“At its best, life is completely unpredictable”, this famous line by American actor Christopher Walken stands true for every individual. Success is never permanent and life is always a blend of highs and lows both at the same time. While this factor stands true for every professional across different walks of life, the movie industry is perhaps that one industry that can be considered to be the epitome of unpredictability. One is as good as his or her last project and this has been the case for generations. While there’s no fixed route to ensure 100% success on a Friday, off-late, we have enough instances why we feel that biopics have played a handy role in helping a star either establish his/her niche as a performing artiste or get back his or her lost glory at the box office.
From leading actresses like Priyanka Chopra and Sonam Kapoor to celebrated superstars like Farhan Akhtar and Ranbir Kapoor, they all have opted for biopics at some point in time or other to boost their careers. So today here’s taking a quick look at how some of our favorite B-Town actors have used ‘biopics’ as a tool to make their presence felt.
Priyanka Chopra: She’s the lady who needs no introduction. The diva has made the country proud at an international level and has achieved cult status in the industry. However, the year 2013 proved to be disastrous for Priyanka with a movie like ‘Zanjeer’. Just when people started to write her off, she came back with a bang with the biopic of Mary Kom in 2014 and the rest is history. It proved to be the ‘push’ she needed to get her career back on track.
Farhan Akhtar: Whenever we hear this name, the first thing that comes to our mind is ‘multi talented’ personality. Like really, is there anything which Farhan Akhtar can’t do? Today, apart from being a fine Director, Singer, and Producer, Farhan is recognized as a fantastic actor and all credit goes to ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, which is the biopic of a late legendary athlete, Milkha Singh. The biopic helped Farhan cement his place as an actor and as expected, all the positive reviews and attention came his way after the success.
Sonam Kapoor: The actress is one of the most popular and celebrated in the country. However, it’s no hidden secret that more often than not, she’s admired for her sense of fashion rather than her choice of movies. But, one movie which helped her receive critical acclaim and appreciation was ‘Neerja’, which was a biopic made to celebrate the bravado and gallantry of flight attendant Neerja Bhanot. The movie continues to remain one of Sonam’s all-time best in her career.
Sushant Singh Rajput (Late): He has been one of the finest cases of a successful transition from TV to movies. The ‘Pavitra Rishta’ actor got his debut break as a movie actor with Shudh Desi Romance in 2013. However, even in his case, it was only after he played the role of MS Dhoni in his biopic in the year 2016 that people started to recognize him as a bankable commercial actor. Today, the actor is no more but whenever we watch MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, we get goosebumps realizing the amount of effort he invested for the project. One of his best indeed.
Ranbir Kapoor: The ‘chiraag’ of the Kapoor clan is undoubtedly one of the finest actors that we have in the industry today. The thing with his acting is that he has got eyes that talk and we cannot help but emotionally connect with every character of his. When Ranbir dealt with a disaster like Jagga Jasoos in the year 2017, it was again a ‘biopic’ that came to his rescue. Ranbir played the role of Sanjay Dutt in ‘Sanju’ and people appreciated him for everything, starting from his voice modulation to diction and physical transformation. One of his career-best.
Janhvi Kapoor: It is early days for Janhvi as she made her debut just three years back with Karan Johar’s ‘Dhadak’ in 2018. However, the smart and intelligent person that she is, Janhvi too realized the potential of biopics in the industry at a very early stage in her career and thus came ‘Gunjan Saxena’ in 2020. It helped her get immense appreciation and love from all corners. The young and vibrant actress was seen beaming with joy around the time of the streaming and the emotions were certainly heartfelt.
Sidharth Malhotra: Last, but certainly not least, we have to include this good-looking Delhi boy in the list. Sidharth started with a bang in the industry with good movies like Student Of The Year, Ek Villain, Brothers, & Kapoor And Sons. However, his career deviated a little after a series of consistent flops like A Gentleman, Baar Baar Dekho, Aiyaary, Marjaavan, and Jabariya Jodi. That’s where the biopic of Captain Major Vikram Batra aka ‘Shershaah’ came in handy to help him retain his lost glory and the rest is history.
Well, we are certainly not endorsing the fact that biopics are equivalent to guaranteed success. But given the trend and pattern in the Hindi entertainment industry in the last few years, it is certainly a ‘weapon’ that an artiste can ‘plan’ to use well for his or her own benefit when things start to go haywire professionally. After all, nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity in ‘showbiz’. Think fast, act faster.
