From Janhvi Kapoor to Sara Ali Khan, here are the Bollywood debutants to watch out for in 2018

As we step into the new year, there’s much to look forward to in Bollywood — new films, interesting plots and of course new faces. In an industry that churns almost more than a hundred films a year, it is always a select, or rather a lucky few, who make the cut. Careers are made and broken; it is all about getting that right film, that right script and last but not the least, audience acceptance. And then, of course, there are remnants of the past year to deal with. Nepotism took Bollywood by storm in 2017. In the wake of the ongoing debate on opportunities existing only for star kids/members of the industry, here are a bunch of newcomers who are going to try their luck as they set foot into the world of stardom. 1. Janhvi Kapoor [caption id=“attachment_4289251” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Janhvi Kapoor. Facebook[/caption] Screen legend Sridevi and film producer Boney Kapoor’s elder daughter Janhvi Kapoor is all set to be seen in _Dhadak_ , the official Hindi remake of Nagraj Manjule’s 2016 blockbuster Marathi film Sairat. She will star opposite another newcomer, Ishaan Khatter, in the film. Backed by Karan Johar’s Dharma Entertainment, Dhadak has been directed by Shashank Khaitan, who has previously captained Dharma ventures like Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, Badrinath Ki Dulhania in the past. Janhvi has been a prominent face on social media, credits to her appearances on a bevy of A-listers’ parties along with her mom and sister donning Manish Malhotra outfits. Often touted as the next big thing in Bollywood (obviously because she is Sridevi’s daughter), her real test will happen on 6 July this year when Dhadak hits the theatres. 2. Ishaan Khatter [caption id=“attachment_4289255” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Ishaan Khatter. Facebook[/caption] Shahid Kapoor’s half-brother Ishaan Khatter is also marking his debut in Bollywood this year along with Janhvi in Dhadak. It will technically not be his debut film, as he starred in Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi’s 2017 film _Beyond the Clouds_ . He received several accolades and positive reviews for his performance in the film. Now it will be interesting to see how he fares in a film that pits against conventional, commercial movies of Bollywood. His chemistry with Janhvi has been speculated to have transcended from being professional to personal, as both of them have been making many non-reel appearances together recently. 3. Sara Ali Khan [caption id=“attachment_4289259” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Sara Ali Khan. Facebook[/caption] Saif Ali Khan’s daughter with former wife and actress Amrita Singh, Sara Ali Khan is making her big Bollywood debut with Abhishek Kapoor’s _Kedarnath_ . She will be seen opposite Sushant Singh Rajput in the film that revolves around a love story in the backdrop of a pilgrimage. The film, slated to release on 21 December 2018, has already been garnering a lot of attention ever since the project was announced. 4. Ananya Pandey [caption id=“attachment_4289261” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Ananya Pandey. Facebook[/caption] Chunky Pandey’s daughter will reportedly be seen in Dharma Productions’ Student Of The Year 2, which stars Tiger Shroff in the lead role. Although a major share of this news stems from speculations; nothing concrete regarding her casting has been corroborated by either by the young talent or the makers of the film. The first poster of Student of the Year 2 was revealed a few months ago, confirming Tiger’s presence in the film. 5. Karan Deol [caption id=“attachment_4289263” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Karan Deol with father Sunny Deol. Facebook[/caption] Sunny Deol is all set to launch his son Karan with his latest directorial venture, Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas. The film is still in the production stage. When a picture from Karan’s first day at work went online, stars like Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan congratulated the young actor and wished him good luck, reports Deccan Chronicle. 6. Ahaan Shetty [caption id=“attachment_4289265” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Ahaan Shetty. Facebook[/caption] While sister Athiya Shetty took her maiden steps in Bollywood in 2015’s Hero alongside Sooraj Pancholi, Sunil Shetty’s son Ahaan is also making his Bollywood debut with a Sajid Nadiadwala film, reports claim. It is speculated that Nadiadwala has roped in Ahaan for a four-film deal, of which one happens to be an action flick. Previously, there were rumours that Ahaan will also be seen in Dhadak along with Janhvi and Ishaan. 7. Utkarsh Sharma [caption id=“attachment_4289275” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Utkarsh Sharma. Facebook[/caption] Gadar filmmaker Anil Sharma is all set to create a Bollywood launchpad for his son Utkarsh with the upcoming film Genius. The film also marks the return of ’90s actress Ayesha Julka as Utkarsh’s mother. The film’s shooting is supposed to wrap by late 2017 or early 2018. Technically, Utkarsh had already made a small appearance in his dad’s Gadar: Ek Prem Katha as the onscreen son of Sunny Deol and Amisha Patel. 8. Ayush Sharma [caption id=“attachment_4289285” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Ayush Sharma. Facebook[/caption] When you are family to Salman Khan,opportunities are rather bountiful. Ayush, however holds an even important position in the family — he is Salman’s brother-in-law and is married to Arpita Khan. Late in 2017, Salman had announced that he and brother Sohail would launch Ayush in Bollywood with the film _Loveraatri_ . The film will be directed by debutant Abhiraj Minawala and is touted to be a love story based in Gujarat. Loveraatri also marks the fifth film to release under Salman’s production banner Salman Khan Films (SKF). 9. Rohan Mehra [caption id=“attachment_4289287” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Rohan Mehra. Facebook[/caption] Yesteryear actor Vinod Mehra’s son Rohan will take his maiden steps in front of the camera this year with the upcoming film _Bazaar_ that stars Saif Ali Khan in a pivotal role. Bazaar will be based around the dark and dodgy world of stocks and the share market. The film is helmed by Gauravv K Chawla. The first look of the film was shared in May 2017. 10. Banita Sandhu [caption id=“attachment_4289291” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Banita Sandhu. Facebook[/caption] Sandhu, an 18-year-old NRI model of Punjabi origin, hailing from Wales in the United Kingdom, will be seen opposite Varun Dhawan in Shoojit Sircar’s October. She shot to fame and recognition with Doublemint’s television commercial which has over six-million views on YouTube. October will be an out-of-the-box romance story, weaved quite like Piku or Vicky Donor, where Sircar explores real moments out of simple situations of life. 11. Mouni Roy [caption id=“attachment_4289293” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Mouni Roy. Facebook[/caption] Mouni Roy was first seen in Ekta Kapoor’s TV magnum opus Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Thi followed by stints in other TV shows like Devon ke Dev…Mahadev, Junoon etc. But she witnessed stardom with Balaji’s fictional drama Naagin. Now it is being speculated that she has been roped in opposite Akshay Kumar in Reema Kagti’s upcoming film Gold. 12. Ankita Lokhande [caption id=“attachment_4289295” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Ankita Lokhande. Facebook[/caption] Like Roy, Ankita was a A-list TV actress who shot to fame with Balaji’s Pavitra Rishta that also starred Sushant Singh Rajput as the male lead. Both Rajput-Lokhande enjoyed immense stardom with the show’s popularity. The two actors were also in a relationship for a long time, but they broke apart soon after Rajput became a success in Bollywood. Now, Lokhande is all set to be seen as Jhalkaribai in Kangana Ranaut’s period drama _Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi_ . Jhalkaribai was one of the key advisors and prominent women in Rani Lakshmibai’s council.