Rani Mukerji in Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic
For all her vivaciousness, this was one role that was simply not made for Rani. The sketchy character, coupled with the disastrous clothes and unintentionally funny dialogues made Rani’s desi take on the delightful Mary Poppins a huge disappointment. Even Amisha Patel (who is miscast in almost every film) gyrating to the weirdly worded Lazy lamhe was tolerable compared to Rani flying around on a bicycle. Get the picture?

When it comes to cutesy, no one does it better than the dimpled Preity Zinta. And if it’s someone younger, then one doesn’t have to look beyond the cute as a button Ayesha Takia.

Bobby Deol in Dostana
Brooding he wanted to be, but boring is what he turned out to be. Among all the pretty and lively people that made up Dostana, Bobby Deol’s Abhimanyu Singh stood out like a sore thumb. He was pretty all right, but in his bid to be strong and silent, he ended up stiff and uptight. In the Abhishek-John-Priyanka dostana, Bobby looked completely out of place, failing to bring in the charisma and charm — not to forget the towering star power — that the role demanded. And the Deol good looks notwithstanding, we simply couldn’t digest the fact that Priyanka bypassed dishy John and cool dude Abhishek for boring Bobby.

Can you imagine what a killer Hrithik Roshan would have been in a role like this?

Jiah Khan in Ghajini
If Aamir’s angst and Asin’s allure made Ghajini what it is, Jiah Khan’s weak acting skills almost undid the good work. Making a royal mess of the supporting role that Nayantara had essayed so convincingly in the Tamil original, Jiah’s portrayal of medical student Sunita made little impact. Screaming when she failed to come up with an expression and with faulty dialogue delivery and poor screen presence to make it worse, Jiah’s poor performance left everyone nishabd. Even the so-called hot-hot item number was oh-so-thanda.

For a role that didn’t demand much in terms of histrionics, any other actress would have done a better job.

Viveik Oberoi in Omkara
He was electric as the rising underworld gangster Chandu in his debut film Company and charming as the romantic Aditya in Saathiya. But when it came to Keshu Phirangi, the victim of unfortunate circumstances, in Omkara, Viveik Oberoi could hardly find his feet. In a film with the strongest script seen in a long time and an ensemble cast of the best that Bollywood had to offer, Viveik failed to infuse his character with the life and attitude that it demanded. And when pitched against powerhouse performances like Saif Ali Khan’s wickedly delightful Langda Tyagi, Ajay Devgan’s understated but impactful Omi Shukla and Konkona Sensharma’s resilient Indu, Viveik’s Keshu became just another face in the crowd.

Akshaye Khanna’s intensity and strong screen presence would have made this role a cakewalk for him.

Soha Ali Khan in Khoya Khoya Chand
A tribute to the tumultuous film industry of the 50s and 60s had Soha Ali Khan as an actress who falls in love with a writer played by Shiney Ahuja. But while her classic looks were perfect for the character, Soha’s limited range of expressions and weak screen presence undermined the importance of her character, making her Nikhat wishy-washy compared to Ratanbala, essayed powerfully by Sonya Jehan.

Could it have got any better than the lovely Chitrangda Singh? Especially when this was mentor Sudhir Mishra’s film.

Vidya Balan in Heyy Babyy
If she is more in the news for her appalling clothes than her performances, then it all began with Heyy Babyy. Sajid Khan’s Bollywood remake of Three Men and a Baby had Vidya stepping into the role that Nancy Travis had played in the original. And while Akshay Kumar, Fardeen Khan and Riteish Deshmukh came in for praise and the producers laughed all the way to the bank, it was Vidya’s unconvincing portrayal of an unwed mother, that came in for flak, with the Parineeta girl visibly uncomfortable in those short skirts and knee-length dresses. The criticism for that film still continues to haunt Vidya.

She may have made some wrong choices herself off late, but in this role, Rani Mukerji would have been a breeze. But with Akshay Kumar in the lead, Katrina Kaif would have been magic as Esha.

John Abraham in Garam Masala
He may have come of comic age in Dostana, but in Priyadarshan’s Garam Masala he simply couldn’t get it right. John fumbled, screamed out loud, flailed his arms and legs and fell over chairs and tables, but failed to match up to the effortless comic ease of Akshay Kumar. The only time he looked comfortable in the film was in the Dooba dooba song, bare-chested and surrounded by a bunch of pretty young things.

After his rip-roaring act in Dostana, who else but Abhishek Bachchan?

Ajay Devgan in the Golmaal films
As much as he tries to convince us, Mr Intense Ajay Devgan doesn’t really have a funny bone in his body. Remember Ishq? Remember Sunday? But the man who has given us some memorable roles and has no less than wo National Awards to his name doesn’t want to give up on comedy. Proof: the two Golmaal films in which Devgan was easily the one with the worst comic timing, pitted as he was against the likes of Arshad Warsi and Tusshar Kapoor who have a natural flair for comedy. And no, those blingy shirts didn’t help at all.

Riteish Deshmukh. Do we hear you guffawing already?