A year of glorious comebacks! From Sunny Deol to SRK, 3 '90s superstars who returned with a bang in 2023

2023 has turned out to be the year when the old guards of Bollywood had their redemption arc!

The '90s stars have come back with a vengeance this year. From being almost written off by the tabloids as stars past their peak, to being back with a bang, silencing detractors with not just hit, but blockbuster comebacks, the 90’s leading men have proved that while the hairs may have turned silver from charcoal, their BO pull is as intact as ever!

SRK: The Baadshah Of Box-Office

From giving Bollywood a break from its dry spell with ‘Pathaan’ in January, as well as its highest-grossing movie (at that time), to setting the box office on fire again with his second outing ‘Jawan’, King Khan is on a roll.

Before 2023, Khan was experiencing a series of professional as well as personal setbacks. From ‘Raees’ to ‘Zero’ lots of his films failed at the box-office.

The arrest of his elder son Aryan also turned subjected the star and his family to the media glare as well as a lot of chastisement from the general public.

After his pet project, the 2018 comedy-drama ‘Zero’ (also starring Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif) failed miserably at the box-office Khan went on a self-imposed exile for five years, before returning with a vengeance this year. ‘Pathaan’ , Khans' comeback venture went on to mint Rs 1000 crore at the global box-office and over Rs 600 crore on the home turf! The espionage thriller also starred Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in pivotal roles.

Khan re-established his numero-uno status with his second on-screen outing ‘Jawan’. Directed by Tamil director Atlee, the action thriller, which also stars the superstar in a dual role, crossed Rs 550 crore worldwide (and Rs 345 crore at the Indian box-office) in its first week of release!

Sunny Deol: Tara Singh Punched His Way To BO Glory

With his (in)famous ‘dhai kilo ka haath’, the 90’s ‘He-Man’ pummelled Bollywood from lacklustre box-office outcomes into BO glory!

‘Gadar 2’, the much-anticipated sequel to the 2001 blockbuster ‘Gadar : Ek Prem Katha’, made box-office history, earning a staggering Rs 516 crore!

Aside from Deol, ‘Gadar 2’ also marked leading lady Ameesha Patel’s return to the silver screen.

Before resurging to box-office glory with ‘Gadar 2’, Deol experienced innumerable misadventures at the box office. From ‘Bhaiaji Superhit’ to the thriller ‘Chup’ many of his films before ‘Gadar 2’ tanked at the box-office.

However, as ‘Gadar 2’ has proven, India, especially the audience of the suburbs and small towns can’t get enough of Tara Singh, the loveable truck driver, and his ability to scare baddies away with a hand pump!

Akshay Kumar: The Khiladi Still Has His Mojo!

The ‘Khiladi’ of Bollywood still knows how to win the BO game! After suffering one box-office debacle after the other (‘Ram Setu’, ‘Selfiee’ etc) Akshay Kumar is back to being a hitmaker! The superstar’s latest release, ‘OMG 2’, the sequel to the 2012 social satire ‘Oh My God!’ became a humongous hit at the box-office, earning Rs 220 crore. Kumar’s portrayal of Lord Shiva was also met with much appreciation. Also featuring Bollywood veterans such as Pankaj Tripathi, Pavan Malhotra, and Yami Gautam, ‘OMG 2’ emerged as one of the surprise hits of 2023, despite dealing with a controversial subject of adolescent sex-education.