Bollywood is currently finding itself at a strange juncture where at one end it’s desperately looking for more and more actresses who are reliable and talented enough to be a part of its future plans for next 10 years, and on the other end it has quite a lot of young talent already available which is getting more and more chances to perform and consolidate their positioning at the box office.
Things have changed drastically post pandemic on the other side of 2020. There was a golden period right from 2005-2015 when there was abundance of wonderful talent available that had been doing well to be on the top of the list of filmmakers who wanted to make commercial cinema. They guaranteed substantial performance and if not that then at least solid screen presence and fanbase which added weight to a film that was driven by a major male lead.
Kareena Kapoor Khan, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, Rani Mukherji, Anushka Sharma, Vidya Balan, Kangana Ranaut – There were so many choices available. Few of them are even national award winning actresses, while each one of them has at least one solid female centric hit to their name. Their name in the starcast ensured that a film would get its due viability and recognition, and post that it was the merit of it that decided its box office run.
Things have changed drastically today and filmmakers as well as leading men are often heard complaining about the lack of names available who promise similar gravitas. Yes, a few of these aforementioned names are still active but then frankly, it’s far and few as most have either got married and got into semi-retirement or moved away from the industry.
Nett nett, back in time at least there were choices available for the filmmakers and it was about whether story, budget and pairing with the hero allowed these leading ladies to be a part of the biggies in the making. Yes, there are certain actresses who have consolidated their positioning better in the last decade or so. Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon are consistent though Shraddha Kapoor does fewer films. Kiara Advani needs a hit soon though while Yami Gautam has been playing her own game rather well. Rashmika Mandana has been a part of few recent hits as well. That said, the majority of them could be very active for the next 5 years perhaps and then get into the same zone as Kareena, Deepika, Priyanka and other aforementioned names by picking and choosing their films sporadically.
All of this means that while talent hunt is the need of the hour with newer faces waiting to emerge, it’s time for star kids – who have already been introduced – to grab the opportunities being provided to them and shine.
Ananya Panday has seen the most success already and had Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri worked, it would have set herself up well. Nonetheless, there is Chand Mera Dil coming up next for her. Janhvi Kapoor has been doing films very regularly and again she would be looking at building something much bigger than her last average success Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari. Sara Ali Khan, after doing so many movies, was last seen in ensemble affair Metro… In Dino which was just a coverage affair and has her eyes set on Pati Patni Aur Woh Dono next. Shanaya Kapoor had a non-starter in Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan and is getting a relaunch of sorts with Tu Yaa Main which is looking promising. As for Suhana Khan, she would be getting the mother of all launches with her theatrical release King after a forgettable OTT outing The Archies.
There is a lot at stake and 2026 could well be a turnaround year when it comes to emerging talent finally making a big mark while being a solid plan for the future and hunting for newer faces being on in parallel. It’s up to these young women now to grab the opportunities that they have and make it all count.
