The month of November was full of surprises with genre-bending films like Bhediya and Monica, O My Darling taking over. December comes with a whole new line-up of upcoming Bollywood movies and the calendar is as stacked as it gets. With the festive season rolling in, the month’s most-anticipated titles include An Action Hero – a film that will perhaps see Ayushmann Khurrana break out of his mould. The busy calendar also has Kajol’s Salaam Venky which promises to be a tear-jerker right out of the gate. Taapsee Pannu will be back “dobaara” in a gripping thriller with the psychological thriller Blurr. Later in the month, Govinda Naam Mera featuring Vicky Kaushal, Kiara Advani and Bhumi Pednekar and Cirkus headlined by Ranveer Singh are unmissable star-studded release.
Here are all the upcoming Bollywood movies releasing in December 2022:
Qala
Director: Anvitaa Dutt
Cast: Triptii Dimri, Babil Khan, Swastika Mukherjee, Guru Haryani
The first major release of the month is exciting for two key reasons – (a) The film marks the acting debut of Irrfan Khan’s son Babil Khan and (b) It is also the second collaboration of Triptii Dimri with director Anvitaa Dutt after Bulbbul. Qala is the tale of a talented singer whose rise in the music industry comes with the mounting pressure to succeed.
When: December 1
Where: OTT
An Action Hero
Director: Anirudh Iyer
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Jaideep Ahlawat, Mirabel Stuart, Rachit Jadoun
Ayushmann Khurrana is all set to play against type in his latest outing. An Action Hero will see him play, no point in guessing – an action hero. The actor will essay the role of Manav, a movie star who gets accused of killing a man. While he evades capture and flees to London, Jaideep’s Bhoora is quick to catch up. The film will see the two locked in an exhilarating cat-and-mouse chase.
When: December 2
Where: Theatres
Freddy
Director: Shashanka Ghosh
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Alaya F, Tripti Agarwal, Jeniffer Piccinato
Kartik Aaryan’s last film Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 was a horror-comedy. His next film, Freddy, will see him steer away from his usual goofy, comedy roles. In the thriller, the actor plays Freddy Ginwala, a socially awkward dentist who has a hidden dark side. To sum up the plot, the film’s trailer saw him pull teeth and a dead body teasing a twisted edge-of-the-seat experience. Make that what you will.
When: December 2
Where: OTT
India Lockdown
Director: Madhur Bhandarkar
Cast: Shweta Basu Prasad, Prateik Babbar, Prakash Belawadi, Aahana Kumra, Sai Tamhankar
India Lockdown has a relevant concept and a compelling cast. The film is rooted in true events as it revolves around the COVID-19 pandemic that hit in 2020. It depicts four stories as people from the middle-class and migrants grapple with the world around them coming to a standstill following a government-mandated lockdown. Over the past few years, audiences have seen several portrayals of the pandemic onscreen so it will be interesting to see what the latest addition to the catalogue has to offer in retrospect.
When: December 2
Where: OTT
HIT: The Second Case
Director: Sailesh Kolanu
Cast: Adivi Sesh, Vinni Mobstaz, Rao Ramesh, Tanikella Bharani, Krishna Murali Posani
HIT: The Second Case is perhaps more timely than the makers initially anticipated. The film is about Krishna Dev, a laidback cop who is tasked with solving a gruesome case that bears a resemblance to the recent Delhi murder case of Shraddha Walkar. The upcoming film which is a part of Dr. Sailesh Kolanu’s HIT-verse teases a gripping crime thriller.
When: December 2
Where: Theatres
Salaam Venky
Director: Revathy
Cast: Kajol, Vishal Jethwa, Aamir Khan, Rahul Bose, Rajeev Khandelwal, Aahana Kumra
Kajol will be back on the big screen with Revathy’s next – Salaam Venky. The film is the poignant tale of Sujata (Kajol), a mother and her son (Vishal Jethwa) who suffers from a terminal illness. The tear-jerker that promises a rollercoaster of emotions is based on a true story. The film’s trailer also revealed a cameo by Aamir Khan. This will mark Kajol and Aamir’s onscreen reunion after Fanaa.
When: December 9
Where: Theatres
Blurr
Director: Ajay Bahl
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Gulshan Devaiah, Kruttika Desai, Abhilash Thapliyal
Looks like Taapsee Pannu is back with another twisted thriller after Dobaara. The upcoming film that marks her first as an executive producer will see her in a double role. Blurr follows Gayatri (Taapsee Pannu) a young woman on a mission to uncover the truth behind her twin sister’s mysterious death which is dubbed a suicide. The ringer is that while her sister Gautami had lost her eyesight, Gayatri too is slowly losing her vision. She must get to the truth before she goes blind.
When: December 9
Where: OTT
Pippa
Director: Raja Krishna Menon
Cast: Ishaan Khatter, Mrunal Thakur, Soni Razdan, Priyanshu Painyuli
It isn’t much known about Pippa, but we do know that the film is based on the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War. The film is based on the novel The Burning Chaffees by Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta who has written an account of true events. The film will see Phone Bhoot star Ishaan Khatter play Captain Mehta who fought alongside his siblings on the frontlines. The film will also see Mrunal Thakur play his sister while Soni Razdan will play his onscreen mother.
When: December 9
Where: Theatres
Maarrich
Director: Dhruv Lather
Cast: Tusshar Kapoor, Anita Hassanandani Reddy, Naseeruddin Shah, Rahul Dev
December has a fair share of thrillers and one of them is Maarrich. The film is Tusshar Kapoor’s comeback to acting after quite some time. In it, he plays a cop tasked with investigating two brutal murders that send shockwaves across the nation.
When: December 9
Where: Theatres
Vadh
Director: Jaspal Singh Sandhu and Rajeev Barnwal
Cast: Neena Gupta, Sanjay Mishra
Headlined by powerful performers, Vadh tells the story of a middle-class couple’s struggle to survive. The film teases a hauntingly grim story as the husband confesses to committing a murder. While Neena Gupta is best known for films like Badhaai Ho and the recently released Uunchaai and Sanjay Mishra was last seen in a comedy role in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, the actors’ casting in a dark movie opens up interesting possibilities.
When: December 9
Where: Theatres
Govinda Naam Mera
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Kiara Advani, Bhumi Pednekar, Viraj Ghelani, Dayanand Shetty
Plot twist – Govinda Naam Mera is a comedy thriller! The film starring an impressive cast line-up including Vicky Kaushal, Kiara Advani and Bhumi Pednekar surprised viewers when the trailer arrived. The plot follows the titular Govinda, a struggling choreographer. His wife Gauri (Bhumi) is having an affair and he has a girlfriend Suku (Kiara). But their lives are thrown into chaos when Govinda gets embroiled in a murder case.
When: December 16
Where: OTT
Cirkus
Director: Rohit Shetty
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Pooja Hegde, Jacqueline Fernandez, Johnny Lever, Sanjay Mishra
A Rohit Shetty-directed movie about a circus culture inspired by the 1982 film Angoor was not on our 2022 bingo card but here we are. Set in the ’60s, Cirkus will see Ranveer Singh take on a double role. The film which also features Pooja Hegde, Jacqueline Fernandez, Varun Sharma and others in pivotal roles follows a Cirkus manager and his troop of gymnasts as they navigate a dying industry.
When: December 23
Where: Theatres
December is a mixed bag with quite a few popcorn entertainers, however, thrillers are clearly set to dominate at the box office and on streaming. Looks like movie buffs are in for a thrilling festive season.
In case you missed it, here are some romantic Bollywood movies to add to your watchlist: