Bajrangi Bhaijaan to Phantom: It's all about action this year and next

We are almost half way through 2015, and if there is one genre that has stood out in Bollywood, it is action. And going by the upcoming releases, looks like kicks and punches will be the big earners this year.

Akshay Kumar's Baby, Arjun Kapoor's Tevar and Varun Dhawan's Badlapur, that released earlier this year gave viewers a good taste of the action genre. And the coming year, too,has action flicks such as Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Dilwale, Phantom, Jazbaa, Airlift, Ghayal Once Again and remakes of Drishyam and Hero lined up.

"Action movies work all the time because they give novelty. The era of love stories is almost fading away. Even the Hollywood movie Fast and Furious 7 got an amazing response. In Hollywood and Bollywood both, action is on the top," says film distributor Jogindar Mahajan. Film producer Bhushan Kumar says, "The industry has explored its avenues with different kinds of films on suspense and action, which are at par with Hollywood standards."

Actors otherwise known for playing soft and romantic roles are entering the domain. Ranbir Kapoor, who recently played an action-packed role in Bombay Velvet says it was important for him to try something new. "I don’t expect myself to play violent roles. Unless I try, and unless I do them, I guess I wouldn't know if I can get accepted in that genre or not," says Ranbir.

Bollywood action director Allan Amin says, "Action in Bollywood films is improving by the day and that is the reason why people like it. The younger crop of actors like doing their own stunts now."