Journalism of Courage
As 2013 draws to a close,we take a look which B-Town beauties shone this year,their work and contribution to cinema speaking volumes.
Deepika Padukone: Its been an absolute fabulous year for Deepika Padukone with four back-to-back hits. Her first film of the year,'Race 2' was the first one to enter the worldwide Bollywood's Rs 100 crore club in 2013. Her pairing with former flame Ranbir Kapoor in 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani' took the box office by storm.
Her next film 'Chennai Express' had Deepika playing the role of a south Indian girl to thee tee opposite the charming Shah Rukh Khan. And her last release of the year,'Ram-Leela' opposite rumoured beau Ranveer Singh sent temperatures soaring as fans thronged to watch the duo onscreen.
Looking forward: Deepika already has her hands full - she is currently busy with Farah Khan's 'Happy New year' along with Shah Rukh Khan again and then Homi Adajania's 'Finding Fanny' with Arjun Kapoor.
Priyanka Chopra: It's been a tough year for Priyanka Chopra,with the loss of her father. However,the actress has shown resilience as she went about her work,proving to be even stronger than before. Though she has had no film releases in 2013,Priyanka Chopra has been riding high with the success of her hit single 'Exotic' also featuring rapper Pitbull.
The songstress also added another feather to her cap when she became the first Indian girl to be signed up for 'Guess'. Priyanka Chopra also sizzled in a special item number for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela',which earned the actress much praise and appreciation.
Looking forward: Year 2014 is bound to be an eventful year for Priyanka as far as films are concerned. She will be seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's biopic on Olympic bronze medalist Mary Kom. Next up will be Yash Raj Films' 'Gunday' with Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh. Buzz is that Priyanka has also signed up for Zoya Akhtar's family drama.
Katrina Kaif: Katrina Kaif is another actress who has had no releases this year,but yet manages to make headlines. However,the actress is all geared up to take our breath away in much-awaited action thriller 'Dhoom 3' alongside Aamir Khan. We've got glimpses of the actress' sizzling avatar and thrilling stunts in the film. She was in news this year more for her personal life. Her bikini-clad pics with rumoured beau Ranbir Kapoor in Spain grabbed a lot of attention.
Looking forward: Year 2014 looks promising with three films on the agenda 'Bang Bang' opposite Hrithik Roshan,'Jagga Jasoos' with Ranbir Kapoor and 'Phantom' with Saif Ali Khan.
Kangana Ranaut: 2013 has been a mixed year for Kangana Ranaut. She first appeared in Sanjay Gupta's multi-starrer 'Shootout at Wadal',with John Abraham. Though Kangana's role was fairly small,it was well received. Kangana next featured in Rakesh Roshan's 'Krrish 3' as the sexy vicious Kaya. The film had a huge opening at the Box Office collecting over Rs 48 crore within two days of its release.
Her last release,'Rajjo',in which she played a nautch girl opened disastrously at the Box office. Kangana has also been labeled a fashionista,thanks to her style choices and her love for experimentation when it comes to clothes.
Looking forward: However,things are sure to pick up in 2014,with strong women-oriented roles in 'Queen','Revolver Rani' and 'Ungli'. "I Love New Year',which was slated to release this year,has been pushed to 2014.
Sonakshi Sinha: Sonakshi Sinha has been on a roll this year with five releases in total some hits and a few misses. Romantic period film 'Lootera' brought a never-seen-before side to Sonakshi. Her character Pakhi received acclaim both from critics and fans. Sonakshi then appeared in Milan Luthria's 'Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara'. Though the film opened well,it soon lost out to 'Chennai Express'. Sonakshi was then seen in two flops 'Boss and 'Bullett Raja'. But her last release 'R Rajkumar'. Despite poor reviews the movie has faired well at the box office.
Looking forward: Her choices for 2014 are remake of south film 'Okkadu','Action Jackson' and A.R. Murugadoss' tentatively titled 'Holiday' opposite Akshay Kumar.
Kareena Kapoor Khan: The once reigning queen of Bollywood seems to have gone into a slumber. The actress had two disappointing releases this year. The first one was political drama 'Satyagraha' along with Amitabh Bachchan,Ajay Devgn. The film,which starred Kareena in the role of a reporter,received little praise but managed to scarpe through at the Box Office. Her next release was rom-com 'Gori Tere Pyaar Mein' was termed a huge Box Office disaster. But the Kapoor girl can not be written off so soon.
Looking forward: 2014 seems to be jam packed for Kareena 'Happy Ending' with husband Saif Ali Khan,'Gabbar' with Akshay Kumar,'Bombay Samurai','Shuddhi',Badtameez Dil'.
Shraddha Kapoor: Shraddha Kapoor who has had some bad luck with films in the past,had a better year with 2013. She appeared in romantic musical drama 'Aashiqui 2'. The film was a huge hit collecting approximately Rs. 85 crore at the box office.,Shraddhas performance was well received with some commenting that she looked innocently beautiful. She also played a supporting role in Gori Tere Pyaar Mein. Shraddha was also in the news about her rumoured relationship with co-star Aditya Roy Kapur. However,the duo have maintained that they are just friends. Maybe 2014,will be the year to spill the beans.
Looking forward: The coming year will see Shraddha in Ekta Kapoor's 'The Villain' and Vishal Bhardwaj's adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet - 'Haider'.
Huma Qureshi: After creating waves with her appearance in Gangs of Wasseypur (2012),Huma Qureshi had a somewhat ok year at the Box office. Her first 2013 release,Ek Thi Daayan received mixed reviews from critics; however,Humas performance was well appreciated. Her second release was Anurag Kashyap's Shorts,which yet again received mixed reviews. However,her role as a R.A.W explosives expert in Nikhil Advanis 'D-Day' earned her immense praise and acclaim.
Looking forward: 2014 will have Huma starring alongside Madhuri Dixit in Dedh Ishqiya. An experimental film,'X' and an untitled Yash Raj Film are said to be her other upcoming projects.
Nargis Fakhri: Nargis Fakhri received immense praise and acclaim for her role as a British war correspondent in Soojit Sircars 'Madras Cafe' along with John Abraham. It is said that Nargis did extensive research for her role and her performance was widely appreciated. Nargis also made a special appearance in the item number 'Dhating Naach' in 'Phata Poster Nikhla Hero'.
Looking forward: In year 2014,she will be seen in 'Shaukeen' remake and 'Main Tera Hero'.
Parineeti Chopra: The bubbly and vivacious Parineeti Chopra had just one release this year Yash Raj Films' 'Shuddh Desi Romance' along with Sushant Singh Rajput and Vaani Kapoor. Parineeti played the role of the rebellious and bold Gayatri and received positive feedback for her performance. The Indian Express review said,She plays her Gayatri minus varnish,minus artifice,without letting any of the effort show,and wins us over : this is an actor getting better with each part." The film collected Rs. 46 crore at the Box Office,becoming a commercial success.
Looking forward: Parineeti will be seen in a tomboyish avatar in 'Hassee Toh Phasee' releasing this February. She will also be seen in Shaad Ali's 'Kill Dill'.
