February 2025 will be remembered for the historic Chhaava. Smashing all records, Chhaava has catapulted Vicky Kaushal to the top league.
A topnotch producer-director who has worked with Vicky more than once told me, “It is so unexpected. I always saw him(Vicky) as a strong second lead, or a sensible option for low budget romcoms. Now he is suddenly giving A-listers sleepless nights.”
Rumours have it that Kaushal will be replacing an A-lister (known for his self-promotion) in a big budget film. His role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love & War is also being strengthened.
For some others it was the end of the road this month. Arjun Kapoor and Himesh Reshammiya just need to take it easy after Mere Husband Ki Biwi and Badass Ravi Kumar, respectively. Audiences won’t be taken in by the extra hype, namak-mirch marke. They know exactly what they want to watch and what not.
Interestingly the best films and performances in February were on the OTT platform: Sanya Malhotra in Mrs, Boman Irani & Avinash Tiwary in The Mehta Boys , Yami Gautam & Pratik Gandhi in Dhoom Dham and the entire cast of Superboys Of Malegaon, stole the show from their big screen brethren.
There is a lesson to be learnt for the big screen pursuers – Content is king. A character in Superboys Of Malegaon (easily the film of the month, if not the year) says, “Writer baap hai.” When will Hindi mainstream cinema realize that the screenplay and not the self-appointed superstars bring the audience in?
As for the newcomers this month, stop shoving yourself in the public eye just because you are superstar’s son or daughter or a super-director’s daughter. Remember, ooparwala dekh raha hai, neeche wala bhi.
