They say life is always about grabbing that one big opportunity and making the most of it to lead a hunky-dory life. However, unlike fiction, life isn’t a bed of roses where it’s always an uphill ride. No matter how great an individual is in his personal or professional life, it will always have to deal with its share of highs and lows. That’s exactly where temperament comes in and separates the courageous who is not afraid to take bole calls from the rest. Just like any other professional field, the nature of success in the film industry too is highly volatile. One is as good as his or her last project and if someone comes across a few roadblocks in the form of failure, unfortunately, even the best ones have to sit outside and make way for the rest.
A lot of actors in the 90s in Bollywood were seemingly lost for quite a long time until the emergence of OTT gave them a fresh breather. It acted as a form of ‘second opportunity’ in their lives to revive their lost career and in some cases ‘stardom’ as well and some of them really stood up to the task and made the most of it. So here’s quickly summarising and listing out some popular B-Town celebrities who found themselves amidst fame, glitz and glamour again courtesy of OTT.
Bobby Deol: The advent and ever-so-growing popularity of OTT is perhaps the biggest gift to Bobby Deol. Talent and potential were never a question with Bobby in the past. However, due to his inability to pull audiences to the theatres in the past, a lot of his films were box office disasters due to which, he lost out on many opportunities despite being one of the most talented actors around. And then came Bobby Deol 2.0 in OTT as ‘Kashipur waale Baba’ in Aashram that changed things completely. Apart from that, he has delivered rock-solid performances so far in projects like Class Of 83 and Love Hostel. It has given him a new identity that he always deserved and he’s certainly making the most of it.
Madhuri Dixit: She’s that one actress for whom stardom could never fade even if she was missing from the screen for a long time. People never missed or questioned Madhuri Dixit the ‘star’. They always missed Madhuri Dixit, the ‘actress’ and finally, they got their share of visual delight in Netflix’s ‘The Fame Game’. The actress literally dominated the screen in every frame and no wonder, it is a cult hit. The fact that even an out our superstar like Madhuri Dixit chose OTT as a platform to make a comeback speaks volumes of its future.
Raveena Tandon: Just like Madhuri Dixit, Raveena Tandon too was on top of her game for a fairly long time in the 90s era. Her on-screen chemistry with Govinda in particular in that era was no match and there was a time when almost every second blockbuster in that era would feature Raveena Tandon. However, due to whatever reasons, she was missing from the screen for a long time. However, Netflix’s Aranyak proved to be the ideal ‘steal’ for her to make a rocking comeback and no wonder she made her character of a lady cop look cooler than ever before.
Karisma Kapoor: Just like Madhuri Dixit and Raveena Tandon, Karisma Kapoor too was a bonafide superstar in the 90s era for a fairly long time. Grapevine is that she apparently decided to step down from movies to ‘pass the baton’ to her sister Kareena Kapoor so that she could focus on her personal family life. However, is it really possible to take out the ‘acting ka keeda’ from an actor permanently? Good scripts are always appreciated and with Karisma, she got the ideal opportunity to seal the deal and make a grand comeback in Ekta Kapoor’s ‘Mentalhood’ in 2020 that streamed on ALT Balaji. However, ever since then, fans have missed her on-screen and we can certainly vouch for the fact that they would want to see more of her. Lolo, are you all ears?
Sushmita Sen: Sushmita Sen is perhaps the ideal example of a woman who has always believed in grace and class in B-Town. Quality has always been her priority ahead of quantity and that’s why, even though the former Miss Universe hasn’t done many films in terms of numbers, the impact that she has created is pretty much at par with some of the best of that era. Just like others, fans missed her on-screen as well until Aarya came her way. It proved to be the ideal women-centric project for her to stage a comeback and she certainly roared like a quintessential ‘Royal Bengal Tigress’. Ideally, we would want her to work beyond the Aarya series as well. Let’s hope that happens soon as well.
Kajol: This lady truly needs no introduction. She’s been a rage quite literally and without any element of doubt, there’s literally no one who has better on-screen chemistry with Shah Rukh Khan than her. The two of them have been part of several amazing movies together like KKHH, DDLJ, Dilwale, My Name Is Khan and many more. While King Khan continues to rule hearts in cinemas, Kajol appears to act once in a blue moon due to her family commitments. However, she couldn’t really keep herself away from the magic of OTT for too long and without any element of doubt, she was absolutely phenomenal in ‘Tribhanga’ that streamed on Netflix earlier.
Tabu: Last but certainly not least, there’s no way we could have missed out on Tabu’s name when we are talking about 90s actors who created an impact on OTT. She made her grand digital debut with the BBC television drama miniseries ‘A Suitable Boy’ that was directed by Mira Nair and adapted by Andrew Davies from Vikram Seth’s 1993 novel of the same name. The diva Tabu played the role of Saeeda Bai who catches the fancy of a young boy played by Ishaan Khatter. Despite raising many eyebrows with the pairing in the past owing to the apparent ‘age difference’, factor, Tabu did complete justice to her character as that was the need of the story. Her mettle and acting chops always ensure that we are left craving for more and that’s exactly why we want to see more of her. Hopefully very soon folks.
“Life is full of second chances. When they come, be more intentional, courageous and appreciative.” Well, it seems like these famous lines by author Brendon Buchard were taken a bit too seriously by these famous 90s stars of Bollywood. We sum up this article with the hope and belief that OTT continues to respect talent the way it is and that no talented performing artist loses out on good opportunities just because of past debacles.
