Was Kumar Gaurav a Superstar? - Page 3

Overnight sensation is not same as Rajesh Khanna mania whose debut, did not really become a sensation.

KG had become popular like Aamir, HR, Rishi became with QSQT,  KNPH and Bobby but it cannot be compared to Rajesh Khanna mania.

Rajesh built and sustained fandom and stardom, which is why he was called superstar.

KG fizzled out in next releases itself and easily forgotten.

I do not think one film popularity can be compared to Rajesh Khanna mania which was built and sustained for years. 

Aise toh even Bhagyashree was a craze after MPK but we cannot compare her to Hema, Sridevi, MD or even Dimple for that matter. 

No one is denying Love Story was a hit and youngsters loved it and KG in it. But that does not make him anyway comparable to any superstar. 

He, Bhagyashree and Vivek Mushran are all examples of one hit wonders. 

I remember some zine had compared Vivek Mushran's looks to Dev Anand after Saudagar. LOL! He could not even last for whole of 90s nor succeeded on TV later. So much for over enthu magazine comparing him to Dev Anand. 

Such comparisons do more harm than good to any actor. 

I would not call one hit craze for KG as a 'mania' when he never sustained it at all and easily got overshadowed by all new actors and even actresses later. That craze is more for character and songs, presentation of actor in particular film rather than the actor himself. 

Even films with Madhuri or becoming son in law of Sunil Dutt and BIL of Sanjay Dutt could not get him any further limelight or work. His dad Rajendra Kumar was richest man in Bombay in early 90s. But he could do nothing to salvage his career or image. 

It does not seem fair to use any reference to Rajesh Khanna while talking about an actor who could never win favour of audience again after first film and did not even make it as a supporting actor nor completed one decade in industry. As a supporting actor also he has no other famous film except Naam which was essentially a Sanjay Dutt show. 

If KG as one hit wonder had fame comparable to Rajesh Khanna post Love Story then Bhagyashree can be said to have had Madhuri level mania post MPK? 

Edited by atominis - 2 years ago

he was an overnight sensation with the first 2 movies but then he fizzled, Naam was supposed to be his resurrection but was Sanjay Dutt's instead

Originally posted by: atominis

Kumar Gaurav was a one film wonder. He had no solo hit except Love 86. Sanjay got all accolades for Naam.

First time I saw someone call Kumar Gaurav a superstar.

Rajesh Khanna got superstar title because he gave 15 super hits consecutively in a row in just 5 years without a single flop. A record which is still unmatched by any other actor before and after him.

He did not just get title for being on top for 6 years. 

Kumar Gaurav has no hit beyond Love 86. He is the reason why the word 'one film wonder' was coined.

And why Hrithik and Aamir also got compared to him after their few fims flopped post superhit debut.

Hrithik has way more hits than Kumar Gaurav ever had.

Nobody becomes superstar with just one hit.

Multiple hits and sustaining success gets that title. 

Kumar Gaurav did not even last a decade as an actor and in 90s he was totally out of the scene. He got no supporting roles either. 1 film hit does not make anyone a superstar. 

Love 86 was Govinda's movie.

Oops. Sorry. I confused name of his first film to Govinda's film. It was also named Love Story or something. 

Sorry.

Thanks for correcting me.

From what I've heard and read the Kumar Gaurav mania was quite different from that of your typical successful debutante. Whether Bhagyashree or Aamir or whoever came after. I'm no way suggesting that his career is in any way comparable to Rajesh Khanna who had established and retained his position for a long time with credible hits. But for a moment, it looked as if the new superstar was born and he was treated such. Remember that the industry was looking for a new generation to replace old horses Bachchan, Khanna,Jeetendra and the rest. Kumar Gaurav's initial choices after Love story was poor. By the time he made corrections and tried to relaunch himself the industry had moved on and new stars were born. But he did do some good work. The three films he did with Mahesh Bhatt are quite good especially  Aaj and Janam. He did a credible job in Gang too as the nerd who starts sampling the drugs they were supposed to market- though the film tanked. But the soundtracks of his earlier films are almost always good whether it be Star, Teri Kasam,Romance, Ek se bhale do,Muthi bhar zameen or Beganaa.

Bhagyashree, her name is beautiful, looked pretty and lovely in MPK. I think rajshri presents its heroines like that only. There is no wonder if there were any craze around Kumar Gaurav and Bhagyashree after their debut films, because both the films there huge grossers at the box office, specially mpk. They both were very likeable in those movies. But if there was a craze, that must have been limited till the time their movies ran in cinema halls. Quite similar thing happened with Mandakini also. Ram Teri Ganga Maili made her a sensation. Though she worked in many films after that, even delivered hits, but nothing sort of progressed that much. Also, when mandakini and bhagyashree debuted, the craze for SRIDEVI was at another level🥳👏.

Edited by RoNoSarKar7 - 2 years ago

The topic was about superstardom so I responded that way. It was not about content or quality of work or subject choices.

I personally never liked him much as an actor and he was clearly struggling to catch up whenever he did multi starrers. Sanjay Dutt gobbled him up in Naam. That's how effective he was.

Love Story succeeded but it could not dislodge current order of masala films back then unlike QSQT, MPK which changed trend. 

Every new boy from Anil, Sanjay, Jackie to Mithun, Govinda and even Chunkey overtook him later. 

He never matched success of new actors, forget coming close to success of his dad or older predecessors.

He rarely improved his dialogue delivery (his biggest weakness IMHO, that his voice remained same regardless of intensity of scenes). He never danced well. He continued to look elite and would look miscast in poor guy, villager or street side rowdy roles.  

So while his first film may have appealed a lot to people, his later films did nothing whether they were romantic or drama or action. 

I would not say his craze was different. Aamir had begun to get letters in blood and marriage proposals also after QSQT and once at a theatre when he came to attend a screening, fans tore his jacket and mobbed him. He was compared to Kumar Gaurav then and comparison grew further when his films after QSQT flopped miserably until Dil saved him. If not for Dil, Aamir would still be called one hit wonder. 

Same happened to Hrithik as girls, boys, kids went bonkers over him in 2000, he was on every magazine cover and hailed as new superstar, won all awards and polls, got marriage proposals, love letters and fans tried to crash his wedding but when his films flopped after that, he was compared to Kumar Gaurav. He would be called one hit wonder if Koi Mil Gaya did not cement his stardom.  

Actually I'd rate Kumar Gaurav's performance in Love Story as one of his weakest. He's very raw. But somehow the film clicked. Casting debutants as star-crossed lovers braving opposition was a formula which had worked before and after. Sanjay Dutt gave one of his best performances in Naam. Especially when you consider his earlier 'meh' films. He was back after kicking his drug habit and had something to prove. His character in Naam was vulnerable, tough and always aspiring for something, his mother's love or a luxurious life. KG's character on the otherhand was the 'perfect' elder brother who always knew best. More vanilla. Mahesh Bhatt was at his creative best and got incredible performances out of all the stars of the 80s. KG did better in his movies too. Janam had him playing him Mahesh Bhatt as a young man. Growing up from the child in Zakhm who idolizes his father to realize that the guy is rather spineless and his mother shouldn't worship someone who considers them inferior to his legal family. Come to think of it most of Mahesh Bhatt's early films have something of his real story.