Quick answer: Of the eight films this article listed for April 2018 in early 2018, only Blackmail (6 April 2018) actually released that month. Parmanu, Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se, 2.0 and Baazaar came out later in 2018, Manikarnika in January 2019, Bose: Dead/Alive was a web series, and the Hindi Rambo remake was never released. Hindi films that did open in April 2018 included October, Beyond the Clouds and Daas Dev.
About this list
This article was first published in early 2018 as a guide to “upcoming movies in April”. Release dates in Indian cinema often move, and that April was a good example: most of the films below were postponed, and one never came out at all. We have kept the original list as a record of what was announced, and added what actually happened to each film. The dates and figures below were checked in October 2026.
The films listed for April 2018, and what happened
| Film | Date given in 2018 | What actually happened |
|---|---|---|
| Bose: Dead/Alive | 2 April 2018 | A web series, not a cinema release; streamed on ALTBalaji from late 2017 |
| Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se | 2 April 2018 | Released 31 August 2018 |
| Rambo (Hindi remake) | 5 April 2018 | Not released; repeatedly delayed and later reported as shelved |
| Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran | 6 April 2018 | Released 25 May 2018 |
| Blackmail | 6 April 2018 | Released as planned, 6 April 2018 |
| 2.0 | 14 April 2018 | Released 29 November 2018 |
| Baazaar | 27 April 2018 | Released 26 October 2018 |
| Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi | 27 April 2018 | Released 25 January 2019 |
1. Bose: Dead/Alive
Bose: Dead/Alive starred Rajkummar Rao as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and explored the long-running mystery around Bose’s reported death in 1945. Rao underwent a noticeable physical transformation for the role. The original version of this article listed it as an April 2018 film release; it was in fact a nine-episode web series, based on Anuj Dhar’s book India’s Biggest Cover-up, that began streaming on the ALTBalaji platform in late 2017.
2. Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se
The third film in the Yamla Pagla Deewana comedy series reunited Dharmendra, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, with Kriti Kharbanda, and was directed by Navaniat Singh. It did not release in April 2018: it reached cinemas on 31 August 2018. For some of Sunny Deol’s best-known lines from other films, see our collection of Sunny Deol dialogues.
3. Rambo (Hindi remake)
The Hindi remake of the Sylvester Stallone action film was announced in 2017 with Tiger Shroff in the lead and Siddharth Anand as director. Its story was described as being about a member of an elite covert unit of the Indian armed forces who returns home to find a war-like situation. The film never released. Reports over the following years described repeated delays, and later reports said the project had been shelved. We could not find an official cancellation announcement.
4. Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran
Directed by Abhishek Sharma and starring John Abraham, Diana Penty and Boman Irani, Parmanu is a drama about the 1998 nuclear tests at Pokhran in Rajasthan. Its release moved several times, from December 2017 to April 2018, after a clash with Padmaavat and a dispute between its producers, John Abraham’s company and KriArj Entertainment. It finally released on 25 May 2018.
How it performed: Bollywood Hungama lists an India total of ₹65.89 crore nett (₹84.47 crore gross) and a worldwide gross of about ₹91.17 crore. Box Office India put its budget at about ₹35 crore.
5. Blackmail
Blackmail was directed by Abhinay Deo, whose earlier film was Delhi Belly. It stars Irrfan Khan as a man who discovers his wife’s affair and decides to blackmail her lover, with Kirti Kulhari, Arunoday Singh and Divya Dutta. It is a dark comedy and was the one film on this list that released on its announced date, 6 April 2018. (An earlier version of this article spelled the director’s name “Abhinav” and the actor’s name “Kriti”.)
How it performed: Bollywood Hungama records an opening day of ₹2.81 crore and an India total of about ₹20.35 crore. Reviews were mixed, though several critics praised Irrfan Khan’s performance.
6. 2.0
S. Shankar’s science-fiction film starred Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson and Adil Hussain (an earlier version of this article wrote “Adil Rashid”). It is a sequel to the 2010 film Enthiran and was shot natively in 3D. The original article said Akshay Kumar would play a superhero; in the film he plays Pakshi Rajan, the antagonist, in his Tamil debut.
The April 2018 date did not hold. The release had already moved from Diwali 2017 to January 2018, then to 14 April and 27 April 2018, mainly because of its large volume of visual-effects work. It finally released on 29 November 2018.
How it performed: Worldwide estimates differ by source. Box Office India reported about ₹699.89 crore, while other outlets reported figures up to about ₹800 crore. For more from the actor, see our list of Akshay Kumar’s famous dialogues.
7. Baazaar
Directed by Gauravv K. Chawla, Baazaar is a stock-market drama starring Saif Ali Khan as the trader Shakun Kothari, with Rohan Mehra, Radhika Apte and Chitrangada Singh. It released on 26 October 2018. The original article said it drew inspiration from The Wolf of Wall Street; we could not confirm that. Reviewers more often compared it with Oliver Stone’s Wall Street, and Saif Ali Khan’s performance was praised in otherwise mixed reviews.
8. Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
The historical drama about Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi stars Kangana Ranaut in the title role, with Atul Kulkarni as Tatya Tope and Suresh Oberoi as Baji Rao II. Director Krish (Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi) shares the directing credit with Kangana Ranaut, who took over when Krish moved to another project. Sonu Sood, named in the original article, left the film and was replaced by Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub. It released on 25 January 2019.
How it performed: Bollywood Hungama’s figures, as cited by Wikipedia, put the worldwide gross at about ₹132.95 crore. Box Office India called it an “average” performer.
Hindi films that did release in April 2018
For readers who want to know what was actually in cinemas that month, these Hindi films released in April 2018:
- 6 April: Blackmail (Irrfan Khan) and Missing (Tabu, Manoj Bajpayee)
- 13 April: October (Varun Dhawan, Banita Sandhu; directed by Shoojit Sircar), Mercury (Prabhu Deva) and Zoo
- 20 April: Beyond the Clouds (Ishaan Khatter, Malavika Mohanan; directed by Majid Majidi) and Nanu Ki Jaanu (Abhay Deol)
- 27 April: Daas Dev (Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari; directed by Sudhir Mishra) and Meri Nimmo
The biggest film in Indian cinemas that month was not a Hindi production: Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War opened in India on 27 April 2018 in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, and Bollywood Hungama reported an opening weekend of about ₹94.30 crore. Earlier in 2018, Padmaavat (25 January), Pad Man (9 February) and Pari (2 March) had already released, as the original article noted. For a look at Varun Dhawan’s other work, see Varun Dhawan’s popular dialogues, and for background on the industry, our explainer on Bollywood, the Indian movie industry.
Frequently asked questions
Did 2.0 release in April 2018?
No. 2.0 was scheduled for April 2018 but was postponed, mainly because of its visual-effects work. It released on 29 November 2018.
When did Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi release?
It released on 25 January 2019, about nine months after the April 2018 date reported in early 2018.
Was Tiger Shroff’s Rambo remake ever released?
No. As of October 2026 the Hindi Rambo remake had not been released, and later reports described the project as shelved.
Which Bollywood films released in April 2018?
Hindi releases that month included Blackmail and Missing (6 April), October (13 April), Beyond the Clouds and Nanu Ki Jaanu (20 April) and Daas Dev (27 April).
Release dates and figures checked in October 2026 against Bollywood Hungama’s box office pages, Box Office India as reported by Wikipedia, and 2017-18 trade reporting. Box office figures are attributed because sources differ.
