Actors who push their boundaries & ones who don't! - Page 4

Has Bollywood with its money-spinning formulaic approach to filmmaking quashed the spirit of experimentation? Not really. The coming months promise a unique treat for audiences. From Shah Rukh Khan and John Abraham to Vidya Balan and Shahid Kapoor, actors are moving out of their safe zones. They are pushing the envelope and their luck! Harshikaa udasi looks at some creative departures…

Shah Rukh Khan

It has taken him a long time to break out of his mould of a romantic hero. That's strange for an actor who played the lead in a negative role in his very first film,Baazigar, kicking off a trend. He is now coming with his biggest budget film ever with international technicians who have worked on modelling him as a super hero. Ra.One is an extremely important film for the actor as he is not just trying to attempt something different but also putting his money where his mouth is.

Previous dare-to-be-different role: My Name is Khan, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi andChak De! India have shown that SRK is keen to experiment.

Outcome: Frankly, quite mixed. As Rizwaan in My Name is Khan, he seemed to shine in parts, as Surinder Sahni in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, he seemed uncomfortable but as Kabir Khan in Chak De! India, SRK showed that he was an actor to reckon with.

John Abraham

This Bollywood hunk is better known for showing off his body than his acting skills. He's always played the cool, urban guy with the glamorous job and the best eye-candy. Coming up is his first purely raw action movie Force. His washboard abs photograph continues to be his most admired asset but this time he is trying to showcase his acting prowess too. Force is the Hindi remake of the 2003 Tamil blockbuster, Kaakha Kaakha. There is intense drama and super action in this one. Let's see if John can pull it off.

Previous dare-to-be-different role: A happy-go-lucky guy in Nagesh Kukunoor's Aashayein who discovers that he has cancer and then the meaning of life changes for him.

Outcome: Flop

Saif Ali Khan

One more victim of the urban stereotype, Saif has tried once in a while to move away from his hip, cool image. The actor is to be seen in the upcomingAarakshan as a college student (!) from the backward class who gets embroiled in the caste-based admission controversy. Prakash Jha, known to be a hard taskmaster, is already singing his lead actor's praises. Intense acting may not be synonymous with the uber-cool Saif, but we can only wish he does justice to the director's vision.

Previous dare-to-be-different role: Qurbaan's Ehsaan was not so different really as he seemed more of a cool terrorist with some blood and gore thrown in, but Saif's 2006 film Omkara where he played Langda Tyagi was unique and a very bold step for the actor.

Outcome: Super liked by critics and the masses

Shahid Kapur

So Mausam is the umpteenth romantic film for lover boy Shahid, how does this make it a 'different' effort? For one, Pankaj Kapur is at the helm of the period film set in the Sixties. Trade reports are already abuzz about how this one is going to be dramatically different. Papa Kapur has made sonny undergo four look changes in this film corresponding to the four phases of his life. From puppy love to mature romance, get to see it all in this one. Mr Casanova is going to be under the scanner definitely.

Previous dare-to-be-different role: As Charlie and Guddu in Vishal Bharadwaj'sKaminey, Shahid was A grade. Last year's Badmaash Company was also a feather in his cap where he played an economic offender.

Outcome: Gave his peers sleepless nights

Ranbir Kapoor

After his yuppie roles in various films, Ranbir will be seen as a guitarist and lead vocalist in Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar. Long hair, unkempt beard, braids, hair accessories, bandana, you name it — Ranbir is giving up his neat boy looks for this one. Needless to say, he is also taking a huge gamble. Last heard, he was reading the biography of rock star Kurt Cobain who shot himself dead reportedly after a drug overdose. There has been talk about how Imtiaz Ali is considering whether to have Ranbir's first on-screen death shot for this film. Apparently, the climax was to have Ranbir performing on stage and breathing his last there. Grim.

Previous dare-to-be-different role: As the young turk Samar Pratap, who hates politics but is compelled to enter it, Ranbir impressed everyone.

Outcome: Ranks on top of the new generation actors

Katrina Kaif

This girl is out to prove a point. Labelled a good-looker who can only enhance a movie, Katrina made it a point in every interview to emphasise she also had acting skills. Now it's her work that's doing the talking. Kat will be seen as an arrogant, hot-headed, opinionated rebel rock star in YashRaj Films' Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and in saffron as a sadhvi in Madhur Bhandarkar's Satsang. Where there is a will, there is a way!

Previous dare-to-be-different role: As Indu Pratap in Raajneeti. Katrina was impressive playing a character that uncannily resembled Sonia Gandhi in mannerism.

Outcome: Stepping stone to success

Vidya Balan

For an actor who made her debut as the ultra-traditional Bengali woman inParineeta, Vidya didn't seem someone who could play a modern girl. She even drew a lot of flak for two films where she tried to break out of her girl-next-door image — Heyy Baby and Kismet Connection. So it was with great shock that people greeted the news of her being signed on as Silk Smitha in the film The Dirty Picture. It is a 360-degree turn for Vidya and arguably the biggest challenge for her to drop her inhibitions and shoot for the bold scenes in the film.

Previous dare-to-be-different role: Krishna of Ishqiya was an absolute pleasure to watch.

Outcome: Silenced her critics