As
the calendar reaches its fag end, Supriyo Hazra moves through the
different corners of the year to check out the performance of Bollywood
stars in the past 12 months
Aamir Khan: Mr. perfectionist Aamir Khan made his highly
impressive small screen debut with his TV show Satyamev Jayate.
Highlighting various social issues ranging from honour killing to child
abuse, the show not only attracted ordinary viewers but even
politicians. Aamir even met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to discuss the
plight of manual scavengers who engage in cleaning human waste.
He had spotlighted the problems of manual scavengers in an episode of
the show. Before meeting the Prime Minister, Aamir had also met a
parliamentary panel to discuss medical problems plaguing India that were
highlighted in one of the episodes of the television show. On the big
screen, Aamir's act as tough cop , Surjan Singh Shekhawat, in his much
awaited release 'Taalash' succeeded in gaining accolades though the film
evoked mixed response from reviewers and viewers.
Alia Bhatt: Veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt's daughter Alia Bhatt
was one cute student in director Karan Johar's 'Student of the Year' as
the actress made her debut in the tinsel town quite successfully. From
dancing to the tunes of 'disco deewane' to romancing his co-stars
Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan in 'Ishq wala Love', Alia surely
promised to show more reflections of her talent in the upcoming years.
Arjun Kapoor: Filmmaker Boney Kapoor's son made his debut opposite
Parineeti Chopra in the romantic tale- 'Ishaqzaade'. Both the actors
made an impressive mark in the world of Bollywood with their debut film
and convinced Indian audience of getting ready to witness stronger
performances ahead.
Abhay Deol: If it is Abhay Deol then his fans can always be
assured that he has something new to offer. The talented actor and a
favourite of the crossover genre once again showed his strong acting
skills in director Dibakar Banerjee's political thriller 'Shanghai'.
However, his 'Chakravyuh' failed to impress both critics and viewers.
Abhishek Bachchan: One can say junior Bachchan had an average
2012 as far as the success of his films are concerned. Beginning the
year with action thriller Players, Bachchan finally tasted moderate
success with his 'Bol Bachchan'. While 'Players' tumbled down like nine
pins, his comic avatar in 'Bol Bachchan' was successful in pulling some
crowds towards theatres.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: The gorgeous lady of B-town vanished from
silver screens in 2012 and was mostly busy with her daughter Aradhya.
Unlike other years, when her movies and endorsements kept media busy,
this year it was her overweight and post-pregnancy shape that triggered a
hot debate across the nation.
However, adding more feather to her crown the B-town beauty received the
second highest French civilian award, the Knight of the Order of Arts
and Letters, for her contribution to cinema and promoting Indo-French
cooperation, this year.
Ajay Devgn: After portraying tough cop Inspector Bajirao Singham
last year, Ajay was busy tickling the funny bone of the audience with
films like 'Bol Bachchan' and 'Son of Sardaar'. However, in his real
life the actor faced some serious moments when he engaged himself in a
legal battle with Yash Raj Films over the release of his film Son of
Sardaar.
Ahead of the release, movie buffs witnessed fire works when Devgn had
sent a legal notice to Yash Raj Films and alleged that it was using its
strong position in the industry and pressurising exhibitors to promote
late filmmaker Yash Chopra's last directorial venture 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan'
over his 'Son of Sardaar'. The actor was invited to anchor the Google+
Hangout session with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi this year.
Akshay Kumar: With five releases this year, Akki was surely one
of the kings in B-town in 2012. Akshay made good impact on the box
office as his films like Housefull 2, Rowdy Rathore, OMG: Oh My God!
gained accolades from his fans besides doing good business this year.
His last release of the year, Khiladi 786 is reportedly making
impressive business.
Coupled with southern beauty Asin, the original Khiladi of Bollywood
still has the potential to draw his followers to the theatres. However,
his attempts to capture the hearts of India movie buffs as space
scientist Agastya in 'Joker' crashed badly.
Amitabh Bachchan: The same old sounds of the hooter, claps and
some moment of excitement were back as Big B hosted the sixth season of
popular TV show Kaun Banega Crorepati (also called KBC 6).On the silver
screen, he was seen making a special appearance in director Gauri
Shinde's English Vinglish.
The superstar, however, mesmerised Bengalis along with the rest of the
country as he sang Rabindranath Tagore's creation ''Ekla Cholo Re' for
director Sujoy Ghosh's 'Kahaani'. In his personal life, Bachchan's
health remained the matter of concern as he spent nearly two weeks in a
Mumbai hospital and underwent an abdominal surgery.
Anil Kapoor: While he was the talk of the town in 2011 after
sharing the screen space with Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise in the
'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol', the actor remained mostly
invisible this year. The only film where Anil Kapoor was seen in 2012
was 'Tezz' and sadly it failed to draw the attentions of his fans.
Arjun Rampal: Arjun Rampal and Kareena Kapoor's hot scene in
Madhur Bhandarkar's much hyped film 'Heroine' grabbed too many eye balls
this year. The film earned mixed response at the box office but it
received negative reviews from film critics. The handsome model turned
actor's other major releases of the year- Chakravyuh and Ajab Gazabb
Love, stumbled miserably.
Asin: Whether it is Aamir Khan or Akshay Kumar, Asin always pairs
with the best in the business. In 2012, the southern beauty joined
Akshay Kumar in the laugh-riot named 'Housefull 2 and then again in
Khiladi 786. She was also seen joining Ajay Devgn and Abhishek Bachchan
in another fun-filled merry-go-round 'Bol Bachchan'. Asin played the
perfect icing in the comic cakes.
Anushka Sharma: Anushka is slowly emerging as the next big thing
in the tinsel town. The pretty-faced girl once again paired with
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan in late filmmaker Yash Chopra's last
creation- 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan'. Along with Katrina Kaif, the film was one
big release of the year and Anushka played her part well to make her
audience utter only one word for her- 'Wow'.
Bipasha Basu: Well, the bong beauty was seen scaring her fans in
Vikram Bhatt horror thriller 'Raaz 3'. Bipasha, who was a part of the
first film of the Raaz series, made a comeback to it after opting out
of the second film. Biapasha's scary avatar as Shanaya Shekhar in the
film gained appreciations from her fans.
She was also seen pairing with R Madhavan in 'Jodi Breakers' and shared
screen space with Abhishek Bachchan and Neil Nitin Mukesh in
multi-starrer 'Players'. Both the films, however, chocked at the box
office.
Deepika Padukone: Deepika's bikini sequence in her last released
film Cocktail became the talk of the town earlier in the year. The
hot-bodied actor grabbed some eyeballs as she played the 'bold and
beautiful' Veronica in the film. Both her fans and critics gave positive
response to Deepika for her performance though the film was trashed by
one and all.
Dia Mirza: After turning into a producer in 2011 with the film
'Love, Breakups, Zindagi', Dia made her debut in Bengali films this year
with Paanch Adhyay. The B-town beauty was seen sharing screen space
with Priyanshu Chatterjee and veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee in the
film.
Diana Penty: Model-turned-actor Diana made a convincing Bollywood
debut with 'Cocktail'. Her girl-next-door image in the film as Meera
impressed audience as she shared the screen with Bollywood hunk Saif Ali
Khan and the hot and sensuous Deepika Padukone, though the film failed
to impress cine goers.
Emraan Hashmi: The 'Murder' actor gained appreciations from his
fans and critics for his performance in filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee's
political thriller 'Shanghai' this year. However, Hashmi continued his
long connection with thrillers with the other two releases in the year-
'Raaz 3', Jannat 2 and 'Rush'. While, 'Raaz 3' and 'Jannat 2 ' drew some
crowds towards theatres, his Rush totally failed.
Esha Deol: Hema Malini's eldest daughter tied the nuptial knot with businessman Bharat Takhtani this year.
Farhaan Akhtar: The happening guy of Bollywood Farhan Akhtar
remained mostly busy with the shooting of his upcoming film Bhaag Milkha
Bhaag. The film is on Milkha Singh where Farhaan is portraying the
character of the former Indian athlete. Though, Indian 70 mm missed
Farhan's acting in the year he co-produced Aamir Khan starrer 'Talaash' .
Farah Khan: Choreographer-turned- filmmaker Farah Khan finally
appeared in front of the camera as she made her debut as an actress in
director Bela Bhansali Sehgal's 'Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi'.
However, the film met with a dull response at the box-office.
Hrithik Roshan: Hrithik gave Bollywood its first major hit of
the year as his 'Agneepath' did not fail to thrill and entertain his
fans. Released on the Republic Day, it opened with a staggering amount
of Rs 23 crores over the weekend. The Hrithik Roshan-Priyanka Chopra
starrer remake of the 1990 Bollywood film of the same name made a
gigantic collection of around Rs 107 crores at the Box Office in just
eleven days since it hit the silver screen on Jan 26.
Imran Khan: After giving 'boldness' a new meaning with his
performance in 'Delhi Belly' in 2011, Imran was seen romancing
Bollywood beauty Kareena Kapoor onscreen. The romantic comedy Ek Main
Aur Ekk Tu emerged as a moderate box-office success.
Irrfan Khan: The thinking actor of B-town had an eventful 2012 as
his Hollywood appearances caught the attentions of India movie buffs.
He was seen playing 'Dr. Rajit Ratha' in super hero film 'The Amazing
Spider-Man'. His another international project 'Life of Pi ' has already
captivated the attention of global audience. In Bollywood, Irrfan,
played a notorious bandit in 'Paan Singh Tomar'. The film impressed the
audience with fresh story and interesting settings.
Jacqueline Feranandes: The pretty-faced diva from Sri Lanka
joined Akshay Kumar and John Abraham in the laugh-riot 'Housefull 2'
that managed to make good business at the box office.
John Abraham: The macho actor turned producer in 2012 and his
first production Vicky Donor became both critically and commercially
successful. He then established his own production house, John Abraham
Entertainment. Right before the release of the film, which dealt with
the issue of sperm donation and infertility, John had received a
proposal from one of his fans who asked him donate his sperms.
A married woman, who was reportedly facing complications in conceiving a
child, had requested the Bollywood hunk to donate his sperms to her.
Besides, a Chandigarh fertility centre had also urged the actor to do
the same. Well, it speaks volumes about the popularity of his film.
Besides seeing his production venture, John's fans saw him joining
Akshay Kumar and Riteish Deshmukh to entertain his fans in 'Housefull2'.
Kareena Kapoor: Bebo finally tied the knots with Saif Ali Khan.
However, she tasted limited success in reel life as her films like 'Ek
Main Aur Ekk Tu' ,'Agent Vinod', 'Heroine' failed to reach the expected
height of success. Her much anticipated film of the year, 'Heroine',
tasted failure. Kareena's ghost act in 'Talaash' received appreciations
as she portrayed the character of a prostitute named Rosie quite
brilliantly in the film. Coupled with Aamir Khan and Rani Mukherjee, the
film received good attentions from movie buffs.
Katrina Kaif: Katrina maintained her numero-uno position in 2012
with fans still going gaga over her beauty and fashion statement. Her
item song for the film 'Agneepath' swept the country like wildfire.
She was seen pairing opposite the two Khans of Bollywood, Salman Khan
and Shah Rukh Khan, in 'Ek Tha Tiger' and 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' as both the
films made impressive business and helped the gorgeous actress maintain
her dominance in B-town.
Karishma Kapoor: Karishma made her comeback in the world of films
with her 'Dangerous Ishhq'. But keeping in mind the negative reviews it
received, the actress will surely love to forget the film as fast as
possible.
Mallika Sherawat: Mallika Sherawat knows how to touch the heart
of her fans as she turned into B-town's 'Laila' for the item song in
'Tezz'. The number may not be as popular like her 'Jalebai' number last
year but it was good enough to keep her tuned with her followers.
Mallika's only release of the year- Kismet Love Paisa Dilli, with Vivek
Oberoi failed to woo movie buffs.
Manoj Bajpayee: Away from the club of 100-crore heroes, Manoj has
surely created a place of his own in glitzy world of Bollywood. 2012
surely witnessed his strong performance in as many as three films-
'Chittagong', 'Gangs of Wasseypur' and 'Chakravyuh'. His fans will
surely hope to see him deliver equally mightier roles in 2013.
Neha Dhupia: Neha Dhupia appeared in several films this year but
all of them disappeared from theaters even before making a slightest
impression. From Maximum to Rush, she would surely want to forget them
quickly.
Neil Nitin Mukesh: Neil was seen only once in the entire year as Spider in the film 'Players'.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui: Consistency can be the only word that suits
actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui who delivered one powerful performance
on-screen after the other in 2012. 'Kahaani', 'Talaash', 'Gangs of
Wasseypur - Part 1' and 'Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2', Nawazuddin forced
movie buffs to love him every time he appeared on the silver screen
this year. He is the new exciting actor on the block.
Prateik Babbar: More than film it was Prateik and his love story
that caught the attention of the media this year. It was speculated
that the actor was busy romancing co-actor Amy Jackson. However, the
Jodi soon split and both decided to take separate ways. Pertinently, Amy
and Prateik's reel love story also failed to impress India as their
Ekk Deewana Tha had a lukewarm reception at the box office.
Priyanka Chopra: After winning hearts with her acting skills,
Piggy Chops unveiled her debut single, "In My City", in September. It
gained commercial success in India. In the reel world, she roared with
her performance as her 'Agneepath' and 'Barfi' reached new altars of
success.
Barfi, where she played the character of an autistic girl, bagged the
nomination as India's entry at the Oscar in the foreign film category.
But it was finally unable to qualify for the best foreign language film
category at the 85th Academy Awards.
Ranbir Kapoor: After playing a heart-broken rockstar in Imtiaz
Ali's 'Rockstar' last year, Ranbir captivated his fans by playing the
role of a deaf-mute man in Barfi!. The film bagged the nomination as
India's entry at the Oscar in the foreign film category. However, the
film finally failed to qualify for the best foreign language film
category at the 85th Academy Awards.
Riteish Deshmukh: Riteish passed through several ups and downs in
his life this year. The actor received a jolt in his life when his
father and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh passed
away in 2012.
However, Riteish earlier in the year tied the nuptial knot with charming
actress Genelia D' Souza after secretly dating each other for nine long
years. In the reel life, Riteish continued to score hits as all his
films released this year, including 'Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum' and
'Housefull 2', performed well at the box office.
Rani Mukerji: Rani's fans surely expected something special from
her in 2012 but all their hopes were shattered when her 'Aiyyaa' turned
out to be one of the biggest disappointments of the year. However, her
'Talaash' with Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor did find some place in the
hearts of her followers.
Rekha: After sizzling the big screen with her strong performance,
Rekha started a new innings in her life as she took oath as Rajya Sabha
MP. Rekha made her first appearance in Parliament during the Budget
session as she took oath as a Rajya Sabha member on May 15.The voting
for the Vice-Presidential election this year was the first time when she
exercised their ballots as MP of the upper house of the Indian
Parliament.
Former Indian President Pratibha Patil had approved the names of Rekha
and cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar for nominated seats in the Rajya Sabha
earlier this year.
Saif Ali Khan: Saif perhaps went through the saddest year in his
life as he lost his father Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi in 2011. The death of
the legendary Indian cricketer made him formally assume the title of
10th Nawab of Pataudi. His next film will be a 2012 release- Agent
Vinod. Love of his life Kareena Kapoor also stars in the film. Well the
good news is that finally he got married to Kareena this year.
Salman Khan: Sallu again rocked the big screen with his releases
like Ek Tha Tiger and he returned as Chulbul Pandey in Dabangg2 opposite
Sonakshi while speculations over his marriage plans continue. The
stylish Bollywood star passed through some tough phases in real life due
to health reasons.
The actor continued to dodge questions on his marriage. Asked on a TV
show about his marriage, he said in his Dabangg style, that will it
will follow only after Jodhpur and Mumbai courts announce their verdicts
on the blackbuck and vehicle mishap cases against him.
Sanjay Dutt: Sanjay started the year with a bang as he scared his
fans as the dreaded villain Kacha Cheena opposite Hrithik Roshan in
'Agneepath'. His performance in Son of Sardaar also drew appreciations.
However, his charishma failed to sail 'Department' out of rough water.
Shah Rukh Khan: After four long years, SRK finally laughed aloud
and danced merrily in Kolkata's Eden Garden as his Kolkata Knight Riders
(KKR) defeated Chennai Super Kings in the final match to win the fifth
edition of Indian Premier League under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir.
In the world of films, he was seen romancing two lovely ladies, Katrina
Kaif and Anushka Sharma, in late filmmaker Yash Chopra's 'Jab Tak Hai
Jaan'.
Box Office India declared the film a "hit" in India and a "blockbuster"
overseas. However, Yash Raj Films and independent trade analysts called
the film a "worldwide blockbuster".
Shahid Kapoor: Shahid had an unexpected slide at the Box Office
as his only release of the year-Teri Meri Kahaani- disappeared fast from
theatres and public minds.
Shilpa Shetty: The original 'item girl' of Bollywood, Shilpa
Shetty, gave birth to a baby boy at a Mumbai hospital this year. The
gorgeous actress had tied knots with London-based businessman Raj Kundra
in 2009.
Sonam Kapoor: Sonam hardly made an impression in the minds of her fans this year as her 'Players' failed to play big shots in the Box Office.
Sushmita Sen: Sush remained busy with her 'I Am She - Miss
Universe India' project this year and remained completely invisible from
the big screen. Hopefully, the former Miss Universe will make a
comeback on the silver screen in the coming year.
Sridevi: Ending her long disappearance from Bollywood, Sridevi
made a comeback with English Vinglish. The film revolved around
housewife Shashi Godbole, played by Sridevi, who enrolled in an English
language course during a visit to New York so that she could escape the
humiliation at home from family for her poor English language skills.
Sridevi's performance did not fail to draw her fans attentions as the
film was quite successful in dragging movie buffs towards theaters.
Tusshar Kapoor: Tusshar may have tasted success with his adult
comedy flick 'Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum' but his other release of the
year 'Chaar Din Ki Chandni' failed to make a mark on Indian audience.
Vidya Balan: Vidya continued to reign as the supreme 'queen' of
Bollywood with her 'Kahaani' forcing Indian audience to fall in love
with the actress once again. Vidya as the pregnant protagonist in
director Sujoy Ghosh's thriller charmed, captivated and mesmerised her
fans over and over again.
The film resulted in renewed interest in Kolkata as a filming location,
and the character of contract killer Bob Biswas (played by Bengali
actor Saswata Chatterjee) became an internet phenomenon in India. Adding
one more feather to her crown, Balan also clinched the Best Actress
award for her notable performance in the film of previous year 'The
Dirty Picture'.
In the personal front, she tied the nuptial knots with UTV Motion Pictures head Siddharth Roy Kapur in December.
Yami Gautam: Her pretty face and Bengali act did not go unnoticed
as she made her Bollywood debut with 'Vicky Donor' this year. After
commencing her career in the world of glamour with a bang, the actress
is surely promising to deliver more stronger performances in the
upcoming years.
Rest In Peace:
Yash Chopra: The King of Romance is no more. He died this
October at a Mumbai hospital after spending a week in hospital coping
with dengue fever. He was 80 when the end came. Chopra, who was born on
Sept 27, 1932, had announced his retirement from directing this year on
his 80th birthday.
His last directorial venture was SRK-starrer Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Chopra
had made his directorial debut with 'Dhool Ka Phool' in 1959, a
melodrama about illegitimacy and followed it with the hard-hitting
social drama 'Dharmputra' (1961). Chopra has charmed Indian audience
with films like 'Daag', 'Joshila', 'Silsila', 'Dil To Pagal Hai',
'Veer-Zaara'.
Rajesh Khanna: India's first Bollywood superstar, Rajesh Khanna,
whose popularity touched the sky in the early 1970s after he scripted a
history of unbroken hits for years, died in July this year at the age
of 69.
Dara Singh: India's iconic wrestler turned actor Dara Singh, who
entertained audience with his acting skills and brawn for over nearly
five decades and played the Hanuman in epic teleserial Ramayanan died in
July. He was 84.
AK Hangal: Veteran Bollywood actor AK Hangal, who had worked in
more than 200 films, died in Mumbai this year. He was 95 year old when
death came.
Jaspal Bhatti: Actor and political satirist Jaspal Bhatti, who
had Indian idiot box viewers in splits during the 1990s with his shows
like 'Flop Show' and 'Ulta Pulta', died in October 2012 in a road
accident. He was 57.
Achala Sachdev: Actor Achala Sachdev, who was well-known for
playing roles of mother and grandmother in Hindi films, died at the age
of 91 in Pune after suffering from various ailments
Ravi Shankar: Indian musician and sitar exponent Pandit Ravi
Shankar passed away at age 92 at a San Diego hospital in United States
in December, leaving behind countless mourners from every walks of life
and a musical legacy that he built over a lifetime of dedication to the
plucked string instrument and international collaborations, including
the Beatles.