Suhana Khan To Shehnaaz Gill, A Look At Newcomers Who Entered Bollywood In 2023. Check List
Bollywood welcomed several newcomers in 2023. From star kids to South actors and TV sensations, a look at the biggest Bollywood acting debuts this year.
2023 was Bollywood’s year. From big Bollywood stars’ OTT debuts to biggest blockbusters and some of the most popular star kids making their acting debuts – 2023 witnessed it all. The Hindi film industry made a spectacular start to 2023 with Shah Rukh Khan’s comeback film ‘Pathaan’, co-starring Deepika Padukone and John Abraham. Released on January 25, 2023, the film was a massive box office success as it crossed the Rs 500 crore mark at the box office, shattering several records.
While Akshay Kumar’s ‘Selfiee’ and Kartik Aaryan-starrer ‘Shehzada’ struggled at the box office, Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor’s Holi release ‘Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar’ made almost Rs 150 crore at the domestic box office, giving the industry its second hit this year. Another notable success was Sudipto Sen's 'The Kerala Story,' with Adah Sharma in the lead role.
June was a mixed bag for Bollywood movies with a surprising hit like Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan’s ‘Zara Hatke Zara Bachke’, an unexpected box office disaster like Prabhas, Kriti Sanon and Saif Ali Khan-starrer ‘Adipurush’ and Kartik Aaryan-Kiara Advani’s ‘SatyaPrem Ki Katha’, which performed well.
Following a mixed June, Bollywood delivered another hit in the form of Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt's movie ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’, which brought back classic Bollywood romance to the silver screen. August 2023 kicked off with a bang, as Sunny Deol's 'Gadar 2' and Akshay Kumar's 'OMG 2' emerged as massive successes. Ayushmann Khurrana's 'Dream Girl 2’ also tasted success at the box office.
Then came September and with that, Shah Rukh Khan’s reign at the box office. Delivering another hit in 2023, SRK shattered all box office records with Atlee’s directorial ‘Jawan’. The multi-starrer ‘Fukrey 3’ also performed well at the box office. While Akshay Kumar’s ‘Mission Raniganj’ and Tiger Shroff’s ‘Ganapath’ struggled at the box office, Vikrant Massey’s low-budget film ‘12th Fail’ was a commercial and critical success.
However, Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Tejas’, which was released alongside ‘12th Fail’ in October, did not make money at the box office. We finally got another hit in the form of Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, and Emraan Hashmi’s ‘Tiger 3’.
Then came, ‘Animal’ and ‘Sam Bahadur’ and wreaked havoc at the box office. And looks like 2023 will end on a good note for Bollywood as Shah Rukh Khan is back on the silver screen with his third release of the year – ‘Dunki’, hoping to hit a hat-trick this year.
Apart from making big bucks at the box office, Bollywood witnessed some of the biggest weddings with Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra tying the knot in a dreamy ceremony, leaving us in awe of their wedding reels. We had hardly gotten over Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra’s adorable photos and videos, and we were treated to dreamy wedding pictures of celebrity couple Athiya Shetty and KL Rahul. Parineeti Chopra and politician Raghav Chadha also got married in 2023, setting major couple goals with their breathtaking photos and videos.
Several big Bollywood stars like Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan also made their OTT debuts in 2023, showcasing their versatility as actors and reaching a wider audience. Karan Johar’s long-running talk show ‘Koffee With Karan’ also returned with its eighth season this year, showcasing our favourite celebrities candidly talking about their personal and professional lives.
We also got some amazing Hindi songs to add to our playlists. Whether you found yourself grooving to ‘Jhoome Jo Pathaan’ or expressing love through the heartfelt tracks ‘Tere Vaaste’ and ‘Chaleya’, Bollywood gave us a song for every mood in 2023. As we talk about songs, we can’t forget to mention Ranbir Kapoor’s ‘Animal’, which easily gave us the best tracks this year.
And finally, Bollywood also welcomed many newcomers this year, from South stars to TV sensations and star kids. As we are all set to enter 2024, let’s take a look at several newcomers who entered the Hindi film industry this year and made waves with their performances.
Without further ado, check out the list below:
1. Nayanthara in ‘Jawan’: Atlee’s ‘Jawan’ is Nayanthara’s first Hindi project. The Indian actress, who is fondly referred to as 'Lady Superstar' in the South, received widespread praise for her portrayal of Narmada Rai in the film, also starring Shah Rukh Khan. ‘Jawan’, which featured Deepika Padukone in a brief but impactful appearance, is the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2023. Nayanthara and Shah Rukh Khan’s romantic number ‘Chaleya’ became an instant hit and remains one of the most popular tracks of 2023.
2. Vijay Sethupathi in ‘Jawan’: Apart from Nayanthara, ‘Jawan’ also marked Tamil superstar Vijay Sethupathi’s first Hindi film. And he killed it with his portrayal of one of the world's top weapon dealers, Kalee Gaikwad, a menacing villain posing as SRK's nemesis. The movie, which featured a memorable cameo by Sanjay Dutt, made Rs 640 crore in India and over Rs 1000 crore globally.
3. Suhana Khan in ‘The Archies’: Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan made her acting debut with Zoya Akhtar’s 2023 directorial venture ‘The Archies’, which released on December 7 on Netflix. However, Suhana Khan did not receive praise for her performance in the Netflix film. The movie also introduced viewers to singer-model Vedang Raina, Yuvraj Menda, Aditi 'Dot' Saigal and Mihir Ahuja. Coming back to Suhana Khan, the budding actress will be next seen with her father Shah Rukh Khan in an action-packed thriller. Directed by Sujoy Ghosh, the film will reportedly go on floors in January 2024.
4. Agastya Nanda in ‘The Archies’: Zoya Akhtar’s ‘The Archies’ also marked the acting debut of Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan’s grandson Agastya Nanda. The new Hindi movie has been co-produced by Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti and Sharad Devarajan under their production houses Tiger Baby and Graphic India. Agastya Nanda will soon start prepping for his big-screen debut as he will play the leading man in filmmaker Sriram Raghavan’s ‘Ekkis’. Produced by Dinesh Vijan, ‘Ekkis’ is the biopic of 1971 war hero, Arun Khetarpal and will also star Dharmendra in a key role.
5. Khushi Kapoor in ‘The Archies’: Boney Kapoor and late Sridevi’s daughter Khushi Kapoor also made her debut with Netflix’s ‘The Archies’. Janhvi Kapoor’s sister, who is known for her toned body and eye-catching fashion statements, already enjoys a massive fan following thanks to her stunning photos and videos on Instagram. While Khushi Kapoor didn’t impress netizens with her acting skills, she has already bagged her next project. Reportedly, the budding actress will star alongside Ibrahim Khan in Karan Johar's next film. The movie will be directed by Shauna Gautam.
6. Shehnaaz Gill in ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’: Shehnaaz Gill first came into the limelight with her participation in the Salman Khan-hosted reality show ‘Bigg Boss 13’. Her bond with late actor Sidharth Shukla was a major highlight of the show. She gained a massive fan following because of her chemistry with the late actor and her bubbly nature. The ‘Bigg Boss 13’ fame made her Bollywood debut with Salman Khan’s Eid release ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’. The movie also starred Pooja Hegde in the lead role. Shehnaaz Gill was last seen alongside Bhumi Pednekar in the October 2023 release ‘Thank You For Coming’.
7. Palak Tiwari in ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’: Popular Indian TV actress Shweta Tiwari’s daughter Palak Tiwari also made her big Bollywood debut with Salman Khan’s ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’. Palak Tiwari, who is rumoured to be dating Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh’s son Ibrahim Ali Khan, rose to fame after featuring in Harrdy Sandhu’s hit Punjabi track ‘Bijlee Bijlee’. Reportedly, she will be next seen in 'The Virgin Tree', which also features Sanjay Dutt. Helmed by debutant director Sidhaant Sachdev, the horror-comedy film's cast also includes Sunny Singh and Mouni Roy.
8. Rajveer Deol in ‘Dono’: Sunny Deol and Pooja Deol’s son Rajveer Deol made his big Bollywood debut with the 2023 movie ‘Dono’. The movie, backed by Rajshri Productions known for iconic love stories like ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ and ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun’, also marked the directorial debut of filmmaker and producer Sooraj Barjatya’s son Avnish Barjatya.
9. Paloma Dhillon in ‘Dono’: Apart from marking the debut of Rajveer Deol, ‘Dono’ also introduced viewers to actress Poonam Dhillon and producer Ashok Thakeria’s daughter Paloma Dhillon. Directed by Avnish Barjatya and produced by Rajshri Productions in association with Jio Studios, the film was released in theatres on October 5, 2023. ‘Dono’ will be released on the streaming platform Zee5 on December 29.
10. Alizeh Agnihotri in ‘Farrey’: Alizeh, the daughter of actor and producer Atul Agnihotri and Salman Khan's sister Alvira Khan, also made her acting debut in 2023 with the movie ‘Farrey’, helmed by Soumendra Padhi. The film debuted on November 24, 2023 in theatres. The project has been produced by Alizeh's uncle and superstar Salman Khan. However, the Hindi movie failed to attract viewers to the theatres.
P.S.: Avneet Kaur, who started out as a child actor and starred in many movies and shows, made her Bollywood debut as an adult this year. The actress starred opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Kangana Ranauat’s production venture ‘Tiku Weds Sheru’.
