Flashback - Rediff biggest stars of Milliennium

The editor on the biggest stars in Hindi filmdom

Kundan Lal Saigal: As the love-lorn alcoholic in P C Barua's classic Devdas, he gave Hindi cinema its first cult figure. People flocked to the theatre again and again to moan over the man and his velvety voice. His style of singing not only became a rage, but spawned several imitators. The early Mukesh and Kishore Kumar modeled themselves on Saigal.

Ashok Kumar: He was among the most sought-after stars of his time. A natural actor, he stood out at a time when theatricality was the order of the day. HisKismet, which broke all box office records of the previous three decades, brought into vogue the slick crime-thriller. After an impressive stint as hero, Ashok Kumar switched over to character roles in the late 1950s with unrivalled grace, and gave some memorable performance in films like Ek Hi Raasta, Baadbaan, Gumrahand Mamta.

Dilip Kumar: He was a rage in the 1950s and 1960s. He set the standard for acting in Indian cinema. Four generations of actors from Rajendra Kumar to Manoj Kumar to Amitabh Bachchan to Shah Rukh Khan have been heavily influenced by him. His range and depth allowed him to switch effortlessly from a tragic Devdas to a cavalier Azad. He has done practically every kind of role under the sun.

Raj Kapoor: He was the ultimate show man. An all-time great director. Though he had started out as an actor of great potential, his achievements behind the camera as director tended to undermine the performer in him. His pairing with Nargis, which resulted in films likeAndaaz, Aag, Barsaat, Awara and Chori Chori,became legendary. He continued to make films till the end without resorting to big stars of the time.

Dev Anand: His is a triumph of style. As the city-smart dandy, he was absolutely outstanding in his earlier films. Though he's often derided as an actor who never acted, he has an interesting body of work including films likeGuide, Jaal, Baazi, Him Dono, Baadbaan, Kala Pani, Jewel Thief and a number of frothy romantic musicals and thrillers. For almost five decades he has continued to fascinate his fans with his never-say-die spirit and flamboyance. He is one actor for whom time has had the courtesy to stand still.

Suraiya: A singing sensation of her time, she was the first female star. No one has been able to emulate her. In the late 1940s and the early 1950s her popularity touched such a high that people waited for hours on the road to see her drive down from Marine Drive to the HMV studio on Veer Nariman Road in Mumbai. She made a great romantic team with Dev Anand in films likeSanam, Afsar, Nili and Jeet.

Geeta Bali: She was the first natural. The earliest tomboy among the actresses. Earthy, effervescent and uninhibited, she shed coyness and simpering so characteristic of the early Hindi film heroine. She proved her calibre and range as an actress in her very first film,Suhaag Raat, and followed it up with impressive performances in Bawre Nain, Baazi, Jaal and Albela. Geeta has inspired four generations of actresses.

Madhubala: Acknowledged as the Venus of Indian cinema, Madhubala symbolised ultimate beauty. Which in a way undermined her merit as an actress. She imparted a lot of sizzle and impishness to her performances in films like Chalti Ka Naam Gadi. Her role as Anarkali in K Asif's Mughal-e-Azam is unforgettable.

Nargis: She was immortalised by the quintessential Indian woman she played in Mehboob Khan's classicMother India. In most of her earlier films she symbolised the modern, liberated woman, which her off-screen personality reflected. She was among the earliest actresses to bring an element of naturalness to film-acting. With Raj Kapoor she formed a legendary team.

Shammi Kapoor: He was an original. And a natural. He broke the mould of the Hindi film hero, gave him am erotic presence, revolutionised the love scene and invested the song-and-dance-routine with a dynamism and exuberance which was highly individualistic. In the process, he helped evolve a new genre of popular cinema -- the romantic musical -- as exemplified inTumsa Nahin Dekha, which continues to hold centrestage even today.

Vyjayantimala: The first South Indian heroine to cause a sensation in Mumbai's showbiz. She set the standard for the dancer-heroine. Hema and later Jaya Prada and Sridevi followed in her footsteps. Her strength essentially was her striking screen presence. But when challenged by directors of the calibre of B R Chopra (Sadhana), Bimal Roy (Devdas) and Raj Kapoor (Sangam) she came up with creditable performances.

Nutan: She is an all-time great. Has many outstanding performances to her credit. She could do a Bandini or a Sujata and then feel extremely comfortable in a frothy Tere Ghar Ke Saamne or a Dilli Ka Thug.

Rajesh Khanna: He was the first superstar. He broke the stranglehold of the Big Three. Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand in the late 1960s to take stardom to a new high. Women wrote his name in blood. Men swore by his style. No actor before him or after him has whipped up the kind of frenzy he did among his fans in the early 1970s.

Dharmendra: He was the first he-man on the Indian screen to be acknowledged as an actor. He achieved the impossible feat of combining virility with vulnerability. Essentially a director's actor, as Hrishikesh Mukherjee once described him, Dharmendra has to his credit films ranging from Phool Aur Pathar, Ghulami, Pratigya, Satyakam and Sholay to Chupke Chupke, which underscore his versatility. He was the only actor to withstand Rajesh Khanna's phenomenal sweep in the early 1970s.

Amitabh Bachchan: He is is the biggest star Hindi screen has ever seen. Though he didn't whip up the kind of frenzy Rajesh Khanna did at his peak, his popularity reached a phenomenal high in the 12 years that followed Zanjeer (1973). During that phase only five of his 60-odd films failed at the box office. A supremely-gifted actor, he invariably rose above the films he acted in and the roles he played. With an uncanny ability to connect both with the masses and the classes, he became a cult figure in the 1970s and the 1980s.

Naseeruddin Shah: He is one of a kind. An explorer among actors, his body of work stands out for class and consistency. He seems to have an insatiable desire to excel himself.

Jaya Bhaduri: Clumsy, small and fragile-framed, Jaya Bhaduri broke the mould of the Hindi film heroine and paved the way for simple-looking but talented actresses like Shabana, Smita, Zarina and Rameshwari. She was the first to cut into Rajesh Khanna's phenomenal pull at the box-office in the early 1970s. She was at the peak of glory when she decided to marry Amitabh Bachchan and quit films.

Shabana Azmi: For years now, good acting has been synonymous with Shabana Azmi. A rare combination of talent and intelligence, Shabana has played an unimaginable range of roles, some of them no heroine would dare attempt. Like Naseer, she has a body of work which is astounding, and which has fetched her five national and six international awards.

Hema Malini: Her reign at the top, which lasted nearly two decades from the early 1970s to the late 1980s, was unrivalled. Like Bachchan's, her box office record is phenomenal. In the 1970s she became the country's leading sex symbol, strangely without shedding her inhibitions or clothes. She was the heroine most big-time heroes went to for support when the chips were down. Like Rajesh Khanna in Prem Nagar and Dev Anand in Johny Mera Naam. Her pairing with Dharmendra was sensational. Their box office record includes 16 consecutive hits!

Rekha: She is a cosmetic wonder. The longest surviving glamour star, who has been around for three decades. From a plum, ordinary-looking girl, she transformed herself into a much-envied sex-symbol. She was the uncrowned No 1 in the mid-1980s before Sridevi took over. She has been a role model for three generations of young actresses.

Sridevi: A combination of Geeta Bali, Vyjayantimala and Mumtaz, Sridevi towered over her contemporaries as a versatile actress. But for the language barrier, she could have been the greatest ever. She was the biggest star of the 1990s, though she wasn't acknowledged as such because of her poor media relations.

Madhuri Dixit: Madhuri's rise to fame may be attributed to her looks -- she's often compared with Madhubala -- and her incredible flair for filmi dance. More than her performances Madhuri wowed the 1990s generation with some sizzling dance numbers -- like Ek do teen, Choli ke peeche kya hai andDhak dhak karne laga -- which considerably influenced the pattern of film-making.

Shah Rukh Khan: He's the star of the 1990s. He has had one major blockbuster to his credit every year since he made his debut in 1991. His hits includeBaazigar, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Dil To Pagal Hai, Karan Arjun and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. His style and demeanour seemed to catch the fancy of the 1990s generation. A gifted actor, he has gone for variety in the choice of roles, and shown a lot of courage in opting to play negative roles as in Baazigar and Darr.

Aamir Khan: A supreme individualist, Aamir burst on the scene when the industry was on the look out for a new formula to bridge the gap left by Amitabh Bachchan's temporary exile. With him the genre of teenage romance got a major boost (Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak) and he became an instant teenage idol. A cerebral actor, Aamir now works within the parameters he has set for himself without pandering to boxoffice norms.

Kajol: A worthy successor to her aunt Nutan, Kajol is the real female star of the 1990s. The heart-throb of the 'in' generation. Spontaneous yet meticulously correct, her style, in a way, is an extension of Geeta Bali's. It has the same timeless quality to it.