Star power on pause: Why Bollywood is holding back on new film projects in 2025
New announcements are down by 70% compared to an average year, especially a pre-covid year. The number of star-led Hindi language films stood at 33 in 2023, 34 in 2024 and 39 in 2025.
NEW DELHI : Even as a handful of blockbusters and sleeper mid-budget films lit up the box office in 2025, major announcements from popular Hindi film actors have been conspicuously missing, suggesting that few new projects have gone on the floors.
While Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor are working on films announced earlier and long in the making, Aamir Khan and others have not signed new films. Many have instead chosen to don the producer’s hat.
Even female stars like Alia Bhatt are waiting to see how big-budget films slated for 2026 fare at the box office before making new moves.
New announcements are down by 70% compared to an average year, especially a pre-covid year. The number of star-led Hindi language films stood at 33 in 2023, 34 in 2024 and 39 in 2025.
No risk policy
Experts say sentiments around high-risk titles have remained soft, and in many cases, filmmakers have struggled to convince top stars to forego unreasonably high fees.
“Everyone is worried and cautious at the moment. Over-the-top (OTT) content platforms are no longer buying films as they used to and linking rights to the box office, which remains unpredictable. Makers are questioning existing models and stories," said film producer and distributor Yusuf Shaikh, also founder and chief executive of low-cost theatre chain Janta Cinema.
Shaikh added that the failure of big-budget titles like Yash Raj Films’ War 2 has proven that seemingly safe bets can also misfire, and nothing substandard will lure audiences to cinemas. Further, exorbitant ticket rates in multiplexes have alienated several segments from the theatre-going experience, while the elite who can afford it have too many options to choose from.
To be sure, Bollywood has seen a few bona fide success stories this year. Period drama Chhaava ( ₹600.10 crore), romantic drama Saiyaara ( ₹337.78 crore) and action film Dhurandhar ( ₹640.20 crore), besides a few mid-budget hits such as Tere Ishk Mein ( ₹111.94 crore), and Sitaare Zameen Par ( ₹165.67 crore) remain outliers in an ecosystem fraught with misfires.
The risk of putting together a theatrical outing remains quite high, according to experts, as the cost often doesn’t match monetization possibilities. Film producer, trade, and exhibition expert Girish Johar said with satellite television and OTT sales having dipped, films have to depend entirely on making the cut in cinemas, accounting for high ticket rates and the appeal of content for audiences.
“Major green-lighting hasn’t taken place this year. That said, there is hope for equilibrium in 2026 as big star films (announced earlier) are slated for release," Johar said. These, including Shah Rukh Khan’s King and Ranbir Kapoor’s Ramayana, could help generate positive buzz and momentum, he added.
Film producer Shariq Patel agreed things have been mostly quiet on the film announcement front for two years in a row now. “A lot of things are on pause and not activated yet. But that could change as a lot of the older catalogue will get released and exhausted by next year, so the likes of Netflix and Prime Video too may start loosening purse strings a bit because their premium web originals only release once in maybe two years," Patel added.
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