Who doesn’t love a good Bollywood debut? And in 2023, we’re sure to see some interesting ones.
From the 90s to now
Every 90s kid remembers the ‘Hrithik mania’ that took over the entire nation when Hrithik Roshan made his movie debut with Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai(2000). At the same time, Kareena Kapoor Khan made her debut in Refugee (2000) and followed it up with her iconic role as Poo in the much-loved Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. For years, the two of them were the most sought-after on-screen couple even if the movies they made didn’t match up to the success of K3G. The only name that comes to mind when thinking of similar success initially is Deepika Padukone, who was all the rage in 2007 when Om Shanti Om came out.
While no Bollywood celebrity since then has managed to quite reach such a high, stars like the late Sushant Singh Rajput (Kai Po Che!), Alia Bhatt (Student of the Year), Varun Dhawan (Student of the Year), Sidharth Malhotra (Student of the Year), Imran Khan (Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na), Shahid Kapoor (Ishq Vishk), Rajkummar Rao (Love Sex Aur Dhokha), Ayushmann Khurrana (Vicky Donor), Parineeti Chopra (Ladies vs Ricky Bahl), Ranveer Singh (Band Baaja Baaraat), Vicky Kaushal (Masaan), Bhumi Pednekar (Dum Laga Ke Haisha), and Anushka Sharma (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi) have all made successful debuts.
Then there are actors who didn’t quite hit the mark with their first film but went on to become massive stars thereafter – case in point, Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor. In recent times, Siddhant Chaturvedi shot to fame overnight after the blockbuster hit Gully Boy and the media was divided on who made the better debut when Janhvi Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan starred in Dhadak and Kedarnath respectively in 2018.
While debuts don’t always set the tone for how an actor’s career will proceed, in an industry as unpredictable as this, it is always good to arrive with a splash. At the same time, a successful debut does not ensure a successful career – Bollywood is witness to many one-hit wonders who’ve failed to match the success of their first film. A debut can also be a trying time for an actor especially because all eyes are trained on them. Most debutants in Bollywood have been in the public eye since their birth while some are complete mysteries, who’ve hustled their way into a film role after years of hard work.
Here’s presenting the most-awaited Bollywood debuts of 2023:
Suhana Khan
Suhana Khan, the daughter of Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan is all set to make her debut with Zoya Akhtar’s The Archies. The series is set to release on Netflix.
Shanaya Kapoor
According to reports, Shanaya Kapoor will make her debut in 2023 with Bedhadak opposite Gurfateh Pirzada and Lakshya Lalwani.
Laksh Lalwani
Laksh Lalwani or Lakshya played the titular role in Porus, a historical drama TV series based on the Battle of the Hydaspes. He is set to make his Bollywood debut in 2023 with Bedhadak opposite Shanaya Kapoor and Gurfateh Pirzada and will also reportedly star in Dharma Productions’ Dostana 2 and Aaghat.
Khushi Kapoor
Khushi Kapoor, the daughter of Boney Kapoor and late Sridevi is set to join her sister Janhvi in Bollywood with her debut in Zoya Akhtar’s The Archies.
Rijul Ray
Rijul Ray will be making his big debut in the Amazon Prime Original series Adhura which is directed by Gaurav Chawla and Ananya Bannerjee. He also has Ronnie Screwala’s Sitara in the pipeline which is directed by Vandana Kataria.
Yuvraj Menda
Yuvraj Menda is another debutant joining the brigade with The Archies. He often appears alongside content creator Taneesha Mirwani in short-format videos on social media.
Cwaayal Singh
Cwaayal Singh will be making his acting debut in Netflix’s Class, which is the Indian adaptation of the popular Spanish series Elite.
Moses Koul
Model and musician Moses Koul will be making his debut in Netflix’s much-awaited web series Class which is the Indian take on the popular Elite series.
Pashmina Roshan
Hrithik Roshan’s niece, Pashmina Roshan is all set to make her big debut in Ishq Vishk Rebound.
Jibraan Khan
As a child actor, Jibraan Khan starred in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham as Krish Raichand. The actor is all set to make his big Bollywood debut with Ishq Vishk Rebound.
Ayesha Kanga
Popular model Ayesha Kanga will be making her big debut in Netlfix’s Class.
Shehnaaz Gill
One of India’s most beloved stars, Shehnaaz Gill will make her debut in Bollywood with Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan alongside Salman Khan.
Agastya Nanda
Agastya Nanda, son of Shweta Bachchan-Nanda and Nikhil Nanda will be making his Bollywood debut with Zoya Akhtar’s The Archies.
Vedang Raina
Singer, actor and model Vedang Raina will be making his debut with Zoya Akhtar’s The Archies.
Aditi Saigal (Dot)
Aditi Saigal aka Dot is an Indian musician who will be seen alongside Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor, Agastya Nanda, Mihir Ahuja, Vedang Raina and Yuvraj Menda in Zoya Akhtar’s The Archies.
Chintan Rachchh
Poet and actor Chintan Rachchh will be making his debut in Netflix’s Class this year.
Reshham Sahaani
Reshham Sahaani is an actress who will be making her debut in Hansal Mehta’s Faraaz opposite Zahan Kapoor.
These are 17 of the most-awaited Bollywood debuts in 2023 that we’re really looking forward to. Here’s wishing the Class of 2023 all the best as they enter the industry.
Image credits: Artists’ Instagram
Mayukh Majumdar
Entertainment Editor
Mayukh Majumdar lives life in Bollywood dialogues and has previously worked with media channels like Filmfare, Rolling Stone India, Man's World India and Mirror Now. He aspires to travel like Freya Stark and retire in New Orleans one day.
