|
|
|
 |
 |
| June 12, 2000 | ||
METRO TODAY | DAILY NEWS | ASTROLOGY | ARCHIVES | INDIA TODAY | HOME |
|
|
 There
are two things that truly unite India -- cricket and Bollywood films. It
is therefore no surprise that in the past 24 years we've done 24 cover
stories on cinema. Cricket and Bollywood in fact seem to be subject to
similar upheavals. A few years ago the mafia invaded the film industry;
now the virus seems to have travelled to cricket. The other continuing
story is the change of the dramatis personae in both fields. In Bollywood,
for instance, a trend is emerging -- call it the newcomer mania.
Blame it on Hrithik Roshan. Ever since Mr Biceps shook the box office with Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, the industry is infatuated with newcomers. Doesn't matter if they're unknown: if they're young and hunky, or fresh and sexy, then sign them. In an industry known for swooning only over established stars, this is almost sacrilege. Problem is the stars are flopping. In the past six months there have been just two hits and you won't find the names Shah Rukh, Aamir or Salman in them. The first was Roshan's film, the second Preity Zinta's Kya Kehna. In Bollywood producerspeak: star nahi, story chalta hai. Get a good director, fun script, foreign locations, and then pick the next youngster who walks by. So teeny bopper Kareena Kapoor has four films and Aftab Shivdasani best known for one flop (Mast) has six. Ten years ago, the Khans walked in to steal away the young college-boy roles from Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff. Could it be that another generational shift is occurring? Producers, who are transparent opportunists, of course, swear that's not the case. Says Principal Correspondent Anupama Chopra who wrote the cover story: "It's really quite funny. Every director I meet says he's launching a newcomer. When I ask why, they reply, 'The story requires it'." No one wants to say the Khans are past it. After all, if Shah Rukh's Josh is a hit you know they'll soon be saying: stars hi chalta hai. But then in Bollywood sab kuchh chalta hai. .
(Aroon Purie) |
|
||||
| Top |
 BUSINESS TODAY | INDIA TODAY PLUS | COMPUTERS TODAY | CARE
TODAY Write to us | Subscriptions | Advertise with
us |
