Year-ender 2020: From Tanhaji to Baaghi 3, how this year fared for Bollywood

2020 was supposed to see the release of some massive films and potential blockbusters but nothing could stand in front of the magnanimity of the coronavirus pandemic that shook the globe With a brisk encounter with the movies for the first three months of the year we saw a couple of films that were hailed by the audiences and criticsAnd when the cinemas reopened in November we saw the release of two films that were bound to struggle due to the continuing fear of the virus It was the year to stay at home but here are some films that made their way to the cinemas and this is how they fared1 Tanhaji The Unsung WarriorIn this years first and last blockbuster Ajay Devgn and Saif Ali Khan clashed in a glorious and gritty battle that showed how period sagas could culminate in a running time of merely two hours Devgn put his intense eyes to good use and Khans chilling aura helped him deliver a throwaway performance where he could be seen having fun In a battle between two warriors it was the boxoffice that won with a staggering collections of over Rs 269 crore As per the data reported byboxofficeindiacom2 ChhapaakDeepika Padukone and Meghna Gulzars drama inspired by the reallife story of acid attack survivor Laxmi Aggarwal was an emotional tale of human spirit and triumph It didnt really matter how much money it made as long as it struck a chord with the people who were eager to know what happened on that fateful day when a womans life changed forever3 Street Dancer 3DRemo DSouzas dance trilogy didnt end the way the team expected This was planned and designed to be the grandest dance film the nation ever saw with little help from novelty and nimbleness Maybe the lack of breathlessness in dance and a bizarre narrative played spoilsport and made this Varun DhawanShraddha Kapoor starrer a commercial failure The last film of the franchise crossed a century at the ticket windows this one ended its run at Rs 62 crore4 PangaIn one of the most underrated films of the year Kangana Ranaut played a Kabaddi player who dreams of making a comeback after leading a domesticated life for years The sameness in the conflicts already shown in tons of sports dramas overpowered the sincerity in the performances This one deserved to pack a punch5 MalangAditya Roy Kapurand Disha Patanis thriller gave a feeling it could be twisted and psychotic in its feel and treatment The end result was a runofthemill revenge drama with music as its saving grace Aditya Roy Kapur bulking up like a beast and Disha Patanis perfectly toned body were attentionseeking and it may have performed better than some of the mans last few misses and misfires like Fitoor and Ok Jaanu the collections suggest it was only a below average grosser with Rs 57 crore6 Love Aaj KalImtiaz Aliis a filmmaker excited by metaphors Jab Harry Met Sejal wasnt just about a woman in search of her lost ring she was obviously searching for herself Had it been an AbbasMustan film the ring would have been discovered inside the wallet of the man she was traveling with throughout But Ali isnt intrigued by such plot twists In Love Aaj Kal there were tons of such metaphors and deep definitions of love and relationships that desperately needed better leads and performances It had to fail both critically and commercially7 Shubh Mangal Zyada SaavdhanAyushmann Khurrana is a man who has seven consecutive hits behind him but this couldnt be his eighth It was a homosexual comedy that had to star Khurrana since he has championed the cause of picking up taboo subjects and making them entertaining and engrossing Raking over Rs 58 crore at the box office the verdict of this comedy was below average8 Bhoot Part 1 The Haunted ShipDharma Productions backing a horror film with Vicky Kaushal in the lead sounded like a crackling idea This was announced as a trilogy with the first story unfolding on a sprawling scary ship that hides a horrific tale of deceit and death There was some personal palpable excitement to see how this genre is explored at the hands of people other than Vikram Bhatt and Ram Gopal Varma but the end result wasnt memorable The only scary part was the box office Rs 30 crore which may have scared the makers to carry the franchise forward9 Baaghi 3The globe was preparing for its first lockdown in history and Tiger Shroff was preparing to save his brother who has been held captive in Syria He takes on the entire nation and almost wipes them out from the world map as he scowls and screeches in one scene There was absolutely nothing in this actionthriller but thanks to the lethal and loyal following of its leading man it made over Rs 92 crore at the box office10 Angrezi MediumWho wouldve thought this would be the last time we would see Irrfan Khan on the celluloid And who wouldve thought this would also be the last release of the year before the cinemas reopened in November As fate would have it the cinema halls across the country shut down just the day after this drama came out and it failed to attract a huge crowd unlike its prequel Khans swan song needed a giant audienceAlso we saw the releases of Indoo Ki Jawani and Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari opening in the cinemas with all the precautions but the panic around and the fear of the virus still continues to loom large which is why both films have received a tepid response from the viewers Lets see what 2021 has in store hopefully not a sequel to COVID19