more than proving akshay kumar is the biggest (or even one of the top 5 )  star of bollywood, rowdy rathore once again underlines the fact that he will always be a follower, never a lader. akshay simply doesnt have the vision, the script sense and an understanding of the audiences’ sensibilities that salman and to a limite extent sharukh have. he can never come up with a game changer movie but will always follow the formula, invnted by others and therefore will always hover in the background.

look at the facts. in the wake of the 80s mindless action movies salman khan does a film called maine pyaar kiya, a family romance, an unheard of genre till then. many wud say salman was a newcomer at that time to have any major contribution to the ‘vision’ of the film but the fact remains even a newcomr needs to understand the character and scenes to be able to contribute to the film. the scenes where salman goes aroud in the kitchen as household work is happening in the film are drastically different from the romantic scens of say, a bobby, love story or ek dooje ke liye where it was always the family pitted against the lovers. the entire household fel f MPK wud not have come out if salman and bhagyashgree (as middle class as she looked, she came from a family of feudal landlords of madhya pradesh with blue blood in her veins) had not understood the mileiu.

and wat does akshay kumar start his career with? saugandh, a misogynist drama as outdated as the 80s, the umpteenth take off on those sunny deol movies where he wud slap and smooch the heroine to make her fall in love with him.

those who have watched the movies of the early 90s and read old magazines wud know that the major trend at that time was to play negative roles. and it was (re) started by sharukh khan in baazigar and darr. though it cud never have become the mainsteram formula (as anjaam and duplicate later prved) there was atleast something original in it. akshay does play the formula but much later in an ‘ajnabi’ by which time it has lost all its novelty value.

and at the hight of ‘negative hero’  trend one actor never succumbs to it. instead he shoots for what many call a ‘marriage video’ that goes on to become the second biggest hit of bollywood ever. by the time hum aap ke hain kaun happned, salman was a major star and his vision had to play a very imprtant role in the film. off course the film also set the formula for the next ten years. akshay wud don a desiner sherwani in many a film after that but the effect will never be as huge as a hahk obviously. all akshay’s attempts were too much of a ‘me-too’.

 

a hrithik roshan (who must be having a huge say in his home productions) does a kaho na pyaar hai, a koi mil gaya/krishh, a kites (never mind the failure) and a jodha akbar. can anyone visulaize akshay kumar in a historical love strory at the peak of NRI romances? can akshay himself?

 

even an aamir khan, as much of a pseudo as he is does finally manage to envision a film, a comedy about educational reforms that manages to netertain many an undergrads and school dropout. can akshay ever think of a 3 idiot? no!

 

and as the ‘multiplex’ cinema (about the ppl, for the ppl and by the ppl of the urban middle class)  reaaches its peak salman changes the game again with dabangg. the humungopus effect of chulbul padey is still too fresh in the minds of ppl to require any elaboration from me. and wat does akshay kumar come up with? a rowdy rathore with everything from dress to dialogus borrowed from wanted/dabangg/ready/bodyguard.

 

but trust salman to rise to the occasion once again. even as sharukh khan goes back to a yashraj roamnce and other stars sign action masala films let right and center, salman gives a go ahead to a sooraj barjatya for his next film. how will akshay ever be able to catch up with even the smallest of khans without a ‘vision’ is beyond me.