Posted:
Bollywood Roulette | 2008-10-06
Crazy numbers set the rat race
They might not admit it but then it's obvious that almost everyone in Bollywood is running a race for the coveted spot- the numero uno position.
Now everyone knows what a hard time King Khan is having thanks to the rise of Kinng Kumar. And there are occasional sleepless nights courtesy Hrithik Roshan and friend turned foe Salman Khan as well. Not to mention the newcomers who get the hot tag a la Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan.
For the heroines it's even tougher, since it is all age centric and they have such a short shelf life! The competition gets over pretty fast and doesn't go on and on for many years like how it happens for the heroes.
Currently the big talk doing the rounds is that the big three- Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukerji are no longer a part of the B-town top five.
Yeah, their competitors Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra have left them miles behind.
In fact producers would rather want hot new comers like Deepika, Katrina and Kangana and even a Bipasha Basu in their films rather than going to them!
I remember that till just two/three years ago, Rani Mukerji was the unchallenged queen of B-Town.
With hits like 'Hum Tum', 'Veer Zara' and 'Bunty aur Babli' and a critically acclaimed performance in 'Black', everything seemed to be going right for the Bong babe.
Yeah, until of course back to back flops 'Baabul', 'Ta Ra Rum Pum', 'Laaga Chunari Mein Daag', 'Saawariya' and 'Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic' happened!
All and sundry seemed to have forgotten that this was one actress who most critics called the 'the most dependable and versatile actresses of her generation'.
Currently the 'overthrown Rani' only has Yash Raj films in her kitty and since the company itself has been hit deprived for long, all hopes are lost for her.
Trade pundits have said that Rani's out of the game since she made the mistake of confining herself to one camp- the Chopra camp.
Preity Zinta got written off after 'Jaan-E-Mann' and 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' bit the dust. Stuff like 'The Last Lear' and a 'keen' business sense (of the IPL kind) can't ever propel her back to the top spot!
As for Ash, she wasn't so much in the competition ever with flops every now and then. But she was always counted as a biggie because of her tremendous international appeal and charm which audiences and the producers could never escape.
But post marriage lots of things have changed since she's got a long list of terms and conditions and is only more interested in working with hubby dearest and her new found family!
The troika's long time competitors Kareena and Priyanka have fought tooth and nail for the top spot for a while now.
In spite of irritating me with her over acting time and again, I am being fair on Kareena and admits that she did give decent performances in 'Omkara' and 'Jab we met'.
Priyanka is a self confessed hard worker who did (and can do) anything and everything from the beginning of her B-Town innings to leave Lara Dutta and many others far behind.
Deepika Padukone has shown some promise in her first two films and has that Ash like charisma which is likely to help her in the long run.
But Katrina Kaif? This girl maybe a good looking chick but gawd...she's wooden and she can't act to save her life.
This babe has sleepwalked, not acted in any of her films!
Can Kat ever carry off a role where she has to really act? Something which Rani has done so many times in her career!
She's piggybacking on the success of Mr. King Kumar (from 'Namastey London' to 'Welcome' to 'Singh is Kinng') and all those who matter are going gaga over her.
Luck really matters more than anything else out here!
And what the hell is making the industry wallahs count unpretty Kangana Ranaut as well?
This dame has got lucky (sadly) from day one with roles that suit her persona.
She has that doped look in her real life as well as a troubled personal life and she's mostly played drugged, insane and troubled characters in films from the beginning of her career( 'Gangster', 'Wo Lamhe', 'Life in a Metro' and the upcoming 'Fashion').
Must say it's a happy coincidence for the girl since these very films have given her the name, the fame and the money!
So it's crystal clear that this crazy number game is completely 'hit' driven.
A few hits and you're right there on the top. A dash of bad luck, a few flops happen and your hey days are over!
It has happened with a bundle of talent like Madhuri who was written off when she hit her 30s and unfortunately had a few flops. She was blatantly asked to pack her back and leave to make way for the critics' then favourite Manisha Koirala (who nobody even bothers to ask about today), Kajol, Karisma and the like.
Unlike Shilpa Shetty and Sushmita Sen who've been criticized time and again for being lazy and never being able competitors in the course of their long and boring careers, Bipasha Basu hasn't given up running the race since day one.
A few noticeable films have ensured that she's still in the reckoning. But a few flops later, things aren't going to remain the same for her !
As it is people have started noticing the fact that she looks older than her new heroes, more than anything else these days! This is something which has plagued Vidya Balan too which kinda rules her out of the race!
The bottom line is in B-Town it's more about running the crazy race than the real important thing-acting.
After all, nobody really cares about a fine actress like Kirron Kher who started her career in her forties and has given great performances time and again. Or the still pretty Sarika who successfully revived her career with alluring acts!
Same goes for the younger chicks like Konkona, Soha, Amrita Rao and even Ayesha Takia who have been doing a mix of commercial and offbeat films with a few good performances now and then.
Out here, people don't really bother about un-sexy dames like that!
It's only the fast and the racy ones who get all the kudos and the attention. Which very well explains the fascination for this big mad race!
Crazy numbers set the rat race
They might not admit it but then it's obvious that almost everyone in Bollywood is running a race for the coveted spot- the numero uno position.
Now everyone knows what a hard time King Khan is having thanks to the rise of Kinng Kumar. And there are occasional sleepless nights courtesy Hrithik Roshan and friend turned foe Salman Khan as well. Not to mention the newcomers who get the hot tag a la Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan.
For the heroines it's even tougher, since it is all age centric and they have such a short shelf life! The competition gets over pretty fast and doesn't go on and on for many years like how it happens for the heroes.
Currently the big talk doing the rounds is that the big three- Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukerji are no longer a part of the B-town top five.
Yeah, their competitors Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra have left them miles behind.
In fact producers would rather want hot new comers like Deepika, Katrina and Kangana and even a Bipasha Basu in their films rather than going to them!
I remember that till just two/three years ago, Rani Mukerji was the unchallenged queen of B-Town.
With hits like 'Hum Tum', 'Veer Zara' and 'Bunty aur Babli' and a critically acclaimed performance in 'Black', everything seemed to be going right for the Bong babe.
Yeah, until of course back to back flops 'Baabul', 'Ta Ra Rum Pum', 'Laaga Chunari Mein Daag', 'Saawariya' and 'Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic' happened!
All and sundry seemed to have forgotten that this was one actress who most critics called the 'the most dependable and versatile actresses of her generation'.
Currently the 'overthrown Rani' only has Yash Raj films in her kitty and since the company itself has been hit deprived for long, all hopes are lost for her.
Trade pundits have said that Rani's out of the game since she made the mistake of confining herself to one camp- the Chopra camp.
Preity Zinta got written off after 'Jaan-E-Mann' and 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' bit the dust. Stuff like 'The Last Lear' and a 'keen' business sense (of the IPL kind) can't ever propel her back to the top spot!
As for Ash, she wasn't so much in the competition ever with flops every now and then. But she was always counted as a biggie because of her tremendous international appeal and charm which audiences and the producers could never escape.
But post marriage lots of things have changed since she's got a long list of terms and conditions and is only more interested in working with hubby dearest and her new found family!
The troika's long time competitors Kareena and Priyanka have fought tooth and nail for the top spot for a while now.
In spite of irritating me with her over acting time and again, I am being fair on Kareena and admits that she did give decent performances in 'Omkara' and 'Jab we met'.
Priyanka is a self confessed hard worker who did (and can do) anything and everything from the beginning of her B-Town innings to leave Lara Dutta and many others far behind.
Deepika Padukone has shown some promise in her first two films and has that Ash like charisma which is likely to help her in the long run.
But Katrina Kaif? This girl maybe a good looking chick but gawd...she's wooden and she can't act to save her life.
This babe has sleepwalked, not acted in any of her films!
Can Kat ever carry off a role where she has to really act? Something which Rani has done so many times in her career!
She's piggybacking on the success of Mr. King Kumar (from 'Namastey London' to 'Welcome' to 'Singh is Kinng') and all those who matter are going gaga over her.
Luck really matters more than anything else out here!
And what the hell is making the industry wallahs count unpretty Kangana Ranaut as well?
This dame has got lucky (sadly) from day one with roles that suit her persona.
She has that doped look in her real life as well as a troubled personal life and she's mostly played drugged, insane and troubled characters in films from the beginning of her career( 'Gangster', 'Wo Lamhe', 'Life in a Metro' and the upcoming 'Fashion').
Must say it's a happy coincidence for the girl since these very films have given her the name, the fame and the money!
So it's crystal clear that this crazy number game is completely 'hit' driven.
A few hits and you're right there on the top. A dash of bad luck, a few flops happen and your hey days are over!
It has happened with a bundle of talent like Madhuri who was written off when she hit her 30s and unfortunately had a few flops. She was blatantly asked to pack her back and leave to make way for the critics' then favourite Manisha Koirala (who nobody even bothers to ask about today), Kajol, Karisma and the like.
Unlike Shilpa Shetty and Sushmita Sen who've been criticized time and again for being lazy and never being able competitors in the course of their long and boring careers, Bipasha Basu hasn't given up running the race since day one.
A few noticeable films have ensured that she's still in the reckoning. But a few flops later, things aren't going to remain the same for her !
As it is people have started noticing the fact that she looks older than her new heroes, more than anything else these days! This is something which has plagued Vidya Balan too which kinda rules her out of the race!
The bottom line is in B-Town it's more about running the crazy race than the real important thing-acting.
After all, nobody really cares about a fine actress like Kirron Kher who started her career in her forties and has given great performances time and again. Or the still pretty Sarika who successfully revived her career with alluring acts!
Same goes for the younger chicks like Konkona, Soha, Amrita Rao and even Ayesha Takia who have been doing a mix of commercial and offbeat films with a few good performances now and then.
Out here, people don't really bother about un-sexy dames like that!
It's only the fast and the racy ones who get all the kudos and the attention. Which very well explains the fascination for this big mad race!
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