Shahid: The Kapoor Ranbir should worry about

Ranbir Kapoor is in an unique position today. You could say he has almost no competition amongst his peers. He is competing with the big boys. The Khans, Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan. However, he should worry about Shahid Kapoor. It may seem like he is not in the race anymore, but he cannot be ruled out. He may not have had a hit in a while, but he has the potential, the talent and the fan-following. He may have made some wrong choices but a few years ago Ranbir was being accused of doing the wrong films as well. Luckily for him, his choices worked but Shahid's didn't. But now Shahid is gearing up to strike again.

Back with a plan
After his father Pankaj Kapur's film Mausam bombed, Shahid went into an introspective mode. He felt he was choosing the wrong kind of films and stopped signing films. He took time off to review and analyse. He emerged and began signing films with a bang. Today the films he has are an interesting blend of commercial masala and newage cinema. He is hungry for hits and he is taking steps to ensure he gets them. He turned down biggies like Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra because he has a plan. It's not banners anymore but scripts that matter now. And he is going all out to make an impact. Whether it is changing his attitude or changing his image.

Shedding baggage
Even though his last film with Priyanka Chopra (Teri Meri Kahani) bombed, he didn't think twice before signing Milan Talkies with her. He is carefully selecting films from all genres. If he is reuniting with the girl from the past, he has also mended bridges with his Kaminey director and will be doing Vishal Bharadwaj's adaptation of Shakespeare's famous tragedy Hamlet. He is also working with directors he has never worked with before — Raj Kumar Santoshi's Phata Poster Nikla Hero, Prabhudheva's Rambo Rajkumar, Tigmanshu Dhulia's Milan Talkies and Bejoy Nambiar's untitled next.

Back with a bang
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh says, "Shahid is the only guy who can give Ranbir competition. He is working with very good directors like Santoshi whose last film Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (Ranbir Kapoor) was a big hit and Prabhudheva who is riding high with all his films being hits. If Shahid's films work, he will come back with a bang! He is a very talented actor, has a good personality and is an exceptional dancer. Today, he is doing different kinds of films. Mausam may not have worked for whatever reasons but you can't ignore the fact that Shahid knows his job. It's just a matter of one hit and everything will fall into place for him. Eventually your box -office speaks for itself. There's a good buzz about both his films, and it's Santoshi and Prabhudheva, so it looks good."

Playing to the gallery
Box-Office editor Vajir Singh adds, "There has never been a question about Shahid's capacity or pull at the box-office. This time both his films are highly commercial and this type of genre rarely goes wrong. People love the laughing, dancing, action-oriented Shahid Kapoor and this time he's giving them that. It's a safe zone, where people come, enjoy, laugh and go back. So he's playing to the gallery. It's as if he's telling people Shahid Kapoor is back! He's one of the few top actors today who always has a buyer for his films, exhibitors want to show his films and all corporate production houses, producers, directors want to sign him."