What will Priyanka, Farhan, Ranveer, Salman and Madhuri be up to in 2014?

Our predictions for who will be in the Bollyood spotlight in 2014.

In 2014 Madhuri Dixit heads a gang of female vigilantes in Gulaab Gang, a film inspired by a group of women from the Bundelkhand area of India who fight against social injustices. AFP

Madhuri Dixit

The queen of the 1980s and 1990s is back with a vengeance this year. After a dismal attempt in 2007 with her musical Aaja Nachle, Madhuri Dixit is better prepared this time around. She starts off the year with the black comedy-thriller Dedh Ishqiya, the sequel to Ishqiya (2010). Produced by Vishal Bhardwaj and directed by Abhishek Chaubey, the film brings back the male leads Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi, but features Dixit in place of Vidya Balan, who starred in the first film. Later in the year, Dixit heads a gang of female vigilantes in Gulaab Gang, a film inspired by a group of women from the Bundelkhand area of India who fight against social injustices. The film's poster shows a sari-clad Dixit flying through the air brandishing wea­pons in both hands. How can that be a bad thing? Dedh Ishqiya is out in the UAE on Thursday.

Salman Khan

Even though Salman Khan had no films in 2013, his name was still up in lights. He did, after all, deliver a series of back-to-back films that brought in "100-crore" (Dh58.9 million) in 2012 – Dabangg 2 and Ek The Tiger – after Bodyguard and Ready in 2011 and Dabangg in 2010. He makes a comeback this year with the hotly anticipated Jai Ho (out on January 23 in the UAE). Directed by his brother Sohail Khan, it's a remake of the 2006 Telugu blockbuster Stalin and tells the story of the common man's uprise against corruption.

Ranveer Singh

After the success of Ram Leela and the ultimate hookup with his co-star Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh seems determined to make 2014 his year. Watch out for him in Yash Raj Films' Gunday, a tribute to the 1979 Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Kaala Patthar. Set in 1970s Kolkata, this is the story of two small-time coal thieves, Bikram and Bala, who go on to become the head honchos of the coal mafia. Singh's other movie this year has him alongside Padukone in the offbeat short film Finding Fanny Fernandes.

Priyanka Chopra

From playing an autistic girl (Barfi, 2012) to a serial killer (7 Khoon Maaf, 2011), Priyanka Chopra has donned a myriad of avatars, but the one we look forward to seeing her in is that of the Olympic bronze-medallist-boxer Mary Kom. The biopic, produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and scheduled to be released in July, is going to be genre-breaking: Bollywood's first female-centric sport film. Last year's Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, starring Farhan Akhtar, as the athlete Milkha Singh, was a hit and if anyone can pull the punters, it is Chopra. We're also looking forward to the much-talked about transformation of Chopra into Kom. A black eye and broken teeth? This is a version of Chopra we've got to see.

Farhan Akhtar

Farhan Akhtar's nuanced performances are always a delight to watch and that is why, after 2013's Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, we're looking forward to seeing him in Shaadi Ke Side Effects. Out on February 27, the film is a sequel to the 2006 romantic comedy Pyaar Ke Side Effects, starring Rahul Bose and Mallika Sherawat. Also in the film alongside Akhtar is the equally talented Vidya Balan. We are also awaiting news on other projects from him: Don 3, as a writer, and Raees, a period crime film where he plays a police officer.

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