Karisma Kapoor - What's Next?

Hailing from the first family of Bollywood, the young Kapoor girl made her debut in 1991, just days before her 17th birthday. The film itself Prem Qaidi was a surprise hit and made her an overnight star. Although it wasn't easy getting her first break.

She was initially cast opposite Bobby Deol in Barsaat which after several delays and changes she was later removed from the cast. Then there were stories of the Kapoor's not being happy with their girl entering the industry - a tradition she broke, and how.

Over the next few years, Lolo - as she is lovingly called, starred in hit films opposite all the hot young stars from Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar to Govinda and Ajay Devgan but she was yet to prove herself as an actress.

She was famous for her catfights with Raveena Tandon and Kajol. With Raveena it was about who looked better in their several dance numbers together, but with Kajol it was their fight over the same man, who Kajol eventually married.

In 1996, she landed a dream role in Raja Hindustani which was rejected by the likes of Aishwarya Rai + Juhi Chawla. The film won her the Filmfare Best Actress Award. And she followed it up with a spectacular 1997 with the hits Judwaa, Hero No.1 and Yash Chopra's Dil To Pagal Hai - which bagged her several awards including the National Award for her supporting role opposite Madhuri Dixit + Shah Rukh Khan.

After taking a break in 1998 she returned in 1999 with 3 of the year's biggest hits: Haseena Maan Jayegi, Hum Saath Saath Hain and Biwi No.1 - the latter of which earned her another nomination at Filmfare.

Over the next 3 years she had at least one spectacular career-defining role: 2000's Fiza, 2001's Zubeidaa and 2002's Shakti - with the former two earning her several awards. She was at the very top of her career and was even engaged to Abhishek Bachchan at this time. However she got married to an industrialist and said good-bye to films after her only 2003 release Baaz.

For years fans speculated her comeback film. And she finally came back in 2012 with Dangerous Ishhq - a supernatural thriller which got negative reviews and did poorly at the box office.

So what now? What's next for this former Bollywood Queen? Where does she go from here?

She still looks as stunning as ever and of course she has the talent, and she has stated several times over her career that she plans on making films for the rest of her life. But it seems she is treading very carefully by waiting for the "right" project. Let us hope she finds it soon as she is missed on screen.

Diva Spotlight: Sushmita Sen

Sush calls it quits?

Sushmita Sen

Sushmita Sen | Gorgeous

After 14 years, 34 films and very few hits in between, actor Sushmita Sen has decided it’s time for a break. Unlike other stars, Sen, 35, is pragmatic about her Bollywood career. “You know, I'd love to say I’m working on something, but that’s not true at all. I’m actually just pausing because I think I have to pause now. It’s been too many years and I kind of look at all the work I’ve done, all the flops I’ve delivered and I have to reassess a little bit,” she says.
There is one film in the pipeline and she’s hoping the director will announce it soon. The role, she says, is new to her and she’s a little jittery. There’s still a spark in her eyes at the thought of films. But doesn’t her decision to take a break, weigh heavy on her? “Not at all. Acting has given me a platform most people struggle to have; I got it on a silver platter. As an actor I have done my work diligently and with as much dignity as I possibly could, but whether it’s the choice of script or taste of audience, when you do it regularly you lose that objectivity and I have lost that objectivity.”
Her focus now is her children and her companies. “I asked myself, do I really want to do this. With a baby at home and my companies, the I AM foundation, I have a lot more that needs my attention right now. It’s time to focus on
them.”

Sushmita Sen on the ramp

The actor flew into the Capital a few days ago to walk the ramp for Delhi-based NGO Khushi, which she has been associated with for four years. She was accompanied by her daughters Renee and Alisah, who sat in the audience to watch their mum sashay down the runway. “They are my heart and soul,” she gushes at the mention of her children.
A proud mommy, she shares how Renee has just completed class 7 with great grades and how baby Alisah, now a year and seven months old, has picked up words such as ‘kiss’, ‘up’, ‘walk’. “The words sound like commands, she’s a little princess who has us wrapped around her little finger. She can operate any remote control, any gadget without being told what to do, she’s going to be an engineer,” she says. What about Renee? She says, “Her only aim in life is to be an actor. I have taken her for some shoots to show her that it’s not easy, it’s not all fans and looking pretty, yet, she still wants it!”



 Now let's take a look at Sush at her peak in 1999's 'Sirf Tum' in one of the most gorgeous diva moments in Bollywood history: Dilbar!

Diva Spotlight: Kangana Ranaut

'Tanu Weds Manu' - 2011

If 2010 was the year of Sonakshi's "Tappar se dar nahin lagta saab", then this year's catchiest line so far has got to be "Oye hoye pappi jee" in 'Tanu Weds Manu' - spoken by the utterly talented diva Kangana Ranaut.

Check it out for yourself here:

Kangana as Simran in 'Gangster' - 2006

Kangana's career has come leaps and bounds ever since her startling debut in 2006 with the critically acclaimed hits 'Gangster' and 'Woh Lamhe'. The 19 year old debutant wowed audiences and had top filmakers wanting her to sign on the dotted line for their ventures. But the diva chose to be selective.

Born in 1987 in North India she arrived in Mumbai in 2004 at only 17 to pursue a career in showbiz. She caught the eye of Anurag Basu in a cafe and the rest is history. Her star quality shone through in her first film and later swept all the Best Newcomer trophies at the next award season. She followed this up in 2007 with the another great performance in Basu's 'Life In A Metro' - also starring Konkona Sen and Shilpa Shetty. The movie which I saw very recently was very impressive. Her role was minor but she did her part well and stood out in the ensemble-cast. Not only was the film a hit, but it was applauded by critics alike, and further yet it bagged Kangana another award: Stardust Breakthough Performance'.

Kangana as Neha in 'Life In A Metro' - 2007

The first time I really noticed her was when I went to the cinema with my sister to watch 'Shakalaka Boom Boom'. The film was a disaster and had me so close to walking out of the hall. The only good thing I remember was the new girl in the movie: Ms. Ranaut. She made her mark in a horrendously bad film - I knew then that this chick had something special. By early 2008 she had done an 'obligatory' South Indian film 'Dhaam Dhoom'.

Kangana as Shonali in 'Fashion' - 2008

While her contemporaries were wearing bikini's and doing multi-starrers aka appearing as wall-paper in hero-oriented films; Kangana decided to do something different. In October of the same year the Madhur Bhandarkar directed 'Fashion' was released without huge expectations. The film was a huge hit. The soundtrack created a storm and Kangana's performance landed her not only all the popular Best Supporting Actress awards (i.e. Filmfare, IIFA, Zee Cine), but she also won the coveted National Award. Her success and career were simply unprecedented. She had come out of nowhere. Improved with every year and every film and was awarded so many accolades, yet she was still only 21.

It might've been the hype around this girl at the time or not, but her next release became the biggest hit of the year so far in 2009: 'Raaz 2'. Her next release 'Vaada Raha' opposite Bobby Deol was a low-key affair and sunk without a trace, but not to worry as she was sure to fire right back.

Kangana as Rehana - 2010

In 2010 Kangana had some big projects in hand. Some worked, some didn't. 'Kites' had a lot riding on it. But it crashed at the box office. In actual fact, it was one of the top grossing films of the year, but it didn't make as much as was expected hence the 'flop' tag. Now this is my least favourite Kangana role. Something just didn't work for me. I feel her character just wasn't well thought out. In other words she was wasted. 'Knock Out' - a remake of 'Phone Booth' didn't work either. Neither did 'No Problem' although I loved her role in the film and she looked amazing. It was nice to see her dance and have fun. And the chemistry with Sushmita Sen looked superb on screen. The two divas even became friends.

Her saviour of the year came in the form of 'Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai'. Set to the backdrop of the 1970's she played the role of Rehaana - a moviestar in love with a gangster played by Ajay Devgan. The film became a shash hit and earned Kangana a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Zee Cine Awards. Songs from the film also helped it's success.

Kangana as Tanuja in 'Tanu Weds Manu' - 2011

Talking of music, Kangana's latest release 'Tanu Weds Manu' contains one of the hottest records of the year. Yes I am of course talking about 'Sadi Gali' - which is featured above. K's performance in the film is to date her most colourful. She looked stunning no denying that but her expressions and body language reminded me of a late-1980s Sridevi. She was just so gorgeous and playful and fatal with her eyes - I was pretty much drooling. The film turned out to be a big hit and our gal is riding high on it's success.


What does the future hold? Well our diva said she would love to work with Aamir Khan - I hope he signs her up for something as I think they would make a smashing pair on screen. Not to worry though as she has got quite a handful of films in her kitty at the moment. There is Rajkumar Santoshi's 'Power'; Tanvir Khan's 'One And Only'; Priyadarshan's 'Tezz'; and Kushan Nandy's 'Actor' all in the pipeline. In the near future her next releases are 'Game' (April 1st); 'Double Dhamaal' (June 10th); and David Dhawan's 'Rascals' (July).

Kangana as Sia in 'Game' - 2011

Recently I came across this interview on India-Forums, and it is what compelled me to write this article. I love the way she handles the three wannabe divas. She really shows 'em who is boss. Go girl! Enjoy!

Diva Spotlight: Jaya Prada

Born as Lalita Rani in 1962, this diva has dabbled in numerous film industries as well as politics. She started her career as a child artist in the mid 70s. Her debut performance came in 1974 with a 3-minute stint in Telugu movie 'Bhoomikosam'. This was followed by several other films which earned her immediate fame. Her foray into Hindi cinema came in 1979 with the film 'Sargam' co-starring Rishi Kapoor - which was a remake of one of her own South films, both directed by K. Vishwanath. She became an overnight star in Bollywood. The film earned the then 17 year old a Filmfare Best Actress nomination (she lost to Jaya Bhaduri). However the success was short lived because she was not fluent in Hindi and therefore was not getting any great offers. This changed in 1982 again with the help of K. Vishwanath with 'Kaamchor' starring opposite Rakesh Roshan. Thereafter she became a superstar and was loved by the masses whether it was her Hindi, Bengali, Telugu or Tamil films.

Jaya Prada and Rishi Kapoor in 'Sargam' (1979)

The thing I most remember about her is her early 80s films with Sridevi. The were both from the south, and entered Bollywood around the same time henceforth becoming rivals. 1984 saw her second nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare Awards for her role in 'Sharabi' co-starring Amitabh Bachchan (lost to Shabana Azmi). In the same year she had many hits with Sridevi including 'Tohfa' and 'Maqsad'. The latter became infamous for it's behind-the-scenes cat fighting between the two leading ladies. The two leaging men of the film Rajesh Khanna and Jeetendra decided to lock the two divas in the same dresing room so they would make-up but in vain. The door opened and they were sat at opposite sides of the room. There is an intense dance sequence in the film between the two, check it out here:
The fierce rivalry was much talked about, and is still talked about even to this day. Last year Jaya was quoted in an interview saying "Sridevi was jealous of me and considered me her rival. We would be at the same shoot, but sitting in two different corners. So much so, that in a film with Jeetendra, in which she was to be shown as dying on my lap, her mother told the director, “My daughter will not die in Jaya’s lap. You please change the scene.”

Jaya Prada in 'Maa' (1992)

1985 saw her team up once again with K. Vishwanath and their collaboration 'Sanjog' earned Jaya her third and final Best Actress nomination. She lost the award to Dimple Kapadia who made a comeback that year. Throught the rest of the decade the hits kept coming and Jaya was aappreciated for her roles. By the new decade, now in her 30s she had started to regularly play the role of a mothe. Some of her most memorable roles were 'Thanedaar' (1990) - alongside fellow UBD Madhuri Dixit; 'Farishtay' (1991); 'Maa' (1992); Khalnaaikaa (1993); and 'Insaniyat' (1994). She returned to prominence in 1999 with Amitabh Bachchan in 'Kohram'.


From her latest releases the only one that comes to mind is 'Khakhee' (2004) where she starred once again opposite Amitabh Bachchan. She has been working on a film with Shilpa Shetty for quite some time now. It is a multi-lingual film which was due to be released in 2010, so keep your eyes peeled.

Jaya's UBDs: Sridevi, Padmini, Madhuri Dixit, Anu Agarwal, Aishwarya Rai, Shilpa Shetty, Tabu.

Diva Spotlight: Rani Mukerji

Born 21st March 1978, Rani grew up in a family well connected with the Hindi film industry. It was no surprise when she decided to join the line with her first film 'Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat' in 1997. The film tanked at the box office - but one thing was certain, this actress had balls. The young diva took a year-long break and returned with Aamir Khan in Vikram Bhatt's action film 'Ghulam' - the film was a success. 4 months later she was seen in Karan Johar's 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' with two of the biggest stars at the time: Shah Rukh Khan and her cousin Kajol. The film sealed her fate: she was an instant star. In 1999 she won numerous awards including Filmfare's Best Supporting Actress for her role as Tina in KKHH. At the same time she was flooded with film offers. And deciding it was a good idea, she signed on almost every one of them. She was working 18 hour days, with up to 17 films on hand at a time. Before the year ended, just a handful of these were released, with nothing of note, apart from a few hit songs. Over the next 2 years she had 10 releases - with none of them doing much for her career. During this time she had a hit pairing with fellow actress Preity Zinta with 'Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega' (2000) and 'Chori Chori Chupke Chupke' (2001), although it was Preity who walked away with most of the credit. 2002 saw a turn in her career with the film 'Saathiya'; it earned her the first Best Actress nomination of her career at the Filmfare Awards. She followed it in 2003 with another hit 'Chalte Chalte' with favourite Khan, Shah Rukh. Interestingly, she replaced her best friend at the time: Aishwarya Rai. And since then the 2 have not seen eye to eye. Rani didn't seem to care about her friends at this time, because for the first time her career was looking like it was on track and she was heading for the top. In 2004 she became the number one actress at the box office, churning out hit after hit: with all 3 of her releases doing exceptionally well. She swept all the awards the following year winning Best Actress for 'Hum Tum' and Best Supporting Actress for 'Yuva' and also getting nominated in the same category with 'Veer Zaara. Rani kept up her momentum in 2005 with the film of her career coming in the form of Sanjay Leela-Bhansali's 'Black'. It was this film that catapulted her from a mega star to a legend and in the league of the all-time greats such as Rekha, Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit. Her personal relationship with Abhishek Bachchan was no secret and she casually thanked him in her acceptance speeches in 2006; the 2 had worked together on the hit 'Bunty Aur Babli' (2005). It looked like the 2 were to get married and Rani would be the Queen of Bollywood for many years to come. However fate had other plans for her. In 2006, although successful at the box-office, her appeal started to fade. She seemed to have stopped taking risks with her roles; opting for the sobbing wife in her next three films: 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna' (2006); 'Baabul' (2006); 'Ta Ra Rum Pum' (2007). Although big films, they didn't do much for her status. Her engagement with Abhishek was broken during this time, and he soon started dating her ex-best friend: Aishwarya Rai (the two later tied the knot in Spring 2007). Rani however continued to play the hard-beaten female, a character people soon associated with her on a personal level too, which did not help matters. Although she earned nominations at Filmfare for Best Actress: 'Laaga Chunari Mein Daag' and Best Supporting Actress: 'Saawariya' at the 2008 awards, she did not win. At the same time her role as a fairy with Saif Ali Khan in 'Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic' failed miserably, and Rani had disappeared. In the meantime, the next generation of upcoming stars were staring to take over. It was the era of Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif. Rani retured with a new look in Yash Chopra's 'Dil Bole Hadippa!' (2009); it was a minor success and she earned applause for her performance, her pairing with Shahid Kapoor the way she looked. Rani's star started to shine again. She made many public appearances for the promo and other events, and it looked like she was on a campaign to get to the top again. A whole year has gone by with no new Rani release. Her fans were getting impatient. All of a sudden everyone was wondering what her next move was going to be. Lo and behold, November 2010: Rani is BACK...! Teaming up with Vidya Balan for UTV's 'No One Killed Jessica' playing a reporter, Rani has created a huge buzz online and in the bollywood circles. The trailer is simply outstanding and the world is awaiting for Friday 7th January 2011 for the release of the film; and to see Rani kick butt once again. Welcome back!

Diva Spotlight : Rekha

Every now and then I will post a feature on an Ultimate Bollywood Diva - and who better to start with than the ever elegant, the evergreen and ultra talented Rekha.

Born October 10th 1954, Rekha started her career as a child in the 1966 Telugu film Rangula Ratnam at the age of 11. She then went on to appear in a few other films before finally being recognised as a lead heroine in Bollywood in 1970's Sawan Bhadon. It took until 1976 for Rekha to finally be recognised as a talented performer with 1976's Do Anjaane with Amitabh Bachchan which was a major success.

1978 would prove to be a fruitful year for the young actress as she scored the biggest hit of the year and her career 'til date with Muqaddar Ka Sikander again co-starring Amitabh Bachchan. The film earned her a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress nomination (which she lost to Reena Roy). The year also saw her critically acclaimed performance in the film Ghar - also earning her a nomination for Best Actress at Filmfare (losing to Nutan).

1980's Khubsoorat earned her a Filmfare Award for Best Actress (she was also nominated for Judaai); whilst 1981's Umrao Jaan earned her a National Award for Best Actress. 1982's Jeevan Dhara earned her another Filmfare nomination (awarded to Padmini Kolhapure). Whilst 1983's Mujhe Insaaf Chahiye bagged her another nod (awarded to Shabana Azmi). Hit films continued and her popularity soared. She was now the number one actress in bollywood, overtaking Hema Malini. For the rest of the decade Rekha enjoyed success in commercial and parallel cinema. Concluding with 1989's Khoon Bhari Maang - earning her another Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

Throughout the ninetees Rekha pushed barriers for actresses and delved into Action films. 1991's Phool Bane Angaarey once again saw her shortlisted for Filmfare's Best Actress Award (lost to Sridevi). She earned awards for her portrayal as a villainess in Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi (1996) starring opposite Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon.

The noughties brought more critical and commercial success. A further 3 nominations for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award: Lajja (2001), Koi Mil Gaya (2003), Krrish (2006).

The ultimate diva of Bollywood graces the major awards shows to this day looking as glamorous as ever.

Current divas to have worked with her include: Preity Zinta, Priyanka Chopra, Urmila Matondkar, Mallika Sherawat.