First Look : Kajraare (2010) (Himesh Reshammiya)

 

Star Cast
Himesh Reshammiya
Mona Laizza
Amrita Singh
Natasha Sinha
Gaurav Chanana

Javed Sheikh (Pakistan)

Gulshan Grover
Adnan Shah

Shooting Locations (City & Country)
Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
Jordan
Morocco
Pakistan

Genre
Romance

Director
Pooja Bhatt

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Himesh Reshammiya's Radio complete - The First Look unveiled

Less than two months after going on floors, shooting of Himesh Reshammiya's Radio is complete. The film was announced in the month of April this year, the principal shooting began in May and in quick time director Isshaan Trivedi of 7 1/2 Phere [Irrfan Khan, Juhi Chawla] fame has wrapped up Radio. The film stars Shenaz Treasurywala and Sonal Sehgal as the leading ladies opposite Himesh.

Says the man on the hot seat, Himesh Reshammiya, who has been keeping a relatively low profile over the last few months. "That's because I have been busy shooting practically every month. In Radio, I have loved every moment playing the character of RJ Vivan Shah. It was a pleasure working with Isshaan Trivedi and producer Ravi Agarwal", he says.

While Studio 18's Ishk Unplugged and Pooja Bhatt's Kajraare are already complete, Himesh has also completed shooting for Radio in quick time. How is he managing so much in such short time span when so many other actors are doing only one or two films a year? Moreover, he is also responsible for composing and singing for each of these films.

"It suits me when I am working more", replies Himesh, "I have always done fantastic work when I have been loaded with work. I think pressure gets the best out of me. Even John Mathew's A Love Issshtory is complete except for the songs which I will do after Bhushan Kumar fixes the release date of the film."

Ishk Unplugged, Kajraare, A Love Issshtory and now Radio. There is wide spread speculation about his next release. Though he is non-committal about his next release, Himesh says, "All I can say is that I am extremely confident of all my films. I am also particularly pleased with the sensibilities with which they have been made."

He has some funny anecdotes to share about Radio though. "Of course, working with the unit of Radio has been a fun experience. However, something that none of us associated with the film will ever forget is that Shenaz spread major viral fever in the unit. At least five members got viral due to her. But then she is a sweet girl and everything is forgotten and forgiven!"

In the film, Shenaz plays the role of Shanaya, a girl who is born to Parsi and Punjabi combination of parents. "And hasn't she done a fabulous job in the film? Same is the case with Sonal Sehgal, who plays my ex-wife in the film. Zakir Hussain and Rajesh Khattar have an important role to play in the film and they both are just fantastic", says Himesh.

"I am sure Radio, which is a romantic comedy, will set new trends. It's truly unconventional yet very commercial", he signs off.

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Himesh Reshammiya's Radio - The First Look unveiled

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Less than two months after going on floors, shooting of Himesh Reshammiya's Radio is complete. The film was announced in the month of April this year, the principal shooting began in May and in quick time director Isshaan Trivedi of 7 1/2 Phere [Irrfan Khan, Juhi Chawla] fame has wrapped up Radio. The film stars Shenaz Treasurywala and Sonal Sehgal as the leading ladies opposite Himesh.

Says the man on the hot seat, Himesh Reshammiya, who has been keeping a relatively low profile over the last few months. "That's because I have been busy shooting practically every month. In Radio, I have loved every moment playing the character of RJ Vivan Shah. It was a pleasure working with Isshaan Trivedi and producer Ravi Agarwal", he says.

While Studio 18's Ishk Unplugged and Pooja Bhatt's Kajraare are already complete, Himesh has also completed shooting for Radio in quick time. How is he managing so much in such short time span when so many other actors are doing only one or two films a year? Moreover, he is also responsible for composing and singing for each of these films.

"It suits me when I am working more", replies Himesh, "I have always done fantastic work when I have been loaded with work. I think pressure gets the best out of me. Even John Mathew's A Love Issshtory is complete except for the songs which I will do after Bhushan Kumar fixes the release date of the film."

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Most Hated People In Bollywood

I recently read that an Indian nerwspaper conducted a poll on the most hated people in bollywood !!

The list was topped by Himesh Reshammiya (pictured left) with 25% votes, next was Rakhi Sawant and Ekta Kapoor, followed by Ram Gopal Varma and Vivek Oberoi.

Though Himesh scored the highest in this poll, it is Ekta Kapoor’s hate club which leads with 86,860 members.

The second biggest hate club belongs to Himesh with 38,730 members.

And let’s talk about Shah Rukh Khan. His hate-love ratio is 1:100. While his hate club has 4000 members, his love group has 400,000! He is the only one with this kind of ratio, beating everyone in Bollywood!

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Industry reacts on Rahman being the first Indian to win a Golden Globe Award

Mira Nair: "The most innocent and lovely image on American television in years was the sight of our beloved A.R. Rahman on tiptoe hugging a loved one before he got the Golden Globe. How wonderful to see this rush of talent being recognized. Go, Slumdog!"

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: "This is absolutely fantastic news. Superb in the superlative. Heartiest congratulations to him. He's truly blessed. An incredible talent, a wonderful soul and has always been and will be the pride of our country."

Pritam Chakraborty: "Wow ...I was kind of expecting this. Congratulations to him. It's a proud moment for any Indian especially the music fraternity. I pray that it's just the beginning for him."

Amitabh Bachchan: "Congratulations. A reward most deserving."

Abhishek Bachchan: "What a glorious moment for him. He continues to make us proud. I'm very lucky to have worked with him in Yuva, Guru and Delhi 6. My congratulations to him."

Gulzar: "It's the horse that has won the race. The one riding the horse was Rahman. My lyrics for 'Jai Ho' were just the lagaam for the horse. Rahman has always been a clutter-breaker. He broke the antara-mukhda-antara (stanza-intro-stanza) mould in Hindi film songs. Now he has broken into the international arena. I'm working with him on the new Mani Ratnam project Raavan. As always it's a pleasure. All I can say for Rahman is, Jai Ho."

Bappi Lahiri: "It's a great honour for Bollywood. We're all proud of A R Rahman. God bless him."

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra: "I guess on the way to the Oscars he has picked up a Golden Globe. The best thing about his music in Slumdog Millionaire (SD) is that his work in the film is so revolutionary and potent, that he made the jury's job easier. God bless Rahman for bringing India back on the cultural world-map. This will pave the way for bigger things from him and from our country."

Javed Akhtar: "I'm thrilled happy and proud, but not at all surprised. It's inevitable for a genius like Rahman to get international acclaim."

Shekhar Ravjiani: "A. R. Rahman is a genius. The music of SM is outstanding. It deserves every award on this planet. I'm extremely happy for him."

Udit Narayan: "I've had the singular pleasure of working with A. R. Rahman many times. In fact I had sung for the last India-based film Lagaan that had his music. He's a fine human being and composer. I always say good things happen to good people. This honour that he has brought to the country proves it. Today when I have cut down on my singing I realize he's one of the composers I'd want to sing for even if I stopped singing."

Ashutosh Gowarikar: "In one word he is fan-tas-tic! He's a trailblazer. I'm so very proud of him, too thrilled! And his speech at the Golden Globe ceremonies was superb, short and sweet full of gratitude for his fans. Wow! I'll exhale only when I meet him."

Sunidhi Chauhan: "When I heard Rahman saab had won a Golden Globe it didn't register for a while. It took me time to understand what he has done. I'm too, too happy to say anything. I haven't sung too many songs from him. Recently, I sang a Hindi song for him in an English-language film. Singing an A.R Rahman composition is a privilege. I'm glad the West is realizing his worth."

Shreya Ghoshal: "I'm extremely happy and thrilled to hear this. It's a huge achievement. I'm very proud of Rahman sir. This is just the beginning for him."

Anu Malik: "I'm not surprised. Such talent comes once in a lifetime. I'm in London and I caught the film and its music. It's terrific. A great day for our great country. A R Rahman is a genius. I'm sure he's going to get an Oscar now. I salute A R Rahman. Mark my words. Next month Rahman will also get the Oscar for SM. It is brilliant. I'm so happy for him. With the Oscar coming to Rahman the Indian music industry would've come a long way."

Farhan Akhtar: "I'm very happy for him. The recognition is truly deserved. Congratulations to Rahman and Danny Boyle."

Vishal Bhardwaj: "Things just won't stop here for Rahman. The genius shall now bring an Oscar for us. Insha Allah."

Aditya Narayan: "It's incredible! He's the first Indian artiste to be working internationally at such a high level. I've had the pleasure of singing for him when I was a child in Taal. Of course now everyone will say he had it in him. Here's one artiste who just does his work, and wastes no time in publicity gimmicks. I think India is just getting ready for international recognition."



Bipasha Basu: "He's an absolute genius. He deserves every award. And the applause he's getting globally is richly deserved. I feel immense pride."

Anand Raj Anand: "He deserves it. He's the only music director who got opportunities to work in terrific banners and super-talented directors. I wish him many many more achievements."

Sameer Anjaan: "It's a proud moment for every Indian. I'm lucky to have worked with him. He deserves much more."

Aadesh Shrivastava: "Bahut garv hota hai apne desh ke prati. Jai Hind."

Himesh Reshammiya: "He deserves it. He's my favourite."

Ameesha: "Rahman is a modern-day Mozart. A complete genius. I wish him the Oscar next."

Kunal Ganjawala: "This is just the beginning of many more international awards to come for Rahman."

KK (singer): "He deserves it. Glad he brought it for us. He's someone who understands music and what it does for our soul. Truly Indian too. God bless him .This is just the beginning."

Irrfan Khan: "Rahman ki jai ho aur aage Indian cinema ki bhi jai ho. I'm part of SM and meri bhi jai ho."

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Films that made us cringe in 2008

Monumental budgets and unnecessary hype equal monumental flops. Bollywood has seen some unexpected flops this year. We take a look at films that redefined box office failure in 2008.

Tashan: With a stellar foursome comprising lovebirds Kareena and Saif, Akshay Kumar and Anil Kapoor and Dhoom writer Vijay Krishna Acharya directing them in stunning locations like Greece and Ladakh, YRF's Tashan was one of the most anticipated films of the year which turned into one of the biggest disappointments of the year. To put it bluntly, it was a bakwaas film which had people pulling their hair out. Even Kareena's skinny frame in a bikini or her chemistry with Saif couldn't save the film from crashing and burning at the BO and becoming the first colossal flop of 2008.

Love Story 2050: A love story set in 2008 and 2050 marking the debut of Priyanka's real life sweetheart, Hrithik look alike Harman Baweja became the second colossal flop of the year. Their chemistry in the film was zilch, the music was jarring and Harman's hamming got on your nerves. The makers were so busy perfecting the special effects that they forgot about script and direction. This over hyped film was ripped apart by critics and 50+ crores sank at the BO.

Yuvvraaj: Subhash Ghai insists his film is "not a soda bottle which loses its fizz but a classic magnum opus which will take its time to grow on people." We wonder when it will grow on people because would rather it's out of theatres ASAP. Even Sallu-Kat's real life affair couldn't save the film, nor could Rahman's melodious music. Katrina is considered a lucky mascot for her film but her charm didn't work this time. With pathetic performances with all the actors gamming to the core, shallow dialogue, outdated storyline and tacky direction, over hyped Yuvvraaj is one of the worst films this year.

Drona: Rona would have been a more apt title for this painfully long and boring film. The plot was heavily borrowed from Harry Potter and chubby Abhishek is not superhero material. And which superhero needs a bodyguard even if she is sexy Sonia (Priyanka Chopra)? Moreover, people don't have patience for meandering sagas where the 'superhero' is stone faced and does not know what his power is. Drona was filled with state of the art effects, gorgeous locations and Priyanka was stunning. But spectacular production values do not a movie make. Script and direction bhi chahiye

Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic: Sexy Amisha seducing hottie Saif in a yellow bikini, special effects, a pretty house, good acting, cute children and a summer release. None of these factors helped Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic spin some jadoo at the BO. Both Hum Tum and Fanaa were smash hits so Kunal was looking forward to scoring a hit hat-trick but his dreams were dashed when TPTM failed to break YRF's flop spell. What is worse is that he fell out with YRF head honcho Adi Chopra when the film flopped. Ironically, TPTM was Kunal's first film which opened to good reviews. But people didn't agree with the critics. They definitely didn't like seeing an overweight Rani running around in the same aunty-like outfit. Rani has had three flops back to back (TRRP, LCMD and TPTM), she is in her 30s and overweight. Is her career over?

Kidnap: Now Kidnap generated a whole lot of buzz. Young girls lined up to see their new crush Imran, older women lined up to see their childhood crush Sanjay and men lined up to see curvy Minissha in a stark white bikini. Moreover, dhamakedaar Dhoom director Sanjay Gadhvi was at the helm of affairs. But after watching the film, people wanted to kidnap Sanjay Gadhvi for making a film that insulted their intelligence and was a waste of their hard earned money. The movie was lackluster; Minishha's skin show and Imran's tanned and wicked avatar were the only saving graces of the film.

Karzzzz: The cult film's remake is a cult flop. It's a monumental task to remake an iconic film like Karzzzz and the producers should be ashamed of their audacity. How dare you replace Subhash Ghai (in his hey days) with Satish Kaushik who does not know direction, the adorable Tina Munim with newcomer Shweta, the classy Simi Garewal with the loud and tacky Urmila and the charismatic Rishi Kapoor with stone faced dhokla boy Himesh Reshammiya? The movie is a parody of the timeless film and the music has already been forgotten. Himesh, please concentrate on compositions. Acting tumhare bas ki baat nahin!

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Flop Movies, Hot Songs

2008 saw numerous movies release. And if not all, but most crashed burned at the box office. But though these movies sank at the BO, their songs have set the stage on fire and have enjoyed much more popularity than the films they belong to.

Take a look:

Tu Hi Meri Dost Hain from Yuvvraaj: Gulzar's poetic lyrics and AR Rahman's evergreen melodies make a killer combination. Tu hi meri dost hain had such sweet lyrics like aaja mein hawaaon mein bitha ke le chalu tu hi toh meri dost hain. It is a declaration of love but it gives so much importance to friendship. The song has such a pure, lilting, soothing, and uplifting melody which is so refreshing in these times of beat oriented hip-hop infused tracks. And then Benny Dayal and Shreya Ghoshal have beautifully rendered the song. Your mind is filled with images of picture perfect Katrina romancing a bespectacled handsome Salman in the picturesque locales of Austria when you listen to the song. The super hit song kept playing in your head till you heard it and you even trekked to the theatre to see it but you came back utterly disappointed because the ethereal music was wasted in a lackadaisical film which was a gigantic failure at the BO.

Break Free and Krazzy 4 from Krazzy 4: Hrithik Roshan and Shah Rukh Khan. Both stylish superstars, both excellent dancers and SRK's jalwa and Hrithik's elastic dance moves made both the videos smash hits. Sung by the versatile and talented Vishal Dadlani of composer duo Vishal-Shekhar, the song had people grooving to its catchy beat and singing Do it anyway, just put the K, say K.R.A.Z.Z.Y and Break Free, gotta get some trophy, tod do deewaron ko, break free ab kholo mutthi, chheen lo duniya se more. The foot-tapping songs, never mind if the tune is lifted from the Sony Thump ad are a rage in clubs even now thought the movie sank without a trace.

Tandoori nights from Karzzzz: No matter how the movie fares, Himesh catchy tunes always become a rage with listeners. Tandoori Nights makes no sense except if it is used to promote special Tandoori nights at a restaurant but it makes for easy listening; tanha tandoori nights, if loving you is wrong, I don't wanna be right, Rabba Rabba meri jaan jale…Tak…taana.nanaa Tandoori Nights are lyrics that will find yourself humming. Sung in Himesh's trademark joshila style with the versatile Sunidhi ably supporting him, the song has a great, laid back tune which you can move your body too. Love it or hate it, you can't ignore it. Sadly, the hit songs of Karzzzz couldn't salvage it from being panned by audiences and critics alike. Himesh should stick to singing and composing.

Talli from Ugly aur Pagli: The song is a rage at clubs simply because everyone goes clubbing to get drunk out of their wits, in short to get talli. And the ladies love dancing to it as the steps are really easy. It is a fun song with relatable lyrics like Patiali peg chadhake/ teri galli vich aake/ such dukh chain gawake/ Deewani/main pagal/ main talli ho gayi/ main talli/main talli/main talli ho gayi, a great video shot in a club with Mallika, Ranvir and the singers, Hard Kaur, Mika and Anmol. The song was a great debut for Anmol Malik, composer Anu Malik's daughter. The song will continue to be in demand but the same cannot be said of the flop film's DVD.

Aksa Beach from God Tussi Great Ho: Personally, I am not a big fan of this pick up line song with pedestrian lyrics Tujhe Aksa Beach ghuma lu/aa chalti kya. But people do like it and like dancing to it as well. It is a funny song and that Aai haai/aai haai haai part will get stuck in your head. Salman and Priyanka look pretty cute in the video. People ignored the movie but couldn't ignore the silly straightforwardness of this unique song. It is the perfect song for Roadside Romeos.

Milo Na Milo from Love Story 2050: Priyanka's red hair and Harman's killer Hrithik-like dance moves worked for this song. And how can we forget the futuristic sets replete with robots? And it is something that every girl wants to hear, Milo na milo/ main milne aa unga/kaho na kaho/ main kehta jaunga and the futuristic tune sure made a mark. The mega movie disappeared but the song's still around.

Tha Karke from Golmaal Returns: We have no idea what Tha Karke means but lag jaa gale se aaja tha karke is a huge hit. Sung by Neeraj Shridhar who has belted hits like Hare Krishna Hare Ram and Aai paapi, the tune is very catchy, mainly because it has shades of Daddy Yankee's Gasolina (Bollywood loves this song) and Shakira's Hips don't lie. The video is killer with cars being blown up and people running around explosions. And Kareena looks hotter than ever in her hot pants. It is a masaledaar Bollywood song. Golmaal Returns is a hit alright but some people who hated the movie really like this song along with Vacancy.

Chhaliya from Tashan: An emerald bikini clad Kareena emerging like a Goddess from the Grecian waters, all her killer dance moves and the confident, femme fatale attitude that she oozes throughout the song has made the song a hit. The song has an uncanny tune and with Sunidhi's vocals, it better be a hit. Haath na aau mein hoo aisi chhaliya/ mein noor hu/mein hoor hu/ bachke jaayega kaha. I think every girl wants to have that kind of mystery, enigma and confidence. The movie was the first disaster of 2008 but songs like Dil dance Maare, Dil Haara and Chhaliya keep growing on us with every listen.

Ba Khuda from Kismat Konnection: The movie was a disappointment coming from Aziz Mirza but did decent business at the BO. The success of the songs is a different story altogether. After the stupendous success of Woh Lamhe, Tere Bin and Pehli Nazar Mein, Atif Aslam sang love anthem Ba Khuda in his silky voice and was ably supported by the sweet voiced Alka Yagnik. With lyrics like Ba Khuda tumhi ho/ har jagah tunhi ho/tumho jeena ka maksad/aur vajah tumhi ho how can anyone not like the song? Even hip hop track Aai Paapi featuring Shahid's flexible dance routine is a song people love to dance to.

Bachna ae Haseeno from Bachna ae Haseeno: The Ranbir Kapoor song rekindled memories of the evergreen hit featuring his father Rishi Kapoor. It is an amazing remix which has retained the charm of the original and features the voices of Kishore Kumar and his son Sumit Kumar. It has a fabulous video featuring beauties Bipasha, Deepika and Minishha and Ranbir Kapoor. With lyrics like Tujhse log kahenge na kar pyaar mujhe/main toh lakh bura hu/neend chura lu, hosh uda/baato hi baton mein/do mulakaton mein le lu/Bachna ae haseeno/lo main aa gaya, it is a cautionary tale but we throw caution to the winds every time we hit the dance floor at the familiar sound of the trumpet. The lilting and very romantic Khuda Jaane is one of the most adorable songs we have heard this year. The movie may not have been great shakes but Bachna ae Haseeno featuring Ranbir has recreated the magic of Bachna ae Haseeno featuring dad Rishi.

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The Drift Bollywood Power List

Power lists are largely subjective and for someone not an industry insider to put together is a high-risk exercise. Still an honest attempt is better than those put together by people with more to lose than me. And so an attempt will be made.

I would like to thank all the hugely knowledgeable (and entertaining) people who stop by the Drift and embellish it with their wisdom and wit. A lot of the names came from them and some generous Bollywood insiders although I take ownership of the order (in other words gaalis need to come to me)

When determining who would be on the list, I used several criteria. Those who made the list are successful and popular. They have influence over many, especially those in positions of power as well (think of how Google's PageRank works). They have the inside track on happenings via well placed moles, they can get even the most ludicrous vanity projects green lighted, they hold the upper hand in most negotiations, they can challenge and restructure well known practices that have withstood the test of time. And above all, they are ambitious people who know how to possess and wield power.

Some quick level sets: this list is a current one - past standing is offset by recent achievements. If you feel I've missed or misplaced anyone, leave me a comment.


1. Aditya Chopra
Forget Hrithik Roshan being the star son who vaulted past his father's kamyaabi - Aditya Chopra has done way more as an uber-producer. If you asked Bappi Lahiri about it, he would say: "Yeh India ka Jerry Bruckheimer hey!" He's directed a few famous movies (DDLJ), but his filmography as producer is indicative of the power he commands in Bollywood. He's had a mixed year - four of his five releases have gone belly up. But he scored with Chak De! India, is rumored to be half of a new power couple in Bollywood and is sitting pretty on Bollywood's most profitable franchise (Dhoom).

Chinks in armor: Family feuds tend to be terribly distracting. Aditya's known reticence from the media makes him vulnerable to more flashy and visible competition.


2. Shahrukh Khan
No one in Bollywood is more ambitious than SRK. He guarantees a huge box office opening regardless of the rest of the names signed to a film - the sign of monetary worth in any film industry. After the relative failure of his first production shingle - Dreamz Unlimited - his new venture Red Chillies is off to a roaring start. His camp is as diverse as it is talented - he has a virtual ecosystem of chamchaas who can put together a movie for him (costumes, fashion, direction, you name it).

There are two ways SRK is lining his pockets these days. First, he's deftly side-stepped mob money throughout his career. And he is bringing the back end deal model to Bollywood aggressively. Thus, by working for scale or close, he allows strong pictures to get financed (Chak De! India) and given his stature at the box office, reaps a huge windfall from the profits.

With his recent play in Sports Entertainment via ownership of the Kolkatta Knight Riders he's establishing a sizable content empire.

Chinks in armor: IPL is a highly risky venture. SRK's need to play the joker in the pack is probably pissing off huge forces in the industry kept at bay only by his success. His camp is becoming professionally incestuous. And he doesn't play well with #3 on this list.

3. The Bachchans
There are two prongs to this power parivaar: one is the biggest female draw in Bollywood and easily its one true international star. By virtue of being a newly minted Bachchan bahu, Aishwarya has multipled her connections and vested them deep into Bollywood and the circling industries that give it power. The second, Amitabh, survived tremendous loss of prestige due to some dud projects this year (see Ram Gopal Varma, later on this list) but still has an impressive list of Bollywood Big Wigs in Gratitude (What? You thought he did all those Hajmola ads because he had indigestion?) Abhishek, long considered to be the liability in the family, has come off two confidence building projects: Guru and Dhoom 2.

Chinks in armor: Aishwarya won't work with #2 on this list. With each passing day Amitabh loses out on that most precious Bollywood commodity - age. Abhishek is still an unconventional box office draw and needs help from Dad.

4. Aamir Khan
Its not easy to take on so many bigwigs at the same time and carry on as if nothing has changed. Aamir has (for whatever reasons - they aren't important here) taken on sections of the media and industry politics and delivered huge hits. He can afford to shrug his shoulders at the Filmfare Awards year after year and they still trip over themselves to bury him with statuettes. He is now the first actor that producers dream of signing - even ahead of SRK.

Aamir draws a lot of his power from creating a new model of quality control in Bollywood. He signs projects after deliberation, he retains a high degree of control over them and he is fully engaged in all aspects of the film he commits to. With his debut directorial effort - Taare Zameen Par - declared a huge trade success, he now belongs to the most widely influential category of hyphenates in films: actor-director (see: Mel Gibson).

Chinks in armor: There is only so much isolation you can get away with before it starts hurting you. Aamir's getting old by lead actor standards - which reduces the principal aspect of his mojo.

5. The Roshans
Rakesh Roshan's long standing production company Filmkraft started delivering mind-boggling hits only after his son Hrithik got in the game as an actor. He now has pratham dibs on the new superpower in Bollywood, long standing relationships with incumbent Bollywood powers and a reputation for being a clean, professional and rewarding banner to work with.

Chinks in armor: Home productions have an emphasis on home, thus cutting out others. Filmkraft needs to expand and deliver hits that don't star Hrithik.


6. Karan Johar
Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna dinged Johar's celebrity considerably. But his continued balancing act between the powerful camps of SRK and Bachchans endows him with considerable power. Plus a tendency to control all aspects of his films allows him unprecedented quality control.

He's skillfully created a small screen bitch-camp (Koffee with Karan) where guests entertain audiences with juicy tidbits yet leave without feeling exploited. He willingly works hard to enable the success of others - which makes him a precious commodity in the BackStab Ranch known as Bollywood.

Chinks in armor: He needs a steady stream of hits to stay in the big league, otherwise he can get marginalized quickly.

7. Ronnie Screwvala
Screwvala is building a global empire - publicly held and above board. In that he is an innovator. And his production house UTV has been delivering a steady stream of hit films (Rang De Basanti, Jodhaa Akbar) and successful TV shows. Add to that his involvement in several high profile projects (M. Night Shyamalan's next) and deal-cutting with phoren studios which critically (in this business) extends his distribution.

UTV is now valued at $435 million and has a 14% stake held by Disney.

Chinks in armor: One word - competition. Ok four - competition with deep pockets. Plus, UTV's flop to hit ratio is still largely unfavorable.

8. Akshay Kumar
Most often called out as the actor who delivers hits but doesn't get any respect (hey, he should form a club with Himesh Reshammiya), Akshay has gone from being the primary challenge to the Khan hegemony to becoming a genuine box office force in his own right. Recently, sensing the falling potential of action movies, Akshay has branched out - rather heavily - into comedy.

Chinks in armor: Lack of respect affects power more than hit films enhance it.

9. Salman Khan
Before Akshay's recent feats at the box office, Salman was Bollywood's Mr. Reliable. And being born in a family with deep rooted filmi connections has allowed him to become a power player. Yes, he's had jhagdas with a number of important people, but he's been able to patch them up. Most industry poweristas will tell you he's a really nice person. And he's still wildly popular, especially among Indians across the diaspora - which allows him to retain his hit making power.

Of late Salman has given us glimpses of the artist behind the star, developed a nice comic timing and along the way indulged in some delicious tweaking of his bad boy, pattha image.

Chinks in armor: So many its a miracle Salman has survived at all. A penchant for breaking the law and a reputation for being hindered by ego. He won't work with Aishwarya. His roles are becoming mired in cliché.

10. Sajid Nadiadwala

Very successful via his production company, the curiously named Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, Sajid negated a high profile failure (Jaan-e-Mann) with one of 2007's blockbusters - Heyy Babyy, kicking off a partnership with up and coming director Sajid Khan. Aligned with both Salman and Akshay, he is remaking his 1997 hit Judwa.

Chinks in armor: Can he make a hit without Sallu or Akki?



11. Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Vidhu's Eklavya last year split audiences and failed to win an Oscar nomination in what has now become Bollywood's annual phoren-envy carnival. Still he has a stellar reputation for balancing art and commerce. His Munnabhai franchise is universally loved and he's already working on Part III.

Chinks in armor: A tendency to deliver overwrought Bollywood movies might fail to connect with audiences looking for fresh, new scripts.

12. Mahesh and Pooja Bhatt

The Bhatts have a tested established model for making films. Take some successful niche Hollywood thriller and translate it for Indian audiences. Then find some becoming actors, sign them cheap to a multi-film deal, catch some music directors at in a career ebb to snag some bargain music and make quick cash. The Bhatts don't deviate from this model - but it also makes them them the go-to people for all actors who don't have industry godfathers. And all of their protégés (John Abraham, Bipasha Basu, Shiny Ahuja, Kangana Raut) who go on to bigger things are fall backs to call in a favor from.

Chinks in armor: Lack of respect from fellow industrywallahs. The Bhatts need to deliver a legitimate mass-market hit to play with the big banners.



Preity Zinta
Successfully negotiating often conflicting friendships across multiple camps, Preity has leveraged her recent alliance with Ness Wadia to launch herself into the business of entertainment. Although she's engaged in risky ventures, she's smart enough to understand her limited appeal as an actress to branch out while she is in the top bracket. Can her business acumen keep up with her ambition? That is the question that determines if Preity becomes a major Bollywood power player in the near future.



Himesh Reshammiya
Scaling his talent from TV production to music direction to acting and producing, Himesh is one of Bollywood's most ambitious mavericks. His shrewd acumen for the business of entertainment has allowed him to overcome industry stereotypes and deliver the goods whether he's on the small screen (Sa Re Ga Ma Pa), cutting a CD or emoting on the big purdah (Aap Ka Suroor). Big name actresses won't work with him and industry big wigs still scoff at him - but he draws considerable power from his massive fan following - which is also a demographic sweet spot for advertisers.

Kapoor Family
The arrival of Rishi's son Ranbir as a hot commodity on the scene allows the Kapoor brothers to start rebuilding the largely squatting, beloved studio: RK Films. They are well respected in the industry albeit generally acknowledged to be somewhat undependable and self-destructive. But RK carries more cachet with the aam junta than any other studio does.

Kareena Kapoor
This was the year Kareena translated her influential upbringing into true industry power by delivering a highly visible performance in a movie that was not only a big hit but likely to become an industry classic for this generation. Her alliance with Saif makes her one half of a Bollywood power couple.





Farah Khan
The only female director to play with the big boys with resounding commercial success, Farah has established herself in the masala movie genre as a name to reckon with via two movies: Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om. She has excellent attention to detail which means she can deliver quality hits to audiences over time.




Sajid Khan
He's quickly building successes both in front of and behind the camera with his work on TV's Boogie Woogie and the 2007 hit Heyy Babyy. Plus by virtue of being the brother of Farah Khan, he's got access to some big names in the industry.



Ajay Devgan and Kajol
Individually they are a B-list, A-list partnership. But together they have the potential to become an influential power couple - something they've recently started exploring via their first joint home production: U, Me and Hum. A dicey TV concept show is being watched carefully to gauge their combined star power.



Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Armed with shepherding the careers of two high profile star kids - Ranbir (Rishi, Neetu Kapoor) and Sonam (Anil Kapoor), Bhansali went blue delivering a melodramatic opera that crashed and burned spectacularly with his audience. Despite dealing with failures in a rather egocentric way, he remains one of the few names that can sell a movie with the masses as a director.






The Deols
You would think a family with a legendary actor and two successful progenies would make for one powerful equation. But the cooling sitaares of both Sunny and Bobby and a weak home production - Apne - has resulted in a significant erosion of the Deol charisma.



Ram Gopal Varma
A director who can almost bring down a colossus like Amitabh has got to have had a bad year. RGV did it twice: with Nishabd and then a misguided remake of Sholay called RGV's Aag - and in the process took a terrible pasting from the junta and the industry.





Saif Ali Khan
Having firmly established himself as a Shashi Kapoor like support actor of some repute, Saif built leading man credibility (Parineeta, Being Cyrus) and box office momentum (Hum Tum) to add to his family connections. But just when it seemed he was set to establish himself as someone who could carry a film, some high profile flops ensued (Nehle Pe Dehla, Ta Ra Rum Pum) sending our man plummeting. Plus there was that high risk Filmfare Awards gig - who knows what the fallout is going to be?




Sanjay Dutt
Dutt still wields enough power that the film industry's collective blood pressure soars whenever he ends up in court (or jail lately). And he is still key to the lucrative Munnabhai franchise - which has given him the biggest hits of his career. But you get the feeling that he's squandered his position as Bollywood's power player. Somehow he's failed to recognize that he's developed of late into an actor of some shrewdness and instead allowed myriad social, marital and legal issues to drain him of his celebrity. Plus that Mumbai Ka Don stereotype really hurts when it comes to bagging roles.



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