Bollywood box office roundup of first half of 2019 - Salman, Akshay continue to rule; Shahid Kapoor biggest surprise

There are certain superstars from whom you expect at least a superhit, if not a blockbuster each time around. Then there are newcomers who promise to deliver a good success with every passing film. And then there are stars who are stuck with the 'underrated' tag.

Well, the first half of 2019 saw films coming from stars belonging to each of these categories.

The man at the top of the list is Salman Khan. He is one superstar whose Rs 200 crore blockbuster is termed as an 'underperformer'. Last year, it happened with Race 3, which, despite earning Rs 169 crore, was termed as a major disappointment. This year too, his Bharat somehow managed to go past the Rs 200 crore-mark though a lot of credit for that goes to the extended five day Eid weekend, which resulted in Rs 150 crore coming in. The fact that only Rs 65 crore came in after that shows how it was received.

Meanwhile, the forever underrated Shahid Kapoor has made a massive impact and how. He didn't even have a solo 100 Crore Club Hit to his name despite being in the industry for over 15 years. With Kabir Singh though, he is already eyeing an entry into the Rs 200 crore club entry this week (the film has already netted over Rs 180 crore). This won't be all for the romantic entertainer as the trending so far suggests, hold your breath, a Rs 300 crore all time blockbuster in the making. After a multi-starrer triple century affair Padmaavat, Shahid Kapoor has now finally got his due.

There is Mr. Consistent Ajay Devgn continuing to deliver centuries one after another. He scored two more this year in the form of Total Dhamaal and De De Pyaar De. Former was a multi-starrer which went past the 150 crores mark. On the other hand latter was a solo lead affair and that fill too entered the 100 Crore Club. Between the two films, the superstar has generated moolah valued at 257.73 crores at the Box Office, which is a clear testimony to the kind of rock solid standing that he has enjoyed in the industry for over 25 years.

Same holds true for Akshay Kumar too who has seen one release so far in the form of Kesari. For someone who is seen in three to four releases every year, he had a relatively quieter 2019 so far but would be pretty much on a rampage in the second half when Mission Mangal, Housefull 4 and Good News arrive one after another. As of now though, he has enjoyed his highest grossing solo starrer in the form of Kesari which went past the 150 crores mark.

The surprise came though from Vicky Kaushal whose Uri - The Surgical Strike created a havoc at the Box Office. So far he has featured as a leading man in small films or as a supporting actor in big films. However, when the balance was struck with this patriotic battle drama, results were there to be seen as the film emerged as an All Time Blockbuster no less. With the collections just about falling short of the Rs 250 crore mark, it has pretty much set a benchmark for Vicky himself when it comes to his future films.

Same holds true for Kartik Aaryan as well, who continued his good run with Luka Chuppi. The youngster has been patient ever since his Pyaar Ka Punchnama days to enter the big league and the major success of Luka Chuppi has established him further amongst the young stars of Bollywood. With Pati Patni aur Woh, Love Aaj Kal 2 and Dostana 2 lined up, there is a lot expected from Kartik in time to come.

As for Ranveer Singh, he did something niche with Gully Boy and still ended up delivering well as the collections went past the Rs 100 crore-mark in a jiffy. The actor was just coming after delivering a Blockbuster in Simmba and from being a flamboyant cop to a rather subdued gully rapper, Ranveer showed that as an actor, he indeed had a range to demonstrate.

Of course, amongst all the young and not-so-young actors, there is a legend called Amitabh Bachchan and he showed yet again how he has in him to rule even till date. His Badla is a clear example of that which is now his highest grossing solo-starrer (in the current era). The 'mahanaayak' is capable of giving superhits even till date and Badla, which came close to minting Rs 90 crore, proved that all over again.

Incidentally, there is no Shah Rukh Khan or Aamir Khan film this year. However, one just hopes that upcoming releases of Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff will find a place in the charts as well.

Movies that have raked in maximum moolah in 2019:

Shahid Kapoor - Kabir Singh - Rs 180 crore (slated to enter Rs 300 crore club)

Ajay Devgn - Total Dhamaal and De De Pyaar De - Rs 257.73 crore

Vicky Kaushal - Uri - The Surgical Strike - Rs 244.20 crore

Salman Khan - Bharat - Rs 215 crore

Akshay Kumar - Kesari - Rs 154.41 crore

Ranveer Singh - Gully Boy - Rs 140 crore

Kartik Aaryan - Luka Chuppi - Rs 95 crore