Wrinkle free Bollywood at 60!

Rashi Aditi Ghosh and Ankita Chakrabarty/ Zee Research Group

D-day at Bollywood is no where near 60. At Bollywood this D-day is actually a fresh and young start for the romantic dancing sensation of yesteryears. Rishi Kapoor, the boy who gave men a severe complex with his chocolate looks to give us ‘Bobby’ is now again the talk of the tinsel town because of his new looks in Nikhil Advani’s movie ‘D-Day’. Now the love guru of `Love Aaj Kal` is B`wood`s new take on D company boss and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. No, doubt the man known for his excellent dance moves has turned 60 but age doesn’t seem to limit his career in Bollywood. Kapoor represents the growing octogenarian talent pool that not only sustains Bollywood but also drives the box office there. What is it actually that builds the adrenalin among these never say die stars that make Bollywood shine as ever? “It is actually the love and the passion for one’s work which makes these stars to reinvent their respective talent and relevance every time even when age seems not be on their side. The very fact holds true across gender,” says Ritika Srivastava (name changed), a 32 –year old banker from Delhi. If we sample the variety, we will see that the 50 plus talent has an offer in the tinsel town. Mithun Chakraborty, the disco dancer who made the girls go gaga over him and the person who actually popularised the concept of disco dance in the early 80’s is still active both in Bollywood as well as in Tollywood. Although he has crossed sixty, yet he has made his presence felt with his great acting skills in movies like ‘Golmaal3’ and ‘Oh My God!’ He is also seen judging dance reality shows on the small screen. Age has got nothing to do with either acting or success. Endorsing the above view, Bikas Mishra, editor at DearCinema.com, concurs, “Great actors get better with age. But they rock on screen only when they`re cast right. Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor are two legendary success stories.” Anil Kapoor is one such actor who still appears as a mainstream hero. He still manages to charm the audience with his sweet smile. He was recently seen portraying the role of a cop in ‘Shoot Out at Wadala’. He was also seen in ‘Race 2’ as a detective agent. Talking about the evergreen status of actors in Bollywood, Hema Malini spoke to IANS on April 7, 2013. She opined, “Actresses normally work with older actors because they are so popular. Working with older actors boosts your career. If you work with young and new actors, then it takes a lot of time to climb up the ladder. So it is a very fast growth for the heroine.” Jackie Shroff popularly known as ‘Jaggu Dada’ who had mesmerised the public in 80’s and 90’s with his tough looks was seen recently in the movie ‘Aurangzeb’ where he essayed the role of a real estate developer. He will soon be seen as an antagonist in the much awaited Rajnikanth’s movie ‘Kochadaiyaan’. The trend transcends the gender. Amrita Singh, popularly known as ‘Chameli’ for her portrayal of the character named ‘Chameli’ in the movie ‘Chameli ki Shaadi’ was a successful actress of the 80’s. She almost retired post her marriage to Saif Ali Khan; she made her comeback in 2002 with the film ‘23rd March 1931: Shaheed’, in which she played the mother of Bhagat Singh. She was also seen in the small screen in daily soaps. In 2013, she was seen in the movie ‘Aurangzeb’. She is seen mostly playing supporting roles nowadays. Tanuja, best known for her beautiful eyes and her raunchy item song ‘Raat Akeli Hai’ in ‘Jewel Thief’ had retired after marriage, she made her comeback in supporting roles. She was seen in ‘Saathiya’, ‘Rules: Pyaar_Ka_Superhit_Formula’ and ‘Son of Sardaar’. Dimple Kapadia, the woman with blue eyes gave a different definition of glamour and grace in the movie ‘Bobby’ retired after she got married to Rajesh Khanna. She made a comeback as a mainstream heroine after her separation from Khanna in ‘Saagar’. She went on to become one of the leading actresses of the 80’s. She played many diverse roles in the 90’s and early 2000. Now, she is seen mostly as side actress. She portrayed the role of Saif Ali Khan’s mother in Cocktail (2012).