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India got its Independence this month. Here’s looking at the souls who attained birth this month too and went on to be significant in Hindi cinema.
Taapsee Pannu / August 1
Like Kangana Ranaut, early on, Taapsee went on a deliberately spree to avoid movies with top male stars. And that is probably why this hyper-choosy actress has been under a cloud of late. Badla, Shabhash Mithu, Rashmi Rocket, Saand Ki Aankh and Mulk have all shown what she is capable of, and her Hindi debut was as mainstream as it can get—in the David Dhawan rom-com, Chashme Baddoor—after doing 10 South films!
Siddharth Roy Kapur / August 2
He has been around for over two decades, from his UTV days to his independent productions. Siddharth Roy Kapur has been prolific and his best work as producer and co-producer includes A Wednesday, Raajneeti, No One Killed Jessica, Delhi Belly, Chillar Party, Dangal, the Tamil Vettai, Barfi!, the ABCD franchise, TV series like Rocket Boys.
Kajol / August 5
She is the evergreen Diva, striding across Hindi cinema terrain with unchanged grace, ebullience, charisma and intensity for all of 35 years! Beginning with the flop, Bekhudi (1992), she has had histrionic and commercial triumphs galore, including Baazigar, Karan Arjun, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya, Pyaar To Hona Ho Tha, Gupt, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…, Tribhanga, the web series The Trialand more.
Suniel Shetty / August 11
He may not be in the race, but he is definitely around and is also one of the most-respected and loved human beings, because his feet have always been on terra firma. Welcome to the Jungle, his latest release, has been a certified success.
In films and on the web, Shetty’s best includes Border, the Hera Pheri franchise, Awara Pagal Deewana, Main Hoon Na, Dus, Qayamat, Kaante and Jungle and has nothing left to prove with a range from comedy to action. Like Shashi Kapoor in another era, his professionalism saw him busy throughout despite an inordinate flop percentage.
Johny Lever / August 14
The monarch of comedy after giants like Bhagwan, Om Prakash, Johnny Walker, Mehmood, Rajendranath and Asrani, Johny Lever has, like all of them, also proved his mettle outside the comic zone that is considered the most difficult part of acting. He has shone also in dramatic roles, as in I Want to Talk. Inimitable, again like them, this master comic enters his 70th year on August 14. We can only showcase some of the crème-de-la-crème in over 325 releases: Housefull 4, Golmaal Again, Koi…Mil Gaya, Awara Pagal Deewana, All The Best, Baadshah andBaazigar. This year, he also completes 45 years in cinema.
Sunidhi Chauhan / August 14
A perceptive composer told me some years ago that after the legends, only three or four female singers really have the future potential to be termed the same way. And Sunidhi Chauhan was very much in his hallowed list. Versatile and hardworking at her art and growth, Chauhan was groomed by Kalyanji-Anandji and made her debut as a child singer under Aadesh Shrivastava with the hit Kya ada kya jalwa tera Paro in Shastra (1996). Multi-genre and multi-lingual, she has never really looked back after her adult debut in Ruki ruki thi zindagi in Mast (1999).
David Dhawan / August 16
Among Hindi cinema’s most prolific directors with a high rate of success, David Dhawan has rarely experimented beyond his biggest forte: comedies. Aankhen, Coolie No. 1, Hero No. 1, Judwaa, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Jodi No. 1, Main Tera Hero—the laughs kept coming. At his peak, Dhawan would shoot two films a day—at different locations in the country! What’s more, he has been a skilled film editor, as we have seen in Souten, Saaransh, Naam andInsaaf.
Manisha Koirala / August 16
You could say she is the first foreigner to enter the hierarchy of Hindi cinema’s top heroines. Hailing from a prominent political family in Nepal, Koirala struck it big with her debut film, Saudagar, in 1991, making a whopper mark in a film dominated by Dilip Kumar and Raaj Kumar. Bombay, Gupt, Agnisakshi, Khamoshi—The Musical and very recently, Heera Mandi: The Great Diamond Bazaar proves that the fire is still intact.
Saif Ali Khan / August 16
Son to the cricket legend Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and Sharmila Tagore, Saif Ali Khan has proved his staying power now for over 33 years. Apart from comedy (Main Khiladi Tu Anari), romance (Kal Ho Naa Ho, Hum Tum), action (Vikram Vedha), he has all along maintained excellence in a unique area as well: essaying dark characters (Ek Hasina Thi, Being Cyrus, Omkara, Tanhaji—The Unsung Warrior, Adipurush) has been his special forte.
Madhur Bhandarkar / August 26
He began with the potboiler non-starter, Trishakti in 1998 and shifted quickly to hard-hitting socially-purposeful dramas, making a huge mark with Chandni Bar (2001), Satta (2002), Page 3 (2005) and Fashion (2008). However, this one-time video library owner is now a Padma Shri recipient, and a multi-awarded filmmaker who has also tried his hands at Marathi and Bengali cinema and a TV serial.
Jim Sarbh / August 27
Both stage and screen have become richer with this incredible actor’s brilliance. He was first noticed on screen in Neerja (2014) as the antagonist. Padmaavat, Sanju, Mrs. Chatterjee Vs. Norway, Rocket Boys, Four More Shots Please! and above all, Made in India: A Titan Story show this multi-awarded (even internationally!) Parsi actor as a colossus in the making. And he is almost there.
Rajkummar Rao / August 31
He is to heroes what Jaya Bachchan nee Bhaduri and Shabana Azmi were when they had first came in: the ordinary next-door person sans glamour, who could pack a punch on screen. Shahid, Queen, Aligarh, Bareilly Ki Barfi, Newton, Stree, Ludo, Srikanth—there seems no end to his range. Today, Rao is essaying real-life celebrity prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam in Prahaar and cricketer Sourav Ganguly in Dada.
