Fading superstars of B-town

Think of Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan and what comes immediately to mind? The word superstar is my guess, think harder and the term fading superstar will soon cross your mind. Relishing the sweet taste of success and enjoying all the glitz and glamour, these macho actors have seen the highest echelon of power, fame and glamour. And all this is without them having delivered a blockbuster in recent times.

Forget a blockbuster, they don’t even have a decent film to their name these days. Despite that they continue to thrive and rake in millions as they are touted as the most sought after actors.

With endorsements for cars, stationery, watches, hair-oils, bathing products, liquor, cola brands to even bare essentials, these actors have more brands to their names than hits to their credit.

Jumping off cliffs, getting chased by girls, zooming on highways, featuring in some exotic locales as they bank millions to sell brands, these superstars seem to be thriving on the lack of talent that currently scrunches Tinsel Town. True, they are talented and have some noteworthy films to boast of, but that is that. As of now, these actors come across as just being plain lazy, flying high till someone bursts their hot air balloon.

Take the case of Shah Rukh Khan, who has been dumping the viewers with one flop after the other. The actor, who is popularly raved as King Khan, can only be considered a royal for his off-screen antics for he gravely disappoints when it comes to acting. Then be it his childlike fondness for working with dud directors who indulge in sycophancies or his self confessed narcissist streak but there is just no stopping Shah Rukh from making flops or even admitting to a blooper in his kitty. Take Billu Barber, Rab Ne Bana Jodi for eg.

What’s worse is that these ‘brain tweezers’ are met with a subtle whip by the critics who are just too scared to flak the superstar. Nevertheless, his own colleagues have been far less forgiving as many directors are now offering him roles of a fading superstar.

But SRK is still perhaps the best example of how the right media hype and public relations strategies can cloud the audiences’ image of a filmstar. And the only actor who can match up to the vain PR clout that surrounds SRK is Saif Ali Khan.

From having a trophy girlfriend Kareena Kapoor to being blessed with a royal lineage, Saif has no justification for being termed as a superstar. Last seen in ‘Kurbaan’, Saif was more in news for his dare-bare act with Bebo in the film than his unconvincing terrorist role. Yet there is little stopping the actor from quoting whopping figures to producers.

But who needs to toil and slog when the PR budget of a film is at par with the costs that goes into making one? If not the actors, atleast the PR gurus seem to be doing their job right. For not only do these PR executives dupe the viewers into spending the hard-earned dough on such flops, they also ensure that no bad word is spread about the film or the larger than life actors who act in them.

And this perfectly devised act has worked for years in favour of Akshay Kumar. The actor, who at one time delivered seven so-called hits in a row, has had a nose-diving run for several films now. Right from the disastrous ‘Chandni Chowk to China’, ‘Blue’, ‘Kambakkht Ishq’, ‘De Dana Dan’ to ‘Khatta Meetha’ there is just no end to Akshay’s flop stint. Yet the actor continues to thrive as before.

Well, what-so-ever trick had been working for there stars so far, they seem to be on the verge of falling off the wagon. As of now they can only be termed as fading superstars!