An unspoken yet inevitable battle between three female actors, who are star kids and possibly have had the most noise to their acting debuts to now – has been a constant. Despite being pitted against each other, Sara Ali Khan, Janhvi Kapoor and Ananya Panday continue to maintain respect and admiration off-screen.
However, with each of these actors having spent more than five years and having done over 3 to 4 films at least – let’s have a look at who has managed to stand out as an actor more than a star and how the box office treated them as well.
Janhvi Kapoor
Carrying the legacy she does, that of a bonafide legend that Sridevi was – there is an instant baggage to work with. The timing with Janhvi Kapoor’s debut wasn’t opportune as well, as her film Dhadak came right after Sridevi passed away. Right away, the film wasn’t received well by the critics but turned out to be a commercial success.
Following that, Kapoor has perhaps adopted the most unusual trajectory that a starkid is otherwise associated with to follow. Seemingly determined to prove her acting chops, Kapoor’s film choices have been non-commercial and in the process, her performances in films like Gunjan Saxena – The Kargil Girl, Good Luck Jerry, and Mili received acclaim. What has alluded to the actor so far though has been box office moolah, where apart from her debut and an average grosser in the form of Mr. & Mrs. Mahi, none of her theatrical films have fared well (not including Devara – Part 1).
Going forward, Kapoor would love to have the sweet spot of critical acclaim and commercial returns; more of the latter.
Ananya Panday
An actor, who perhaps faced the most amount of flak and trolling with her debut, Student of the Year 2, Panday has actually had a rather interesting journey so far. Apart from SOTY 2, Panday has tasted box office love in the form of Pati Patni Aur Woh and Dream Girl 2 but throughout her acting projects till 2023, she didn’t receive critical love.
The last eleven months have been game-changing for Panday though where courtesy her performances in Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, Call Me Bae and CTRL, she has wowed the critics with her understanding of roles that suit her personality and she can do justice to it. The chink in this armour though is if there is a belief that is there only a certain kind of role she can do? We can only wait and watch.
Sara Ali Khan
It has been the most topsy-turvy graph for Sara Ali Khan as opposed to Kapoor and Panday. Even before her debut with Kedarnath, Ali Khan had her appearance on Koffee with Karan and right away, her wit, poise and intelligence caught everyone’s attention. Her acting chops in Kedarnath were also appreciated but since then, there has been a downward spiral which not many saw coming except for a few flickers of love.
Films like Love Aaj Kal, Coolie No. 1, Gaslight and Ae Watan Mere Watan saw Khan getting critical backlash and the box office failure of Love Aaj Kal added to the misery. For Atrangi Re, there was some applause but the box office success of Zara Hatke Zara Bachke bought some respite. Currently, Khan finds herself in a pickle of not entirely being able to get the good word from across the viewers but her future projects show hope.
And that’s where the distinction lies – this trio has varied filmographies so far and one might prefer an actor to the other but they are here to stay!
