In 2024, never mind the doomsayers proclaiming that Bollywood needs saving - there were some genuinely good movies, such as Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies, Amar Kaushik's Stree 2, and Nikhil Nagesh Bhat's Kill. Of course, there were bad ones too, and plenty of propaganda films as well. Then there are those that arrive with sky-high expectations, only to fall flat upon release, leaving audiences disillusioned. Examples? Ali Abbas Zafar's much-hyped two-hero actioner Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Rohit Shetty's discount Avengers cop fest, Singham Again. Year-Ender 2024: From Amar Kaushik’s ‘Stree 2’ to Kiran Rao’s ‘Laapataa Ladies’, 9 Best Bollywood Movies of the Year and Where To Watch Them Online.

In this year-end feature, we highlight 10 of the most disappointing Bollywood films of 2024 - movies that entered with a roar and exited from our attention with a whimper. A couple of them even made good money at the box office, but that doesn't excuse their shoddy content; they simply conned audiences better. I’ve also tried to avoid outright propaganda films - those are consistently subpar with malicious intentions to create mischief - but I made an exception for a couple here, purely due to the talent involved and the expectations they carried.

1. Bade Miyan Chote Miyan

A Still From Bade Miyan Chote Miyan

Director: Ali Abbas Zafar

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Sonakshi Sinha, Manushi Chhillar and Alaya F.

The original BMCM, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda, was a hit back in 1998. Circa 2024, the namesake reboot starred Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff, with Malayalam star Prithviraj Sukumaran as the antagonist. Despite its star-studded cast, the film turned out to be a generic, uninspired action thriller, with even the lead duo's leaden bromance failing to deliver any sparks.

2. Bhaiyya Ji

A Still From Bhaiyya Ji

Director: Apoorva Singh Karki

Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Zoya Hussain and Suvinder Vicky.

With everyone hopping on the action bandwagon, Manoj Bajpayee couldn’t resist joining the fray for his 100th film, which was also a film he produced. In this supposed rustic version of John Wick, the revenge saga fails on all counts—from subpar editing and action choreography to a lacklustre performance by Bajpayee himself.

3. Ishq Vishk Rebound

A Still From Ishq Vishk Rebound

Director: Nipun Dharmadhikari

Cast: Rohit Saraf, Pashmina Roshan, Jibraan Khan and Naila Grrewal.

A sequel nobody asked for, Ishq Vishk Rebound borrows a couple of songs from the original Shahid Kapoor starrer and little else. The film replaces the breezy charm of the 2003 classic with unlikeable characters, wooden acting, and a script that mistakes infatuation for lust.

4. Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba

A Still From Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba

Director: Jayprad Desai

Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Vikrant Massey, Sunny Kaushal and Jimmy Sheirgill.

Despite its criticism for romanticising toxic relationships, Hasseen Dillruba found a cult following. However, even die-hard fans might struggle to defend its convoluted sequel, which piles on silly twists in the hope of creating intrigue. The only saving grace is Sunny Kaushal's performance as the new antagonist.

5. CTRL

A Still From CTRL

Director: Vikramaditya Motwane

Cast: Ananya Panday and Vihaan Samat.

This inclusion might surprise some, as Vikramaditya Motwane's cyber-thriller has also made its way to a few “Best of 2024” lists in certain portals. While Ananya Panday delivers an impressive lead performance, and Motwane experiments with the screenlife format, the film fails to offer anything groundbreaking and is very forgettable. Compared to better films in this genre, like Mahesh Narayan's CU Soon, CTRL feels predictable and its cautionary message about online addiction overly simplistic.

6. Do Patti

A Still From Do Patti

Director: Shashanka Chaturvedi

Cast: Kajol, Kriti Sanon, Shaheer Sheikh and Tanvi Azmi.

2024 was not Kanika Dhillon's year. After the letdown of Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba, her thriller Do Patti followed suit. A poorly executed attempt at feminist storytelling, the film underestimated its audience with a predictable plot and heavy-handed messaging. Kriti Sanon's dual performance is its sole redeeming factor.

7. Singham Again

A Still From Singham Again

Director: Rohit Shetty

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Ranveer Singh, Tiger Shroff, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Deepika Padukone, Arjun Kapoor and Jackie Shroff.

Rohit Shetty assumes his audience needs every detail spoon-fed, as evidenced by this ensemble cop drama. Just in case we miss the Ramayana parallels, he throws in literal footage of the epic being performed on stage. With half the cast wasted and the rest irritating, this sequel proves that Shetty is running out of ideas to keep his loyal fan base entertained. Year-Ender 2024: From Rajkummar Rao’s ‘Stree 2’ to Kartik Aaryan’s ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’, 10 Highest-Grossing Bollywood Movies of the Year and Which of Them Are Actual Box Office Hits!

8. The Sabarmati Report

A Still From The Sabarmati Report

Director: Dheeraj Sarna

Cast: Vikrant Massey, Raashii Khanna and Riddhi Dogra.

An unabashed exercise in whitewashing political history, The Sabarmati Report disgusts with its blatant propaganda. Using talented actors like Vikrant Massey, Raashii Khanna, and Ridhi Dogra for this poorly made narrative is frustrating enough; its clear political agenda using a terrible tragedy makes it even worse.

9. Sikandar Ka Muqaddar

A Still From Sikandar Ka Muqaddar

Director: Neeraj Pandey

Cast: Jimmy Shergill, Tamannaah Bhatia, Avinash Tiwary and Divya Dutta.

What happened to Neeraj Pandey? Once celebrated for gems like A Wednesday, Baby and Special 26, Pandey delivered two duds in 2024 - Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha and Sikandar Ka Muqaddar. The latter, a confusing thriller with nonsensical writing, simply couldn't hoodwink the viewer with its convoluted twists. The tone was also all over the place and so were the performances.

10. Vanvaas

A Still From Vanvaas

Director: Anil Sharma

Cast: Nana Patekar, Utkarsh Sharma and Simrat Kaur.

After the blockbuster success of Gadar 2, Anil Sharma returns with Vanvaas, a dated emotional drama once again designed to launch his son, Utkarsh Sharma, into stardom. With its overly sentimental tone and lack of modern sensibilities, not even Nana Patekar could salvage this misfire.

11. Baby John

A Still From Baby John

Director: Kalees

Cast: Varun Dhawan, Keerthy Suresh, Wamiqa Gabbi, Jackie Shroff and Rajpal Yadav.

The teaser and trailer promised a rare Hindi remake that might surpass the original, Theri. Instead, Baby John makes the average Tamil entertainer look like a masterpiece in comparison. Poor direction and editing derail Varun Dhawan's attempt at redemption, and not even Salman Khan's cameo could save the film.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 28, 2024 10:08 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).