Hello 

Create Profile

Creating your profile will enable you to submit photos and stories to get published on News24.


Please provide a username for your profile page:

This username must be unique, cannot be edited and will be used in the URL to your profile page across the entire 24.com network.

Settings

Location Settings

News24 allows you to edit the display of certain components based on a location. If you wish to personalise the page based on your preferences, please select a location for each component and click "Submit" in order for the changes to take affect.









Facebook Sign-In

Hi News addict,

Join the News24 Community to be involved in breaking the news.

Log in with Facebook to comment and personalise news, weather and listings.

 
 

Bollywood looks for male hotty

2005-06-20 15:20
line

Mumbai - A hunt is on in Bollywood for a new leading man who can bring the crowds back to Indian movie theatres.

With no new big male star emerging in the past five years, veteran actors from the 1980s and 1990s are still ruling at the box office, where takings have dropped steadily by eight to 10% in the past three years.

Industry players believe it is time for a new "star of the masses" to rise in Bollywood, India's prolific Hindi-language film industry which produces more films than does Hollywood.

Once a heartthrob, now a fading star

The last actor to drive movie fans near to hysteria was Hrithik Roshan, who was blooded by his director father Rakesh Roshan in the 1999 hit film Kaho Na Pyar Hai (Say That You Love Me).

In his early 20s at the time, Roshan became an overnight sensation, with fans mobbing the handsome, athletically built actor almost everywhere he went.

But since then, no other actor or actress has managed to fire the collective imagination of the country's moviegoers.

Five years on and even Hrithik has lost a lot of his star appeal due to his inability to deliver enough blockbusters.

His last solo hit was the 2003 science-fiction flick Koi Mil Gaya (Someone Found), a take-off of Steven Spielberg's E.T..

Stars few and far between

Analysts said the industry, known for its candyfloss films and take-offs on Hollywood flicks, continues to be dominated by established male stars Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgan and Sanjay Dutt — most of them in the late 30s or early 40s.

"I feel Bollywood produces superstar once in 10 years," said Shah.

"In every decade there is a reign of a superstar, but it takes a lot of time for any actor to reach that status."

Kumar, still rated as Bollywood's greatest actor, saw his aura eclipsed to some extent when Rajesh Khanna was discovered in the late '60s. Khanna was idolised as a great romantic hero, with hundreds of fans carving his name in blood on their bodies.

Khanna's stardom was later overthrown by the blazing Amitabh Bachchan with his larger-than-life "angry young man image" when he burst onto the screen in the '70s in the hit film, Zanjeer (Chain).

The movie earned him a cult status and set him on a career in which he is now regarded as a legend.

Bachchan was rated as the greatest star of all time by a BBC online poll in 2000, beating Hollywood's Al Pacino and Sean Connery. At 63, he still continues to dominate the Hindi-language film industry and remains one of India's highest paid actors.

Super bad luck phase for Bollywood

Analysts said lack of strong scripts was also making search for the right face difficult.

"It is just a super bad luck phase that is on in Bollywood. While films are technically rich now, they lack good scripts," said film analyst Komal Nahta.

As far as heroines are concerned, the situation is not so bad.

A series of former beauty pageant winners such as Aishwarya Rai, Sushmita Sen, Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta are setting the screens on fire along with other big name actresses like Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee and Preity Zinta.

"There are enough heroines to bring the crowds, but let us not forget that Bollywood is still very much a male dominated industry where legends have always been men," said producer Bhagnani.

Experts feel the era of stardom is in any case ending due to the satellite television and communication revolution sweeping the country of one billion plus people.

Veteran director Mahesh Bhatt said: "I think in the future stardom will last only for 15 minutes. It is difficult to find or create a superstar anymore as we are living in a world of reality and not fantasy."

inside news24

 
1 of 10

140
1
 
Traffic
Lottery
 
  • Friday Carletonville - 10:01 AM
    Road name: N14
    ROAD CLOSED due to a large sink-hole between the two Carletonville exits - traffic is diverted onto a local bypass route
  • Sunday Volksrust - 07:33 AM
    Road name: N11 Both Ways
    Stop / go controls for construction works at Majuba Pass - expect delays between Volksrust and Newcastle
  • Monday Centurion - 15:41 PM
    Road name: Jean Avenue
    ROAD CLOSED between Rabie Street and Gerhard Street for sink hole repair works
 
More traffic reports...
 

Jobs [change area]

Cars[change area]

VOLKSWAGEN

CitiGolf 1.4i 5-dr MY04
2007
R 72,995.00

AUDI

A4 2.0 Multitronic 7-sp MY05
2007
R 241,995.00

SEAT

Leon 2.0 TFSi FR 5-dr
2006
R 180,000.00

Property [change area]

Travel - Look, Book, Go!

Romance at the President

Spend two nights at the Protea Hotel President in Cape Town from R2601 per person sharing. Includes return flights, taxes, car hire and accommodation. Book Now!

Kalahari.com - shop online today

The Big Mama Sale

The Big Mama Sale is now on. Get up to 80% off Books, Music, DVDs, Games, Electronics, Toys & Gifts. Shop now.

Electronics on Sale

Up to 80% off electronics + 24hr delivery. Shop now.

50% Off Educo toys

Join the Big Mama Sale madness at kalahari.com and get 50% off all Educo toys for your kids. Terms and conditions apply. Shop now.

Books on Sale

Up to 80% off books & 1000s Of books to choose from. First come, first served. While stocks last. Shop now.

Blu-ray special offer

Buy 10 blu-rays and get a free Sony blu-ray player. Offer valid while stocks last. Shop now.

OLX Free Classifieds [change area]

Drain & Pipe Inspection System

For Sale, Garage Sale in South Africa, Gauteng, Johannesburg. Date January 21

2011 Mazda 2 1.5 Dynamic

Vehicles, Cars in South Africa, Gauteng, Johannesburg. Date January 22

Estimator

Jobs, Engineering Jobs - Architecture Jobs in South Africa, Gauteng, Johannesburg. Date January 21

The Big Mama Sale

The Big Mama Sale is now on. Get up to 80% off Books, Music, DVDs, Games, Electronics, Toys & Gifts. Shop now.

Visit www.kalahari.com for millions of books, music, DVDs, games & more!

A local community where you can meet people, upload photos, videos and loads more...
There are new stories on the homepage. Click here to see them.