2017: Bollywood star spotting

Aamir Khan: Mr. Perfect was back onscreen with Secret Superstar as one major Diwali release of the year.The movie was appreciated both by critics and fans in India. Aamir’s 2017 release also earned appreciations globally. The unique content and storyline of the movie tasted applauses from fan and movie buffs all over.

2018: Looking forward to 2018, Aamir Khan will be seen in multi-starrer release Thugs of Hindostan. The filming of the movie is still going on. It will also feature Amitabh Bachchan and Katrina Kaif. Images from the sets of the movie, tweets, information shared by actors about the film have already created a buzz.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: No she did not appear on the silverscreen for one single time this year. She last appeared in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil last year, romancing Ranbir Kapoor in the major Diwali release of 2016. But fans are all waiting for her much awaited release next year.

2018: Yes, she will appear once again with her evergreen smile on face in 2018’s major release- Fanne Khan. Apart from Ash, the movie will also feature  Anil Kapoor and  Rajkummar Rao. It's time to see how Ash and Anil can recreate their old magic at the Box Office.

Anushka Sharma: The poster girl of Bollywood finally said ‘Yes! I do’. The gorgeous beauty and perhaps one of the most successful actors of this generation put an end to all rumours and gossips when she tied the knot with Indian captain Virat Kohli.In a wedding that could even give a tough challenge to the beautifully scripted marriages of Bollywood, Anushka and Virat, skipped all media eyes to land in Italy and take vows to be the perfect man and his wife forever. It was Virat who broke the news on social media first. Social media buzzed with pictures of their fairytale marriage and ‘Virushka’ perhaps became the new found word of the world on internet. The entire nation rejoiced and wished the couple a very best of luck for their new innings in life.

Away from marriage, Anushka production venture Phillauri released in March and featured the actress playing the role of a ghost. The movie failed to excite the Box Office but Anushka’s fans loved her portrayal of a cute ghost. Later in the year, she was back romancing Shah Rukh Khan in Jab Harry Met Sejal. However, the movie bombed miserably at the Box Office.

2018: The poster of her upcoming project Pari has already created much excitement among movie enthusiasts. Anushka, looking quite scary in the poster of the movie, has already caught much attention. Pari will be one movie to wait for in 2018. She will also be seen in Sanju. The movie is based on the life of Bollywood superstar Sanjay Dutt.

Alia Bhatt:Alia continued to impress fans and this time with her portrayal of a bold and independent women character in comic movie Badrinath Ki Dulhania. The film also featured Varun Dhawan. Infact, the movie is a sequel to the 2014 release Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. Both Varun and Alia recreated the chemistry they had portrayed in  Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania in 2014.

2018: Alia, who completed five years in the industry this year, will be seen in Meghna Gulzar’s upcoming movie Raazi. Alia will play the role of a Kashmiri girl.The movie is scheduled to release in May and few images from the sets have already circulated all over the social media.

Ajay Devgn: Ajay Devgn turned out to be one of the most successful actors of Bollywood this year. Despite strings of flops in 2016, Ajay and his movies continued to script major success in the year. His releases- Baadshaho and Golmaal Again- both emerged as serious Box Office hits of the year.

2018: Ajay will look forward to continue his golden run at the Box office in 2018 with Raid, Total Dhamaal and an untitled project.

Akshay Kumar: In a year which might not be the best one for Bollywood, as far as Box Office success are concerned, Akshay Kumar kept his strong run intact. Infact, Akshay could now be called Mr. Dependable of Bollywood as all his movies emerged as top grosser. It all started in February with Jolly LLB 2 and continued with Naam Shabana and then Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. With a social message hidden under the funny story-line, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha touched hearts across India and Akshay Kumar once again proved that he is perhaps the best man these days to touch the true chords of patriotism in his own ways.

2018: Akshay will be seen in two major patriotic movies Padman and Gold in 2018. Away from Bollywood he will be appearing as the scary negative character in 2.0, opposite southern superstar Rajinikanth. With images and posters of the movie already touching hearts, release of all these movies are deeply awaited .

Amitabh Bachchan: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan once again recreated the magic onscreen with his appearance in Sarkar 3.

2018: Amitabh Bachchan will be seen sharing the screen space with Rishi Kapoor after a long time in 102 Not Out. He is also a part of the major 2018 release Thugs of Hindostan. The movie will also feature Aamir Khan in the lead role.

Deepika Padukone: Deepika had an eventful 2017 as her Hollywood debut movie xXx: Return of Xander Cage finally hit the silverscreen. Though receiving mixed reviews from critics, the movie emerged as a Box Office success. Deepika as Serena Unger touched hearts, specially her fans in India were left dazzled by their icon. Back in Bollywood, she shook her legs for an item song for Raabta movie.

However, the year ended on a sour note for her when protests by fringe groups forced makers of her big movie Padmavati by Sanjay Leela Bhansali  to postpone the initial December 1 release. The movie also features Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor in lead roles. The movie narrates story of Padmavati, a legendary Rajput queen. Deepika has played the role of Padmavati in the movie.

Emraan Hashmi: He appeared in multiple starrer movie Baadshaho this year. The movie turned out to be one of the most successful releases of the year and Emraan with his appearance in item number Piya More, opposite Sunny Leone, was a talk of the town.

Hrithik Roshan: The Greek God of Bollywood was seen one time this year in Kaabil when his release competed with Shah Rukh Khan’s January release Raees. Hrithik impressed with his performance as the blind man. Though, Raees ultimately won the battle at the Box Office, Hrithik’s movie did not fail to impress fans. However, away from the world of movies, Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut exchanged barbs on their alleged relationship. Things turned so ugly that it was reported that Hrithik even slapped Kangana with a legal notice.

However, matters have remained silent in recent times but it will be tough to say things have died down. 

2018: Hrithik will soon be seen playing the interesting character of educationist Anand Kumar in the biopic Super 30.

Irrfan Khan: From appearing in two comic dramas, to making his first appearance in a Indo-Bangladesh movie, Irrfan remained busy throughout the year. He was first seen in comic movie Hindi Medium which also featured Pakistani actress Saba Qamar. The movie deals wonderfully with the system of education in India and Irrfan and Saba portrayed their characters of ‘Hindi Medium’ parents quite elegantly to make it a rich treat for audience.

Doob, an Indo-Bangladeshi movie, is directed by Bangladeshi filmmaker  Mostofa Sarwar Farooki. The movie received positive reviews from critics in both India and Bangladesh. The movie also made impressive rounds in several film festival across the globe. Irrfan was last seen this year in romantic comedy Qarib Qarib Single, a film that received good reviews and audience appreciation.

Jacqueline Fernandez: Bollywood’s gorgeous beauty Jacqueline Feranandez once again kept the scorers at the Box Office busy by appearing in major hits of the year which included Judwaa 2 and A Gentleman. Jacqueline has proved over the years that she is going to stay in Bollywood, not as one pretty faced lady, but someone who will turn it big at the Box Office too. 

2018: Next year Jacqueline will be seen romancing Sushant Singh Rajput in Drive and then she will team up once again with Salman Khan for Race 3. Jacqueline and Salman had earlier worked together in Kick and it was one of the biggest hits of 2014.

John Abraham: No John did not appear for a single time on the silverscreen this year. However, next year he will return with a bang in Parmanu: The Story Of Pokhran.

Kareena Kapoor: She was away from movies for a long period of time and in 2018 Kareena will finally return with Veere Di Wedding. Teaming up with  Sonam Kapoor and Swara Bhaskar, the movie, specially as it seems from the poster, promises to be one big roller coaster ride for fans.

Katrina Kaif: Her reunion with Ranbir Kapoor for Jagga Jasoos failed miserably at the Box Office, giving Katrina a poor start to the year. However, hopes are high with Tiger Zinda Hai, where she is again be seen romancing Salman Khan. Both have earlier worked in several Box Office rockers. Katrina was also busy posting her glamorous images on social media all throughout the year.

2018: She will be seen opposite Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan in Thugs of Hindostan next year. The film is promising to be one major releases of 2018. 

Nawazuddin Siddiqui:  Haraamkhor, Raees, Jagga Jasoos, Mom, Munna Michael and Babumoshai Bandookbaaz, Nawaz remained one of the most sought after actors of the year. From playing serious roles to belting out proper comic timings and even fighting out the hero as a dancing villain, he did it all and continued impressing fans with his talents. Hopefully, he will continue his strong performance at the Box Office next year as well.

Priyanka Chopra:  Priyanka Chopra continued to remain India’s face in international movie arena for another year and 2017 will always remain special for the former Miss World as she made her Hollywood debut with Baywatch. Though, the movie bombed at the Box Office, but Priyanka impressed us all by playing the bad villain who shared the screen space with Hollywood superstar Dwayne Johnson in the movie. She also appeared in the new season of American TV series Quantico that brought her all the fame internationally. Yes, she was away from Bollywood but she is currently busy shooting her upcoming Hollywood projects which include A Kid Like Jake and Isn't It Romantic?.

Ranbir Kapoor: No, Ranbir Kapoor was unable to impress fans this year. His only release of the year was Jagga Jasoos but that too bombed at the Box Office with his father Rishi Kapoor even blaming the director for the failure of the movie. The movie saw the reunion of Katrina Kaif and Ranbir after a long time but fans could not much appreciate the movie that lacked the punch to rule the business market.

Ranveer Singh: Controversy surrounding his 2017 release Padmavati and the eventual delay of its release made headlines across India in November and early December. The film was scheduled to release on December 1. But protests by a fringe group stopped the release. Ranveer will be seen playing the role of  Alauddin Khilji and posters and trailer of the movie, showing him as the ruthless badshah left everyone in awe.

2018: Ranveer is busy working in several projects like Gully Boy, Simmba  and '83. The poster boy of Bollywood will be seen playing the iconic character of former Indian captain Kapil Dev in the movie 83 which is based on India’s World Cup victory in 1983.  

Saif Ali Khan: Rangoon and then Chef, the Nawab of Bollywood appeared twice on the big screen this year but both the movies could not create much magic and faded fast from memories.

2018: The trailer of his upcoming movie Kaalakaandi  has already hit the social media and from first looks it promises to be one more interesting release  in 2018.

Salman Khan:  The Bollywood rockstar slipped gifting another Eid hit this time as his Tubelight bomabed miserably at the ticket window. This was the first time in many years that Salman’s Eid release could not create much magic and passed away on a disappointing note. However, the year ends with a promise as Salman was back once again, romancing Katrina Kaif, in action-drama spy thriller Tiger Zinda Hai. In the small screen, Salman Khan once again hosted popular reality show Bigg Boss Season 11.

2018: His first look has already been unveiled by makers and Salman Khan, with the gun on his hands, will now appear for the first time in the Race series. Yes, Salman will be a part of the Race3 movie that is going to release next year during May.

Sidharth Malhotra: Among the new boys on the block, Sidharth Malhotra has impressed people with his acting skills in recent times. In fact, he completed five years in the industry in 2017 and this year he was seen in A Gentleman and Ittefaq. Both the movies impressed fans and made money at the Box Office.

2018: Trailer is already out and Sidharth will soon be seen sharing screen space with Manoj Bajpayee in Aiyaary. The movie is scheduled to release on Republic Day next year.

Sushant Singh Rajput: Onscreen MS Dhoni, Sushant was seen once on the big screen romancing Kriti Sanon in Raabta. However, the movie failed at the Box Office and Sushant had to live a year without an impressive run at the Box office.

Shah Rukh Khan: Shah Rukh Khan won the battle against Hrithik Roshan’s Kaabil as his Raees competed to rule the Box Office in January 2017. SRK started the year with a bang as Raees turned out as the first major hits of the year but his much awaited release later in the year, opposite Anushka Sharma and directed by Imtiaz Ali, Jab Harry Met Sejal crashed badly. SRK had also appeared in a cameo appearance in Salman Khan’s Tubelight.

2018: SRK is currently busy working in an untitled project with director Anand L Rai. His KKR will also be back next year on the field as it will attempt to capture the IPL for the third time.

Sunny Leone: Sunny Leone, who came from an unconventional background in Bollywood, appeared in many item numbers this year. It all started with ‘Laila Main Laila’ in January release Raees where she was seen matching the footsteps with SRK and then it went on with Bhoomi and Baadshaho. All the songs became instant hits and Sunny continued her golden dream run in Bollywood. She also appeared in the lead role in Tera Intezaar. However, it could not create much a mark at the Box Office.

Shahid Kapoor: Shahid looked graceful in the graceful images of himself he used to post on Instagram all throughout the year and of course they kept impressing fans. However, his first release of the year Rangoon could not churn out much money at the Box Office and his next Padmavati was not released on December 1 amid controversy. Shahid will need to see when the movie will finally hit the silver screen next year. He has already confirmed he will be working with director Imtiaz Ali. Shahid had made a major mark in Bollywood with Imtiaz directed movie Jab We Met in 2007.

Vidya Balan:  Vidya was back as an RJ in Tumhari Sulu.The  movie with its comic timings touched fans and left them brilliantly impressed.

Varun Dhawan: Completing five years in Bollywood was a special moment that Varun enjoyed this year. The Student of the Year star tasted success single handedly when both his releases Badrinath Ki Dulhania an Judwaa 2 became fast hits at the Box Office. In Badrinath Ki Dulhania, Varun paired up once again with his old classmate  from Student of the Year Alia Bhatt. Varun also stepped into the shoes of Salman Khan when he worked out a Box Office hit with Judwaa 2. 

Special mentions:

Kriti Sanon: Kriti Sanon is probably one new kid on the block who is promising to deliver in future. The beautiful actress might not have impressed much in Raabta but her skills were tasted and delivered well as an actor in her second release of the year Bareilly Ki Barfi. Rising above her gorgeous beauty tag, Kriti proved she knows to act as well. The low budget movie, also featuring Ayushmann Khurrana and  Rajkummar Rao emerged as one surprise hit of the year. The simple story line and impressive acting by lead actors touched millions of movie lovers hearts across India.

Ayushmann Khurrana: The common man’s hero-Ayushmann Khurrana- delivered strong at the Box Office with three rom-coms-Meri Pyaari Bindu, Bareilly Ki Barfi and then Shubh Mangal Savdhan. All the movies, banking heavily on strong storyline made viewers fall in love with them. Fans will surely be waiting for Ayushmann to come out with more such magical performance in upcoming years.

Bhumi Pednekar: Another unconventional Bollywood actress, who had made her Bollywood debut with Dum Laga Ke Haisha in 2015, returned with two major hits of the year. In the first half, Bhumi romanced Akshay in Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and then she went ahead to pair up with Ayushmann Khurrana in their later release Shubh Mangal Savdhan. Both the movie dealt with purely sensitive issues. Today, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha is being considered as one major iconic movies of 2017 as it talked on the serious issue of sanitation system with a comic tone that delivered strongly the message across the country. IT icon Bill Gates called the movie as one major memorable moments of the year. In Shubh Mangal Savdhan, Bhumi and Ayushmann Khurrana united once again and recreated the magic they had delivered in Dum Laga Ke Haisha. The sensitive issue of  Erectile Dysfunction has been wonderfully depicted in the comic movie that left movie goers leave the theatre with a smile on their faces.

Mr Consistent of the Year:

Rajkummar Rao: Breaking the typical benchmark set for being a Bollywood lead actor, Rajkummar Rao, with his simple common man look, delivered as the man who will rule fans hearts for the next few years. Trapped, Behen Hogi Teri, Newton, Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana and then Bose: Dead/Alive, Rajkummar showed his multi dimensional acting skills in all of them.He  took up the challenging role of portraying the character of  Subhas Chandra Bose for the webs series Bose: Dead/Alive and delivered winning all hearts. A genius in front of the camera, Rajkummar Rao will appear in several movies in 2018.