A bevy of fresh-faced actors who got their big Bollywood break last year amid a lot of hype have not been seen since. What are they up to?
Where have Bollywood's young debutants from 2014 disappeared?
Tinseltown throws its doors open to a steady stream of aspiring actors everyday, but only a few get lucky. Then again, getting a break in Bollywood does not guarantee a flood of offers or a secure future — never mind their potential or the hype around them. hitlist takes a look at some young actors who debuted last year and then went missing...
Daisy Shah
Debut: 'Jai Ho'
Lowdown: She had a dream launch opposite Salman Khan. Before stepping into the realm of acting, she was assisting choreographer Ganesh Acharya — for almost a decade. She had a guest appearance in bilingual thriller Vandae Maatharam and played the lead in the Kannada film Bodyguard.
Current status: Had spoken of another film opposite Salman, but there has been no announcement in this regard so far. No major deals in the South either.
Armaan Jain
Debut: 'Lekar Hum Deewana Dil'
Lowdown: Pedigree does assert itself in most cases. He hailed from a business background, but the Kapoor connection from his mother Reema Jain’s side drew him to Bollywood — Armaan is the grandson of Raj Kapoor. But that hardly helped his cause. His maiden outing met with disastrous results at the box office. Before becoming a ‘hero’, he worked as an assistant director in Karan Johar’s productions, My Name Is Khan followed by Student Of The Year, and Ek Main Aur Ek Tu.
Current status: No film offers
Ayesha Khanna
Debut: 'Dishkiyaoon'
Lowdown: She had initially been signed on as a stylist for this film, but was chosen to play Harman Baweja’s ladylove on first-time producer Shilpa Shetty’s insistence. This, apparently after the makers had auditioned 98 girls without any success. Ayesha had told us while she was overjoyed at the offer, it took a lot to convince her parents about jumping tracks. Unfortunately for her, the film proved to be a BO dud and she failed to garner favourable reviews. Though she does not have any acting offers as of now, sources close to her say that she is happy to continue as a costume designer.
Current status: Has styling assignments, but no films
Deeksha Seth
Debut: 'Lekar Hum Deewana Dil'
Lowdown: Deeksha was among the finalists of a beauty pageant in 2009 and made her acting debut in a Telegu film, Vedam. She followed it up with a couple more assignments down South before making her way to B-Town. She was seen in the Arif Ali rom-com alongside Armaan Jain. The film didn’t do well at the box office and the actress retreated from the Hindi film industry and is apparently doing South films.
Current status: No Bollywood offer
Mohit Marwah
Debut: 'Fugly'
Lowdown: He is Boney and Anil Kapoor’s nephew. But unlike his cousins Sonam and Arjun, Mohit did not make a huge impact as part of Fugly’s ensemble cast. His performance was rated
as 'decent'.
Current status: No projects in hand
Bilal Amrohi
Debut: 'O Teri'
Lowdown: The grandson of Kamal Amrohi, who made films on epic proportions, made his 70mm debut with a slapstick comedy. Belonging to a Bolly background, Bilal had huge support coming his way before his film’s release — Salman Khan also promoted his film. However, critics were not kind to this youngster. He was recently in news when he tied the knot with Saachi, Kumar Gaurav’s daughter and Sanjay Dutt’s niece.
Current status: No projects in hand
Kiara Advani
Debut: 'Fugly'
Lowdown: Before making her big screen outing, Kiara made news for her Salman Khan connection — she is the niece of Shaheen Jaffrey, one of Salman’s exes. There were rumours that the Dabangg star had recommended the SoBo girl to producer Ashwini Yardi while the casting process was on for the film. Despite Fugly being slammed by critics, Kiara’s performance was termed decent.
Current status: No projects in hand
Mannara
Debut: 'Zid
Lowdown: Her role as an obsessive lover in the Anubhav Sinha film earned her mixed reviews, but the actress is looking at bagging plum roles now. The actress, whose original name is Barbie Handa, is the cousin of Priyanka and Parineeti Chopra. Though she has done a dozen commercials, the starlet is presently seen in the ad of an online music platform.
Current status: No films at the moment
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