It’s the year that the South Indian film industry considerably outpaced Bollywood and other film industries. Rishab Shetty’s Kantara and Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan-1 became domestic success stories, whereas RRR and KGF 2 rose to international fame and earned over Rs 1,000 crore worldwide.
Kantara and KGF 2 gave the Kannada film industry a significant boost, and Tamil blockbusters like Kamal Haasan’s Vikram became some of the highest-grossing productions in the area. In several languages, including Hindi, these South Indian films are now available for streaming on OTT services like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus Hotstar, and others.
On the other hand, 2022 was challenging for the Hindi cinema industry as many movies underperformed in terms of box office take. Aamir Khan, Ranveer Singh, Ayushmann Khurrana, and Akshay Kumar were unable to draw audiences to the theatres for their films.
According to a news report, Bollywood had a “disastrous” year, according to film trade analyst Taran Adarsh.”If there was one hit, there were ten flops that came after it. This year, the proportion of successes to failures was frighteningly high. Additionally, he cited “outdated content” and a lack of “wholesome enjoyment” as reasons why Bollywood movies had failed.
The top five picks from our highly subjective list are listed below, along with the five disastrous misses that made the list at the bottom.
Movies that ruled 2022
1. RRR
The magnificent historical epic RRR, starring Ram Charan, Jr. NTR, by SS Rajamouli, dominated the box office and earned more than $1 billion worldwide. The movie follows the bond between two rebels in pre-Independence India as they each find their means of overthrowing the British government. The song Naatu Naatu from the South Indian film has also been nominated for an Oscar in the Best Original Song category.
RRR is available to stream on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
2. KGF: Chapter 2
KGF, a sequel to the Kannada blockbuster from 2018, continues the story of Rocky (Yash), who, after establishing himself as the kingpin of the Kolar Gold Fields, must maintain his dominance over adversaries and government officials while confronting his past. The film, directed by Prashanth Neel, was made on a budget of Rs 100 crore and grossed Rs 1,200-1,250 crore at the box office worldwide.
Amazon Prime Video is where you can watch KGF Chapter 2.
3. Kantara
Kantara, a 2022 South Indian film by Rishab Shetty, was another huge hit. The movie, which is based on a forest officer’s spiritualistic accounts, develops like folklore until becoming a surrealist story about moral choices. The film was a huge commercial success and became the second-highest-grossing Kannada film of 2022.
Kantara is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
4. Ponniyin Selvan
In the historical drama by Mani Ratnam, which stars Vikram, Karthi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, and Trisha, internal tensions in the Chola Kingdom in the ninth century B.C. are followed. The Tamil movie, which was based on the works of the poet Kalki, made more than Rs 500 crore at international box offices.
Ponniyin Selvan is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
5. Vikram
Kamal Haasan, Fahadh Faasil, and Vijay Sethupathi play the key characters in Lokesh Kanagaraj’s action-thriller, with Suriya making a special cameo. The plot centers on a black ops team led by agent Vikram that seeks to take down a drug trafficking organization.
You can watch Vikram on Disney Plus Hotstar.
Movies that flopped big time
1. Bachchhan Paandey
For the action comedy that was Akshay Kumar’s first release of the year, the actor teamed up with Kriti Sanon. Bachchan Pandey, which Farhad Samji directed, had a respectable debut, taking in Rs 13 crore on Day 1. The Kashmir Files and RRR, which both fared far better at the box office, collided with this official remake of the Tamil film Jigarthanda, ending its box office career. In the end, Bachchhan Paandey only made Rs 49 crore net in the domestic market, falling short of its stated Rs 165 crore budget.
2. Jayeshbhai Jordaar
The 86 crore rupee Jayeshbhai Jordaar film, which stars Ranveer Singh as a devoted father who supports the equality of men and women, was made by Yash Raj Films. With a sprinkling of humor, the comedy-drama tackled the touchy subject of female infanticide, but it was unable to get audiences to the theatres. Only Rs 26 crore net was made by the Divyang Thakkar-directed movie at the box office.
3. Laal Singh Chaddha
Laal Singh Chaddha, one of the most anticipated films of 2022, was hailed as Aamir Khan’s big comeback on the big screen after Dangal (2016). The official remake of the Academy Award-winning Hollywood classic Forrest Gump (1994), Aamir’s period drama took 14 years to complete. It took three years to complete the filming. In Laal Singh Chaddha, despite the cute chemistry between Aamir and Kareena Kapoor Khan, failed to charm audiences. Advait Chandan’s ambitious project reportedly made on a budget of Rs 186 crore, earned only Rs 59 crore net at the box office.
4. Goodbye
Moviegoers were drawn to Vikas Bahl’s family drama for several reasons. After Pushpa: The Rise (2021), starring Allu Arjun, the Telugu actress Rashmika Mandanna, who had become the nation’s crush, made her Bollywood debut in this movie. People were thrilled to witness the father-daughter chemistry between Rashmika and Amitabh Bachchan when she portrayed the actor’s daughter in Goodbye. Goodbye failed to recoup its 30 crore budget in the local market, earning only Rs 10 crore net.
5. An Action Hero
With ‘An Action Hero’, Ayushmann Khurrana made his debut as the star of an action movie, but he fell short of thrilling audiences. Critics gave the Jaideep Ahlawat and Anirudh Iyer-produced movie a variety of ratings. An Action Hero, a film with a 30 crore budget, has earned 10 crores in box office revenue since its December 2 release.
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