With no sign of normalcy in sight among the COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing number of Bollywood producers are betting on digital premiers for their films. This means Bollywood fans are in for a treat as they can look forward to a number of releases before 2020 runs out. Here are some of the most anticipated movies that are expected to release in this year:

1. Gangubai Kathiawadi: This Sanjay Leela Bhansali film will star Alia Bhatt in the lead role and is expected to release on 11^th September. Posters released online have already created a buzz on social media and the film is based on the real-life story of the mafia queen Gangubai Kathiawadi. Sold into prostitution at a young age, Gangubai rose to power by establishing links with the Mumbai underworld. She owned and operated many brothels and also was a strong champion for rights of sex workers.

2. Haseena Dilruba: Starring Taapsee Pannu and Vikrant Massey in leading roles, this film will be heavily influenced by Hindi pulp fiction. Not much is known about the movie but it is expected that it will be a murder mystery thriller. Fans are excited to see Taapsee play a role unlike any she has played in her career, in this Vinil Mathew directed film. The film will be distributed under the banner of Eros International and will be released on 18 September.

3. Toofan: Directed by Rakyesh Omprakash Mishra and starring Farhan Akhtar, this is one of the most anticipated sports movies in a long time. In this movie, Farhan will play a national level boxer in the film, which is expected to release on 18^th September. A lot of hype has been generated on social media regarding this new collaboration between Farhan and director Mishra, because the last film from the pair, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was a huge triumph with the movie receiving critical acclaim as well as box office success.

4. Prithviraj: Based on the life of Prithviraj Chauhan, a celebrated king who ruled over much of India during the 12^th century, this film will see Miss World winner Manushi Chhillar make her Bollywood debut. This historical drama will be directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi and will star Akshay Kumar in the leading role. The project is backed by Yash Raj films which has produced stars like Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh in the past. Whether they have introduced Bollywood to another star in Manushi Chhillar, remains to be seen in this highly anticipated movie. Prithviraj will release on 13^th November but it remains to be seen whether it has a theatrical or online release.

5. Brahmastra: This Ayan Mukerji directed film is planned as the first film of a trilogy and will have a stellar cast. Prominent names like Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt are expected to play leading roles with the slated for a 4^th December release. Karan Johar is one of the major producers of the film which is one of the most expensive Bollywood movies ever produced with a budget of ₹150 crore.