As the New Year 2022 has just started, filmmakers, moviegoers, and trade analysts are keenly waiting to watch who the Bollywood Khan trio will offer to the audience this year.

Bollywood Astrologer cum Business Transformation Expert Hirav Shah says, “Can Bollywood, battered for nearly two years by Covid, get back on its feet and hit the magic 2019 box office figure of Rs 11,000 crore? This is the question on everyone’s mind. Last week, the industry was cautiously hopeful that it could do so by calendar 2022. And the reason for the optimism is the unprecedented response to Rohit Shetty-directed Sooryavanshi, the first big-budget film (Rs 270 crore) to release after a 19-month hiatus on the big screen. The film did moderately well but couldn’t get the numbers that were a norm for such huge movies in the pre-covid era.”

Shah adds, “Films like 83, Bell Bottom, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, and some other films didn’t do well, which makes people think the audience isn’t ready to watch movies in theatres unless the content is extraordinary. A slew of releases is set to revive the movie business with its sassy content and rousing entertainment quotient. But will it be the Khans again who will revive the industry…we will have to wait and see.”

Hirav Shah says, “It is well-known that Mr. Perfectionist Aamir Khan is working on a movie titled Laal Singh Chaddha. The film is an official remake of the Hollywood film Forrest Gump and is scheduled for an April 14, 2022 release. Being directed by Aamir Khan’s manager Advait Chandan, the film also marks the Bollywood debut for Tollywood actor Naga Chaitanya. He plays a key role in the movie and has Kareena Kapoor in the female lead role.

On the other hand, Bollywood Baadshah Shah Rukh Khan is doing a Spy thriller titled Pathan under the direction of talented director Siddharth Anand. The film also has Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in key roles. While star hero Salman Khan is doing an extended cameo in the movie, Pathan is expected to hit the screens in the next couple of months. The film marks the 50th-anniversary project for the Yash Raj Films banner and is generating huge buzz among moviegoers.

Last but not least, Megastar Salman Khan’s highly-anticipated film, Tiger 3, is also expected to be out by this year’s end as a Christmas festival special. Said to be the third outing from the successful Ek Tha Tiger franchise, the film is also produced by Yash Raj Films and has Emraan Hashmi and Katrina Kaif in prominent roles. While Aditya Chopra and his team are providing the story for the film, the director team of Yash Raj Films compound is directing the film.”

Hirav Shah says, “One common question that is doing rounds among the Bollywood trade and business analysts is whether the Khan trio will bounce back this year and produce the highest-grossing films in 2022 or not. At the time when the South stars like Prabahs, Allu Arjun, Yash, and eventually NTR and Ram Charan take over the Bollywood fandom with their magnificent performances, will the three Khan’s be able to impress the audience and prove their star stamina yet again?”

It remains to be seen.