Aamir Khan’s Ghajini, slated to become one of the highest grossers of alltime (may even leave behind Sunny Deol’s Gadar-The Love Story, the previous highest grosser on home territory), has single-handedly lifted the mood of an industry that has been spooked by recession and terror fears. The mood was so black in Bollywood till December 2008 that it seemed like we were going into a black year in 2009. Agreed Akshay Kumar, who has the maximum amount of money riding on him in 2009: “I told you. All it takes is two hits to turn around fortunes.” But experts predict that 2009 will see a kaleidoscope even more impressive than 2008.

Forthcoming release(s) of Akshay Kumar

• Akki is going to kickstart 2009 with his Chandni Chowk to China (January 16 – Super Duper FLOP!!!), followed by Eight by Ten, De Dhana Dhan, and Blue. He has approximately Rs 250 crore riding on him.

Forthcoming release(s) of Aamir Khan

• Aamir, whose film has turned around Bollywood, teams up with Munnabhai director Raju Hirani in Three Idiots (a college flick), where he will romance Kareena Kapoor for the first time. He will also release his home production Delhi Belly (in English) with nephew Imran Khan.

Forthcoming release(s) of Shah Rukh Khan

• SRK starts 2009 with an interesting cameo as a superstar in home production Billoo Barber (February 14) and will look forward to ending it with Karan Johar’s My Name is Khan (where he plays an autistic man and teams up with Kajol).

Forthcoming release(s) of Amitabh, Abhishek, and Aishwarya Bachchan

• Bollywood patriarch Amitabh Bachchan will team up with son Abhishek in R Balki’s Pa. Then he switches roles for Ram Gopal Varma’s Rann, and finally Shoojit Sircar’s Johny Mastana. Abhishek & Aishwarya are poised to take centrestage in 2009 with Mani Ratnam’s Ravan and Rajeev Menon’s Dhun. Abhishek also has Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra’s Delhi-6, scheduled to release in February.

Forthcoming release(s) of Hrithik Roshan

• Hrithik Roshan is scheduled to take dirty dancing to dizzying heights in dad Raakesh Roshan’s Kites (Rs 120 crore, a Diwali 2009 release; he is also slated for a guest appearance in Zoya Akhtar’s Luck By Chance, where he, like SRK in Billoo Barber, plays a superstar.

Forthcoming release(s) of Salman Khan

• Sallu has huge money riding on him. Over Rs 150 crore is riding on him in Boney Kapoor’s Wanted Dead or Alive, Vipul Shah’s London Dreams and his home productions (Mr and Mrs Khanna and Veer).

Forthcoming release(s) of other stars

• Sanjay Dutt has some interesting work in Lamha and Blue. Ajay Devgan will be seen in 2009 in Toonpur Ka Sultan and London Dreams. John Abraham will appear in Aditya Chopra’s New York.