Top 5 Rising Male Stars of 2007
5. Ruslaan Mumtaz
The first thing that comes to ones mind when thinking of Ruslaan is "the next Shahid Kapur". And if we may say so, this is a compliment. Ruslaan Mumtaz is certainly one the cutest and most talented youngsters to hit the screens since Shahid. And what makes this particular newcomer even more special is, like Shahid, he managed to be a hit at the box office with just a simple college love story. MP3 gave everyone butterflies with its "lovey dovey" content, breath taking scenery and rocking soundtrack. On the other hand, Ruslaan Mumtaz was an instant hit from the word go. Before even finishing the project the young star had offers coming in from left, right and center. With his next project "Tere Sang" directed by Anupam Kher ready to be released, Ruslaan is ready to take on the big bad world of Indian cinema with his heart, mind and soul.
4. Prashant Raj
Now this youngster's talent was not done justice to by the box office thanks to the not so hit RGV's Aag. Yet he remains intact on this list of rising newcomers. Prashant Raj was given the debut that many wouldn't dream of. A role that many wouldn't even think of landing. The actor stood tall with pride when he got the role of the infamous Jai of Sholay. And might we add, it takes a hell lot of courage to do a role originally played by Amitabh Bachchan even if you're an established star, so one can only imagine the nerves that Prashant Raj had whilst doing the role of Jai in RGV's remake of Sholay. Like Muzammil, this fine actor proved the stereotypical view of "models cannot act" wrong as well. It hardly matters that Aag didn't fare well in the box office. Prashant not only got to do a dream role, but also got into the good books of critics and audiences. One cannot wait to see what this ball of talent does next.
3. Muzammil Ibrahim
Looks like it won't be long before everyone will have to think twice before they say the clichd line that "models cannot act." Muzammil came into the industry with this very mission to prove this way of thinking wrong. And that he certainly did in Dhokha. Even if things weren't too peachy with his debut movie director Pooja Bhatt, Muzammil's stardom still didn't suffer any of the repercussions of this rocky relationship. His performance in Dhokha left everyone in awe of him. However as you all know, talent is always not enough in Bollywood, Muzammil certainly doesn't need to worry about this little fact because without a doubt he's the hottest youngster to hit the screens since the ultimate hottie John Abraham. The ladies cannot get enough of him and critics cannot wait to see what he does next. Looks like all eyes are on Muzammil and, for a change, he is not walking down the catwalk but instead starting his journey down the path of Indian cinema.
. Neil Nitin Mukesh
Once again hails yet another newcomer from a legendary family. Neil Nitin Mukesh is the grandson of the man with the golden voice, Mukesh. However Neil decided to travel on a much different path from his grandfather's. Instead of going down the expected line of singing, the talented youngster has debuted with a flawless performance in Johnny Gadaar and took a shortcut into the hotlist for critics and the young ladies. His debut was certainly unexpected and Sriram Raghavan's Johnny Gadaar was no commercial cinema, however, thankfully both of these facts didn't hinder Neil's chances of being noticed. With multiple speculations of his second project, Neil is all set to show Bollywood a new style of cinema and become part of a brand new generation of actors.
1. Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor's debut was much anticipated for more than one reason. The obvious reason being that he is a Kapoor hailing from a line of family that can proudly boast of their legacy in the Indian cinema. Secondly because he was debuting with the director that is known to create magic on screen, Sanjay Leela Bhansali. However, now post his debut, fans, critics and audiences can say for certain that none of those reasons explain why this young star is on this list. Those reasons are hardly significant when you have seen what a fine actor Ranbir Kapoor is. The actor left the audiences floored by his screen presence. The characterization of Raj in Saawariya was a perfect recipe for Ranbir to showcase his talent. Raj's character matures through so many phases throughout the movie and this gives Ranbir the perfect opportunity to prove that his name is not all that he has. With a forthcoming movie from the infamous YRF banner, Ranbir certainly is the most talked about and talented rising star of Indian cinema.
CID
1