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Rani, Vidya, Sridevi: WORST films of Bollywood's BEST Actresses
No matter how illustrious a career an actor has had. There's always a film they all wish they hadn't done.
Not all actors go on to become stars.
Nor can all stars act. Save for those fortunate few who are a formidable combination of both.
They are the 'artists' whom filmmakers approach beyond commercial consideration for roles demanding heft, deliberation, skill and commitment.
Yet even the most discerning actors of Bollywood can err and take on a debacle that will embarrass on mere mention and occupy a sore spot on an otherwise glorious repertoire.
It would be rather fascinating, we thought, to investigate the poor selections of such amazing talents still active in their careers. We begin by looking at the worst films of ten of our best actresses.
And if you, dear readers, have a different bad film of theirs in mind, don't hesitate to hit the message board.
Rani Mukerji, Aiyyaa
Comedy, drama or even passing off as a Sardar comes convincingly to Rani Mukerji but if only good intentions could make up for hollow filmmaking!
Here’s a good reason why Rani Mukerji’s Aiyyaa featured in every critic’s list of Worst of 2012. There’s a big line between weird and whimsical, which is frustratingly blurred in the more wearisome than worthwhile, Aiyyaa.
Despite Rani’s sporting efforts to embrace kitsch and bawdy, Aiyyaa in its senseless pursuit of a comical tone goes completely haywire.
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Vidya Balan, Thank You
Yes, yes, we know she only had a small role in the Anees Bazmee monstrosity. But what attracted her to sign for such a thankless part anyway?
Given her reputation of Bollywood’s rare actress who hasn’t gone the dance-around-trees routine to fit in, yet conquered the box office in heroine-based vehicles, it’s rather lame to see her in a set-up that’s clearly not her style.
What makes us thankful though is that Vidya’s oeuvre, even in unimpressive fare like Heyy Babyy or Shaadi Ke Side Effects is far more tolerable than the tripe her more glamorous colleagues succumb too.
Dimple Kapadia, Hum Kaun Hai
Be it Lekin, Rudaali or Aitbaar, there’s tremendous power and grace in Dimple Kapadia’s performances. At the same time, she has quite a few campy flicks to her credit too.
But the snooze-worthy memory of The Others remake, Hum Kaun Hai tops the list.
Despite the star power of a (disinterested) Kapadia, (clueless) Amitabh Bachchan and (lost) Dharmendra, Hum Kaun Hai is unintentionally hilarious, daft, slow and, ultimately, plain boring.
Konkona Sen Sharma, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag
Konkona Sen Sharma is wise with her choice of films. But Laaga Chunari Mein Daag – an outmoded theme with regressive tone --is an experience she could’ve easily done without.
Trapped in a feebly sketched role of Rani Mukerji’s clueless sibling in Pradeep Sarkar’s dated sensibility, which concocts a kerchief caper about a small town girl who takes up prostitution in the big bad city of Mumbai to support her family.
Why Konkana would accept a film this drab is beyond comprehension.
Kajol, Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi
Though hailed as one of the best actresses of her time, Kajol screeches and scowls twofold in Rahul Rawail’s mockery of Disney’s charming Parent Trap about twin sisters trying to reunite their estranged parents.
It’s not just Rawail’s raucous treatment of Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi’s frames filled with mediocre acting but Kajol’s willingness to mistake hysterical for enthusiasm that hurts.
Especially the ears.
Rekha, Madam X
She began her career as a chubby, gawky teenager in random movies but blossomed into an actress who put heart, thought and weight in her characters through films like Muqaddar Ka Sikander, Ghar, Khubsoorat, Silsila, Umrao Jaan and Ijaazat.
And so it is inexplicably disturbing to watch her transform into a bizarre caricature, an irrepressible cartoon with a penchant for loud costumes and louder expressions in and as the unforgettably appalling Madam X.
There are many other ghastly films on her resume but nothing even remotely of this magnitude.
Sridevi, Chandra Mukhi
From Sadma to English Vinglish, few would doubt the ease with which Sridevi unfolds in front of the camera. For all her hits, however, there are ample of misses too.
And while the awkward seduction of Rajesh Khanna in Masterji continues to attract unwanted attention and Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja is easily one of her most expensive flops, the extent of hopelessness enveloping the idiotic fantasy Chandra Mukhi is something else.
Sri plays a fairy who falls in love with an 8-year-old after he magically transforms into an adult, that is Salman Khan, also credited for this dumb brainwave, which probably hit him while watching Tom Hanks in Big.
Absurd from start to finish, Chandra Mukhi crashed at the box-office like a house of cards.
Madhuri Dixit, Yaarana
Madhuri Dixit is a stunning mix of charisma and creativity. Except in her three-decades long career, she’s blundered one time too many with forgettable turkeys like Vardi, Phool, Aansoo Bane Angaarey, Paapi Devta, Ilaaka, Mohabbat, Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke, Prem Granth and Koyla, take your pick.
We are going with David Dhawan’s unquestionably awful, dense and hammy reworking of Hollywood’s Sleeping With The Enemy, which unfortunately happens to share its name with the endearing Amitabh Bachchan-Amjad Khan friendship saga, Yaarana.
Barring her Mera piya ghar aaya song ‘n’ dance, there’s simply no redeeming the loony drama featuring Madhuri Dixit in hideous clothes and wigs, Raj Babbar at his excessive worst and Rishi Kapoor doing the tired saviour routine yet again.
Tabu, Hawa
Nobody conveys vulnerability better than Tabu on screen. But even an actress of her mettle cannot salvage the torturous mess that is Guddu Dhanoa’s Hawa, wherein she plays a physically traumatized victim of invisible evil.
A rip-off of Hollywood’s spooky thriller, The Entity, Hawa is much too exploitative in its approach to build upon the dread of its supernatural premise.
The upshot is an audience laughing at the movie and pitying Tabu for partaking in such nonsense.
Shabana Azmi, Amba
One of the enduring torchbearers of meaningful cinema, Shabana Azmi’s career boasts of innumerable highs like Ankur, Mandi, Arth, Masoom, Paar, Godmother, Fire, Makdee or Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola.
Even in her most flippant films (Muqaddar Ka Badshah, Jhoothi Shaan), her unmistakable aesthetics and intellect stands out. But her titular avatar in Mohan Kumar’s over-the-top Amba is a strange choice.
The film shamelessly tries to fit in the Mother India mould dumbing down Azmi’s fiery brilliance to a cringe-worthy stereotype that’s as bearable as the tacky silver wig on her head.