The Biggest Indian Films of 2026: From 'Toxic' and 'Ramayana Part 1' to 'King'

Movies in 2026 aren't lacking for firepower. From Bollywood to Kollywood, everyone is rolling out the big guns, with sequels, threequels, star vehicles and sprawling epics. It’s shaping up to be a year of event films, from Love & War to Ramayana Part 1 and from Alpha to Dhurandhar 2.

The year that was saw Bollywood reasserting its box-office authority. Now it must double down on that momentum. Ranbir Kapoor fronts two of the biggest titles on the slate, while Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan—both absent from cinemas in 2025—will return to do what they do best: pull crowds in droves, turning theatres into carnivals.

The view from the south is just as thrilling. Two politically-charged films square off on Pongal; Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Mamootty and Mohanlal have all high-profile release lined up, and Kannada cinema—now an equal player at the pan-India table—makes its most audacious bet since KGF with Toxic. Telugu, meanwhile, has Peddi and Raja Saab and Prasanth Neel’s next—enough ignition to tide through the Varanasi-shaped gap in the movie year.

Fan bases will be mobilised, franchise loyalties tested, cynics and naysayers burned at the stake. Amid the noise, films like O Romeo—Vishal Bhardwaj’s long-awaited reunion with Shahid Kapoor—and Bandar, Anurag Kashyap’s provocative #MeToo fable starring Bobby Deol, will have to shine through on their own steam. As we head into a heady 2026, here are the most anticipated Indian films of the new year.

Ramayana Part 1

Director: Nitesh Tiwari
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi, Yash, Sunny Deol

Release: Diwali, 2026

Love & War

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal

Release: Delayed; second or third quarter of 2026

Jana Nayagan

Director: H. Vinoth
Cast: Vijay, Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol

Release: January 9

Toxic

Director: Geethu Mohandas
Cast: Yash, Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Huma Qureshi

Release: March 19

The Raja Saab

Director: Maruthi
Cast: Prabhas, Malavika Mohanan, Nidhhi Agerwal, Sanjay Dutt

Release: January 9

Dhurandhar 2

Director: Aditya Dhar

Cast: Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun

Release: March 19

King

Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Suhana Khan, Abhisek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone

Release: Third or fourth quarter of 2026

Paradise

Director: Srikanth Odela
Cast: Nani

Release: March 26

Alpha

Director: Shiv Rawail
Cast: Alia Bhatt, Sharvari, Anil Kapoor

Release: Delayed; second or third quarter of 2026

Jailer 2

Director: Nelson Dilipkumar
Cast: Rajinikanth, SJ Suryah, Ramya Krishnan, Vidya Balan

Release: June 12

Battle of Galwan

Director: Apoorva Lakhia

Cast: Salman Khan, Chitrangada Singh

Release: April 17

O Romeo

Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Triptii Dimri, Nana Patekar

Release: February 13

Bandar

Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Bobby Deol, Sapna Pabbi, Saba Azad, Sanya Malhotra

Release: Unannounced

Love Insurance Kompany

Director: Vignesh Shivan
Cast: Pradeep Ranganathan, Krithi Shetty

Release: Unconfirmed, possibly February

KD: The Devil

Director: Prem
Cast: Dhruva Sarja, Sanjay Dutt, Kichcha Sudeep

Release: April 30

Patriot

Director: Mahesh Narayanan
Cast: Mammootty, Mohanlal, Fahadh Faasil, Kunchacko Boban

Release: April

Karuppu

Director: RJ Balaji
Cast: Suriya, Trisha Krishnan, Indras, Swastika

Release: Unannounced

KH 237

Director: Anbariv

Cast: Kamal Haasan

Release: Unannounced

Peddi

Director: Buchi Babu Sana
Cast: Ram Charan, Janhvi Kapoor, Boman Irani, Shiva Rajkumar

Release: March 27

Sardar 2

Director: P. S. Mithran
Cast: Karthi, SJ Suryah

Release: Unannounced

Parasakthi

Director: Sudha Kongara
Cast: Sivakarthikeyan, Ravi Mohan, Sreeleela, Atharvaa Murali

Release: January 10

Drishyam 3

Director: Jeethu Joseph
Cast: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba Hassan

Release: April (tentative)

Mookuthi Amman 2

Director: Sundar C
Cast: Nayanthara, Urvashi, Sneha

Release: Unannounced