1

Shah Rukh Khan
Top me if you can

Was it the dhoti or was it the moustache? Paheli turned out to be a disappointment, especially after the high of Swades and Veer-Zaara in 2004. And Shah Rukh Khan’s item number in Kaal was what collected the ceetees. But the Khan stays King by a large margin. And tops the bestselling actors list—once again.

2

Amitabh Bachchan
The old guard takes over

Four blistering performances in Black, Bunty Aur Babli, Sarkar and Viruddh and it was like old times—reinvented. His sweep of the box-office was the bonus. At age 63, Amitabh Bachchan showed the young ’uns what acting and staying power were all about, what it takes to deliver the goods. 

Aamir Khan
Mooch cause for worry

Aamir Khan’s Mangal Pandey moustache ate up so much newsprint for a year and more, there seemed to be little left for his role itself. His performance bore his trademark honesty, but even his true grit could not rescue the movie. (Incidentally, Mangal Pandey reinforced an industry superstition that a poster showing the hero screaming is unlucky at the b-o.) The next tests: Rang De Basanti and Fanaah. Will Aamir score with them?

Salman Khan
I can make it look good!

He can take a humdrum film and make it hum at the box-office like nobody else can. He can pick a project that the other superstars may not consider and take it to another level (try to imagine the other two Khans agreeing to push a Lucky or a Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya at the turnstiles.) Comedy, tragedy or potential disaster, he gives it his best shot. No wonder nothing, but nothing, seems to affect Salman Khan’s standing at the b-o.

5

Hrithik Roshan
He’ll be back!

A no-show at the b-o for the whole of 2005—he had no releases last year—has seen Hrithik Roshan edged out of the Top 10 and drop two places here. But his reputation as an actor remains untouched and next year promises to be his year of reckoning, with one home production (Krrish) and one Yash Raj project (Dhoom 2)which will see him playing superhero in one, slick baddie in the other. Both the trade and his fans have pegged their expectations on these two movies dizzyingly high. Can Hrithik fulfill them? Will he, once and for all, prove his credentials outside home territory? The answers should be yes and yes

6

Abhishek Bachchan
Suddenly sexy

Perhaps it was the item number in Rakht that started it. Or maybe those steamy bare-chested scenes in Yuva did it.
But Abhishek Bachchan was suddenly the new sex-symbol, the youth icon, the bright new hope. The lust factor was, however, set on a more cold-blooded foundation of trade-worthiness—his movies were finally working at the b-o. And he seemed to have found his identity as an actor. Bunty Aur Babli may have been the biggest hit of 2005, but it was with Sarkar that Abhishek put all doubts to honourable rest. The big league beckons now. 

7

Akshay Kumar
Just for laughs

Akshay Kumar’s dishum dishum image now seems so far in the past that it take some jogging your memory to recall it. He’s now been crowned the King of Comedy, he plays the romantic lover effortlessly and he’s become the big entertainer. His new strategy seems to have worked—2005 was a good year for Akshay. Not only did he have two big hits (Waqt, Garam Masala) and an average earner (Bewafaa), his characters had varied shades to them. Variety, box-office success, good reviews... Akshay was on a roll.
 

8

Saif Ali Khan
Clowning glory

Like the cocky Shekhar Rai in Parineeta and Nikhil Arora in Salaam Namaste, Saif Ali Khan has found himself at last. Both movies proved conclusively that Hum Tum was no fluke and that Saif has what it takes to pull in the audience—on his own. In his own words, “I no longer feel the need to be the clown on the sets.” Once Saif figured out that he was going to make his money from shows and endorsements and choose his movies to please himself, everything fell into place neatly. His path is clear, the going’s good and the money, great. Saif Ali Khan’s on track.

9

Ajay Devgan
Which will be the one?
 
It’s getting to be a pattern with Ajay Devgan each year—some eminently forgettable movies, a decent film or two, and then, one big performance that socks it to you between the eyes. In 2005 the humdinger was Apaharan, a razor-sharp portrayal that saw him in true form. To say he is a director’s actor would be simplistic, but clearly there are some who seem to be able to push this actor to better performances. In 2006, our bets are on Vishal Bhardwaj’s Othello.

10

Sanjay Dutt
Leading from the back

Interestingly enough, Sanjay Dutt’s career got a shot in the arm when he decided not to confine himself to lead roles. It’s certainly paid off in Parineeta, Dus and Viruddh, for which he earned himself more plaudits than for many of the guns ‘n’ poses flicks he’s been seen in of late. Nevertheless he’s game to carry a film on his shoulders, as he will with Munnabhai Meets Mahatma in 2006. Plus, there will be Eklavya.