Films that created stars

It takes a while to make a mark in films. Rarely are stars born effortlessly, a la Hrithik Roshan. Most have to struggle gamely through b-movies and cornball dialogues, item numbers and first-time directors. Until a fickle Friday comes along, and they 'make it.' Here's a look at five films that changed some actors' lives. Dil Chahta Hai What can one say about Akshaye Khanna? Vinod's other son, VJ Rahul, was more popular than the man with the receding hairline flailing pathetically through filmdom. But DCH wiped out all traumatic Himalayputra memories.

And while Saif Ali Khan might have made us snigger in Main Khiladi Tu Anari, here's where he shed the effeminate tag and came into his own, with a scene-stealing role.

Rangeela

Urmila's is a peculiar situation. Her first film was her finest.

But she was only 9 in Masoom. The growing up phase was gawky and awkward for the girl as she flounced through awful roles and worse frocks. Suddenly, Ram Gopal Varma noticed the lass had indeed blossomed, and how. He presented Bollywood with a brand new sex kitten, who could act well enough to hold her own against Aamir Khan. Imagine what the industry would be minus the oomphy queen of shrieks.

Hum dil de chuke sanam

Ajay Devgan was a bit of a Bollywood joke. Son of famed stunt coordinator Veeru Devgan, he was never a pin-up boy. And his films essentially proved he was little but a fit lad, jumping over villains and drop-kicking them in earnest.

Then, Sanjay Leela Bhansali tossed him into a palatial Gujarati bungalow, dressed him as a bashful groom-to-be, and made him sing. Terribly. Critics haven't stopped raving about Ajay's histrionics since.

Munnabhai MBBS Arshad Warsi, along with Chandrachud Singh, was a product of India's first nationwide star hunt, conducted by ABCL. Starring in their Tere Mere Sapne, he was earmarked for brighter things. No such luck. Life became a string of mediocre roles in mediocre films, and Arshad was slowly reduced to bit parts.

And then came the right bit. Raju Hirani's rollicking film cast him as the irresistible Circuit, and everyone fell for Arshad.

Yuva

Talk about damned pressure. Abhishek walked with a slight hunch, presumably from carrying Bollywood's largest surname on his shoulders. His Refugee debut went unnoticed, and directors began casting him as a gimmick, a lame imitation of his dad's classic, cheesy chutzpah. Mani Ratnam, on the other hand, made him an original. Lallan was a lout, a youth gone intensely wrong, and an extremely loathsome feller. Overshadowing the film itself, Bachchan's character, while deplorable, inevitably elicited sympathy.

Since then, Mumbai's his oyster. And we thank him for having legitimised stubble.