There's something distinctly exciting about looking at the releases of a new year. It's like watching a great movie trailer. That said, this is a strange time to make a list of movies to look forward to when we don't know for sure when we'll see these movies, and more importantly how – on streaming or in theatres. The most obvious names in this list are the big films of 2020 that never got a release – Sooryavanshi, Brahmastra, 83, Jhund and Jersey. Apart from these, here are 20 Hindi movies and shows we can't wait to see this year.
Amazon Prime Video's first big streaming series of the year is a drama set in the murky world of politics from creator Ali Abbas Zafar. Starring Saif Ali Khan, who returns to streaming after Sacred Games, the ensemble cast also includes Dimple Kapadia, Sunil Grover, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Dino Morea, Kumud Mishra and Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub.
A poor Indian driver (Adarsh Gourav) breaks free from the servitude of his rich masters (Rajkummar Rao and Priyanka Chopra Jonas), and rises to the top of a ladder that veritably needs a bottom. Based on Aravind Adiga's 2008 Man Booker Prize-winning novel, The White Tiger movie, directed by Ramin Bahrani, is one of the first big movies to release on Netflix.
One of India's finest and most unique streaming creations returns for a much-anticipated season 2. Raj and DK's The Family Man, starring an inimitable Manoj Bajpayee as agent Srikanth Tiwari is back, and this time the crisis is global. A new cast addition is Samantha Akkineni.
One of modern Hindi cinema's most memorable characters gets a well-deserved spin-off movie with Abhishek Bachchan set to play the role of Kahaani's beloved but deadly hitman Bob Biswas. Produced by Sujoy Ghosh, the film is directed by Diya Annapurna Ghosh.
Ram Madhvani's next stars Kartik Aaryan. This is a curious collaboration if we ever saw one, and one we're most intrigued to see the result of. With Neerja and Aarya, Ram Madhvani is easily one of the most exciting directors around, known for extracting career defining performances from his actors.
Director Vinil Matthews' next after the delightful Hasee Toh Phasee in 2014 is a murder mystery starring Vikrant Massey, Harshvardhan Rane and Taapsee Pannu. While we don't know much yet, but those names alone are enough to have us intrigued.
Mirzapur director Gurmmeet Singh makes his feature debut with a horror-comedy starring Katrina Kaif, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ishaan Khatter as three people on a mission to catch ghosts. Sounds like it could well be exactly the kind of bonkers entertainment we sorely need right now.
Starring Aparshakti Khurana, Pranutan Bahl, Abhishek Banerjee and Ashish Verma, Helmet has been described as a quirky comedy that depicts the ground reality of contraception in the heartlands of the country, where talking about protection is awkward. It certainly sounds like it has all the makings of the next heart stealing, taboo-busting small-town comedy.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Alia Bhatt? Yes, please. We can't wait to see what Bhansali creates with one of mainstream cinema's most talented actresses. Written by Utkarshini Vashishtha, the film is said to be based on the life of an Indian mafia queen.
Aamir Khan's official adaptation of Forrest Gump was slated to be the Christmas release of 2020 but the pandemic halted the shoot. The makers have said the film will now release in December 2021. The Tom Hanks film has a story bursting with heart and we can see it lending itself to a great, emotionally-charged Bollywood blockbuster.
Nobleman director Vandana Kataria's next is described as a dysfunctional family comedy about an interior designer and an aspiring chef who set out to fix the flaws in their relationship. It stars Sobhita Dhulipala and Rajeev Siddhartha.
Director Harshavardhan Kulkarni's sequel to 2018 comedy Badhaai Ho has an intriguing premise — Rajkummar Rao plays a gay policeman navigating a marriage to a lesbian PT coach (Bhumi Pednekar).
Dhruv Sehgal and Mithila Palkar return for the fourth season of their heartfelt relationship drama series, streaming on Netflix. Expect more laughs, love and life lessons.
Set between 1938 and 1964, the Nikkhil Advani series tells the story of Indian physicists Vikram Sarabhai and Homi Bhabha. It's been produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur.
Renuka Shahane's directorial debut follows the lives of three women from different generations in a family. The Netflix film stars Kajol, Tanvi Azmi and Mithila Palkar.
Writer-director Dibakar Banerjee's film follows an Indian family whose personal history is intertwined with that of the country's. It's been six years since his last feature, 2015's Detective Byomkesh Bakshy, and we can't wait.
All showrunner Tigmanshu Dhulia has said about his upcoming series is that it focuses on student politics in the country. Sign us up.
International Emmy award-nominated actor Arjun Mathur's next project is this ZEE5 murder mystery, written and directed by Aban Bharucha Deohans and also starring Manoj Bajpayee.
Voot's popular True Detective-themed thriller series returns for round 2, with familiar faces Arshad Warsi and Barun Sobti.