Sunny, Rajini, Chiru and company: Life after 65 is great for retro superstars
When it comes to beating age and stepping into the limelight, Sunny Deol in Border 2, Chiranjeevi in Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu and Rajinikanth in Jailer have shown how it’s done.
“It’s not the year, darling. It’s the profit.” That’s Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones raiders of the lost ark. Ask Sunny Deol now, he will agree. Or Chiranjeevi.
We’re already a month and a half into the year and while it’s too early to judge the box office results, a look at what Bollywood’s war dramas look like border 2Starring Sunny Deol, it is currently the biggest hit among 2026 releases across all languages in India. Chiranjeevi-starrer Telugu action comedy, Man Shankar Var Prasad GaruComes at number two.
interesting factor bond border 2 And Man Shankar Var Prasad Garu This is a profile of the stars who are driving the success of these two very contrasting films. Sun
Because, there is a pattern here. At a time when the pan-India box office is struggling, several pan-India blockbusters led by stars falling in the retro bracket are continuing to achieve success. border 2 And Man Shankar Var Prasad Garu This will just appear to be the latest line.
When the sun shines, the border is safe
Movies crashing upon release is no longer a shocking news across languages and markets, and if you discount stalwartLate last year, 2025’s release in the last quarter brought little excitement to the business, especially the Hindi film industry. When stalwart The wave continues on both sides of the border, it was the arrival of border 2 Republic Day weekend which brought smiles to the business at the beginning of the New Year. According to the trade website, at the time of publishing the film has grossed over Rs 436 crore globally. SacnilkAnd there’s no doubt who has been the star of the show.
Bollywood superstar Sunny Deol is as enthusiastic as he was almost three decades ago Limit This film, released in 1997, has always been the main attraction of the people. border 2From the time the massive pre-release promotional campaign of the sequel began with a song launch at the Longewala-Tanot border.
If Mini frenzy among army personnel and their families who were guests at Longewala programThere was a buzz around Sunny Deol, the film only reiterated Sunny’s popularity after its release. Despite a cast consisting of much younger co-stars like Diljit Dosanjh, Varun Dhawan and Ahan Shetty, it was Sunny who walked away on the highest note. clapSand SitiS. It was a writer-backed role for obvious reasons – remove Sunny Deol’s Lt. Col Fateh Singh Kaler from Border 2, and somehow the film doesn’t have that much explosive energy. border 2 Reminded what Sunny was like in the character of Tara Singh Ghadar 2 A few years ago, 2023 was unmasked: When it comes to serving up a hero who blends action with melodrama, there’s no stopping Sunny. Age is just a number, and he will be back again with his brand of fiery pop patriotism on Independence Day 2026 with the temporary headliner. Lahore 1947.
Mega Star’s Mahasankranti
around the time border 2 Started taking the box office by storm in the North, another veteran star was working his magic on the South box office. Chiranjeevi’s Man Shankar Var Prasad Garu Opened in a crowded Telugu market on January 12 on the occasion of Sankranti with Prabhas’ much-hyped film Honourable KingNaveen Polishetty-starrer Anaganaga Oka RajuSharwanand’s Nari Nari Naduma Murari And Bhartha Mahasayulaku Vignyapati (BMW) starring Ravi Teja.
Chiranjeevi, who is fondly nicknamed Mega Star by his fans, will find the box office battle difficult as all the Sankranthi films, including his own, belonged to the same genre – comedy. Notably, all other films in the race featured young lead stars. However, in the end, Man Shankar Var Prasad Garu It became a winner at the worldwide box office, earning over Rs 297 crore. film, which Chiranjeevi made a full comeback into comedy at the age of 70.This year it was the festival of Sankranti.
Man Shankar Var Prasad Garu Undoubtedly, Sankranti was even more than a big hit of 2026. After ruling the Indian box office for most of the last decade, Telugu cinema slowed down somewhat in the year 2025. Last year, the only Telugu film in India’s top 10 charts was Sacnilk Pawan Kalyan-starrer was They call him OG – but Ranked ninth with global earnings of Rs 295 crore. Chiranjeevi’s Man Shankar Var Prasad Garu Hopefully, Tollywood will get a strong start in 2026.
What is the reason for age-defying success in today’s show business? Definitely a dedicated fan base. Most of the actors who achieve massive popularity despite crossing a certain age come from an era when cinema was a medium that created craze. Stardom was built around a larger-than-life aura, and gaining a loyal fan base was perhaps easier than it is now, when the influx of internet and social media has affected attention spans. Therefore, the challenge for senior actors today lies in retaining their fan base, with lasting success depending on their ability to improvise their image with changing tastes.
Thalaivaa knows best
The incident that perhaps best supports this fact is Rajinikanth. Thalaivaa to his fans and an actor who is introduced as a superstar in the credits of his films, Rajinikanth was around 75 when he was delivered last year. CoolieAn action thriller blockbuster from in-demand director Lokesh Kanagaraj. The film was surprisingly a bit too gory for Rajini’s image, although largely the role Kanagaraj created for the actor was made to order for his fans. Rajinikanth, whom American journalist Grady Hendricks once introduced as “the biggest movie star you’ve never heard of” in his writings for Western readers, has proven that the key to success at this stage of his career lies in playing the older man in the script.
Rajinikanth’s biggest success shows that he has stuck to the formula. His latest blockbuster is waterNelson Dilipkumar’s 2023 action drama starring him as a mild-mannered retired jailer who must confront an idol smuggling gang that is threatening his family. The film made a business of Rs 650 crore upon release, and Rajini is set to make a comeback with a bigger and more expensive sequel. jailer 2which boasts a huge supporting and cameo cast.
A very different example of a loyal fan base ensuring unwavering popularity over time would be that of Malayalam titan Mammootty. At 74, played a paiko in last year’s thriller pen timeMammootty currently has about five films. The next much-hyped spy thriller is Patriot Which, over the years, connects him to the other living legend of Malayalam cinema, Mohanlal. Mammootty also returns with master filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan hiking After a hiatus, at least three more untitled films are in the queue.
Of course, Mammootty is a force to be reckoned with, where stardom meets historic talent and age doesn’t matter. Some actors are built that way. Think Amitabh Bachchan.