~*Sushant's Bollywood Journey*~ #9 - Page 92

With Ranbir staking a claim to the top slot we have other Punjabi boys like Ranveer Singh, Ayushmann Khurrana, Arjun Kapoor, Siddharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan slowly but steadily making place for themselves. They are being signed by the biggest makers, and they are collecting the awards at every function. Also, these Punjabi actors have been signed by producers/directors who have traditionally worked with the Khan brigade. Karan Johar, a Khan loyalist gave the industry a Dhawan and a Malhotra. Ranbir has acted in two Dharma films and is currently the blue-eyed boy of every major filmmaker in Bollywood.

Every major banner from Yashraj to Dharma to UTV and Balaji to Viacom 18 that has worked with one or the other Khan are now wooing the new boys. Sanjay Leela Bhansali who has worked with Shah Rukh and Salman switched to Ranbir in Saawariya and is now working with Ranveer Singh in Ram Leela. The Yashraj banner is now grooming Ranveer Singh (Kill Dill), Arjun Kapoor (Aurangzeb) and Sushant Singh Rajput (Maneesh Sharma's untitled) for superstardom. Ekta Kapoor has signed Varun for her next film after OUATIM 2 with Akshay Kumar. Shahid Kapoor too has worked in many YRF films. Ramesh Sippy and his son Rohan whose films always starred the father and son Bachchan have switched to two Punjabi boys Ayushmann and Kunal Roy Kapoor in Nautanki Saala.

A leading filmmaker who has worked with two of the Khan superstars in the past says, "Change is inevitable. A new breed of actors were bound to come in. And they have. Thankfully." Ram Kohli