Don't miss: 10 Bollywood films in 2018 to watch
Bollywood in 2018 will see the customary appearance of King Khans - Race 3 (Salman Khan), Thugs of Hindostan (Aamir Khan) and Zero (Shah Rukh Khan). Lots of Akshay Kumar (Padman, 2.0, Gold and Mogul) and newcomers in Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khatter and Sara Ali Khan. But these are the usual suspects. The below list predominantly includes films wherein content is king and star power is secondary.
October
Shoojit Sircar and Juhi Chaturvedi are currently one of the most formidable director-writer partnerships in Bollywood. Given their successful track record (Vicky Donor and Piku), expectations are high from their third collaboration (Chaturvedi wrote dialogues for Madras Cafe). This one's a romance with Varun Dhawan showing there's more to him than simply being seen as the heir to Salman Khan's throne of actor with populist appeal.
April 13: Raazi
At 24, Alia Bhatt has already proven she belongs in the A league of actresses. After a stellar turn in Udta Punjab, viewers will witness her dramatic range this time in Meghna Gulzar's adaptation of Harinder Sikka's novel Calling Sehmat. Bhatt is a Kashmiri married to a Pakistani army officer whose loyalty to India is cause for trouble.
May 11: Veere Di Wedding
Could this be Bollywood's answer to Bridesmaids? Does Bollywood finally get a chick flick which adds credence to Beyonce's declaration "Who runs the world? Girls!" Can Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania pass off as close friends? Producer Rhea Kapoor knows how to cater to India's aspiring and confident female populace who love being themselves and fine clothes (Aisha, Khoobsurat). Going by the posters, Veere Di Wedding looks to deliver both on sartorial and entertainment front.
June 2: Sanjay Dutt biopic
The last time Ranbir Kapoor popped up in a Rajkumar Hirani film, he had the audiences enthralled with his cameo in the climax of PK. It's been a while that the actor had a similar effect on the audiences. What better way to discover your mojo than to collaborate with one of the most successful filmmakers. But this is Hirani trying his hands at a biopic that too based on a controversial figure - Sanjay Dutt. Will it work? If anybody can, then it's Hirani and his co-writer Abhijat Joshi. Rounding up the cast are Dia Mirza, Vicky Kaushal, Sonam Kapoor, Manisha Koirala, Anushka Sharma.
June 29: Photograph
Ritesh Batra's second Indian film after international duty. Nawazuddin Siddiqui back with his The Lunchbox director. Set in Mumbai. There are only positives to see in such a scenario. Throw in the charming Sanya Malhotra (Dangal's Babita Kumari) as the photographer's muse and you have a film that ranks high on our must-see list.
Not decided: Kaamyaab
Hardik Mehta's credits so far - assistant to Vikramaditya Motwane, co-writer of Trapped and director of two fine shorts in Amdavad Ma Famous and The Affair - prove that he is a filmmaker with tremendous potential. Producer Manish Mundra believes in it and is bankrolling this one along with Eros. Starring Sanjai Mishra and Deepak Dobriyal, the drama centres on a "seasoned character actor who decides to come out of retirement and begin a quest for a record of some sorts, that elusive 500th role, the one for which he shall be remembered forever". Count us in.
Karwaan
Another feature from a first-time filmmaker, although Akarsh Khurana has already established himself on the theatre circuit directing award-winning and popular plays. With Ronnie Screwvala as producer and Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salman, Mithila Palkar in cast, Khurana has got himself quite a head start in Bollywood.
Not decided: Gully Boy
Zoya Akhtar began her cinematic journey with Luck By Chance only to be called a filmmaker who was too occupied with stories about India's bold, beautiful and well-heeled (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Dil Dhadakne Do). That changes with this Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt-starrer film which is inspired by the incredible journeys of Mumbai's street rappers Divine and Naezy.
Not decided: Untitled Sriram Raghavan project
Nobody does crime thriller better than Sriram Raghavan. The filmmaker of Johnny Gaddaar, Ek Hasina Thi and Badlapur this time around has Tabu and Ayushmann Khurrana join him in his dark adventure.
Not decided: Manto
At last year's India Today Conclave, Nandita Das directed a short film which gave viewers a glimpse of Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the writer Saadat Hasan Manto. Focusing on a lecture in which Manto makes a case as to why his writings are not salacious or offensive, Das knows Manto's views are more relevant than ever before, especially when our freedom of expression is under threat and censorship on the rise.
Not decided: Honourable mentions
Stree, a horror comedy written by Raj & DK of Go Goa Gone fame and starring the uber talented Rajkummar Rao; untitled Vishal Bhardwaj project with Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan; Rima Das's Village Rockstars, a moving and gorgeously shot portrait of childhood in the Assamase wild; Vikramaditya Motwane's untitled film with Harshvardhan Kapoor and Dibakar Banerjee's Sandeep aur Pinky Faraar.