Bollywood’s ‘box-office Dhoom’ in 2006

By: Poonam Bisht

Take a cursory look at the Bollywood (let’s hope ‘Sexy Sam’ is not listening) course of events this year. What a fantastic year this has been! Box-office bounty, Big B’s eternal charm, bindaas babes (Dhoom fame), better-than-ever Khans and non-Khans (Hrithik, Sanju Baba and Ajay) and not to forget a bunch of sequels and remakes-all that in merely 365 days! Let’s take a sneak peak at the headline-grabbers of Bollywood in 2006. ‘Ash you like it’

It would be a sin to go even a step further without mentioning the ‘hottest news item’ of the year- Our ‘most beautiful lady’ is likely to tie the knot with Bollywood’s ‘most eligible bachelor’ soon. The year began with growing intimacy between Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan; mid-year witnessed the blossoming of their romance and it ended with the strong likelihood of a life-time alliance. The year also reflected the versatility of Ash who looked breathtakingly beautiful as courtesan ‘Umrao Jaan’, sensuous as skimpily-clad Sunehri in Dhoom-II and a ‘perfect wife’ in ‘Guru’. Is it any co-incidence that the Bachchan scion featured in all these movies? ‘Bigger than ever Bachchan’

Big B remained the cynosure of all eyes throughout the year. His surgery in Leelawati Hospital for an intestinal problem brought the nation to a standstill. He faced a lot of trouble in the form of tax-evasion charges, uproar over withdrawal of security cover and having his name dragged into a land allotment deal. However, the year also brought the following laurels for him:

He became the first Indian celebrity and the sixth in the world to be presented with a special certificate for support to the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFI) in London

He took the British House of Commons by storm when he announced the hosting of the IIFA Awards 2007

Delhi University conferred him with an honorary doctorate

French government honoured him with its highest civilian award, the officer of the Legion of Honour

He made his debut in a Bhojpuri film with his "Baghban" co-star Hema Malini in "Ganga"

He was conferred an honorary degree of doctorate of arts by De Montford University at Leicester

However, what took the fans by surprise was Big B’s nod to play the legendary role of ‘Gabbar Singh’ in Ram Gopal Verma’s ‘Sholay’, a remake. By carrying off the flamboyant role of ‘Sexy Sam’, a casanova in Karan Johar’s ‘KANK’ with aplomb, he maintained his ‘status of an old wine’. Bollywood’s latest funda: Lage raho! The trend of making sequels or remakes is not new in Bollywood. It has been done several times before. But, this fever seemed to have caught the imagination of every other director this year. First it was the latest addition to the Munna Bhai series ‘Lage Raho’’.. that was highly appreciated by the audience, then there was Farhan Akhtar’s daring attempt to put SRK into the shoes of Big B himself in the remake of ‘Don’. Despite the brilliant box-office fate of the movie, many agreed that while making the remakes, at least Amitabh’s movies should be spared. Then there was J P Dutta’s disaster ‘Umrao Jaan’ in which Ash took on legendary Rekha, but failed to provide substance to the role. But the most heart-breaking (to many) was Ram Gopal Verma’s announcement of remaking ‘Sholay’ with Big B as ‘Gabbar’. As if it was not enough, Ashutosh Gowarikar announced plans to make Jodha Akbar with Ash and Hrithik. Sanjay Gadhvi’s ‘Dhoom 2’, a sequel of his previous hit also created big dhoom at the box office. Remakes and sequels are the in-thing in tinsel town. Box-office bonanza Like 1975 (when Sholay and Deewar were released), 1996 would also remain etched in the memory of film pundits forever. Records of sorts were created and broken at the box-office. Forget the number of hits this year, have a proud look at the number of superhits. The smiles on the faces of the trade analysts say it all. While Dhoom 2 and Krissh entered into the records as the films with unprecedented opening and were declared blockbusters, Rang De Basanti, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Fanaa, Don created magic at the box-office both here as well as overseas.

The response of the audience to these movies was amazing. Superhero creates Dhoom! He looks like an international star. His dynamic personality makes the girls go weak in the knees. Children adore him and young men aspire to be like him. Yes, it is Hrithik Roshan, one of the most hard-working actors in the industry. When he is given a character, he makes sure that he lives it than just play it. As a young man, with extraordinary powers, Duggu set the box-office on fire in Daddy dear’s ‘Krissh’. ‘Krissh’ was seen as an Indian answer to western ‘Superman’. Months later, he swept the nation off its feet in Dhoom 2, as a ‘superb thief’. His breathtaking stunts and exceptionally cool looks impressed audiences so much that he stole the limelight despite the presence of none other than most good-looking Ash and ravishing Bips. Even Abhishek Bachchan went unnoticed against his towering personality.

He has become the darling of box-office now. The ‘Shiney’ Star He delivered this year what he promised after winning the Filmfare Best Debut Award for Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2005). Shiney Ahuja’s breath-taking performance in Bhatt camp’s ‘Gangster’ and ‘Woh Lamhe’ left the audience and critics stupefied. With his acting prowess, this handsome hunk left all Shahids and Mohits behind to emerge as Bollywood’s ‘biggest hope for future’ with most of the top stars already on the wrong side of 40. Battle of the Aces

The year proved fantastic not only in terms of ‘box-office hungama’, but also testified the fact that ‘competition enhances quality’. The ‘most reliable ones’ came up with such fine performances, that selecting the most deserving winner of the Filmfare Best Actor Award 2006 would be a Herculean task. Whether it is our Mr Versatile Aamir Khan who was absolutely adored by the audience in ‘Rang De Basanti’ or our ‘Munna Bhai’ who once again swept everyone off their feet. Hrithik too vowed everyone as ‘Indian superman’ in ‘Krissh’ and later in ‘Dhoom 2’ to emerge as Bollywood’s ultimate style icon. Well, King Khan too tried his best to step into Big B’s shoes and portray ‘Don’ in his own style. Punjabi munda Ajay Devgan is simply getting better and better with each movie. He put life and soul into the character of ‘Omkara’. At 65, Mr Bachchan is still giving young heroes a run for their money. He struck the emotional chord with the audience in ‘Babul’. Talking about brilliance, how can one forget to mention this wonderfully evolved artiste- Saif added another feather to his cap by playing a scheming rustic ‘Langda Tyagi’ (Iago of Othello) with as much ease as playing ‘Cyrus’ in a dark comedy with aplomb. Ever thought of delivering dialogues through eyes alone, just have a look at Shiney Ahuja in ‘Gangster’ and we need not say more. Legal hassles for Munna Bhai The resumption of trial of ‘93 Mumbai blasts put Bollywood in the dock (with an uncertainty over an investment of more than Rs 120 crore on Sanju Baba’s forthcoming movies). However, after several sleepless nights and prayers in the temples, our Munna Bhai heaved a sigh of relief when he was acquitted of the charge of conspiracy (court declared that he was not a terrorist). However, he was convicted for illegal possession of gun. He is now on bail and awaiting his sentence. Mallika ‘Shy’rawat! The pleasant ‘surprise of the year’ was ‘Kiss Miss’ Sherawat, who actually showed the critics that she was more than just an ‘over-the-top’ sexy siren. She gave an impressive performance in ‘Pyar Ke Side Effects’ with Rahul Bose. She grabbed the headlines just once this year, when a newspaper published ‘her alleged photograph as an air-hostess’ taken a few years ago, rubbishing her claim of being a 22-year old actress. Kissa Kiss Ka Hot ‘item girl’ Rakhi Sawant took the baton from Mallika this year. First she stunned the nation by accusing pop singer Mika of forcibly kissing her at a party. Then she entered herself into the books of the Police of different states, who banned her stage shows on grounds of ‘obscenity’ that led to her infamous quote, “I will perform on stage in sari from next time. Rakhi with or without clothes looks sexy.” Will be remembered! Indian Cinema lost some of its invaluable gems this year. Hrishikesh Mukherjee, the man who gave a new meaning to cinema by lending voice to the common man in his unforgettable movies passed away. Yesteryears actress Nadira, 74, who played several unforgettable roles as seductress bid adeiu. Legendary Kannada actor Dr. Rajkumar, 77, also bid farewell to the world leaving the mourning fans behind. One of the famous Travancore sisters, yesteryears actress of South Indian and Hindi cinema, Padmini also passed away. All these legendary figures would always be remembered for their remarkable contribution to cinema. Curtains drawn! The year concluded with International Film Festival of India, 06 in Goa, which would be remembered as much for showcasing some good cinema as for the organisational glitches and allegations of a Bollywood bias.