How a 74-year-old beat Prabhas, Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR, Alia Bhatt to deliver the most anticipated Indian film of 2025

IMDb's list of most anticipated Indian films of 2025 is topped by a movie with a 74-year-old in the lead, along with some superstarry cameos.

Published on: Jul 9, 2025, 16:52:23 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

IMDb India has updated its list of the most anticipated Indian film of 2025 with the end of the first half of the year. The Internet Movie Database had first compiled and released the list in January, when Salman Khan's Sikandar had topped it. But now, with six months gone and many big films already released, the portal has come up with a new list, and this one is topped by a surprising entry.

A 74-year-old superstar leads the most anticipated Indian film of this year.

The most anticipated Indian movie of 2025

According to IMDb, the list includes 'titles that were consistently the most popular with IMDb visitors between January 1, 2025 and July 1, 2025 among Indian movies with planned releases for the rest of the year'. The popularity is determined by the website's 'actual page views of more than 250 million monthly visitors'.

IMDb's new list of the most anticipated Indian movies of 2025 is topped by Lokesh Kanagaraj's Coolie. The action thriller, which stars 74-year-old Rajinikanth in the lead, is brimming with stars, including cameos from Aamir Khan, Nagarjuna, and Upendra. The film also features Pooja Hegde, Shruti Haasan, Kishore, Soubin Shahir, and Sathyaraj in pivotal roles. According to its logline, the film "delves into a man's relentless quest for vengeance since youth, driven by righting past wrongs, shaping his very existence". It is slated for release on August 14.

How Rajinikanth beat younger superstars

Rajinikanth is the original superstar. But it is surprising that even at 74, he has the box office draw to upstage younger challengers. Films featuring Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR (War 2), Prabhas (The RajaSaab) and Alia Bhatt (Alpha) are all behind Coolie in this list. Part of the appeal is Rajinikanth's collaboration with Lokesh, who has delivered back-to-back blockbusters in Vikram and Leo. Having given both Kamal Haasan and Vijay their biggest hits, the director has now partnered with Rajini, raising anticipation. The cherry on top are the cameos, with one big name from three major industries - Aamir (Hindi), Nagarjuna (Telugu), and Upendra (Kannada). This has given Coolie a pan-India flavour that no Rajini film has had since 2.0 (which starred Akshay Kumar).

Cameos from superstars like Aamir Khan have generated immense buzz around Coolie.

“This recognition from IMDb reflects the incredible excitement our fans have shown worldwide,” said Lokesh Kanagaraj, the director of Coolie, “The reunion of legends Rajinikanth and Sathyaraj after 38 years has created magic on screen, and we hope what we've created will resonate with audiences and match their expectations.”

The other films in IMDb's top 10

Following Coolie is Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR's mouth-watering clash in Ayan Mukerji's War 2, which also releases in theatres on August 14, setting up Indian cinema's biggest clash in recent years. At number 3 is the return of vintage Prabhas in The RajaSaab, the star's first horror comedy.

IMDb's list of most anticipated Indian films of 2025.

Two romances - Shanaya Kapoor's debut, Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan, and Ahaan Panday's debut, Saiyaara - round up the top 5. Three other Hindi films feature in the top 10 - Baaghi 4 (#6), Son of Sardaar 2 (#7), and Alpha (#10). Mohanlal-starrer Hridayapoorvam is at number 8, while Mahavatar Narsimha (#9) sneaks in as the only animated movie in the list.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

Amazon Summer Sale is here! Splurge and save now! Click Here!.

Get more updates from Bollywood, Taylor Swift, Hollywood, Music and Web Series along with Latest Entertainment News at Hindustan Times.