In a year when Bollywood arrived armed with an arsenal of sequels - big stars, massive budgets, brand recall and carefully calculated nostalgia - nobody expected the real disruption to come from three very different films: the historical epic Chhaava, the soulful romantic drama Saiyaara, and the animated mythological marvel Mahavatar Narsimha. Yet, these three films not only rewrote the box office narrative, they dismantled Bollywood’s long-standing assumption that sequels are the safest bet in a post-pandemic world. For years after COVID-19, the Hindi film industry leaned heavily on franchises - from Bhool Bhulaiyaa to Drishyam, from Gadar to Stree - all delivering big returns. But 2025 hit differently. No amount of nostalgia could save most sequels this year. Instead, it was originali

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