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What do Abhishek, Kareena, Hrithik have in common?
Year 2003 has a formidable roster of films starring star children
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Subhash K Jha
'Outsiders' who have no linear links with the film industry and are trying to make a name for themselves, are in for some bad news.
A formidable roster of star children will be seen in 2003.
The head count begins in the last week of December when producer-director Arjun Hingorani's son Amit Hingorani makes his debut with their home production Kaise Kahoon… Ke Pyaar Hai.
A veteran producer-director, Arjun Hingorani devoted his career to fashioning potboilers with titles that had three K's (Kab Kyon Aur Kahan, Kahani Kismat Ki, Karishma Kudrat Ka, etc). Whether the three-K magic, compounded by a title that seems to echo the golden star kid Hrithik Roshan's debut Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai, plus the formidable father-son combination of Dharmendra and Sunny Deol, will work for Amit Hingorani, remains to be seen.
In the second week of January, Raj Babbar, whose son Arya made his debut in 2002, presents his daughter Juhi opposite singer Sonu Nigam in Kaash… Aap Hamare Hote. Trained under her formidable actor-parents Nadira and Raj Babbar, Juhi is said to be a substantial talent.
Yesteryear matinee idol Sanjay Khan's son and Feroz Khan's nephew Zayed Khan will star in the peppy musical Chura Liya Hai Tumne. The articulate Zayed hopes to be the new Khan on the Bollywood block. He has also been signed on for choreographer Farah Khan's directorial debut in which, Zayed confidently informs, he has a role equal to Shah Rukh Khan.
Zayed's costar in Chura Liya Hai Tumne is star daughter Esha Deol, who has already had three non-successes in 2002. January will see the release of two of Esha's films: Sangeeth Sivan's Chura Liya Hai Tumne; and producer Ekta Kapoor's unusual teen-horror flick Kuch To Hai, which has caught the eye of starmaker Ram Gopal Varma.
Says Varma, "Of all the films being promoted on the television now, Ekta Kapoor's Kuch To Hai makes me interested. For the first time, Esha Deol is looking like a character instead of Hema Malini's daughter."
With Kuch To Hai, another star kid Tusshar Kapoor also hopes to make up for lost ground in 2002. "My sister Ekta and I have slogged hard to make this film different and dynamic. I don't think audiences are keen on cotton-candy romances any more. Kuch To Hai is different from every film being made right now, and it has great music by Anu Malik," promises Tusshar.
According to trade experts, Ekta Kapoor’s film will resurrect the careers of both Jeetendra's son and Hema Malini's daughter.
And can Amitabh Bachchan's son Abhishek be far behind? In his under-production film Zameen, directed by debutant Rohit Shetty, Abhishek is being reinvented as an action hero. Thirty years ago, his father had become an overnight superstar in the actioner Zanjeer. Zameen could be the turning point in Abhishek's career.
Kareena Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan are also poised for a grand comeback. Insiders are already raving about Kareena's performance in her next release Khushi.
Hrithik is currently concentrating all his energy on father Rakesh Roshan's unusual sci-fi drama Koi Mil Gaya. Incidentally, all three star kids --- Abhishek, Hrithik and Kareena --- will be seen in Sooraj Barjatya's Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon, a remake of Basu Chatterjee's Chit Chor. The film is expected to be one of 2003's great grossers.
Other star children poised for a kill in 2003 include Kajol's sibling Tanisha and Sunny-Bobby Deol's cousin Abhay.