'Darr' to 'Dangal': Major Bollywood successes released around Christmas
Filmmaking is a taxing process, one that takes months and sometimes even years. What we see on screen is the accumulation of efforts by hundreds of people across departments like production, acting, sound, cinematography, etc. Thus, it only makes sense to select an opportune slot for the release—festivals being the top choice. This Christmas, let's revisit some monumental Bollywood successes released around the festival.
'Good Newwz' (2019)
Good Newwz is one of the rare Bollywood comedies to come out in recent times, and it does have the ability to leave you in stitches. Embellished with a star-studded cast of Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Diljit Dosanjh, and Kiara Advani, it was Raj Mehta's debut feature film directorial. It revolves around wrongful insemination via IVF. The blockbuster arrived on December 27, 2019.
'Tiger Zinda Hai' (2017)
Ali Abbas Zafar's action-packed Tiger Zinda Hai was the second film in the saga of Avinash "Tiger" Singh Rathore and Zoya, two agents from warring factions on the run. Salman Khan's rousing stardom, coupled with the action moves pulled off by Katrina Kaif, ensured people thronged the theaters, and the film did not disappoint. Co-starring Kumud Mishra, it was released on December 22, 2017.
'Dangal' (2016)
There is so much to love about Nitesh Tiwari's Dangal: the astonishing transformation Aamir Khan went through for his role as Mahavir Singh Phogat; Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Shaikh's breakthrough characters; the wrestling scenes; and the incredibly moving emotional heft of the film. Dangal, released on December 23, 2016, remains India's highest-grossing film ever (worldwide) and one of Aamir's most inimitable ones.
'PK' (2014)
The second Aamir film on this list, PK was directed by celebrated filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani. It was centered around Indians' fixation with religious godmen and overt commodification of all major religions. Also starring Anushka Sharma, Sushant Singh Rajput, Boman Irani, Sanjay Dutt, and Saurabh Shukla, the film was met with stupendous critical and commercial applause upon release on December 19, 2024.
'Darr' (1993)
Darr stands tall in Shah Rukh Khan's repertoire. It starred him as Rahul, the anti-hero dangerously obsessed with Kiran (played by Juhi Chawla). Kiran, however, rejects his advances and makes it clear that she's with Sunil (Sunny Deol), but that doesn't stunt Rahul's audacious and horrific stalking behavior. It was released on December 24, 1993, won several awards, and was a major box-office success.
