Discussion Post: What Young Actor Should I Dig Into Next With a 101?

I am having fun doing original takes on the hot young things, but my mind is blank when I try to think of what hot young thing to tackle next.

Who are you curious about? Alia Bhatt? Sonam Kapoor? Arjun Kapoor? Sidharth Malhotra? Varun Dhawan?

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Any of these people?

In case you hadn’t figured it out, the larger Vision is to do all these posts about interesting hardworking folks, and then end with Ranbir Kapoor so we can fully appreciate/not appreciate him in comparison. If you feel like after Shahid and Ranveer you are ready for me to rip apart the Greatest Actor in India, I can just skip to him. But it might be nice to do a few more people I actually like and respect first.

40 thoughts on “Discussion Post: What Young Actor Should I Dig Into Next With a 101?

    • I was thinking Alia’s career was too short, but the way she has been going from strength to strength, and her fascinating family background, maybe not.

      On Tue, Dec 3, 2019 at 12:19 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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  1. Maybe Varun because he’s been firmly slotted in the commercial actor category yet seems to have a desire to push himself as an actor and work with certain directors because he really admires their work. Or maybe Alia. Even though I think she’s overrated in some ways her career in combination with her family background is fascinating to me because she’s in the Karan Johar branch of films instead of the Bhatt branch yet I feel like she fits right in with her family because of her instincts as an actor

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    • I find Varun fascinating as another Ranveer type, where his persona is this cocky outgoing person, but there are glimpses of someone really serious behind the facade. I feel a little silly obsessing over his romantic life, but really the way he has handled Natasha as part of his life is remarkable and unusual and not at all what you would expect based on his public attitude.

      And Alia, the same. Like you said, she comes off as this lightweight Dharma fluff, but the roles she has taken and her performances fit much more with the Bhatt artistic serious side.

      On Tue, Dec 3, 2019 at 1:04 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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  2. Varun, Sid and as a fan I would love to read about Arjun Kapoor.
    Have you written something about Deepika? I think her career is interesting.

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    • I’ve written about basically none of the new people, except for as part of a series on their whole families. And the last time I wrote about the other Kapoors was before Sridevi died, so Arjun looks very different now.

      On Tue, Dec 3, 2019 at 1:24 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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    • I know you’re not a fan of her work, but I think there are a few fascinating things about her and her family worth looking into. She’s always struck me as odd mix of childlike-quirky and serene maturity, and I think she’s slowly coming into her own as an actress.

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        • Yes! So far as I know, her family has no gross sex stuff in the background.

          Maybe a combined post for Kiara, Shraddha, and Swara Bhaskar or Radhike or someone? There are a lot of interesting new actresses who don’t have enough confirmed information about them for a full post, but could be interesting in contrast.

          On Tue, Dec 3, 2019 at 1:43 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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      • Oh, Shraddha herself I find really interesting! It’s just that I can’t talk about her without digging up Shakti’s sexual harassment scandal from the 90s and that’s going to be hard to track down and deal with.

        On Tue, Dec 3, 2019 at 1:42 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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  3. After Ranveer I want to read about a female. I think Alia is tremendous, but as you mentioned, she hasn’t been working very long. Sonam with her ability to entertain without being a tremendous actor is interesting. Shouldn’t there be more young actresses?

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    • Ah, this brings you to my theory of “actresses have to get married”! Short fast careers for these young ladies, launched at 19 and married and done by 35. Or at least done with the high profile and high pressure version of the career, time to move on to interesting lower pressure roles.

      Anyway, yes! I also find Sonam very interesting!

      On Tue, Dec 3, 2019 at 3:00 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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    • Well, I just did Arjun, he isn’t any great challenge to Ranbir professionally, but personally it is like he is a whole different species.

      On Tue, Dec 3, 2019 at 3:22 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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  4. What about Ayushmann or Rajkumar? Women actors, I would be interested in Radhike Apta and Vidya Balan, different ages though. And Swara Bhaskar. Ooh, or how about Taapsee? Kind of fascinated by her parallel normal life.

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    • Vidya Balan is fascinating purely in terms of her career, not what you think it would be at all.

      On Tue, Dec 3, 2019 at 10:02 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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  5. I see Kiara’s story as very similar to Ranveer’s but obviously with more wealth and connections so it would be interesting to do her as a female 101 of rich, wealthy, but not technically filmi kids. I really like Kriti’s history and choices too so I would love one on her. And of course Sid because he is just so pretty! Maybe if you want to really dig into it, Fawad (yes I know, I am shallow).

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    • I feel like Sid’s 101 would be “Pretty boy is born-pretty boy is discovered as a model because he is pretty-pretty boy is given a job as assistant director because he is pretty-pretty boy is given multiple film roles because he is pretty-pretty boy is ultimately a pretty decent person”.

      To your point about being rich but not filmi, I would include Kiara, Bhumi, Parineeti, and Radhike in that. Seems like since the Miss India era, suddenly being a Hindi film heroine is a respectable and desirable thing for rich respectable young women.

      On Wed, Dec 4, 2019 at 12:20 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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      • Ha! Love the Sid 101! I completely agree with all the others in the rich but not filmi. But to me, Bhumi and Radhika fall under the rich outsiders whose parents could get their kids into the right school and allow them to pursue a non-traditional career and maybe help them get connected with some distant filmi connections. I can’t imagine Bhumi or Radhika every grew up hanging out with the star kids. Maybe Bhumi went to school with some of them since she is from Juhu. And they both had cushions and they could go back home if they failed (Radhika even did) and pursue something else (I am pretty sure Bhumi’s twin is an attorney).
        But Kiara to me is much closer to Ranveer in that she always had very powerful and close filmi and uber rich connections. She grew up with all the star kids, went to all the right parties all her life, knew how to ingrain herself into the right circles. Calling her an outsider (just like calling Ranveer an outsider), to me, is just a bit ridiculous. Not sure if that makes sense or if I am just being nitpicky.

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        • No, it makes sense. There are the star kids, and then there are the Bandra/Juhu kids, and then there are the rich kids from every where else, and then there is the rest of India. The problem is, we don’t really have a term for the Bandra/Juhu and similar kids. I’d put Shahid in that category too, he knew the artistic performing world of India inside and out but didn’t have any particular power in Hindi film. Inside Insider versus Outside Insider versus Outsider Outsider? Maybe those are our three categories?

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          • Possible discussion post for us all to fight over….

            On Wed, Dec 4, 2019 at 1:59 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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          • Hmmm… people would fight over this? YAY! And here I thought I was being crazy distinguishing a nuance noone else likely cared out. I feel better now!

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          • I am changing all my votes and putting them toward Vidya Balan!! So many interesting quirky things about her!!!

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  6. Have you done one on Anushka Sharma yet? Is she still a bright young thing? I think she’s made so many interesting choices that it would be cool to know where she gets it from. I don’t think she’s from a filmy family either.

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    • I feel like I did a really short overview post of a lot of those actresses, if I can find it I will repost it.

      Anushka’s semi-interesting, army brat (daughter of an officer, so high class). Started modeling as a teenager, “modeling” meaning do cute ad shoots and short ad films, so modeling/acting. Discovered for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, and then publicly dated the most famous man in India after meeting him on an ad shoot where they were paired together, her biggest scandals were when she was accused of being “unlucky” and causing Virat to lose Cricket matches.

      I just wish there was more scandal there! She’s just a nice kid with her head on straight and a good business sense. BORING!

      On Sat, Dec 7, 2019 at 4:25 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:

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