Bollywood stars who ruled the silver screen in 2023

2023 turned out to be a great year for Bollywood lovers as stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and Salman Khan delivered stellar performances and ruled the silver screen with their blockbuster films.

So, before bidding adieu to this year, audience especially hardcore moviegoers must take a look at male actors who entertained them with their acting prowess and contributed to making 2023 a remarkable year for cinema.

2023 was undoubtedly the year of Shah Rukh Khan. After a hiatus of four years, SRK made a grand comeback with Sidharth Anand's 'Pathaan' in January. In the film, SRK donned an action avatar and left everyone in awe.

The film broke several records at the box office and managed to grab a name in the list of one of the highest-grossing films in the Indian film industry. Remember the clamorous death knell tolling for the Hindi film industry all through 2021 and 2022?  

His film literally ended Bollywood's dry spell at the box office. 'Pathaan' will always remain special for SRK and his fans as the film marked SRK's first hit after his sabbatical of four years post delivering a series of duds like 'Zero' and 'Jab Harry Met Sejal'.

After 'Pathaan', King Khan returned to theatres in September with Atlee's directorial 'Jawan'. The film once again saw SRK in an action avatar. Like 'Pathaan', 'Jawan' also managed to strike a chord with the audience. The film collected over Rs 10 billion (1000 crore) at the worldwide box office. Needless to say, SRK has had a phenomenal year.

SRK did not stop here. On 21 December he came up with his first-ever collaboration with Rajkumar Hirani. Titled 'Dunki', the film focuses on the issue of immigration. Its title is taken from the term "donkey journey", which refers to the long-winding, often dangerous routes that people across the world take to reach the places they want to immigrate to.

However, the film received mixed reviews from the audience. It is doing decent collections at the box office but it failed to create the same sort of buzz as 'Pathaan' and 'Jawan'. Now it is to see what SRK has in store for his fans next year. He has not announced his upcoming project yet.  

Sunny Deol witnessed mega success after over two decades with 'Gadar 2'. The film saw Sunny reprising his role as Tara Singh from the iconic movie 'Gadar' (2001). The audience accepted the sequel with open arms and let him create history at the box office. After 'Pathaan', Gadar 2' became one of the fastest movies to reach the Rs 5 billion (500 crore) club.

After the film's huge success, Sunny at a press event said, "I was quite stressed over the period of time and when this film hit the cinema halls, I don't know why it felt like God came inside me. I was crying and laughing all night and evening. I also met my father (Dharmendra) and said no I am not drunk, I am happy what do I do."

Speaking of Sunny's upcoming projects, he will be seen headlining Rajkumar Santoshi's film 'Lahore 1947'. Aamir Khan is producing it. Sunny and Aamir have never worked together before this. But the duo has had very iconic box-office clashes as competitors in the past, where both have eventually emerged victorious.

The first iconic clash at the ticket window was witnessed in 1990 when Aamir Khan's Dil and Sunny Deol's Ghayal were released on the same day. Then in 1996, it was 'Raja Hindustani' vs 'Ghatak' followed by the most epic Box Office clash of Indian cinema in 2001 when 'Lagaan' was released on the same day as 'Gadar'. Now, for the very first time, the duo have come together and joined hands on a project.

Bollywood's bhaijaan Salman Khan came up with two films this year. His film 'Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan' failed to impress the audience but 'Tiger 3' was enough to let Salman's contemporaries know that he is the ultimate 'Tiger' of Bollywood. The film, which was directed by Maneesh Sharma, grossed Rs 4.66 billion (466.63 crore) at the box office.

Talking exclusively about the massive box office collection of 'Tiger 3', Salman Khan told ANI, "It was Diwali time and the World Cup was going on and everyone's interest was in that but despite that the numbers that we have received are wonderful...we're very grateful and happy about it."

'Tiger 3' is the third instalment of the Tiger franchise and a part of the YRF Spy Universe with the likes of 'War' and 'Pathaan'. Interestingly, it also has cameo appearances of Shah Rukh Khan and a post-credit scene featuring Hrithik Roshan.

Just like the two previous installments – ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ and ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ - the film focuses on a new mission involving RAW agent Tiger (Salman) and ISI agent Zoya (Katrina Kaif). Isn't it great to see 90s stars weaving magic on screen like no one else?

Ranbir is one of the best actors in Hindi cinema. With his versatile acting skills, he has always proved that he is the true heir to Raj Kapoor's legacy. He can step into any character and make it believable.

'Animal' is no exception. He once again left everyone surprised with his powerful performance. 'Animal' is now Ranbir's biggest-ever hit, but has also been criticised for its depiction of misogyny. 'Kabir Singh' fame Sandeep Reddy Vanga directed the film.

Before showcasing his gangster role in 'Animal', Ranbir revived his chocolate boy avatar with 'Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar'. Released in March, the film had a successful run at the box office. It has truly been a special year for Ranbir, who has delivered two back-to-back hits.