From ‘Jawan’ To ‘Baahubali’: 20 Interval Twists That Changed Everything
From ‘Jawan’ and ‘Baahubali’ to ‘Drishyam’ and ‘Baashha’, these 20 Indian films delivered midpoint twists that completely rewrote the story.
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In Indian cinema, the interval is rarely just permission to stretch your legs and buy overpriced popcorn. In the hands of a clever filmmaker, it becomes a storytelling weapon – the precise moment when an ally becomes an enemy, a harmless man reveals a dangerous past or the film quietly changes genres while the audience is standing in the snack queue. The finest interval twists do more than manufacture applause. They force viewers to reconsider everything they have just watched and return for the second half with an entirely different set of expectations.
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From ‘Jawan’ unveiling its second Shah Rukh Khan to ‘Baashha’ letting Rajinikanth’s buried identity explode onto the screen, these Indian films knew exactly how to make interval feel less like a break and more like a warning.
Spoilers are now officially off the leash: the major midpoint revelations of every film below are discussed.
1. Jawan
Released on September 7, 2023, Atlee’s ‘Jawan’ starred Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi, Sanya Malhotra, Priyamani and Deepika Padukone in a special appearance. The film had already introduced SRK’s Azad as a jailer with an unusually committed team of inmates, but its interval block dramatically enlarged the game. When arms dealer Kalee’s men overpower Azad, a bandaged, cigar-smoking stranger storms in to save him. The rescuer is Vikram Rathore – Azad’s father and Shah Rukh’s second principal character.
One SRK had suddenly become two, while a vigilante thriller had opened the door to a sprawling father-son revenge saga. The reveal also turned the first half’s scattered references into pieces of Vikram’s buried history. ‘Jawan’ earned approximately Rs 640.25 crore net in India and Rs 1,160 crore worldwide, becoming one of the biggest Indian films ever.
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2. Hi Nanna
Shouryuv’s Telugu romantic drama ‘Hi Nanna’ released on December 7, 2023, starring Nani, Mrunal Thakur, Kiara Khanna, Jayaram and Angad Bedi. For much of its opening half, Yashna appears to be a kind stranger who becomes unexpectedly invested in Viraj and his daughter Mahi. Viraj, meanwhile, refuses to tell Mahi anything substantial about her absent mother, Varsha.
The midpoint gradually unlocks the truth: Yashna is Varsha, Viraj’s wife and Mahi’s mother, who lost her memories after an accident. Suddenly, her instinctive connection with the child no longer feels coincidental, and Viraj’s guarded behaviour acquires a much more painful meaning. What looked like a new romance becomes a story about a family unknowingly finding its way back to itself. The film collected approximately Rs 49.22 crore net in India and Rs 76.35 crore worldwide.
3. Dasara
Released on March 30, 2023, Srikanth Odela’s ‘Dasara’ starred Nani, Keerthy Suresh, Dheekshith Shetty, Shine Tom Chacko and Samuthirakani. Its first half spends considerable time establishing the friendship between Dharani and Suri, Suri’s marriage to Vennela and the violent politics surrounding their coal-mining village.
Then the wedding celebrations turn into a nightmare. Masked attackers ambush the group and brutally kill Suri, transforming a dusty friendship drama into a blood-soaked revenge story. Dharani, previously the hesitant friend who hid behind Suri, must now confront both the killers and his own suppressed feelings for Vennela. The shock works because Suri is not treated as disposable motivation; his friendship remains the emotional ghost haunting everything that follows. ‘Dasara’ earned around Rs 81.93 crore net in India and Rs 118.50 crore worldwide.
4. Vikram
Lokesh Kanagaraj’s ‘Vikram’, released on June 3, 2022, featured Kamal Haasan, Fahadh Faasil, Vijay Sethupathi, Narain and Kalidas Jayaram, with Suriya appearing as Rolex. The film initially presents Kamal’s Karnan as an apparently ordinary man murdered by a masked vigilante group. Fahadh’s Amar is hired to investigate the killings, while the audience is encouraged to wonder why so much mystery surrounds a supposedly dead civilian.
The interval delivers the answer in thunderous fashion: Karnan is alive, and he is actually Vikram, the veteran agent from the supposedly dismantled 1986 black-ops squad. The murder was part of an elaborate deception. With that reveal, Amar’s investigation turns into Vikram’s war against Sandhanam’s drug empire and the film formally expands Lokesh’s interconnected cinematic universe. It collected approximately Rs 247.32 crore net in India and Rs 414.43 crore worldwide.
5. Petta
Released on January 10, 2019, Karthik Subbaraj’s ‘Petta’ starred Rajinikanth, Vijay Sethupathi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Simran, Trisha, M Sasikumar and Bobby Simha. At first, Rajinikanth’s Kaali appears to be an unusually resourceful hostel warden who enjoys restoring discipline with swagger, sunglasses and an alarming command over improvised weapons.
The midpoint pulls away that harmless disguise. Kaali is Petta Velan, a man carrying a violent history involving his friend Malik, Malik’s son Anwar and the ruthless Singaar Singh. His hostel job was not a peaceful new beginning but part of a much longer mission. The revelation lets Subbaraj turn an entertaining campus action film into a revenge drama designed around Rajinikanth’s screen mythology. ‘Petta’ earned approximately Rs 134.60 crore net in India and Rs 232.92 crore worldwide.
6. Mersal
Atlee’s ‘Mersal’ arrived on October 18, 2017, with Vijay in three roles alongside Nithya Menen, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kajal Aggarwal, SJ Suryah and Sathyaraj. The first half deliberately makes the identities of doctor Maaran and magician Vetri appear interchangeable. When crimes are connected to a man bearing Maaran’s face, the authorities naturally believe they have found their suspect.
The interval-area reveal establishes that Maaran and Vetri are two different men – and brothers pursuing the same corrupt medical system from opposite directions. Maaran fights malpractice as a doctor, while Vetri uses illusion, spectacle and murder. That double-act then opens into the story of their father, Vetrimaaran, completing Vijay’s triple-role showcase. ‘Mersal’ became the first Vijay film widely reported to cross Rs 250 crore worldwide.
7. 24
Released on May 6, 2016, Vikram Kumar’s science-fiction thriller ‘24’ starred Suriya as scientist Sethuraman, villainous twin Athreya and watch mechanic Mani. Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Nithya Menen, Saranya Ponvannan and Ajay played important supporting roles. By the midpoint, Mani has discovered a watch capable of freezing and reversing time – but he has no idea that the wheelchair-bound Athreya has spent decades searching for it.
Mani takes a replica to Athreya, who recognises that he must possess the original. Athreya attacks him, chops off his hand, kills him and finally gets the watch. Then comes the second punch: Athreya activates it and wakes up 24 hours earlier, meaning Mani is alive again. In one sequence, the film kills its hero, demonstrates the machine’s limit and resets the conflict. The makers announced that ‘24’ crossed Rs 100 crore worldwide within 18 days.
8. Baahubali: The Beginning
SS Rajamouli’s ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’ released on July 10, 2015, starring Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan, Sathyaraj and Nassar. Shivudu’s adventure initially resembles the story of an unusually powerful villager climbing towards an unknown kingdom. After entering Mahishmati and beheading Bhallaladeva’s son Bhadra, however, he comes face-to-face with Kattappa.
Instead of killing him, Kattappa falls to his knees and recognises the face of Baahubali. The crowd follows, chanting the name as Bhallaladeva watches in horror. The moment reveals Shivudu’s royal identity as Mahendra Baahubali and sends the narrative backwards into the extraordinary history of his father, Amarendra. A personal adventure suddenly becomes an epic about a stolen throne and an entire kingdom’s memory. The film earned roughly Rs 421 crore net in India and Rs 650 crore worldwide.
9. Drishyam
Released on July 31, 2015, Nishikant Kamat’s Hindi adaptation of ‘Drishyam’ starred Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shriya Saran, Ishita Dutta, Mrunal Jadhav and Rajat Kapoor. The film begins as a quiet portrait of cable operator Vijay Salgaonkar and his family. That domestic calm ends when Anju is secretly filmed and blackmailed by Sam, the son of Inspector General Meera Deshmukh.
During a confrontation, Anju strikes Sam while trying to destroy his phone and accidentally kills him. From that moment, the movie changes species. Vijay constructs an elaborate alibi, planting dates, tickets, receipts and memories so convincingly that even his frightened family begins to inhabit his manufactured timeline. The mystery is no longer who committed the crime; it is whether Vijay can make the truth impossible to prove. The film earned approximately Rs 67.14 crore net in India and Rs 110.40 crore worldwide.
10. Jigarthanda
Karthik Subbaraj’s ‘Jigarthanda’, released on August 1, 2014, starred Siddharth, Bobby Simha, Lakshmi Menon and Karunakaran. Aspiring filmmaker Karthik travels to Madurai to secretly study the terrifying gangster Assault Sethu for a movie. It feels like a tense research mission until the recording device planted by Karthik exposes him and his friend Oorani.
Being caught should mean death. Instead, Sethu becomes fascinated by the prospect of having his life turned into cinema – and eventually insists on playing himself. The power equation flips completely: the filmmaker can no longer merely observe the gangster because the gangster has invaded the film. What began as a dangerous crime thriller gradually mutates into a wicked comedy about acting, ego and the strange ability of cinema to rehabilitate an image.
11. 1: Nenokkadine
Released on January 10, 2014, Sukumar’s psychological thriller ‘1: Nenokkadine’ starred Mahesh Babu, Kriti Sanon, Nassar, Pradeep Rawat and Kelly Dorji. Mahesh plays rock musician Gautham, whose memories are fragmented by a psychological condition. He believes three men murdered his parents, but the people around him repeatedly demonstrate that the enemies he sees may be hallucinations.
At the interval, Gautham shoots businessman Antonio Rosarius, also known as Kelly, in a washroom. Sameera arrives and confirms that this man is real. That single confirmation rearranges the film: Gautham’s mind may be unreliable, but the conspiracy is not entirely imaginary. From there, his confused visions become clues to an actual childhood crime rather than symptoms to be dismissed. The film struggled commercially; contemporary trade reporting placed its worldwide distributor share above Rs 28 crore – a share figure, not gross revenue.
12. Dhoom 3
Vijay Krishna Acharya’s ‘Dhoom 3’ released on December 20, 2013, starring Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Katrina Kaif, Uday Chopra and Jackie Shroff. Aamir’s Sahir is introduced as a magician and thief waging a theatrical vendetta against the bank he blames for his father’s death. Jai shoots Sahir during a chase, seemingly giving the police the evidence required to catch him.
Yet Sahir subsequently appears without the expected injury. The impossible escape leads to the real trick: there are two brothers, Sahir and Samar. Sahir is the calculating architect of the robberies, while Samar possesses the physical abilities necessary to execute their most astonishing illusions. A conventional cops-versus-thief chase becomes a story about twins who have spent their lives functioning as a single magic act. ‘Dhoom 3’ collected approximately Rs 284.27 crore net in India and Rs 556.74 crore worldwide.
13. Ek Tha Tiger
Released on August 15, 2012, Kabir Khan’s ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ starred Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Ranvir Shorey, Girish Karnad and Roshan Seth. Salman’s RAW agent Tiger is sent to Dublin to monitor an Indian scientist suspected of sharing information with Pakistan. He soon falls for the scientist’s charming caretaker, Zoya, briefly allowing romance to replace espionage.
Then Tiger discovers Zoya raiding the scientist’s home and learns that she is an ISI operative. The love interest is not an innocent bystander caught in a spy story; she is the rival spy. Their romance immediately becomes both more dangerous and more interesting, because national loyalty now stands directly between two people trained to deceive each other. The reveal established the emotional engine that would drive the entire ‘Tiger’ franchise. The film earned approximately Rs 198.78 crore net in India and Rs 334.39 crore worldwide.
14. Magadheera
SS Rajamouli’s ‘Magadheera’ released on July 31, 2009, starring Ram Charan, Kajal Aggarwal, Dev Gill and Srihari. Harsha’s accidental touch with Indu triggers flashes of another lifetime, but he cannot understand why she feels so familiar or why his body suddenly appears to remember the instincts of a warrior.
The spectacular helicopter confrontation near the interval makes that connection impossible for Harsha to ignore. His unexplained reflexes and visions point towards Kala Bhairava, the warrior he was four centuries earlier, and the second half dives fully into the 1609 story of Bhairava, Princess Mithravinda and the treacherous Ranadev Billa. It is a revelation primarily for the protagonist rather than a secret withheld completely from viewers, but it radically shifts the movie from contemporary romance into reincarnation epic. ‘Magadheera’ reportedly grossed approximately Rs 150 crore worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Telugu film of its time.
15. Race
Released on March 21, 2008, Abbas-Mustan’s ‘Race’ starred Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu, Katrina Kaif, Anil Kapoor and Sameera Reddy. The first half establishes Ranvir as the powerful older brother and Rajiv as his resentful, alcoholic sibling. Sonia appears to love Ranvir, but agrees to marry Rajiv, seemingly placing herself at the centre of an increasingly poisonous rivalry.
The interval proves that practically everyone has been lying. Sonia is secretly working with Rajiv, and the pair apparently succeeds in murdering Ranvir for his insurance money. The presumed hero is dead, the romantic triangle is a conspiracy and the supposedly weaker brother appears to have won. Of course, this is an Abbas-Mustan thriller, so even that “truth” comes with several trapdoors underneath it. ‘Race’ collected approximately Rs 60.83 crore net in India and Rs 103.68 crore worldwide.
16. Om Shanti Om
Farah Khan’s ‘Om Shanti Om’ released on November 9, 2007, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Arjun Rampal, Shreyas Talpade and Kirron Kher. Junior artiste Om Prakash Makhija adores superstar Shantipriya, only to discover that producer Mukesh Mehra has secretly married her. When Shanti threatens to expose him, Mukesh traps her inside a burning film set. Om attempts to save her but dies from his injuries.
Most films would treat that as the climax. ‘Om Shanti Om’ treats it as halftime. Om is reborn as superstar Om Kapoor, allowing the film to leap three decades forward and change from a 1970s industry romance into a reincarnation revenge comedy. The tragedy remains intact, but it returns wearing designer sunglasses and surrounded by movie stars. The film earned approximately Rs 78.17 crore net in India and Rs 148.16 crore worldwide.
17. Fanaa
Released on May 26, 2006, Kunal Kohli’s ‘Fanaa’ starred Aamir Khan, Kajol, Rishi Kapoor, Kirron Kher and Tabu. The first half appears to be a sweeping romance between visually impaired Zooni and charismatic tour guide Rehan. He helps her embrace independence and pursue surgery, only for news to arrive that he has been killed in a terrorist bombing.
The interval reveals that Rehan is alive – and that the flirtatious guide was a cover for a militant operative. Years later, he unknowingly seeks shelter with Zooni and the son he never knew existed. The revelation does not merely darken Rehan; it turns the second half into a conflict between love and duty in which Zooni must eventually decide whether the man she mourned is also the threat she must stop. ‘Fanaa’ earned approximately Rs 51.87 crore net in India and Rs 102.84 crore worldwide.
18. Vikramarkudu
SS Rajamouli’s ‘Vikramarkudu’ released on June 23, 2006, starring Ravi Teja in a dual role alongside Anushka Shetty, Brahmanandam, Ajay and Vineet Kumar. The opening portion follows petty thief Athili Sathi Babu, whose carefree life becomes baffling when strangers mistake him for someone else and a young girl insists that he is her father.
The mystery explodes when the real man appears: IPS officer Vikram Singh Rathore, a mortally weakened but still ferocious policeman. Rathore’s arrival and battle with his pursuers explain the mistaken identity, after which his colleague narrates the officer’s war against a brutal criminal regime. The film then asks its comic thief to inherit the dead policeman’s face, responsibilities and unfinished revenge.
19. Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai
Released on January 14, 2000, Rakesh Roshan’s ‘Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai’ introduced Hrithik Roshan and Ameesha Patel, with Anupam Kher, Dalip Tahil, Mohnish Bahl and Ashish Vidyarthi in supporting roles. The film spends its early stretch convincing audiences that Rohit and Sonia are destined for a conventional musical romance – until Rohit witnesses a murder and is himself killed.
A devastated Sonia travels to New Zealand, where she encounters Raj Chopra, a man with Rohit’s face but a completely different life. The dead romantic hero has apparently walked back into the movie, but this is not reincarnation or miraculous survival. Raj is a lookalike who eventually helps Sonia investigate Rohit’s death. Hrithik’s double role allowed the film to restart its romance while simultaneously becoming a murder thriller. It collected approximately Rs 44.28 crore net in India and Rs 67.48 crore worldwide.
20. Baashha
Suresh Krissna’s ‘Baashha’ released on January 12, 1995, starring Rajinikanth, Nagma, Raghuvaran, Anandaraj and Janagaraj. Manickam appears to be a mild-mannered Chennai autorickshaw driver who avoids violence even when humiliated. His restraint looks like weakness – until threats against his family begin tearing open the identity he has worked hard to bury.
The famous midpoint transformation reveals that Manickam was once Manik Baashha, a feared Bombay underworld figure capable of terrifying criminals merely by stating his name. From that point, every earlier act of submission is reinterpreted as discipline rather than cowardice. The film effectively created one of Tamil cinema’s most durable superstar templates: the quiet ordinary man with a volcanic past. A dependable standardised lifetime gross is not available in the preferred databases, but its extraordinary theatrical run lasted nearly 15 months.
The best interval twists are not simply surprises pasted onto a screenplay. They redraw the map. Some reveal that the hero has another face, others kill the person we assumed would finish the story, and a few drag an entirely different genre onto the screen. Their real achievement is wonderfully simple: when the lights come back on, audiences are no longer watching the movie they thought they had purchased a ticket for.
