Bollywood changes course

Bollywood trade analysts have ranked Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan and Abhishek Bachchan as the top three Bollywood actors of the year, and Rani Mukherjee, Bipasha Basu, Preity Zinta, Priyanka Chopra and Mallika Sherawat as the top five actress of the year. Akshay Kumar tops the list of top Bollywood stars followed by Saif Ali Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan and John Abraham. Ajay Devgan does not feature anywhere in the list.

According to trade analyst Vikas Mohan of Super Cinema, the box office success of the year goes to Akshay, Abhishek and Saif. "Though Abhishek's performance in Bluffmaster was thanda, he can be rated among the top three. To some extent we should give credit to Emraan Hashmi. Though his films have not been a grosser he has been a hit, specially where the music is concerned. His songs have been the trendsetter of the year. As for Amitabh Bachchan, he did better last year than this year. John Abraham was a craze last year because of his film Dhoom but the actor could not sustain it this year," says Vikas.

As far as the heroines are concerned, Vikas Mohan adds, "Yes, Rani has done a tremendous job in Black and Bunty aur Babli. She tops the list followed by Bipasha and Priyanka. Preity has done a few good films, but I don't think Mallika deserves the credit. She is just a crowd puller. One couldn't call Myth her Hollywood film because she was featured just for a few minutes. One could always give credit to Aishwarya Rai who has taken Bollywood to an international level."

Looking back at the films made this year, the last hit was Ajay Devgan's Apaharan. The film focussed on the rampant kidnapping in Bihar and Patna and is likely to be nominated for the National Awards and it would be no surprise if Ajay Devgan bags another award for his film.

Amitabh Bachchan is India's most overworked actor who made the maximum number of headlines this year. Besides his talked about performances in films like Sanjay Leela
Bhansali's Black, Vipul Shah's Waqt, Apurva Lakhia's Ek Ajnabee, and KBC II where he plays a perfect host. The actor sparked off fear in his fans when he was admitted in Leelavati Hospital for debilitating intestinal surgery. He has currently been advised to take a month's rest at home.

Akshay Kumar's comedy roles in Garam Masala and Deewane Huye Pagal have made people call him "Bollywood's latest comedy king". His new look has boosted his prospects to such great heights that the actor even signed a Rs 10 crore deal with a modelling agency. Today, he is in great demand.

Abhishek's career graph showed an upward trend with Yuva and hasn't shown any signs of declining ever since. In Mani Ratnam's Yuva, his chemistry with co-star Rani Mukherjee was applauded by one and all and the media went beserk writing about their love-making scene in the film. The couple scored once again with Bunty Aur Babli while some claimed it to be a hit others wrote it off, but Abhishek was the coolest face of 2005.

Controversies apart, Saif has been churning out hits after hits consistently. If he was the timid and shyboy of Parineeta, he could with equal ease woo the audience with his bold and selfish character in Salaam Namaste. After a 10 year struggle in Bollywood, success seems to be finally kissing his feet.

Rani Mukherjee broke the shackles of the glamour doll image that Bollywood heroines normally portray with her stupendous performance in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black. Her Bunty Aur Babli created box office records. Although Paheli was not a real crowd puller, it has been nominated in the best foreign film category for the Oscars and the Golden Globe awards.

Sultry sirens, Bipasha Basu and Priyanka Chopra also rule the roost in Bollywood. Bipasha Basu's deglamourised role in Prakash Jha's Apaharan proved that she was not just a sex symbol. Her No Entry was the biggest grosser of the year. The ex-Miss World Priyanka Chopra has also been applauded for her acting prowess in Mujhse Shaadi Karogi and is one of the most sought after actresses in the industry today.

The bubbly Preity Zinta's Salaam Namaste was one of the biggest hits of the year, so much so that this film alone was enough for the actress to maintain her position as one of Bollywood's top heroines. Trade analyst Komal Nahata of Film Information has a slightly altered top five list. He says, "Amitabh still remains number one with his brilliant performances in Black and Bunty aur Babli. Salman has regained a strong foothold in the industry with his No Entry and Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya. Akshay Kumar has given many hits. But so have Abhishek and Saif."

He continues, "According to me, among the actresses Rani tops the list followed by Aishwarya Rai, Bipasha Basu and Kareena Kapoor. Preity has just given us a single hit throughout the year and Priyanka Chopra has been very average. But I would definitely not include Mallika Sherawat in the top five list." With trade analysts taking a different stand this year, the usual favourites Shah Rukh, Aamir, Aishwarya and Kareena can wait till next year to feature in the list.