everywhere makes him score high on the sexy-meets-sensitive meter.
H Heeramandi
Bhansali’s foray into long-form storytelling had all his trademarks — period setting, opulent sets, doomed romance, tragic characters, breathtaking costumes. Even through eight episodes of an uneven narrative, the auteur managed to hold our attention in this Netflix series that was defined by both grandeur and grit.
Horror comedy
Horror comedy is having a moment in Bollywood, with two of the year’s biggest blockbusters — Stree 2 and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 — belonging to the money-making genre. Bringing up the rear is Munjya, a sleeper hit that managed to rake in ₹130-crore on a ₹30-crore budget.
I India shining
Indian independent cinema — with women leading from the front — shone this year like never before. While Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light, a story of women in the big city told by a woman, continues to make waves from Cannes to the Golden Globes to Barack Obama’s top films of ’24 list, Girls Will Be Girls, a coming-of-age drama, has been feted at a number of festivals. At Cannes, Calcutta girl Anasuya Sengupta scripted history as the first Indian actor to win Best Actress in the Un Certain Regard category for The Shameless.
I Nside Out 2
The sequel to 2015’s Inside Out continued the winning streak of the franchise, creating multiple records, including becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time, the highest-grossing film of 2024 and the eighth-highest-grossing film of all time.
J Joker: Folie a Deux
One of the most awaited films of the year not only came a cropper at the box office but has also gone down as one of the worst films in Holly history. Joaquin Phoenix, supported by Lady Gaga, tried their best to breathe life into Joker: Folie a Deux but the film was dead on arrival.
Joker, who?
“Prabhas, I am really sad, but why was he like a joker?” Arshad Warsi’s criticism of Prabhas’s walk and talk in the part mythology-part futuristic blockbuster Kalki 2898 AD ignited a huge controversy, with Prabhas’s fans coming down heavily on the Munna Bhai actor.
K Kill
Raw and visceral acquired new meaning with this offbeat film, described as Indian cinema’s most violent film. Newcomer Lakshya anchored Kill and made the action gore fest one hell of an entertaining watch.
L Laapataa Ladies
With her sophomore directorial, Kiran Rao crafted a simple slice-of-life satire, one with a strong social commentary, to give us one of the best films of the year. Three young actors as leads and the soulful Sajni re made Laapataa Ladies a winner and India’s entry for the 2025 Oscars.
Lookalike contest
Propelled by the gigantic response to a Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest in October, such competitions — with those thinking they looked like Paul Mescal or Zendaya or Jeremy Allen-White queuing up — became a huge trend this year. Some of them, like the one for Chalamet, was attended by the original himself, fuelling the popularity of the trend. It has now made its way to India with many contestants, looking nothing like Abhay Deol, signing up for an Abhay Deol lookalike contest.
M Manoj Bajpayee
The always reliable Manoj Bajpayee continued to up his game, delivering quality work on screens big and small. He also took home a National Award for his turn in the 2023 film Gulmohar.
May-December films
This was the year of age-gap films. The Idea of You (Anne Hathaway-Nicholas Galitzine) had a Mills & Boon vibe while Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth struck up a whirlwind romance in Lonely Planet. Nicole Kidman starred in two ‘May-December’ films — the breezy A Family Affair with Zac Efron and the racy Babygirl with Harris Dickinson.
N Nobody Wants This
This Netflix series about the unlikely relationship between an outspoken, agnostic woman and an unconventional rabbi had Kristen Bell and Adam Brody conjuring some serious chemistry. Nobody Wants This is the small-screen phenom of 2024. Can’t wait for S2!
O Ozempic
This miracle but controversial weight-loss drug became a favourite with many in Hollywood — including Oprah Winfrey and Amy Schumer — talking openly about opting for it. Bollywood has been far more reticent, but the sunken cheeks do give it away!
P Pushpa 2
Pushpa 2 promised a box-office blitzkrieg and lived up to it. The Allu Arjun blockbuster has created and broken many a box-office record and shows no sign of slowing down. Fire hain, fire!
Pow-wow
Year 2024 witnessed many a public pow-wow. South stars Nayanthara and Dhanush got into an ugly face-off which involved disparaging open letters and defamation suits. Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s cold vibes on the sets of It Ends With Us spilled over into a full-blown war while promoting the film. Divya Khossla took to social media, and beyond, to hit out at Alia Bhatt, alleging that the latter’s film Jigra was ‘copied’ from her own film Savi.
Q Queer
The LGBTQIA+ community found representation on screens big and small. The standout was Queer, with Daniel Craig bringing both swag and sensitivity to his gay character in the much feted Queer.
R Re-release
Nostalgia ruled movie theatres with some much-loved films being re-released. Cult horror film Tumbbad did better business than most new releases, with many of Shah Rukh Khan’s films — DDLJ to Pardes, Kal Ho Naa Ho to Karan Arjun — drawing huge crowds. In Hollywood, the IMAX re-release of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar had fans queuing up.
Rajkummar Rao
With multiple releases — Mr & Mrs Mahi to Srikanth to Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video — Rajkummar Rao was here, there, everywhere. The cherry on top of a fulfilling year for the talented actor was the super success of Stree 2.
S Shogun
Set in Japan of the 1600s, this historical drama series proved to be a big winner. Shogun became the first Japanese-language series to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, with its first season winning 18 categories at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards and 76th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, setting a new record as the most awarded single season of television in Emmy history.
Shalini Passi
The breakout star of the small screen in 2024 was undoubtedly Shalini Passi. The Delhi socialite made a splash in Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives, with her quote-a-minute lines quickly going viral. Bigg Boss house to magazine covers, Shalini Passi has the spotlight firmly on her.
T Tauba tauba
Vicky Kaushal defied the laws of physics to stylishly slide on the dance floor. And Tauba tauba was born. The Karan Aujla number quickly became a nightclub rage with Vicky’s smooth operator moves having a lot to do with it.
Triptii Dimri
Building on the Animal rage, Triptii Dimri appeared in a slew of big-budget commercial films — Bad Newz to Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video, with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 proving to be a blockbuster. The re-release of Laila Majnu, however, leaves us with hope that we will one day get to see the Triptii of Bulbbul and Qala.
U Uorfi Javed
Uorfi Javed continued to make a statement with her unconventional sartorial choices, even starring in her 24x7 follow reality show titled, well, Follow Kar Lo Yaar.
V Vikrant Massey
Mired in controversy for his yo-yoing political learnings, Vikrant Massey took the world by surprise by announcing his ‘retirement’ from acting at age 37, only to retract and call it a ‘temporary break’. We are still scratching our heads.
Vidya Balan
Vidya made a ‘spirited’ return to the Bhool Bhulaiyaa franchise, reprising the role of Manjulika from the first film. Her drastic weight loss made us all Google ‘anti-inflammatory diet’.
W Wolverine
Seven years after bidding farewell with Logan, Hugh Jackman returned as Wolverine to team up with Ryan Reynolds’s Deadpool in Deadpool & Wolverine. Their cool chemistry and crazy banter, both on screen and off it, translated into Deadpool & Wolverine becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time and the second-highest-grossing film of 2024.
Wicked
Wicked made a superhit transition from stage to screen with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande giving the film heft and heart. Both a critical and commercial success, Wicked returns with Part Two next year.
X X-factor
He was the best thing about his debut film The Archies and this year, Vedang Raina showed his acting range with a gritty role, alongside Alia Bhatt, in Jigra. The looker is already a heartthrob, winning fans from style ramps to Insta Reels.
Y Yes, we do!
Rakul Preet Singh-Jackky Bhagnani, Aditi Rao Hydari-Siddharth, Sonakshi Sinha-Zaheer Iqbal, Naga Chaitanya-Sobhita Dhulipala — quite a few film couples walked down the aisle this year.
Z Zendaya
Zendaya continued to prove her versatility, delivering films as diverse as Dune: Part Two and Challengers this year. And with Euphoria confirmed to return with a third season, we look forward to more Zendaya magic.
