Allu Arjun’s Pushpa The Rule beats Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan, Salman Khan’s Tiger 3 on list of most-awaited ‘Hindi’ films

The coming 12 months are big for Hindi cinema with several big-budget, star-laden films lined up. The anticipation is high and fans and industry insiders are all hoping for these films to ‘revive’ Bollywood. However, a new report suggests that it is a film from the South that is the most-awaited ‘Hindi’ film right now, beating titles featuring heavyweights such as Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. The report puts Allu Arjun’s Pushpa: The Rule at the top of the list of most-awaited Hindi films right now. Also read: Producer denies reports of Arjun Kapoor starring in Pushpa sequel

Pushpa: The Rule, starring Allu Arjun, Fahadh Faasil, and Rashmika Mandanna, is the sequel to the 2021 blockbuster Pushpa: The Rise and is slated to release early next year. The Telugu film will release in Hindi as well as other south languages too. The first part’s Hindi-dubbed version had been a huge success, grossing over ₹100 crore on its own. That is why, anticipation for the sequel is also high.

A recent report by Ormax Media puts Pushpa 2 at number one on the list of most-awaited Hindi films. The report has considered “only films releasing Dec 2022 onwards whose trailer has not released yet have been considered”. Interestingly Pushpa 2, though not a native Hindi film, has beaten Shah Rukh Khan’s much-anticipated comeback venture Pathaan, which sits at the second spot. At the third spot is Salman Khan’s spy thriller Tiger 3. The top five is then rounded off by Shah Rukh’s other two films in 2023–Jawan and Dunki.

Many fans said the list was a testament to Allu Arjun’s pan-India stardom. “Beating the mighty Khans, this shows what a star Allu Arjun is pan-India now,” read a comment. Others, mostly Shah Rukh fans, were a little sceptical about the list. “Every day Pathaan has been tredning on Twitter and they say Pushpa 2 is more awaited,” tweeted a fan.

Pushpa 2 recently began filming with a muhurat shot last month. No release date has been announced so far but the Sukumar directorial is set to bring back the principal cast. The makers have promised fans that it will be ‘bigger and better’.

Pathaan, also starring Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, will release on January 25, 2023. Tiger 3, which also stars Katrina Kaif and reportedly has a cameo from Shah Rukh, is set to hit the screens on Diwali next year.