Bollywood is always on a lookout for fresh faces and new talent. The burden of elevating the glam quotient of our films lies on the shoulders of the leading ladies, which makes it important for filmmakers to launch new female leads every other Friday.
The current lot of top heroines - Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone and Vidya Balan - is gradually getting choosy. Most of them have been around for a decade or close to a decade and they know overexposure could spell doom in an industry where heroines have a short shelf life.
That is where the new hot lot comes in. Sonakshi Sinha, Parineeti Chopra, Alia Bhatt, Jacqueline Fernandes, Richa Chaddha, Nargis Fakhri and Huma Qureshi are making their way to the top. Each of these girls is trying to carve a niche with a distinct image.
Most of these actresses have signed at least two to three films with prominent banners.
It is also interesting to note that each of these actresses is trying to experiment with roles and trying out newer scripts in order to acquire a USP. Bollywood has always been a male dominated bastion where nearing - 50 heroes constantly look for heroines half their age to keep up a youthful image. That is where a makeover in the heroines roster becomes essential every few years. Filmmakers seem to be in the mood for a glamour overhaul for heroines at this point.
"Bollywood is driven by the male lead actor and the overall freshness quotient of a film depends on its actress. This is the reason every hero and filmmaker wants to change the heroine in each of their new film," says trade analyst Taran Adarsh.
"The success ratio is a very important factor for new generation actresses to enter the top league. Although the business of films is dominated by the men, actresses are largely judged on the basis of their last hit. Compatibility with the lead actor is another factor that adds to a heroines profile besides her beauty and talent," adds Adarsh.
Each new girl is trying to carve a niche with a distinct image. Most of them have at least two to three big films in hand. We take a look at the new breed of actresses who are slowly and steadily making a mark and gunning for the top slot.
Jacqueline Fernandez
Wannabe Katrina Kaif with her own charm
Ex- Miss Sri Lanka Jacqueline has wholly banked on the exotic glamour quotient that made Katrina Kaif a superstar. It has worked for her so far, considering she has already done six films in four years. Sajid Nadiadwala's Kick starring Salman Khan and Vicky Singh's Roy opposite Ranbir Kapoor.
What Works: Race 2 proved she can up the glam quotient sufficiently to steal the thunder even in a multi-starrer. The fact that Salman Khan gave his nod to cast her in his next film, Kick, also works positively for her.
What goes against: So far, she has been just another version of Katrina Kaif who has ruled the roost for a decade now. Jacqueline needs to give the foreign import image a twist if she wants to survive.
Nargis Fakhri
Latest Whiff of Exotic Oomph.
Nargis aims to get into the foreign - import bracket that became hot after Katrina Kaif.
Coming up: Shoojit Sirkar's Madras Cafe starring John Abraham, David Dhawan's Tu Mera Hero with Varun Dhawan and Rumi Jaffery's Shaukeen remake opposite Akshay Kumar. She has a three- film deal with Akshay's banner.
What works: The Half- Pakistani, half- Czech ex- model is relatively a fresh face and that should work for her.
What goes against: She is already 33 years old, not a great age to start off as a glam girl in an industry that constantly searches for new PYTs. Also, she needs to do something about her deadpan expressions that we saw in her debut film. Rockstar .
Parineeti Chopra
Versatile youngster with screen presence
Parineeti impressed with a relatively small role in her debut film, Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl before winning a special National Award for her second film, Ishaqzaade .
What works: With just two films, she has proved she is a skilled actress. She is wisely staying out of the glamour race and is positioning herself as a new- age mix of Vidya Balan and cousin Priyanka Chopra.
What goes against: She lacks the glamour of her star cousin Priyanka. In Bollywood, as we have seen in the case of Konkona Sen Sharma or Mahie Gill, simply banking on acting skills never lets you thrive.
Parineeti needs to take a few glamour tips from Priyanka.
Huma Qureshi
Huma instantly became talk of the town with her raw appeal and unconventional look when she made her debut in Anurag Kashyap's Gangs Wasseypur , where she played small town Muslim girl Mohsina.
What works: Huma has emerged as the quintessential sex symbol of cerebral cinema, oozing effortless sensuality in Anurag Kashyap's Gangs Of Wasseypur . Her unusual attractiveness was tapped in her role of Mohsina, even as she appeared in gaudy outfits as against the designer wear mostly donned by her rivals.
What goes against: Huma's best has been seen so far only in Anurag Kashyap films. She needs to explore good options with other filmmakers to avoid being tagged as belonging to the Kashyap camp. She also needs to watch her weight to remain in the race.
Alia Bhatt
Each actresses trying experiment roles trying scripts order acquire has been male dominated bastion nearing- constantly heroines keep is heroines' essential Filmmakers for Alia emerged as the child-woman of Bollywood. Her chirpy, stylish role in Student Of The Year came as a whiff fresh air in B- town and the actress instantly got attention of an accomplished filmmaker like Imtiaz Ali who cast her in Highway .
What works: Alia became an overnight youth sensation because she presented a perfect blend of innocence and chic in her debut role as rich brat Shanaya in Student Of The Year . The raw appeal is being tapped by Imtiaz Ali while Alia is trying to give a spin to her image by playing a Tamil beauty in 2 States opposite Arjun Kapoor, based on Chetan Bhagats best seller.
What goes against: With her baby face and westernised image, Alia could easily get typecast. She will have to focus on mature roles at the same time because the candyfloss roles will dry out with advancing age. To establish herself as a complete package, she will have to carefully pick roles that are different from her image.
Sonakshi Sinha
Desi Diva image with the right bloodline
Sonakshi's traditional image has worked in her favour. Being a star daughter, she got a smooth entry into films as also the support coming from salman Khan & Akshay Kumar. Back-to-back hits have established her as a saleable star .
Coming up: Vikramaditya's Motwane 's Lootera, Milan Luthria's Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai Again, Tigmanshu Dhulia's Bullet Raja , Prabhudeva's Rambo Rajkumar, besides Pistol and Welcome 2.
What works: Being the traditional actress has become a USP in an era when every other budding actress is trying to acquire an ultra-modern westernized image.Most of her upcoming films cast her in an indian image that has worked for her so far. She has also revealed a promising range as an actress till now.
What goes against: Sonakshi's disastrous item dance Thank God, It's Friday in Himmatwala showed her inability to be to be uber glamourous which, if you want to be a superstar heroine, is very much needed to Bollywood . She could get typecast with a traditional image after a while
Richa Chadda
Poster girl of experimental cinema
One scene as Dolly in Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! was sufficient for Richa to reveal her talent. She has emerged as the new poster girl of art cinema, one who can pull off any experimental role.
Coming up: Mrigdeep Lamba's Fukrey , Navneet Behal's Tamanchey, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Ram Leela.
What works: Richa's realistic portrayal in Anurag Kashyap's Gangs Of Wasseypur series gave her the spotlight. She experiments with roles and does nor desist from mouthing cuss- word or going for steamy scenes if the script so demands.
What goes against: Bollywood's requirement of leading ladies largely comprises glamour and Richa needs to prove she can fit that bill, too. To prove her glamour quotient, she recently did a bikini shoot for a film magazine.
But she seemed ill at ease in the photographs. She needs to push the envelope and show her acting prowess hasn't yet been fully tapped.
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