Salman, Akshay and Ajay can still make headlines. But actors like Sanjay and Sunny are showing that adapting with time is the real key to relevance
There was a time when a Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar or Ajay Devgn film was an event. Their names alone could fill theatres. Not anymore. Today’s audience expects more than star power. A big name can create opening-day buzz, but it cannot rescue a weak film. Content has become the biggest star. Interestingly, some of their contemporaries have found a new lease of life. Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Akshaye Khanna and Emraan Hashmi have embraced multi-starrers, character roles and powerful antagonists instead of clinging to the solo hero image. The result is renewed relevance and a stronger market.
Bollywood’s message is clear. Reinvention is no longer optional. It is the key to survival.
End of the one-man show
Salman Khan’s much-awaited war drama Matrabhumi continues to remain in limbo, with no release date in sight. His last release, Sikandar, managed a domestic lifetime collection of around `100 crore but failed to generate the frenzy once associated with a Salman Khan film.
Film analyst Girish Wankhede believes audiences are no longer buying tickets for stars alone. “From 2018 onwards, releases like Race 3, Dabangg 3, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan and especially Sikandar failed to recreate the old magic, barring the franchise-backed Tiger 3. These films leaned on dated mass formulas and loose plots that no longer connected with audiences. Beyond that, Salman’s reliance on a familiar circle of directors and the same heroic template has left little room for reinvention. High budgets without matching emotional or narrative depth have further hurt recoveries, as today’s viewers no longer buy tickets solely because of stardom,” says Girish.
Salman is not alone. Aamir Khan has had just one theatrical release in recent years, Laal Singh Chaddha. Akshay Kumar’s rapid-fire releases have delivered more misses than hits, while Ajay Devgn has found greater success with franchises than original films. Their names still grab attention. They no longer guarantee a blockbuster.
Art of starting over
Ironically, some of their contemporaries have found a stronger second innings by letting go of the solo hero image. Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal and Emraan Hashmi have embraced character roles and villains, playing to their strengths instead of competing with younger stars. Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan have shown that audiences accept ageing stars who are willing to evolve.
Author and film biographer Yasser Usman believes this is the natural evolution of a successful career. “Sanjay, Sunny enjoyed long runs as conventional leading heroes. Even Bobby and Akshaye had their share of leading roles. When the audience stopped accepting them as conventional leads, they reinvented themselves as character actors. A former leading man in a supporting role almost always elevates the character. Their screen presence gives it credibility, like Akshaye in Dhurandhar.”
No longer about being the hero
Emraan Hashmi has quietly reinvented himself as one of Bollywood’s most versatile actors. While returning as Shivam Pandit in the Awarapan sequel, he has also embraced antagonist roles in films like Tiger 3 and Game Changer. For him, longevity comes from constantly reinventing himself rather than repeating the same image. “I learnt very early on that if you want to survive the marathon in this industry, you have to play a whole gamut of characters and not keep repeating yourself. It’s not that repetitive roles don’t work. There are stars who have played the same persona for decades. But that’s not me. I’ve been a victim of being typecast and stereotyped, but I was always willing to take the risk”
Who replaces the Khans?
Bollywood’s challenge extends beyond today’s ageing stars. The industry has not produced enough younger actors with the kind of mass appeal once enjoyed by the Khans. “Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Vicky Kaushal represent the middle generation, but they release just one film every couple of years. That has created a vacuum at the top. Reinvention has become essential because there are no obvious successors waiting in the wings,” says a casting director.
The Shah Rukh exception
Among his contemporaries, Shah Rukh Khan remains the biggest exception. According to Wankhede, the anticipation surrounding King is the result of careful reinvention rather than nostalgia. “That’s Brand SRK at work, carefully built through his last two outings. With Pathaan, he reinvented the spy genre with fresh energy, while Jawan reset his image for a new generation. These weren’t just blockbuster hits. They were image reinventions.”
Unlike many of his peers, Shah Rukh Khan has been far more selective. He has limited his screen appearances, carefully protected his brand and chosen films that reinvent his image instead of relying on past success.
The Second Innings
Instead of clinging to the solo hero image, actors like Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Akshaye Khanna and Emraan Hashmi have reinvented themselves. Today, they are among the biggest strengths of ensemble films.
Star power has an expiry date
Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn can pull audiences into theatres, but if the film disappoints, the box office drops just as quickly. The audience has become far more demanding.
