In today’s weekend blog, it’s Bollywood again. It has happened so many times that when a particular actor’s films are not doing well at the box office, and he/she gets labeled as flop actor, then there comes a film that becomes a hit and saves the career of that particular star from sinking, and that becomes his/her comeback film. Here are a few films which saved the career of the actor who acted in that film:
1 Wanted– This film was offered to Salman Khan in 2010, before that for many years his films were bombing at the box office. This film became a blockbuster and became career saving film for Salman Khan. After that, he added more action to his career and made himself and his fans happier than ever before. This film made him a superstar. The film was made on a budget of Rs 35 Cr and collected around Rs 95 Cr at the box office.
2 The Dirty Picture– Vidya Balan started her career with TV serial Hum Paanch. Before this film, she was considered a safe actor but her films were not doing quite well at the box office. When she was offered this film, she took a very bold step and accepted this challenging role which was quite opposite her image, and as they say, the rest is history. The film was super duper successful at the box office and is considered as career-saving film for Vidya Balan.
3 Mohabbatein– Before this film, Amitabh Bachachan’s films in the 2nd innings of his career were flopping plus he was facing bankruptcy due to losses in his production house ABCL. In desperation, he approached Yash Chopra and he was offered to play the role of the Dean of the Gurukal in this film. This film revived the sinking career of Amitabh Bachchan. Then KBC happened and after that, he never looked back. At the age of 80+, he is still going strong.
4 Jab We Met– At the very beginning of her career Kareena Kapoor film’s as a solo heroine was not doing well at the box office, like Khushi, Yaadein, Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon. Then Jab We Met happened, her iconic role of Geet left an impression on all filmgoers. The film went on to become the biggest blockbuster of her career. This happened in 2007, and even today she is still active when she is 40+ years old.
5 Kabir Singh– Shahid Kapoor has always been a great actor. But the choice of his films has not been so good. There was a time when his fans were not liking his films. Then in between his career took off when he started doing films with director Vishal Bhardwaj, like Kaminey and Haider, but still, he was not seen as a successful actor. Then he did Kabir Singh, which became the best film of his career and was a blockbuster at the box office.
6 Super 30– Hrithik Roshan was always considered a great star/actor with good dancing skills. After the controversy with Kangana Ranaut in the mid-2010s, his films were affected and none of his films were released for 3 years. Then he acted in Super 30, and this film saved his sinking career, and he proved to his audience and Bollywood that there is still a spark left in him.
7 Singham– Ajay Devgn falls in the category of actors who do not do many films, but whatever he does he gives his 100 percent. But there came a time in his career when his films were becoming flops and he was in need of a good film. And then his friend Rohit Shetty brought the film Singham to him. In which he played the role of a Police Officer, and the film became a super hit and saved his career. The film’s sequel Singham 2 was also made with him after a few years and was also very successful at the box office.
8 Tanu Weds Manu– This film saved Kangana Ranaut’s career in a big way. She entered Bollywood with a film called Gangster. But this film gave her fame. She gave her 100% and the film was a blockbuster. The sequel Tanu Weds Manu Return was also very successful, and she was much appreciated in a sequel also.
9 Shershaah– This film was released on OTT due to the Covid pandemic, something that Siddarth Malhotra was not used to. Yet his performance in the film received much praise and left many emotional, as he captured the fiery patriotism of Captain Batra and his fun-loving side. This film was the most-watched Indian film on the OTT platform when released.
10 Manmarjiyan– In his first outing with director Anurag Kashyap, Abhishek Bachchan played the responsible banker in this romantic film in 2018. The film tells the story of a girl caught between the charm of a reckless affair with a former lover and quiet life as a housewife of a mature banker. Abhishek’s performance was praised by his fans and several Bollywood actors. After this film, Abhishek started getting roles in OTT films and serials, and his sinking career was saved.
Waiting for your review of this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
21st July 2023