How Bollywood suffers Katrina Kaif's stardom

The iconic Hollywood star Lauren Bacall once mused that stardom wasn’t a profession, but more of an accident. Had Bacall known the world of popular Hindi cinema a little better she would have readily corrected her stance. In the brave new world of commercial Hindi cinema, stardom has but come to be seen as a profession and some like Katrina Kaif are the testimony of such.

In a career spanning over a decade, Kaif might have gone on to become one of the biggest names in the business and shared the screen with nearly every A-list male star, but forget a single standout performance, unlike some of her contemporaries she has simply squandered her immense star power when it came to being relevant.

It’s not uncommon that actresses in popular Hindi cinema rarely get well-etched roles when it comes to mainstream films. Even when half-decent scripts come along there are only a handful of leading names amongst the female leads who get a shot at them and, ironically enough, it’s the success of such projects allows the trade to look beyond the perfunctory when it exploring themes or roles for women.

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For the want of a better expression, it’s after doing such "time" that it’s possible for actresses to see projects like a Mary Kom (2014), Queen (2014), Revolver Rani (2014), Mardaani (2014) or Gulab Gang (2014) from the recent past become a reality. Sometimes it’s also about becoming a part of a project where the male leads might not overburden a set-up by their mere presence like Piku (2014) to cite a current example.

This is almost a common phenomenon between contemporary leading women in Hindi cinema barring Katrina Kaif. Since her debut Kaizad Gustad’s Boom (2003), Kaif has featured in some of the most talked about popular Hindi films along with the biggest box-office draws of the last decade and a half and yet there is only a trickle that could be considered noteworthy.

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Sieve Kaif’s oeuvre and get rid of the run of the mill and you are left with a Namastey London (2007), Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (2009) and to some extent a Raajneeti (2010). Okay, let’s count her Laila, the diving instructor from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) as well. Even these films have an Akshay Kumar, a Ranbir Kapoor and an Hrithik Roshan for company.

Isn’t it interesting that even after being a part of the landscape on big budgeted extravaganzas (Partner (2007), Welcome (2007), Race (2008), Singh is Kinng (2008), Yuvvraaj (2008), Blue (2009), Tees Maar Khan (2010), Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012), Dhoom: 3 (2013), Bang Bang (2014), Phantom (2015)), Katrina Kaif has never managed to get a role where she’s the focus. Looking at the trajectory of Katrina Kaif’s career, it’s not the absence of the so-called woman-centric film that most love to sink their teeth in – Kahaani (2012), Queen, et al - that sticks out.

In fact, it’s the conspicuous absence of films where she doesn’t have to be in the shadow of an A-List star that makes you wonder about her stardom.

Since 2003, it’s only the recently released Fitoor (2016) where the star is perhaps for the first time paired opposite someone, Aditya Roy Kapoor, who isn’t bigger in terms of marketability when compared to her.

The abysmal critical, as well as box-office response to Fitoor, might not cause great damage Kaif’s prospects as a star for she would simply move to a Jagga Jasoos, Anurag Basu’s next with Ranbir Kapoor and more importantly a typical big tent production, but it surely makes you wonder about the utter pointlessness of stardom being wasted on her.

What’s the point of being someone who could get projects greenlit and not do a Bobby Jasoos like Vidya Balan post-Kahaani or a Sonam Kapoor, whose home production comes up with projects that suit her (Aisha (2010), Khoobsurat (2014) and the forthcoming Neerja (2016)) or a Priyanka Chopra, who balances a Bajirao Mastani (2015) (rumoured to have passed on by Kaif) and a Dil Dhadakne Do (2015) with a Jai Gangaajal (2016).

Some quarters might suggest that Kaif’s limited acting prowess might be an obstacle but then isn’t that the very thing stardom is supposed to take care of?