Source: RS
Date: December 31, 2006
The biggest year of Bollywood can be attributed to the male brigade of the industry who has given a whole new face to the Bollywood of today. The star power was magical as they donned new avatars for their varied roles in the blockbuster hits. The actors of today have left no stone unturned to experiment with their looks and their acting skills. The King Khan of Bollywood tried out his negative side for Don, Hrithik played a thief with élan and essayed the role of a masked-hero, and Aamir played a college student in one and a terrorist in another. Lastly, our very own Munna Bhai came to rescue an indifferent audience with his “Gandhigiri” lesson. And a lesson that came in the form of another memorable performance form the hit pair of Sanjay Dutt-Arshad Warsi. The Khiladi of Bollywood Akshay Kumar also contributed in the laugh riots with his impressive comic timing. The actors not featuring in the top 5 but are worth a mention are: Abhishek Bachchan for Kabhi Alvida.., Dhoom 2; Ajay Devgan for Omkara and Golmaal and Shahid Kapoor for Vivaah, Chup Chup Ke and 36 China Town.
1-Hrithik Roshan
For an actor who has oodles of talent and on-screen magic, one is made to believe that acting comes to him naturally in the same manner as his breath-taking stunts and jaw-dropping dance moves. The man can twist and turn and whirl for his audience and give their heart a skip of a beat with his air-borne stunts and magical green eyes. The mesmeriser was at his best with his super-cool thief act in Dhoom 2. He gave the Indian audiences their very own super-hero and the hope of sighting Bollywood among the best in the world. Hrithik not just rocks, he roles, does a salsa and even a tequila in the beautiful city of Rio de janeiro in Brazil and perfects his every move both as a clever thief and a saviour of the world. The fabulous actor tasted mega success this year as his home production Krrish earned a whopping 68 Crores and Yash Raj Films’ Dhoom 2 continues its record breaking spree at the box office. The man is not just the best but is slowly inches closer in becoming the biggest product of Bollywood ever. Hats off to you Mr. A!
2-Aamir Khan
The versatile and mega talented Khan struck gold this year with Blockbuster hits like Fanaa and Rang De Basanti, which is India’s official entry to the Academy awards a.k.a. the Oscars. Aamir’s decision to focus on quality work rather than quantity is proving good for him. His patriotic movie with a difference Rang De Basanti earned over 50 crores in the domestic market whereas, Fanaa also got collections of over 53 crores. Aamir’s Rang De Basanti fanned the burning issue of corruption in the Indian system and presented it in the voice of the youth. His latest offering will have been essaying more intriguing roles in the future. These include: Lajjo opposite Kareena Kapoor, Taare Zameen Pe and Kajri which is a remake of Tamil super hit film Ghajini.
3-Sanjay Dutt
The actor who seems to be the most suitable candidate to play the role of a Munna Bhai has swept the nation of its feet and given them the Gandhian ideology wrapped in the innocence of Munna Bhai. Sanjay Dutt may be involved in some or the other legal controversies but the actor is loved for his adorable characters portrayed by him with much dedication. His Lage Raho Munna Bhai became the biggest blockbuster hit of the year and was screened all over the world. The Vidhu Vinod Chopra production was applauded even at the UN meeting and is an unofficial entry at the Oscars. The actor was appreciated in his other releases like Zinda and Anthony Kaun Hai. The star’s forthcoming releases include: Sarhad Paar, Eklavya- The Royal Guard, Nehle Pe Dehla, Race, and Shootout at Lokhandwala.
4-Akshay Kumar
The year that went to the banana-peel-slip hits saw the Khiladi tickling the funny bone of the audience in some of the successful comedies this year. Phir Hera Pheri brought the comic trio of Suniel, Paresh and Akshay back on the big screen. The film went on to be a super hit this year and earned a net gross of Rs. 40.29 Crores. Akshay continued to churn appreciable work in the form of Humko Deewnana Kar Gaye opposite Katrina Kaif and Jaan-e-Mann in which he played a geek in love with someone else’s girl.. Poor Akki! But then at the end of the year, the last big release was Priyadarshan’ Bhagam Bhag which starred Akshay along with comedy guru Govinda and Lara Dutta. The film is doing descent business at the theatres. His laugh riot will continue in the form of Hey Baby, Namaste London, International Hera Pheri and Welcome. So, is the stunt hero changing his course towards the light-hearted side? We’ll soon know.
5-Shah Rukh Khan
The King Khan contributed in a big way in creating history with his phenomenal successes Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and Don. Despite, the movies getting an above average to hit rating in the domestic circuit, they have proved to be the biggest hits of all times in the international market. The bold and sensitive theme of KANK and the grey shade of SRK playing the mafia, Don won acclaim all across the globe. KANK became the highest grosser of foreign exchange and Don is the numero uno at many overseas box offices. Nearly 100 crores have been collected by his two films in the domestic circuit and KANK itself has earned over 100 crores in the overseas markets in the initial stages. The football coach-father and then a mafia s evident that SRK is experimenting enough to prove his critics wrong. His forthcoming releases include: Chak De! India, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Om Shanti Om, Dulha Mil Gaya.