Akshay Khanna
Today, everyone is dying of curiosity to find out if Abhishek Bachchan can live up to his illustrious name. In early 1997, there was a similar atmosphere of anticipation as another luminous star promoted and presented his beloved son. Back then, it was the stylish Vinod Khanna who produced 'Himalayputra' to launch Akshay.
Every journalist in town clamoured to interview the young Khanna who sported a charming smile and cute dimples that turned girls dizzy. But while the world was eager to read about him, Akshay wasn't in any mood to face frivolous questions about the films he'd signed, or his relationship with his father and brother Rahul, or then his views on life in general.Meanwhile, 'Himalayputra', came and went without much ado. Despite the film's box-office failure, Akshay was given a warm welcome by the industry and touted as the most talented star son to have graced the screen in years.
Soon after, he justified this faith with a remarkably sensitive performance in J P Dutta's war epic 'Border' (1997), where he rubbed shoulders with established stars like Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff and Sunil Shetty and even picked up a couple of awards for his work.
But after that, things changed for the worse as a string of flop piled up against his name. Perhaps it was his imprudent choice of films: 'Mohabbat' (1997), 'Kudrat', 'Laawaris' (1998), etc that turned the tide against Akshaye. For, unlike close competitor Bobby Deol, he hardly had any important banners under his belt. But even through all those senseless flicks, Akshay won rave reviews for his spontaneity.
With the unfortunate failure of films such as Priyadarshan's 'Doli Sajake Rakhna' (1998), however, Akshay's stock started falling as dramatically as it had risen. His stiff attitude towards the press and a fast receding hairline only worsened matters.
Then, he rejected a couple of seemingly important films including Deepa Mehta's '1947-Earth' (1999). The part eventually went to elder brother Rahul Khanna.
Finally, there came a ray of hope in the form of Rishi Kapoor's 'Aa Ab Laut Chalein' (1999). The film proved to be a modest success and everyone praised Akshaye yet again, although it was Aishwarya Rai who hogged the show for most part.
But even Subhash Ghai's 'Taal' (1999), Akshaye's most prestigious assignment since 'Border', couldn't revive his floundering career. Instead, the film's second hero, Anil Kapoor, repositioned himself as a character actor and wowed audiences with his new image.
This was nearly ten months ago. Since then, Akshay has done precious nothing. There was one eminently forgettable 'Dahek' which released early this year, while the much-delayed 'Love You Hamesha' which may finally hit the screen in coming months.
And the going's getting only tougher with each passing day. What with the likes of Hrithik Roshan and Abhishek Bachchan cornering a sizeable chunk of the pie between them. Akshay, for all his talent, is in danger of getting relegated to the sidelines. Which is such a pity