Flashback to Filmfare Most Powerful Person in the Industry

Anybody else miss these days in the mid-2000s when we still had quality actors ruling the box office, both critically and commercially. That top row for the first cover is still the gold standard. 

What I find interesting is that the top row is basically the KANK cast but with no Aishwarya and Hrithik instead of Abhishek. I'm wondering now what KANK would have been like with Hrithik as Rishi. The lack of chemistry between him and Rani may have helped audiences accept that their marriage didn't work romantically whereas Rani and Abhishek always had great chemistry.

That magazine cover had Malaikah Sherawat and no Aamir Khan. Was that a wise decision 

Originally posted by: Maroonporsche

That magazine cover had Malaikah Sherawat and no Aamir Khan. Was that a wise decision 

He was coming off of the huge flop Mangal Pandey.

Originally posted by: RaniPreityAish

He was coming off of the huge flop Mangal Pandey.

Originally posted by: Maroonporsche

between Rakesh Roshan and Bhansali who is that ? I don’t recognize her 

I don't know. I also don't know who the two on the left of Yash Chopra are.

Lol, I was taking it seriously looking at the pictures very intently until my eyes fell on Malaikah Sherawat and automatically rolled back to my head 😭😭😭

Originally posted by: RaniPreityAish

I don't know. I also don't know who the two on the left of Yash Chopra are.

Sonu Nigam lol 

Rakesh Mehra ( he directed Rang De Basant and Bhaag Milkha among other films) 

Originally posted by: Maroonporsche

Sonu Nigam lol 

Rakesh Mehra ( he directed Rang De Basant and Bhaag Milkha among other films) 

I don't recognize a lot of singers by their faces if I'm not seeing them on a regular basis.

Oh ok, I've seen several of his films then.

Some interesting observations.

Vidya was still fairly new to the industry but she had left a powerful enough impression (even though her films after Parineeta were not suited for her at all) that she's in the second row. 

Kajol was retired and had only done K3G and Fanaa over the past few years but she was considered still high-profile enough to be in the second row. It probably also helps that most major films from this era were still being offered to her first which is a testament to her popularity. I know Kajol says now that the film offers that she and her contemporaries get are awful in film, so I wonder if she regrets not doing more movies back in the 2000s.

Bipasha was very popular in the 2000s, enough to be above Priyanka and Kareena. People forget that she was a sex symbol at a time when the stigma around it was starting to slightly fade. In 2002, Bollywood's worst year, only two films were a success. One was Devdas and the other was Bipasha's Raaz. She was popular enough to even be a Dhoom girl with Aishwarya. On top of that, another major part of her success was her high-profile relationship with John Abraham which kept both in the media spotlight.