PremiumRoaring Star Sriimurali’s Bagheera is sole Kannada film on list of top 20 most anticipated movies of 2024
Kiccha Sudeep's Max, Yuva Rajkumar's Yuva, Dhruva Sarja's Martin, among many others, did not make the cut
Last Updated: 05.39 PM, Jan 10, 2024
Earlier this week, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) unveiled its list of top 20 most anticipated Indian movies of 2024. Among the titles, nine are Hindi films, five are Telugu, four are from Tamil, while Kannada and Malayalam have one each. The list is led by Hrithik Roshan’s Fighter, followed by Pushpa The Rule Part 2, Welcome to the Jungle, Singham Again, Kalki 2898AD, Bagheera, HanuMan, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Kanguva, Devara Part 1, Chhava, Guntur Kaaram, Malaikottai Vaaliban, Merry Christmas, Captain Miller, Thangalaan, Indian 2, Yodha, Main Atal Hoon and Jigra. The list was compiled based on the actual page views of the monthly visitors to IMDb worldwide.
The Kannada entry on the list is, interestingly, Roaring Star Sriimurali’s Bagheera, which, incidentally, does not have a confirmed release date yet. In fact, the Kannada film industry has several big-ticket releases lined up for the year, and Bagheera’s inclusion is likely because it is a Hombale Films production and is based on a story by KGF and Salaar maker Prashant Neel.
In Hombale Films’ upcoming slate, it is Yuva Rajkumar’s launchpad Yuva that has a confirmed release date – March 28. Yuva, the son of Raghavendra Rajkumar and nephew of Century Star Shivarajkumar and the late Puneeth Rajkumar, is widely seen as the one to fill the void left by the Power Star. It is also a film by director Santhosh Ananddram, who has delivered two hits for the banner – Raajakumara and Yuvarathnaa with Puneeth.
Bagheera’s inclusion still remains perplexing, considering that one of the most anticipated films of the year is Kiccha Sudeep’s Max, which is nearing completion. Rishab Shetty’s Kantara Chapter 1 is also likely to be a 2024 film, but since the team is yet to start full fledged shooting, it’s omission is pardonable. Jailer, Ghost and Captain Miller star Shivarajkumar’s Bhairathi Ranagal is highly anticipated, as are Dhruva Sarja’s films Martin and KD and Upendra’s return to direction, UI.