The five stars of 2008

They say success is a relative term. So is the term ‘star’ in Bollywood. The star-status of any celebrity keeps changing with every film. An actor might click one year but might not work at the box-office for many and vice-versa.

2008 saw some big stars losing it out at the box-office. Akshay Kumar could be the best example who was on a success spree with consecutive hits till last year but faced a major flop with Tashan. So did costar Anil Kapoor who faced flops in form of Tashan and Black & White. Saif Ali Khan had a huge hit with Race but his fame nullified with consecutive flops like Tashan and Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic. Same was the case with Ajay Devgan who had moderate success with Sunday and U Me aur Hum but a major disaster with Halla Bol.

Here we analyze who are the top five actors who clicked at the box-office in 2008 so far.

He gave 2008 its first universal hit with Jodhaa Akbar that worked both in the Indian and overseas territory. Hrithik played the Mughal Emperor to perfection and added life in every frame of the film. Whether it was taming the elephant or waging a war, romancing Aishwarya or getting into a trance in the Khwaja Mere Khwaja song, Hrithik worked meticulously towards every scene of the film giving it his best shot.

If Jodhaa Akbar was a big hit, major credit goes to Hrithik Roshan’s superlative performance in the film.

He was the surprise packet of 2008. While big and established names didn’t cut the ice, Emraan Hashmi clicked big time as his film Jannat turned an instant hit. The success that this moderately budgeted film garnered came across as unexpected that too at a time when the nation was crazy with the IPL mania.

Emraan arrived in the league of stars where he could decide his own market value and demand remuneration. He raised his fee from Rs 1.5 crores to Rs 5 crore directly and had production houses signing him for multi-film deal. Percept Picture Company signed him for a 3 film deal at Rs 15 crores.

Another Imran who made a mark and this time with a debut film! A lot was expected from Aamir Khan’s nephew and he surely didn’t disappoint. With a natural performance, Imran won hearts unanimously. Moreover he didn’t try to hard to be cool and wannabish but just played his character.

Imran won the so-called media-made race of the newcomers. He clearly overtook debutantes like Sikander Kher (Woodstock Villa, Summer 2007) and Harman Baweja (Love Story 2050). The one question that nobody would ask about Imran’s identity is Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.

He might come across as another surprise on the list. Not much has been written about Akshaye Khanna though a lot has been seen and heard about him. Akshaye had a big hit with Race where he repeated the negative act in Abbas-Mustan film with finesse. Add to that he is the only actor to have an additional film on his list that met with average to above average success – Mere Baap Pehle Aap .

Perhaps a list without the Bachchan cannot be complete. Add to it this time both the father-son duo feature on it simultaneously at the same position. That’s because they starred together in Sarkar Raj and are equally responsible for the success of the film.

Currently they are again tasting success with the Unforgettables tour.