The BUZZ

The New Mavericks Game Changers In Bollywood

In recent times, Gen Now actors have been redefining the genre of masala entertainment. With their unconventional approach and roles, not to mention styles, Ranveer Singh, Ayushmann Khurrana, Vicky Kaushal, Rajkummar Rao and Ranbir Kapoor have erased the line between credible actor and saleable star.

‘Actor’ and ‘star’. Sometime in the seventies, Bollywood filmmakers, fans and the film press alike created a distinction between these two job profiles. The actor was someone who would win the accolades and awards for his histrionic skills, not necessarily guaranteeing hits. The star was the industry's prized possession, because he raked in the big revenues for the film trade, cashing in on an image that triggered off mass hysteria. There were a few who managed to blend the two - think Amitabh Bachchan or Aamir

RANVEER SINGH:

CHAMELEON SUPERSTAR

Ranveer Singh made clear his intention of serving entertainment with a difference with his very first film. Band Baaja Baaraat, his debut film in 2010, was a slice-of-life rom-com about two wedding planners. Ranveer's guy-nextdoor charisma worked well with the film's breezy yet realistic mood.

Vidya As Indira

At a time when most in Bollywod want to jump on the BJP bandwagon to please the powers-that-be, Vidya Balan has just announced she will be bringing Indira Gandhi back to life on the silver screen.

Ask her why she wants to get into the shoes of India's first female Prime Minister and Congress mascot, Vidya will reply, “Because hers is the first name that comes to mind when I think of powerful women.”

She’ll add that she’s “party agnostic” and that she doesn’t want to have anything to do with politics. Well, we do know she’s after a good kahani…

This kahani apparently will be a web series, based on Sagarika Ghose's book Indira: India’s Most Powerful Prime Minister, the rights of which were bought by Vidya not so long ago.

The project though has been slow to take off, Vidya will admit. “I didn’t realise a web series is a completely different format and involves a lot of work. Also, there’s so much material when it comes to someone like Indiraji, and we are going through a lot of it.”

The series will be helmed by Ritesh Batra, director of the critically acclaimed The Lunchbox and Photograph

Meanwhile, Vidya will soon be seen as Shakuntala Devi in an upcoming biopic of the renowned mathematician. On working in the film so soon after Mission Mangal, she said, "From science to maths, my best dream comes true this year. Most South Indians pursue science and maths, and I am sure my parents will now be satisfied that I traversed both worlds within the one year!"

Scientist or artist, Vidya can rest assured the fan numbers will continue to grow.

Over the years, his stature has risen and, after consecutive blockbusters, Ranveer today is perhaps Bollywood's biggest new-age hero. His gameplan, however, remains the same. His focus seems to be on signing up to a role that lets him surprise his audience, be it Khilji in Padmaavat, Bajirao in Bajirao Mastani, Sangram Bhalerao in Simmba or morphing into Kapil Dev in the upcoming 83. Indeed, his choice of roles make it obvious that he is Bollywood's most enigmatic chameleon of this generationreadily donning a new skin for a new film.

Khan - but by and large, Hindi mainstream cinema's idiom was so radically divided down the middle that no one went to see the stars - in many cases, the superstars – for their acting skills, just as no one expected the actors to score blockbusters. The changing syntax of Hindi cinema has accommodated a new breed that has carved a niche with talent, and yet can assure profitable returns for producers pumping in the money. Ranveer Singh, Ayushmann Khurrana, Vicky Kaushal, Rajkummar Rao and Ranbir Kapoor may represent varied flavours of contemporary Hindi cinema, but they stand for one thing: in an industry that is learning to create commercially viable films that bank primarily on content, these actors are all malleable enough to fit into a wide variety of roles. In short, none of them bank on a specific image.

His only failure in recent times has been the romantic drama Befikre, and the poor show of that film perhaps underlined the truth - when it comes to Ranveer Singh, regular stuff won't do. The audience has somehow come to expect something beyond the ordinary whenever he hits the screen, besides, of course blockbuster box-office shows. Balancing that larger-than-life expectation with the not-so-simple deal of a good performance every time, will be Ranveer's big challenge in the future, even as he enters the brightest phase of his career.

AYUSHMANN KHURRANA: MASTER OF SURPRISES

This one is literally the story of a rise from the ashes. Ayushmann Khurrana, it seemed, had the world at his feet with his debut role in Vicky Donor in 2012. Then came the slump. Although he did deliver Dum Laga Ke Haisha in between, most of Ayushmann's films over the next five-odd years simply failed to leave an impact.

The turnaround that started with 2017's Bareilly Ki Barfi was a quiet but steady one. If the law of averages is indeed a reality, Ayushmann’s poor phase is long gone. Since 2017, he has been on a roll of five consecutive hits - Bareilly Ki Barfi, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Andhadhun, Badhai Ho and Article 15 have all been hits.

Ayushmann's box-office USP, however, lies not just in his newfound power to deliver hits. It lies in the fact that the actor has made it a habit to portray a very different role in each new film. The audience has come to expect something new from him every time. At a time when Bollywood cinema is changing, and young filmmakers are out exploring fresh concepts and characters, that puts Ayushmann in a position of huge advantage - not to mention the fact that the National Award he just won raises his stakes by a huge margin.

VICKY KAUSHAL: BELIEVABLE FACE OF THE HERO

No one expected the lanky boy of Masaan (2015) with undoubted artistic skills to deliver one of the biggest blockbusters of the year, four years into his career. Vicky Kaushal did just that when his latest release Uri: The Surgical Strike gave Bollywood its most unlikely commercial star of the season. The blockbuster Uri has raked in over Rs 240 crore since release, and Vicky is now part of the A-list.

Vicky's phenomenal rise, along