Ek tha STAR! One-hit wonders

Ek tha STAR!

EVEN AFTER DELIVERING A CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PERFORMANCE IN BA PASS, SHADAB KAMAL DISAPPEARED FROM B- TOWN. WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE OTHER ONE- HIT WONDERS IN BOLLYWOOD

Subhash K Jha

11 May

Ever wondered what happened to Deepak Malhotra, who made his debut opposite Sridevi in Yash Chopra's Lamhe and was never seen on screen after that? Then, there was Dimple Kapadia's sister Simple who made her debut in Anurodh opposite her superstar Jijaji Rajesh Khanna and soon faded away. And what about Nutan's co- star Manish in Saraswatichandra? B. A. Pass actor Shadab Kamal, who delivered a power- packed performance in the film, faded away from the spotlight after the film's release and was recently found in Kolkata pursuing theatre. Shadab is not the only one of his kind. We take a look at the others.

RAMCHARAN TEJA

It has happened to many actors before this Southern sensation. So what made Ramcharan Teja think that he could break the North- South divide that has seen many Tamil- Telugu superstars bite the dust in Bollywood? The worst mistake that he made was to encore Amitabh Bachchan's iconic Inspector Vijay from the career- making Zanjeer. Isn't it ironic that the very film, which made Bachchan's career, proved to be Ramcharan's undoing in Bollywood?

Last heard, Ram has severed all links with Hindi cinema. Ashutosh Gowariker's plans to cast him in his period film have been hastily dropped.

BARBARA MORI

Remember, the Mexican beauty who breezed into Bollywood with Anurag Basu's embarrassingly amateurish love story Kites? The film's producer Rakesh Roshan and leading man Hrithik Roshan raved about Ms Mori being the next best thing. The film proved a dud at the box- office.

She left India promising to return with many big Bollywood projects. We are still waiting.

VIDYUT JAMMWAL

He was a force to reckon with, giving John Abraham's flips and somersaults a run for their money in Nishikant Kamath's Force. After Force and all the debutant awards that came Vidyut's way, he has not been seen in any major films barring a cameo in Tigmanshu Dhulia's Bullett Raja.

"Vidyut has dead- locked his stardom by trying to slot himself as a leading man after getting wolf whistles as the villain," says an established producer.

GIRISH KUMAR

To hail from a powerful production house and have Prabhu Dheva direct your debut film is no guarantee for a smooth sailing career in the industry. In spite of his maiden project Ramaiyya Vastavaiya turning out to be a hit, Girish is jobless at the moment.

" He wants his second film to come to him from outside his home banner. Also, he doesn't wish to be known by his family name," say sources.

DIANA PENTY

She made a talked- about entry in B- Town with Homi Adajania's Cocktail in 2012. The audiences as well as people from the industry got blown away by the charm and beauty of this debutante. So why didn't she sign a single film after Homi's carefully contoured character study of a girl who discovers her grooves after being dumped by her soulmate?

"Diana played hard to get and had too many fine- print conditions in the contract", says producers.

ANURAG SINHA

He was Subhash Ghai's discovery. After playing a powerful role along with Anil Kapoor in Black & White, Anurag's career went nowhere, barring a film directed by MF Hussain's son Owais Hussain, which never saw the light of day. Anil described him as another Naseeruddin Shah.

It isn't Anurag's fault. No male discovery of Ghai has ever become successful.

NIMRAT KAUR

Her debut film The Lunchbox turned out to be an internationally acclaimed film and Nimrat got a stupendous share of accolades for her role as the neglected housewife in Mumbai, who uses her culinary skills to woo her husband and ends up having an affair with a stranger.

Strangely, she is yet to sign another film after The Lunchbox.