AAMIR KHAN

What VVS Laxman is to Team India, Aamir Khan is to the Bollywood box office. Mr Dependable. Every Aamir film is an eagerly awaited event and Aamir as actor and director has rarely put a foot wrong. While he may cry himself hoarse about moving beyond the numbers game, recent trends indicate that when it comes to the current hero no. 1 in Bollyland, don’t look beyond Aamir.

LAST THREE RELEASES

3 IDIOTS (December 2009)

Role: Aamir played an engineering student questioning the education system in this Rajkumar Hirani film with a heart.

Box-office verdict: All-time blockbuster. 3 Idiots is the biggest Bollywood hit ever.

GHAJINI (December 2008)

Role: Aamir played an avenging lover with short-term memory loss in this Bolly Memento.

Box-office verdict: Blockbuster. Ghajini is the third highest grosser of all time, behind 3 Idiots and Dabangg.

TAARE ZAMEEN PAR (December 2007)

Role: Aamir the director debuted with this sensitive film about the perils of growing up and the pitfalls of competition among kids.

Box-office verdict: Blockbuster.

THUMBS UP: Mr Perfectionist’s personal involvement with every film. Has always stood for quality over quantity.

THUMBS DOWN: Lacks the superstar status and glib charm of arch rival Shah Rukh.

CURRENT STATUS: With three blockbusters in three years, Aamir is sitting atop the heap of heroes.

COMING UP:Dhobi Ghat directed by wife Kiran Rao. Aamir plays a painter in this January 2011 release.

TRADE SPEAK:“When it comes to script sense and all-round dedication, there is none in Bollywood like Aamir Khan. He has truly earned that number one position and it seems like he will keep it for a long time,” says trade analyst Taran Adarsh.

VIEWER SPEAK:“Aamir seems to be getting better with every film. He is so much more than just a Bollywood hero,” says software analyst Kaustav Nandy.

SALMAN KHAN

As bindaas on screen as he is off it. He can be focused one moment, fickle the next. The man who lives by no rules and yet has an appeal that cuts across age, gender and class. Two of his last three releases bombed, but Dabangg alone has brought Salman back into the game — and how.

LAST THREE RELEASES:

DABANGG (September 2010)

Role: As Chulbul Pandey, the corrupt cop with a cause, Salman the no-holds-barred star scored big time.

Box-office verdict: Blockbuster. Dabangg overtook Ghajini to become the second biggest hit in the history of Indian cinema.

VEER (January 2010)

Role: Sallu turned scriptwriter for this slice-of-history film. His fearless warrior act was earnest but failed to impress the audience.

Box-office verdict: Flop

LONDON DREAMS (October 2009)

Role: As a village bumpkin, who metamorphoses into a successful rockstar, Salman was the best thing about this Vipul Shah film.

Box-office verdict: Average

THUMBS UP: An unflinching fan following. He looks bored in most of his films (proof: Main Aurr Mrs Khanna), but once inspired (proof: Dabangg), there’s no stopping Salman Khan.

THUMBS DOWN: Inconsistent. Not keen on experimenting.

CURRENT STATUS: Is currently riding high on Dabangg’s super-success and Bigg Boss TRPs.

COMING UP: Bodyguard (opposite Kareena Kapoor and directed by his sister Alvira Agnihotri) and Ready, an Anees Bazmee film with Asin.

TRADE SPEAK:“Salman has had a punar janam (rebirth) with Dabangg. He has come back into the game and given that he is now choosing his films with care, I think Salman is here to stay,” says Adarsh.

VIEWER SPEAK:“Salman is Salman. He rewrites the box-office rules himself,” says college student Monalisa Roy Choudhury.

SHAH RUKH KHAN

The Bollywood outsider who upset every calculation in the numbers game. Women fans from six to 60, and beyond. Huge NRI audience appeal. Top brand endorser.

LAST THREE RELEASES:

MY NAME IS KHAN (February 2010)

Role: SRK played an Asperger Syndrome-afflicted Muslim in post 9/11 America. His “My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist” struck a chord.

Box-office verdict: Superhit. My Name Is Khan is among the top five Bollywood grossers of all time.

BILLU (February 2009)

Role: As Bollywood superstar Sahir Khan in this modern-day Krishna-Sudama tale, Shah Rukh played a character as close as it gets to his real self.

Box-office verdict: Average.

RAB NE BANA DI JODI (December 2008)

Role: Shah Rukh turned his superstar image on its head playing a mustachioed, bespectacled simpleton who turns into a street-smart dude to save his loveless marriage.

Box-office verdict: Superhit. Rab Ne… ran for close to four months at some Mumbai theatres.

THUMBS UP: If the super-success of Rab Ne… and My Name Is Khan is anything to go by, a hatke (and low-on-hamming) SRK spells box-office gold.

THUMBS DOWN: Too long a gap between films. Too many (mostly unnecessary) special appearances in bad films (Dulha Mil Gaya, Luck By Chance, Shah Rukh Bola Khoobsurat Hai Tu …)

CURRENT STATUS: At the moment, the third among the three Khans. With Aamir’s 3 Idiots and Salman’s Dabangg smashing one box-office record after another, SRK’s Bollywood Badshah crown has lost its sheen.

COMING UP: Ra.One (in which Shah Rukh doubles as superhero and screenplay writer) and Don 2, the sequel to the hit Farhan Akhtar franchise.

TRADE SPEAK:“Shah Rukh has two mass films, Ra. One and Don 2 in 2011. Both the films are sure to take super openings and then there will be no stopping him,” says trade analyst Komal Nahta.

VIEWER SPEAK:“A couple of flops here and there or a lull in releases cannot affect Shah Rukh Khan’s standing at the box-office. Even if his next film hits theatres five years later, he will always be counted as one of Bollywood’s biggest stars at any given point of time,” gushes SRK fan Nilanjana Bhattacharya.

HRITHIK ROSHAN

He does one film in two years. Most leave us craving more. Some, like his last release Kites, leave us wanting less. Still Hrithik Roshan remains one of the strongest claimants to the number one crown.

LAST THREE RELEASES:

KITES (May 2010)

Role: Hrithik played a hopelessly in love hustler on the run in this Rs 105 crore worth Anurag Basu romance with Barbara Mori for company.

Box-office verdict: Flop.

LUCK BY CHANCE (January 2009)

Role: As an arrogant Bolly superstar, Hrithik sparkled in a role that was a little more than a cameo.

Box-office verdict: Average

JODHAA AKBAR (February 2008)

Role: Hrithik breathed life into the role of emperor Akbar in this Ashutosh Gowariker period romance, with Ash as Jodhaa.

Box-office verdict: Hit.

THUMBS UP: Great dancer. Great looker. Chooses his films with care.

THUMBS DOWN: We get to see too little of him.

CURRENT STATUS: Though still commercially hot at the box office, the Kites no-show has been a body blow to Hrithik’s career.

COMING UP: As a paraplegic magician in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish, opposite Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Despite being confined to a wheelchair, HR looks red-hot in the promos.

TRADE SPEAK:“It’s next to impossible to keep a star like Hrithik down for long. He is like the proverbial phoenix who keeps rising even after his films flop,” says Nahta.

VIEWER SPEAK:“After Aamir, Hrithik is one of the few quality stars we have. Whether they work at the box office or not, he always strives to do good films,” says schoolteacher Mita Chatterjee.

ajay devgn

Bollywood’s most underrated star. The man who gives big hits every now and then, but is miles away from the numbers game.

LAST THREE RELEASES:

GOLMAAL 3 (November 2010)

Role: Devgn reprises the role of the staid and sober Gopal in the third instalment of the madcap comedy franchise that released on Diwali.

Box-office verdict: Excellent start.

AAKROSH (October 2010)

Role: Devgn was the honest cop battling honour killing in this Priyadarshan drama.

Box-office verdict: Flop

ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAI (July 2010)

Role: As a criminal with a heart of gold, Devgn brought class and charisma to the character of Sultan Mirza.

Box-office verdict: Hit.

THUMBS UP: Consistent and dependable. Chooses his films with care.

THUMBS DOWN: Low on star value.

CURRENT STATUS: After three huge hits — Raajneeti, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai and Golmaal 3 — this year, Ajay Devgn’s stock continues to rise at the box-office.

COMING UP: Madhur Bhandarkar’s Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji (opposite Rituparna Sengupta).

TRADE SPEAK:“After Aamir Khan, Ajay Devgn is the rare Bollywood star with both critical acclaim and box-office success,” says Adarsh.

VIEWER SPEAK:“I look forward to every Ajay Devgn film because one knows that it will not be run-of-the mill fare,” says banker Debashish Banerjee.

AKSHAY KUMAR

Once upon a time, everything he touched turned to gold. But Akshay Kumar is now no longer the darling of the box office. But with a string of big-budget films coming up, he remains a Bolly big name to reckon with. After all, it’s just the question of one hit or one flop…. Right Akki?

LAST THREE RELEASES:

ACTION REPLAYY (November 2010)

Role: Akshay goes retro in this romcom that released last Friday.

Box-office verdict: Average opening.

KHATTA MEETHA (July 2010)

Role: This Priyadarshan yawnathon had Akki playing a struggling road contractor.

Box-office verdict: Flop

HOUSEFULL (April 2010)

Role: Akshay played a man unlucky in love and life in this Sajid Khan comedy.

Box-office verdict: Hit. Housefull is the 10th highest Bollywood grosser of all time.

THUMBS UP: Professional, focused and disciplined. Reason enough for big banners and top names to queue up at his door, despite the Khiladi’s recent poor run at the box office.

THUMBS DOWN: Churns out assembly-line cinema.

CURRENT STATUS: On shaky ground.

COMING UP: Farah Khan’s Tees Maar Khan. The promos are a hit already. Will this be the turnaround film for Akshay Kumar?

TRADE SPEAK: “The problem with Akshay is that he is repeating himself. He needs to experiment with his roles and he will rule the box office again,” says Adarsh.

VIEWER SPEAK: “Akshay is a dark horse. He always bounces back even after being down and out,” says Akki fan Priya Singhania.

RANBIR KAPOOR

The newest challenger to the number one crown. The GeNext Bolly hero with the poise and potential. Bachna ae box office, Ranbir aa gaya!

LAST THREE RELEASES:

ANJAANA ANJAANI (October 2010)

Role: Playing a recession-hit youngster in America, Ranbir paired up with Priyanka Chopra for this Siddharth Anand romantic comedy

Box-office verdict: Average.

RAAJNEETI (JUNE 2010)

Role: As a shrewd kingmaker, Ranbir overshadowed bigger names in this Prakash Jha political thriller.

Box-office verdict: Superhit. Raajneeti ranks among the first five biggest Bollywood blockbusters.

ROCKET SINGH — SALESMAN OF THE YEAR (December 2009)

Role: Donned a turban and grew a beard to play a persuasive salesman in this Shimit Amin film.

Box-office verdict: Between average and hit.

THUMBS UP: Young and talented. Growing fan following. Knows what works with the audience.

THUMBS DOWN: Nothing. As of now.

CURRENT STATUS: Is riding high on the success of Raajneeti. Everyone — from Imtiaz Ali to Anurag Basu — is queuing up to work with the Kapoor beta.

COMING UP: Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar and Anurag Basu’s Silence.

TRADE SPEAK: “Ranbir is a superstar already. What others have achieved in years, Ranbir has achieved in months,” says Adarsh.

VIEWER SPEAK: “Ranbir is the rare combination of great looks and super talent. I like him off screen too,” says college goer Riddhi Jain.

Who is Bolly’s hero No. 1? Tell t2@abpmail.com