High-octane action thrillers cinephiles are waiting for in 2023

Here is our pick of some of the most eagerly awaited big-budget thrillers of the year:

Hyderabad: It is raining action capers in 2023 and trade analysts are anticipating an avalanche of hits at the box-office. Here is our pick of some of the most eagerly awaited big-budget thrillers of the year:

Pathaan

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With over 40 million views in just two days, this YRF cliff-hanger is already creating huge waves across social media and has enjoyed record-breaking advance ticket sales in Germany. Shah Rukh Khan, who is returning to the silver screen for the first time after 2018, plays the titular role of a RAW field agent who comes back from a self-imposed exile to nullify a threat to India’s sovereignty. The film directed by Siddharth Anand, is part of YRF’s spy universe and also stars Deepika Padukone, John Abraham, Ashutosh Rana and Dimple Kapadia. Rumours are rife that ‘Pathaan’, to be released on January 25, will also see Salman Khan in a cameo appearance.

Tiger 3

The details of the third instalment of this hugely successful YRF franchise are still under wraps but if trade reports are to be believed, this Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif spy thriller is expected to get the cash registers ringing like never before when it releases on November 3. The cross-border love story, directed by Maneesh Sharma, has been shot in multiple foreign locations and will again be marked by nail-biting action sequences. Aditya Chopra and Shridhar Raghavan are said to have written the film and the grapevine is rife that Shah Rukh Khan will have an extended cameo in ‘Tiger 3’!

Kabzaa

After making successful forays in Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati films with a slew of hits, veteran producer Anand Pandit is now making his debut in Kannada cinema with a breathtaking multi-starrer headlined by Upendra, Kichcha Sudeep and Shriya Saran. Touted as a period caper that journeys from pre-Independence years to the ’80s, the film is lavishly mounted and is directed by R Chandru. It narrates how the son of a Gandhian finds himself trapped in mafia wars and fights a relentless battle for survival. The film is expected to release in 2023 and promises to be as big a hit as some of the recent Kannada blockbusters like the ‘KGF’ franchise and ‘Kantara’.

Salaar

The ‘Baahubali’ of big-budget blockbusters, Prabhas returns in and as ‘Salaar’, a Prashanth Neel directorial with Shruti Hasaan and Prithviraj Sukumaran, and fans cannot wait for September 28 when the film will hit the big screen. The action thriller depicts bloody gang wars and follows the journey of our hero as he honours a promise made to his dying friend and goes after the baddies in a spectacular fashion. ‘Salaar’ is produced by Hombale Films.