Like every year, Indian cinema had its fair share of stop-everything-and-watch moments that redefined its popularity on a global level. From Big Dawgs becoming a global sensation to Kiran Rao’s Oscar nomination for Laapataa Ladies and more, these cinema achievements have not only sparked endless discussions on social media but also proved that India is the powerhouse of talents that the world cannot ignore.
As we bid adieu to 2024, let’s take a look at some of the biggest moments of Indian cinema from 2024 that made our country shine brighter than ever.
2024 has revolutionized the Indian music industry diaspora with independent artists coming up with some bangers that not only struck a chord with fans in India but also became a global sensation, making it a major achievement for the Indian entertainment industry. Indie rapper Hanumankind unleashed a storm with his song ‘Big Dawgs,’ putting Indian independent music on the global map. The triumph was a proud moment for Indian hip-hop as it demonstrated the growing popularity of Indian artists in the global music space. It was a cultural moment for India as the film industry too embraced a freshness by bringing in some experimental music in the mainstream cinema, like “Aaj Ki Raat.”
‘Big Dawgs’ debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 57 with over 400 million streams on Spotify. The song went viral on TikTok with 150 million views and over 2,000,000 searches on the music search app Shazam.
If there has been any celebrity in the spotlight from the beginning to the end of 2024, it is none other than Diljit Dosanjh. The Punjabi singer-actor won hearts across countries with his ‘Dil-Luminati’ tour, lighting up the global stage. From tickets going sold out, cracking jokes on stage, gifting things, and vibing with his fans, he gave us some memorable moments. This has been another top highlight of the Indian cinema industry in 2024, with the star also giving a stellar performance in Netflix’s Amar Singh Chamkila, proving his versatility.
The year 2024 has been really creatively satisfying for Mollywood, with the industry producing some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful movies this year. Malayalam movies not only impressed their home state audiences but also went on to become a massive success upon their release on OTT platforms. Malayalam cinema continues to push its boundaries and set a new benchmark for other industries by focusing more on high-quality content, impressive storylines with technical craft, and soul-stirring performances.
We can count on the Malayalam industry performing on top as it delivered some of the best South Indian movie moments in the year 2024. This list of films needs a watch—Manjummel Boys, Brahmayugam, Aavesham, Aadujeevitham: The Goat Life, Anweshippin Kandethum, Premalu, Golam, Aayante Randam Moshanam (ARM), Varshangalkku Shesham, Kishkindha Kaandam, Sookshmadarshini, Ullozhuku, Nunakuzhi, and more.
Allu Arjun returned back with his most anticipated sequel, Pushpa 2: The Rule, and set the global box office on fire. Although the movie has been criticized for its weak screenplay and length, the high-octane action sequences and outstanding performances in the action entertainer made it one of the biggest blockbusters of the year, creating top Indian cinema milestones in 2024. Making an earth-shattering collection, Pushpa 2 has now become the third highest-grossing Indian film by registering Rs 1367.75 cr.
Another biggest record of 2024 was made by the song ‘Tauba Tauba’ from Vicky Kaushal’s Bollywood movie Bad Newz, which made the actor an overnight heartthrob nationwide. Be it weddings, playlists, or dance sessions, the song took over people with them swooning over the lyrics. The catchy pop song is sung by Karan Aujla, and its hookstep became viral with creators giving their own creative spin to its choreography. The song garnered massive viewership on social media, crossing over 70 million views on YouTube and over 13 crore streams on Spotify.
Kiran Rao’s comeback movie, Laapataa Ladies, can be called the underdog movie of 2024. The movie, upon its theatrical release, couldn’t fetch audiences and failed at the box office. However, it created a stir with its simple yet hard-hitting storytelling when it started to stream on the OTT platform Netflix. And later, when this masterpiece was officially chosen as India’s entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards, the achievement felt personal. Every Indian cinephile was beaming with pride. The film has a sweet humour and the story of two rural women’s journey to self-discovery resonated with audiences globally; it definitely is the biggest Indian film achievement that happened in 2024.
Turns out Indians love the combination of slapstick and spookiness, as this year has been the year for horror-comedies, especially in Bollywood, showing the top trends in Indian cinema 2024. The major event in Bollywood this year is the success of three top horror-comedy movies—Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, Munjya, and Stree 2—that show us a surprising trend of the rise of this genre. While Bhool Bhulaiyaa and Stree are popular sequels, Munjya’s success was a surprise. The movie crossed the Rs 100 cr mark at the box office, while the Rajkummar Rao–Shraddha Kapoor starrer Stree 2 became the highest-grossing movie of 2024 with over Rs 600 cr in worldwide collections. Meanwhile, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, starring Kartik Aaryan and Tripti Dimri, made a worldwide collection of Rs 421 cr.
Another Indian movie to get global recognition in 2024 is Payal Kapadia’s All All We Imagine As Light, a poignant drama about love, loss, and ownership that won hearts and various accolades at global film festivals. The team made us proud when they won the Grand Prix at the prestigious 77th Cannes Film Festival. The film’s universal themes and strong performances showed the world that Indian cinema is capable of producing high-quality content. All We Imagine As Light also won at the Gotham Independent Film Award for Best International Feature and New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best International Film.
In 2024, India also moved over its past crushes—Preity Zinta, Rashmika Mandanna, and Tripti Dimri, to name a few. Sreeleela, though, had only one major release, Guntur Kaaram, and an item number in Pushpa 2; the actress can be termed as the breakout star of the year, which also landed her the title of New National Crush. Songs Kurchi Madathapetti and the latest Kissik landed the vivacious Sreeleela in the limelight nationally, with everyone praising her stunning dance moves. Her charming and electrifying screen presence has won hearts, and this Telugu next-door-girl actress is the new heartthrob. This for sure has to be one of the biggest highlights of the Indian cinema industry in 2024.
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