2016 will have the three Khans in never-seen-before avatars. B-Town's Gen-Y has some promising releases, too. Here's a lowdown on how much moolah is riding on some of the A-league actors
Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Kangana Ranaut, Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan
Bollywood's 2016 calendar seems exciting with a heady mix of biopics, thrillers, rom-coms, period dramas and actioners. The first week will unfold with a big-banner film, 'Wazir' starring Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar. Unlike 2015, this year will have the three Khans — Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir — gracing the silver screen in never-seen-before avatars. B-Town's Gen-Y has some promising releases, too. And when one talks of mega projects, numbers come into play. Here's a lowdown on how much moolah is riding on some of the A-league actors:
Katrina Kaif
The bet: Rs 130–150 cr
Lowdown: 'Phantom', her only release in 2015, received mixed response and barely touched the Rs 55-crore mark in the domestic market. 2016 promises to be big for her with two exciting films lined up for release — Abhishek Kapoor's 'Fitoor' and 'Jagga Jasoos' with beau Ranbir Kapoor.
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Akshay Kumar
The bet: Rs 200–230 cr
Lowdown: He is the only star who does at least four films annually and rarely does he miss bull's eye at the box office. In 2016, the actor has three Hindi films including Raja Krishna Menon's 'Airlift', Sajid-Farhad's 'Housefull 3' and Neeraj Pandey's 'Rustom'. That apart, he will be seen in the Rajinikanth-starrer 'Robot 2'.
Shah Rukh Khan
The bet: Rs 140–150 cr
Lowdown: The superstar's sole outing in 2015, 'Dilwale', broke into the Rs 100-crore club and is doing exceptionally well in the overseas market. This year, however, he will be aiming bigger with two much-anticipated releases — Maneesh Sharma's 'Fan' and Rahul Dholakia's 'Raees'.
Kangana Ranaut
The bet: Rs 70 cr
Lowdown: Last year, Kangana tasted success with 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns', but her other two films, 'Katti Batti' and 'I Love New Year' (with Sunny Deol which was shot several years ago but released last year, much to her displeasure) hardly found takers. We hear the actress has now decided to do one film per year. So, Vishal Bhardwaj's 'Rangoon' with Shahid Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan might be her only release in 2016.
Sushant Singh Rajput
The bet: Rs 120–150 cr
Lowdown: After a not-so-great last year as 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!' failed to impress the audience despite critical acclaim, Sushant is looking at 2016 with renewed hope. After all, he will be seen in the highly anticipated biopic on Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He also has Dinesh Vijan's untitled next with Kriti Sanon.
Kareena Kapoor Khan
The bet: Rs 90–100 cr
Lowdown: While Bebo basked in the success of 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' last year, she is set to have a bigger 2016 with two films slated to hit the marquee. One is Abhishek Chaubey's 'Udta Punjab' and the other, R Balki's 'Ki and Ka'.
Aamir Khan
The bet: Rs 130 cr
Lowdown: Mr Perfectionist prefers to do one film per year, but he was MIA in 2015 — except that he did a voiceover for Zoya Akhtar's 'Dil Dhadakne Do' (for Pluto Mehra, a bullmastiff). This year end, he will be seen playing a wrestling coach in Nitesh Tiwari's 'Dangal'.
Ajay Devgn
The bet: Rs 60–70 cr
Lowdown: The actor had a decent 2015 with 'Drishyam' doing average business at the box office. This Diwali, the actor will grace the 70mm screens with his directorial venture, 'Shivaay'. Newcomer Sayesha Saigal has been cast opposite him.
Priyanka Chopra
The bet: Rs 30–35 cr
Lowdown: Although busy with the shoot of her American TV series 'Quantico', PeeCee was seen on the silver screen twice and her X'mas outing, 'Bajirao Mastani' continues to be a big draw. But this year, she has decided to go slow with only one release — Prakash Jha's 'Jai Gangaajal' in which she will be seen as a firebrand cop.
Anushka Sharma
The bet: Rs 100–110 cr
Lowdown: Last year, this actress turned producer with 'NH10' and went on to do two more films after that — 'Bombay Velvet', a BO disaster, and 'Dil Dhadakne Do', which had an ensemble cast and did quite well at ticket counters. In 2016, she seems to be taking it easy with just one film, Karan Johar's next 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'.
Salman Khan
The bet: Rs 90–100 cr
Lowdown: For the 'Dabangg' star, last year was super successful. While 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' grossed upwards of Rs 300 crore, 'Prem Ratan Dhan Payo' made around Rs 210 crore. He is now gearing up for his big release, 'Sultan' in which he plays a wrestler. Slated for an Eid release, the film will clash with SRK's 'Raees'.
Hrithik Roshan
The bet: Rs 110 cr
Lowdown: In 2015, he went missing from the big screen and shot for Ashutosh Gowariker's dream project 'Mohenjo Daro', which will be his only release this year. Being a period drama, the budget is quite high. Hrithik has been paired opposite newbie Pooja Hegde.
Alia Bhatt
The bet: Rs 100–120 cr
Lowdown: Her pairing with Shahid Kapoor in Shaandaar may not have worked last year, but this pretty face will be seen with him again in 'Udta Punjab' this year. Her other release will be 'Kapoor & Sons', from the stable of her mentor Karan Johar's Dharma Productions.
Ranbir Kapoor
The bet: Rs 150–200 cr
Lowdown: He went missing from the scene in 2014 and last year didn't exactly prove fruitful for him. 2015's biggest dud, 'Bombay Velvet' belonged to this rising star. He did a cameo in 'Roy', which also bombed at the box office and Imtiaz Ali's 'Tamasha' did just about average business (R61 crore). This year, he will be seen in diverse avatars — a detective in Anurag Basu's 'Jagga Jasoos' and a romantic in Karan Johar's 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'.
Shahid Kapoor
The bet: Rs 100–120 cr
Lowdown: 2015 was memorable for Shahid from a personal point of view (he got married), but on professional front, it was quite forgettable with Vikas Bahl's 'Shaandaar' biting the dust. This year, he has two big releases — Abhishek Chaubey's 'Udta Punjab' and Vishal Bhardwaj's 'Rangoon'.
Sonam Kapoor
The bet: Rs 30 cr
Lowdown: After a successful 2015 courtesy 'Prem Ratan Dhan Payo', she is gearing up for 'Neerja', a biopic on braveheart Neerja Bhanot, who lost her life while rescuing passengers on board an ill-fated Pan Am flight which was hijacked.
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