The 2020s have been Hindi cinema’s most disruptive decade in living memory. A pandemic that closed theatres for over a year, the explosion of OTT platforms, the rise of South Indian cinema as a pan-Indian force — each shaped what audiences chose to remember.
1. Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (2020)
Released weeks before the pandemic, Tanhaji confirmed Ajay Devgn’s box-office power and signalled the rise of historical dramas as a dominant Hindi-film genre.
2. The OTT Era Films
Gulabo Sitabo, Shakuntala Devi, Mimi, Bulbbul, A Suitable Boy — direct-to-OTT stopped being a stigma and became a strategic choice.
3. Sooryavanshi (2021)
When theatres reopened, Sooryavanshi was the test case. Its success proved Indian audiences would return to cinemas.
4. Pathaan (2023)
Shah Rukh Khan’s comeback was the cultural moment of the year. Pathaan broke nearly every opening-weekend record and grossed over ₹1,000 crore worldwide.
5. RRR (2022)
A Telugu film, but its pan-India and global impact reshaped expectations. Naatu Naatu winning the Oscar for Best Original Song was a moment of arrival for Indian cinema on the global stage.
6. The Kashmir Files (2022)
A film that became as much a political conversation as a cinematic one. Its commercial success despite no major star forced the industry to reconsider what stories audiences would watch.
7. Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva (2022)
The most expensive Hindi film ever made at the time, Brahmastra was the first serious attempt at a Hindi cinematic universe.
8. Drishyam 2 (2022)
The sequel proved that smart, story-driven, mid-budget thrillers could still dominate the box office, doing over ₹300 crore worldwide.
9. Jawan (2023)
Atlee’s South-style mass action film with Shah Rukh Khan grossed over ₹1,100 crore worldwide and marked the formal blurring of Hindi and Tamil/Telugu mass cinema.
10. Animal (2023)
Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s polarising hyper-violent drama was the most-debated film of the year. It grossed over ₹900 crore worldwide.
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