Had the pandemic been under control, January would have seen quite a few releases, with many more to go.
But with COVID cases rising, the films are piling up even as Bollywood continues to make more.
Joginder Tuteja looks at stars with the most movies in the pipeline.
Akshay Kumar
Prithviraj, Bachchan Pandey, Raksha Bandhan, Cinderella, OMG - Oh My God 2, Ram Setu
Akshay leads the list with as many as six movies ready to arrive in 2022.
While Prithviraj was slated to release in January, the others were spread through the year.
Of course, he may have six films ready, but he isn't slowing down.
Akshay is all set to start shooting for Selfiee followed by Gorkha, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and the Web series The End.
Ajay Devgn
RRR, Gangubai Kathiawadi, Maidaan, Runway 34, Thank God
Ajay has two back-to-back releases, where he isn't playing the central protagonist but has a special role -- RRR and Gangubai Kathiawadi.
He is also ready with Maidaan and Thank God with the Runway 34 shoot coming to a close.
Meanwhile, he has started shooting forBholaa, which will be followed by Drishyam 2 and Singham 3.
Rajkummar Rao
Badhaai Do, HIT - The First Case, Monica, O My Darling, Mr & Mrs Mahi, Bheed
Rajkummar has several films ready for release.
Badhaai Do was planned for a February release.
Then, there's his action drama HIT - The First Case and the quirky comedy Monica, O My Darling, a Netflix release, ready as well.
Mr & Mrs Mahi has him opposite Janhvi Kapoor. He will then star with Bhumi Pednekar in Anubhav Sinha's Bheed.
Kartik Aaryan
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Freddy, Shehzada
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 will be Kartik's first release in 2022.
Freddy -- a romantic thriller -- is ready too.
The shooting of Shehzada is going on in full swing. It sees Kartik opposite his Luka Chuppi co-star Kriti Sanon, and is directed by Rohit Dhawan.
Hansal Mehta's Captain India and Sajid Nadiadwala's love story are ready to go on the floors.
John Abraham
Attack, Pathan, Ek Villain 2
John's 2022 would have kick-started with Attack, but the release has been pushed.
The actor turns antagonist in the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Pathan and then into a complete villain for Ek Villain 2.
While these are his confirmed releases in 2022, John also begins shooting for the Ayyappanum Koshiyum remake, where he teams up with Arjun Kapoor.
Ranbir Kapoor
Shamshera, Brahmastra
Ranbir has two films lined up for release this year: Shamshera and Brahmastra.
Last seen in 2018's Sanju, the four-year wait will be worth it with these mega budget films mounted on a huge scale.
Meanwhile, Ranbir is also shooting for Luv Ranjan's next with Shraddha Kapoor.
Then, there is Kabir Singh Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal, co-starring Bobby Deol, Anil Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra.
Ranveer Singh
Jayeshbhai Jordaar, Cirkus
After applauding him in '83, one has to wait for months to see Ranveer in a light-hearted avatar with Jayeshbhai Jordaar and Cirkus.
While the first is a Yash Raj Films product, the second is a Rohit Shetty entertainer.
Ranveer is also shooting for Karan Johar's Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani with Alia Bhatt, Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi and Jaya Bachchan.
Tiger Shroff
Heropanti 2, Ganapath: Chapter 1
Tiger will return with two major films, Heropanti 2 and Ganapath: Chapter 1, this year.
While the former is almost ready, the shooting of the latter is going on in full swing.
Tiger is also bulking up for Rambo.
Sidharth Malhotra
Mission Majnu, Thank God, Yodha
Sid has a hat-trick of 2022 releases: Mission Majnu, Thank God, Yodha.
Mission Majnu is a spy thriller, which sees southern sensation Rashmika Mandanna's Bollywood debut.
Indra Kumar's Thank God co-stars Ajay Devgn and Rakul Preet.
Karan Johar's production Yodha will sees Sid with Disha Patani and Raashi Khanna.
Varun Dhawan
Jug Jugg Jeeyo, Bhediya
Back in Christmas 2020, Varun's Coolie No 1 released on OTT.
But it's going to be a theatrical release for the actor's Karan Johar production Jug Jugg Jeeyo.
Varun has also shot his first ever horror movie, Bhediya, directed by Amar Kaushik, and co-starring Kriti Sanon.
Then, he will reunite with his Badlapur Director Sriram Raghavan for Ekkis.
Ayushmann Khurrana
Anek, Doctor G, Action Hero
Ayushmann's Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui may be a rage on OTT, but it didn't quite find an audience in theatres.
The actor will be seen in Anubhav Sinha's Anek next, followed by Anubhuti Kashyap's Doctor G, both in contrasting roles.
He's also getting ready to play an 'action hero' in Aanand L Rai's production, Action Hero.
Vicky Kaushal
Sam Bahadur, Govinda Naam Mera, untitled film with Sara Ali Khan
While his last film Sardar Udham released OTT, Vicky's next three films are planned as theatrical releases.
The release date of Meghna Gulzar's Sam Bahadur, which is ready, is yet to be announced, but Govinda Naam Mera is aiming for a summer release. A Karan Johar production, it co-stars Bhumi Pednekar and Kiara Advani.
Vicky is also shooting his next with Janhvi Kapoor, which is said to be a romcom.
