Harshada Rege (DNA; July 10, 2018)

It’s been an unspoken rule that festive weekends are earmarked for Bollywood superstars. While Salman Khan always has a big-ticket movie on Eid, Shah Rukh Khan has shown a liking for the Diwali weekend. However, some of his films have released during other festivals. While Don 2 opened in cinemas pre-Christmas, Chennai Express was an Eid release, and Raees hit the marquee on the Republic Day weekend in January 2017. Akshay Kumar prefers the Independence Day or Republic Day holiday, and Aamir Khan often opts for the Christmas weekend that leads up to the New Year.

The year 2020, however, might see a change in the order of things. The next generation of actors, who have already proved their mettle at the box office, are ready to stake their claim on these dates. It remains to be seen whether the superstars will take them head on and plan their own set of releases, too. As of now, Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Varun Dhawan are eyeing these lucrative days.

Ranveer Singh ticks the five-day weekend
Ranveer Singh plays Kapil Dev in Kabir Khan’s ambitious project ’83. The movie will follow the sportsman’s journey as a newly-appointed captain of the Indian cricket team, who brought home the World Cup of 1983. Ranveer recently announced on social media that the film will release on April 10, 2020. This is the Good Friday weekend, which is one of the longest holidays in 2020. It begins with the Good Friday holiday (April 10), followed by Saturday (April 11), Sunday (Easter, April 12), Monday (Baisakhi, April 13) and ends with Ambedkar Jayanti on Tuesday (April 14). While Baisakhi may not be a major holiday overseas, this is the Easter Monday, which is a public holiday in many countries.

Ranbir Kapoor claims Bakri Eid-Raksha Bandhan holiday
July will see Ranbir take pole position at the box office with Shamshera. The project, which is backed by Yash Raj Films, will hit the screens on July 31, 2020 on the Bakri Eid weekend. It will also get the benefit of the Raksha Bandhan holiday on Monday (August 3). While Ranbir plays the protagonist, Sanjay Dutt is the antagonist in this dacoit drama. The Kapoor scion will be seen as a daaku for the first time. The film also stars Vaani Kapoor and will go on floors by the end of 2018.

Diwali days for Varun Dhawan
This festival has traditionally been seen as a big-ticket window. SRK has enjoyed a 100 per cent success ratio whenever his movies hit the screens on this weekend. In 2020, Varun Dhawan will stake his claim with Rannbhoomi. The revenge drama, produced by Dharma Productions, will be mounted on a huge scale. It will see Varun reunite with his Dulhania series director Shashank Khaitan. Karan Johar had released Ae Dil Hai Mushkil during Diwali 2016. And this five-day weekend would be the right time to present this movie to viewers.

Ajay-Ranbir join forces for the big Christmas release
Aamir Khan’s movies Taare Zameen Par (2007), Ghajini (2008), 3 Idiots (2009), Dhoom 3 (2013), PK (2014) and Dangal (2016), have all been Christmas releases. Among these, the last two are among the highest-grossing Indian films of all time. While it’s not just the date that holds the magic, a lot depends on the film. And with Ajay and Ranbir headlining the project and Luv Ranjan holding the reigns, this one might just be a great project to end the year with.