Superstars Are Out, Good Actors Are In

But opinions differ as to whether Aamir, SRK and Salman, the reigning Superstars, have irretrievably fallen from the pedestal.

Producer-director-distributor Suneel Darshan is certain they will no longer find the going easy.

Old gives way to the new

“Every decade came with its set of top heroes — Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand emerged in the 1950s; Rajendra Kumar, Shammi Kapoor and Manoj Kumar ruled the ’60s; Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra and Jeetendra were front-runners in the mid-60s and the phenomenon of Amitabh Bachchan emerged in 1973,” he says. “The 80s saw Mithun, Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Deol, Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff coming into the limelight until the start of the 1990s, which threw up the Khan trio — Aamir, Salman and Shah Rukh. They, along with Hrithik, Akshay and Ajay, have been dominating for a few decades.”

Not anymore with most of their films tanking at the BO. It’s time for them to climb down from the throne. “All of them are aged around 60. It’s time to hand over the baton to the next gen —Ranbir, Ranveer, and Vicky Kaushal, who have been waiting in the wings for the past two decades and are now coming to the forefront. Also in the race are Kartik Aaryan, Shahid Kapoor, Tiger Shroff, Aayushman Khurana, Varun Dhawan, Siddharth Malhotra and others.”

However it’s nolonger an easy journey for any hero, as the times are challenging.

Not spent forces yet

Agreeing with Darshan’s views up to a point, Roshan Singh, a prominent exhibitor of Bihar, says distributors across the country are celebrating the success of Dhurandhar as a new dawn at the box office. “But let’s not hasten to write off the ruling superstars. Agreed, Dhurandhar has shaken up the industry. But the Khans and the other stars like Ajay, Hrithik and Akshay can’t be written off. Not yet,” he says. “Shah Rukh has King coming up. It’s a crucial release for him. It could again tilt the scales in his favour,” he adds.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh says: “SRK and Salman continue to command a massive fan following globally. Their films still open big, generate tremendous buzz, and most importantly, create event cinema. That kind of pull isn’t easy to replicate.”

He adds, “There’s no denying that the next generation has firmly arrived. Ranbir, Ranveer and Vicky have carved their own space with strong performances, versatility, and a willingness to experiment. But here’s the key point: the industry still needs stars with solid box office pull. Today, content and storytelling are crucial but star power remains the driving force that ensures strong openings and footfalls. The Khans still rule in terms of reach and aura, while Ranbir, Ranveer and Vicky are carrying the torch forward into a more content-driven era.”

Spotlight on content

Trade analyst Amod Mehra is also of the view that it’s time for the big three to move over. “With Dhurandhar, Ranveer has proved that SRK is not the only real superstar.”

Producer Tanuj Garg too feels the same: “What has become abundantly evident over the years is that any actor is only as good as the script that he/she headlines. No one can guarantee anything,” he says. “Today, talent ought to chase content. Not the other way around.”

Salman Khan has not had a hit since 2019. Antim, Radhe in 2021, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan in 2023, Sikandar in 2025, were all miserable flops.

Aamir Khan’s last films Sitare Zameen Par and Dangal were hits. Prior to that his ambitious Lal Singh Chadha was an unmitigated disaster.

Shah Rukh Khan had two hits Pathaan and Jawaan in 2023 after a decade of flops. Dunki was a disaster too. A lot depends on his next release King.

Akshay Kumar had moderately successful films Kesari Chapter 2, Skyforce and Jolly LLB 3 recently. But Housefull 5 was a disaster. A lot depends on his next Bhooth Bungla.

Hrithik Roshan’s last two films Fighter and War 2 were disasters.

Ajay Devgan’s last two releases De De Pyar De 2 and Son Of Sardaar 2 were writeoffs.