With ‘Pathaan’ all set to hit theatres, acid test for 90s stars has already begun

Time hurries on. One generation makes way for another. Popular heroes of the past can get author-backed roles — consider the one-of-a-kind Amitabh Bachchan — but they cannot headline big-budget masala entertainers after a certain age. Although the modern-day viewer accepts a 50-plus hero quite easily, the generation of 90s stars, who have made us watch popular Hindi cinema for three decades, must get ready to face more competition from younger heroes soon. In fact, the acid test that will prove whether or not producers can invest in them for appearances in central roles in big-budget extravaganzas in a few years’ time has already begun. Why are coming months critical? While passing the baton in the never-ending relay race of work and life is inevitable, Bollywood’s recovery can be expedited only by films headlined by 50-plus stars. How their films perform will either lessen or prolong Bollywood’s misery because of their long list of upcoming releases. Siddharth Anand’s spy action drama Pathaan, the first big release of 2023 starring Shah Rukh Khan, will have a great start after its release on 25 January. SRK’s presence in the central role after four years will be the biggest reason for good viewership in the first few days before feedback results in a much-needed success — or a crash. He has two other major releases: Atlee’s action thriller Jawan and Rajkumar Hirani’s social drama Dunki. Coming months will be a critical phase for him and several other big stars of his generation. The big challenge Aamir Khan, whose Advait Chandan-helmed social drama Laal Singh Chaddha was a recent flop, is not working in any project. Salman Khan, who experienced stardom in the late 80s like Aamir, is playing the leading role in Farhad Samji’s action comedy Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan and Maneesh Sharma’s Tiger 3, the third instalment of the Tiger franchise and part of the YRF Spy Universe like Pathaan. Salman’s last two releases were Prabhu Deva’s action drama Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai, a box-office bomb, and Mahesh Manjrekar’s action film Antim: The Final Truth, which did not create ripples either. Khan’s upcoming films will, therefore, be crucial for him and the industry. Akshay Kumar had an unending nightmare in 2022 with Farhad Samji’s action comedy Bachchhan Pandey, Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s historical drama Samrat Prithviraj, Abhishek Sharma’s action-adventure film Ram Setu and Aanand L Rai’s comedy-drama Raksha Bandhan failing at the box office. Kumar’s upcoming films include Amit Rai’s satirical comedy OMG 2- Oh My God! 2, Raj Mehta’s comedy-drama Selfiee and Tinu Suresh Desai’s biographical drama Capsule Gill. Feedback circulating on social media indicated that the modern-day viewer did not like the actor’s performance in Samrat Prithviraj and the mediocre VFX and story of Ram Setu. Can Kumar reestablish himself as a commercially reliable performer? The film industry will have the answer soon. Ajay Devgn delivered a blockbuster with Abhishek Pathak’s crime drama Drishyam 2, but he also experienced setbacks in 2022. His upcoming films, Amit Sharma’s sports drama Maidaan and the self-directed action thriller Bholaa, will be critical for his career. Competition from the younger lot  Actors who experienced stardom in the 90s are in their mid-50s today. The three Khans, in fact, will turn 58 this year. Many viewers with social media handles have already started expressing doubts about their ability to star in leading roles in masala entertainers, but these actors continue to be widely popular. Their off-screen charisma is undeniable, and millions of fans shower unconditional love on them. These megastars must consider themselves fortunate to be working in an era in which the story is more important than stardom because that allows the possibility of casting senior actors in unusual central roles. While how their films perform will decide whether or not Bollywood can emerge as a better performer in 2023, they must be aware that younger actors are serious rivals for them. As selective as Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan, who will turn 50, is working in Siddharth Anand’s action drama, Fighter. Of course, Hrithik is not an actor of the new generation, and his millions of fans believe he is as big as anybody else. That said, a Hrithik blockbuster, if his seniors fail to deliver, will be a strong declaration of his power as a megastar. Ranveer Singh, who cannot be written off in spite of his recent failures, has Karan Johar’s much-awaited drama Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani in the pipeline. Ranbir Kapoor is waiting for the release of Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s action film Animal and Luv Ranjan’s romantic comedy Tu Jhooti Main Makkar. Kartik Aaryan will feature in the central role in Rohit Dhawan’s action comedy Shehzada and Samir Vidwans’ drama Satyaprem Ki Katha. Competitors in a ruthlessly competitive industry, these actors and their films will attempt to find a place in the list of the biggest grossers in the coming months. Bollywood has entered that phase in which younger actors have emerged as rivals for their seniors whom they grew up watching as children. A new era has begun. Let us see where it takes us. The author, a journalist for three decades, writes on literature and pop culture. Among his books are ‘MSD: The Man, The Leader’, the bestselling biography of former Indian captain MS Dhoni, and the ‘Hall of Fame’ series of film star biographies. Views expressed are personal. Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.