Who is hottest of them all?

The years 2005 and 2006 clearly belong to Abhishek Bachchan. But what about lesser stars lower down the line?

In the last two years fresh faces have come and gone without creating a lasting ripple. But there are still some who seem fated to survive the post-debut churning.

Vidya Balan: Impressive debut in Vinod Chopra's "Parineeta" and enormously heartening advance reports on her performance in her post-debut film "Eklavya" from none other than the mighty Amitabh Bachchan who thinks Vidya Balan is ethereal. "You can't take your eyes off her when she's in a frame," says AB. The audience is likely to agree. But she cannot play cheesecake babes. That narrows her chances down to playing classic roles.

Rituparna Sengupta: In 1994, in her teens, she made her Hindi film debut in the suspense thriller "Teesra Kaun". Now she's back as a woman of substance, doing what she likes best: act. Her performance as Rajpal Yadav's sweet and amiable wife in "Main Meri Patni Aur Who" is the best re-launch in Hindi cinema after Mallika Sherawat in "Murder" and Randeep Hooda in "D".

The Bengali actress has come back to Bollywood after conquering all of Bengali cinema. Her USPs are her distinctive personality and a graceful beauty which most of the wannabes seem to lack. On the minus side: she lacks the oomph quality. Neetu Chandra: Spunky and sprightly this tall Bihari beauty makes her debut in Priyadarshan's comedy "Garam Masala" with Akshay Kumar and John Abraham as her co-stars. She is tall and athletic. Neetu's spirited self-assertion and a determination to be noticed in a crowd make her the true inheritor of the Neetu Singh crown for complete spontaneity. She could be what Mallika Sherawat couldn't. On the other hand, there're too many glam-dolls around to compete with.

Sammir Dattani: Two flops in a row haven't dampened directorial spirits. A chunk of Mumbai, including Madhur Bhandarkar, still looks on this sensitive newcomer as the Hope of Tomorrow. Tamil-Telugu director Narren Aditya, about to remake the Tamil blockbuster "Chandramukhi" into Hindi, says: "There's a quality of sensitivity to Sammir's face that renders itself extremely well to the camera. I see him as the star of tomorrow."

Ayesha Takia: Her first two Hindi films "Socha Na Tha" and "Dil Maange More" didn't quite live up to expectations. But she did. Ayesha Takia is today eminently saleable in both Bollywood and southern India. Her USP is her bubbly, chirpy, cherubic and vivacious personality. It renders itself well to the glam-girl-next-door roles. Among the most sought-after girls Takia is working in the biggest banners today. A word of warning: slow down, girl. You're going too fast.

Mohit Ahlawat: Ram Gopal Varma's blue-eyed boy made a disastrous debut in "James". But ask his mentor if he cares. Ramu remains certain in his contention that Ahlawat is full-on star material. Proof: he's remaking "James" with Ahlawat! Plus there's "Sholay", where Mohit adopts the Bachchan role, and two other Varma projects. USP: the chap is focused and loyal to his mentor, driven by the desire to make it big. But will he get branded a Varma loyalist?