File photos of Kareena Kapoor and Kajol. Photo Credit: Sawf NewsJune 17, 2008 (Sawf News) - We have our Shehanshah, Badshah and King in Bollywood but no Begum, Shehzadi or Queen. When it comes to our heroines we just refer to them as Aish, Bebo or Kat. So who really rules amongst the actresses?
It all depends on the yardstick that you use; sexiness, we think is not the right one.
Titles, and more importantly paychecks, of Bollywood male stars are a reflection of their ability to carry a film on their shoulders. Should we not use the same yardstick for female stars?
Bollywood filmmakers may take a while to recover from the box office failures of heroine centric films like Aaja Nachle and Laaga Chunri Mein Daag, but when they do, they will seek actresses like Kajol and Kareena to topline their projects, not Katrina Kaif, despite her high current ranking.
Actresses like Aishwarya Rai, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerjee, Vidya Balan and Bipasha Basu can pull off strong roles, but their ability to carry a box office success on their shoulders is less certain..
Rani Mukerjee failed to do so in Laag Chunri Mein Daag, despite being a pretty good actress.
Kareena actually has a proven track record with Chameli (2003), and some may say even Jab We Met (2008), but no one can seriously doubt Kajol's ability to do even a better job.
For heroine centric films to succeed, a gripping script is an absolute must, but unfortunately rare to come by in Bollywood. And that is one reason why Katrina Kaif, despite her limitations, has her hands full with offers and fat paychecks, while a talented actress like Kajol does Mommy duties at home waiting for the right script.
Ironically, other than a strong script heroine centric films require little else to make. They cost a lot less for, for sure. Unlike leading male stars who command paychecks of between Rs 7 crore to Rs 20 crore, the best female stars come for less than Rs 3 crore. The films don't have item numbers, car crashes and high flying stunts all of which tend to soak up budgets.
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