Anticipation in Indian cinema is no longer a loud, uniform phenomenon. In 2026, it arrives in fragments — through star trajectories, through creative intent, through cultural timing, and sometimes through the simple memory of a film that earned trust the long way. The loudest films are not always the most awaited ones. Some titles command attention because they feel important, others because they feel inevitable, and a few because they represent a turning point for the people making them.
Planet of Films’ official Lists of the 10 most anticipated Indian movies Of 2026 reflects this shift. This is not a box office forecast and not a hype chart. It is a curated snapshot of where interest is forming before marketing takes full control — where audiences, trade observers, and cinephiles are already watching, waiting, and measuring expectations.
Presented below is the list ranked from 10 to 1, moving from films still forming their identity to those already carrying the weight of inevitability.
10. Peddi
Peddi enters the list as its most fluid and open-ended title. The film is being watched closely because of what it could become rather than what it has already declared. Ram Charan’s post-RRR phase has placed him under a different kind of scrutiny — global visibility has raised expectations around role selection and narrative ambition. Peddi appears positioned as a grounded, character-driven project that contrasts sharply with his recent spectacle-heavy work.
Director Buchi Babu Sana’s approach suggests an emphasis on emotional texture and rooted storytelling, with sports and personal struggle reportedly forming the narrative spine. The film’s creative team signals seriousness, but its final identity is still taking shape in the public imagination. That uncertainty keeps anticipation flexible rather than fixed.
What earns Peddi its place on this list is upside. Few films in 2026 have as much room to rise once audiences see its first full visual statement. It may remain modest, or it may surge — and that volatility makes it worth watching.
9. Battle of Galwan
Battle of Galwan occupies a space shaped by gravity rather than spectacle. Based on a recent and sensitive real-world incident, the film is being approached with caution by both audiences and the industry. The presence of Salman Khan in a restrained, uniformed role marks a notable tonal shift in his career, and that alone invites attention.
Unlike traditional patriotic cinema, this project is being evaluated on intent and treatment rather than scale. Discussions around the film have centred on responsibility — how much dramatization is appropriate, and where restraint must prevail. That seriousness slows anticipation but deepens it.
Films based on real incidents often peak later in the cycle, once audiences understand how the story is being told. Battle of Galwan sits firmly in that category. It may never be loud, but it is being watched with intent, and that places it securely within the 2026 anticipation conversation.
8. Love & War
Love & War is driven almost entirely by creative gravity. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s return to contemporary dramatic terrain, after years of operatic historical cinema, has created curiosity rooted in tone rather than outcome. The casting of Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Vicky Kaushal together suggests a film that will lean heavily on performance and emotional tension.
This is not a project expected to announce itself early. Bhansali’s films tend to accumulate meaning through visuals, music, and atmosphere, elements that reveal themselves gradually. That slow-burn quality shapes anticipation here.
Love & War earns its position because audiences are waiting to feel the film rather than measure it. It may not dominate conversation today, but its anticipation is patient, deliberate, and long-lived.
7. Spirit
Spirit derives its anticipation from uncertainty. The collaboration between Prabhas and Sandeep Reddy Vanga brings together two contrasting cinematic sensibilities — one defined by scale and silence, the other by intensity and provocation. That collision alone makes the film impossible to ignore.
Very little has been revealed, and that restraint is part of the strategy. Viewers are less interested in plot than in tone: how far the film will push boundaries, and how its central performance will be shaped. Anticipation here is less about excitement and more about curiosity.
Spirit is expected to peak later, once it declares its identity. Its current position on this list reflects intrigue rather than certainty — a film people are watching closely, even without answers.
6. Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-ups
Toxic stands apart as the most unconventional project on this list. The pairing of Yash with filmmaker Geetu Mohandas signals a deliberate departure from familiar mass templates. Everything about the film — its title, its tonal description, its reported bilingual and international-facing approach — suggests reinvention.
This is not a film designed to chase immediate approval. Instead, it positions itself as a discovery-led experience, one that asks audiences to recalibrate expectations around its star. That creative risk is precisely what fuels anticipation.
Toxic is being watched not for scale, but for intent. It promises to say something new, and in a landscape crowded with familiarity, that alone makes it one of 2026’s most compelling waits.
5. The Raja Saab
The Raja Saab draws anticipation from accessibility and tonal novelty. Prabhas returning to a lighter, genre-blending space — mixing fantasy, horror, and comedy — feels like a conscious recalibration after years of intense, large-scale action roles.
The film is positioned as a family-facing entertainer without sacrificing imagination. That balance matters. It signals a project designed to reach wide audiences while still offering something different from standard formula.
What keeps The Raja Saab firmly in the upper half of this list is its clarity of promise. It knows who it is for, and audiences seem ready to meet it there.
4. Dhurandhar 2
Dhurandhar 2 is a sequel built on trust rather than noise. The first film’s unexpected success created a foundation of goodwill, and the follow-up is being awaited because it feels narratively earned. This is continuation, not extension.
There is little urgency in how the film is being presented, and that restraint is intentional. Anticipation here is steady, shaped by memory rather than marketing.
Among all 2026 films, Dhurandhar 2 best represents quiet confidence — a project that does not need to shout to be taken seriously.
3. Ramayana: Part 1
Ramayana: Part 1 exists beyond conventional anticipation metrics. It is being watched as a cultural undertaking — a film whose success or failure will resonate far beyond its own release.
The scale of ambition, the responsibility of interpretation, and the cross-regional casting make it a project loaded with expectation. Audiences are not asking whether it will be big; they are asking whether it will be right.
That weight gives the film a uniquely long anticipation arc. Debate, scrutiny, and curiosity will surround it until release, ensuring its place among the most significant films of 2026.
2. Jana Nayagan
Jana Nayagan represents anticipation driven by devotion. The film carries emotional weight because of what it signifies within Thalapathy Vijay’s career — a convergence of cinema, identity, and public perception.
Directed by H. Vinoth, the project is expected to be grounded and politically aware, qualities that intensify its relevance. Audiences are not merely waiting for a film; they are waiting for a statement.
That emotional investment gives Jana Nayagan one of the strongest anticipation profiles of 2026 — deep, personal, and resilient.
1. King
At the top of the list stands King, a film that feels inevitable rather than imminent. Shah Rukh Khan’s current phase has restored a rare level of audience trust, and this project arrives at exactly the right moment to consolidate that confidence.
The collaboration with Siddharth Anand promises scale with control, while generational casting choices add layers of curiosity. Every element of King suggests a long, sustained presence in the cultural conversation.
King leads this list because it dominates not through noise, but through alignment — of timing, belief, and expectation. In 2026, no other film carries that balance as completely.
What This List Says About the Year Ahead
What this list ultimately reveals is a shift in how audiences choose what to wait for. Anticipation today is quieter, more selective, and more personal. Some films earn attention through devotion, some through ambition, and others through the simple promise of doing something different.
These ten films are not united by genre or scale, but by belief. They are the projects people are already watching — not because they are loud, but because they matter. As 2026 unfolds, this list will evolve. For now, it stands as a snapshot of where Indian cinema’s next conversations are beginning.
