T H E A M ITA B H BAC H C H A N I N T E RV I E W
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forbes india celebrity 100
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No. 07
Ce le b rity 1 00 s pec ial
VIRAT KOHLI
THE GAME CHANGER
Irreverent, ambitious and confident, he is undoubtedly the new, edgy face of Indian cricket
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Ranbir Kapoor Sachin Tendulkar Kamal Haasan Deepika Padukone Irrfan Khan John Abraham Rohit Shetty Saina Nehwal And More...
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L E T T E R F R O M T H E E D ITO R - I N - C H I E F
C E L E B R AT I N G C E L E B S here would we be without Bollywood and cricket, India’s two dominant religions? Readers of Forbes India will rediscover this truth as we uncover our second Celebrity 100 list—the top 100 Indians who make a living by entertaining all of us and exhorting us to buy this product or that by signing up endorsement deals. The top notchers in the Celebrity 100, 2013 are the usual suspects—SRK, Salman Khan, MS Dhoni, and Amitabh Bachchan, among others. The biggest rake in the most—true to Pareto’s 80:20 law. Thus, while our 100 Celebs are collectively estimated to have earned Rs 2,622 crore (our calculations take earnings from entertainment and endorsements in the period from October 2012 to September 30, 2013), the top 10 walked away with the cream— 43 percent of the loot, or Rs 1,145 crore. Together, the 100 grew their earnings by over 17 percent, comfortably beating inflation. But being a Celeb is not easy—not least because of the competition. For every Shah Rukh Khan or Sachin Tendulkar who is shovelling in the cash, there are a hundred others vying for the same action. This is evident in our list this year, which saw 24 of last year’s celebs making a quiet exit. Among them: Viswanathan Anand, Boman Irani, the husband-wife duo of Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia, and southern stars Ajith and Vikram Kennedy. Others merely slid down the greasy pole: Kareena Kapoor and Virender Sehwag dropped out of the Top 10 even as Hrithik Roshan and Ranbir Kapoor joined the hallowed club. Virat Kohli, the aggressive cricketer on our cover, has risen within the Top 10 from No. 9 to No. 7. Katrina Kaif is the only woman in the Top 10. Amitabh Bachchan, at No. 5, is clearly the most durable celeb in India. He also reported the highest increase in earnings among the Top 10: 27 percent. Old is gold. But the Celeb List is not all about money, for fame is an intangible contributor to fortune. Our lists thus weigh both earnings and fame based on media and other mentions of celebrities. It’s not an easy thing to do—and needs lot of legwork and partnerships. Forbes India journalists spend months talking to people in Bollywood, publishers, sports marketing companies and other insiders to figure out who’s earning what. It’s enough to drive our Celeb List Project Editor, Deepak Ajwani, who spends the final weeks fretting about it. Our Design Director Anjan Das usually hits the high notes as we approach the Celeb issue, because it allows him to fool around again with new designs. But we love the team that does it. But for all our efforts, we are not quite loved by most of the Celebs we write about. They don’t like us discussing their bank balances. But then, our readers do. And that counts.
W
Being a Celeb is not easy…. For every Shah Rukh Khan or Sachin Tendulkar, there are a hundred others vying for the same action Best,
R JAGANNATHAN
Editor-in-Chief, Forbes India r.jagannathan@network18online.com @TheJaggi
DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 5
Volu me 5 | Issue 27 | December 27, 2 013
Celebrity
CONTENTS
60
100
10 GAINERS AND LOSERS
How much money the Top 10 celebrities made or lost
12 THE DROPOUTS
Those who fell off the list this year
13 STAR DEBUTS
Newcomers to Celeb 100
14 YOUNG STARS
These five are the youngest on the list
16 POWER PRODUCERS
Spinning magic, behind the screen
15 ACTOR’S CUT
Star actors are demanding more of the revenue
18 SIBLING REVELRY
Sisters- and brothers-in-arms
20 GOING TO THE MOVIES TV stars who are making it big on the silver screen
21 PARALLEL LIVES
Straddling different professions and passions
THE LIST 22 CELEBRITY 100
The 100 top celebrities in Inida
14
VIRAT KOHLI
THE GLADIATOR At 25, Virat Kohli has already achieved more on the cricket field than most do in their entire careers Young gun: Parineeti Chopra 6 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
Virat Kohli: Colston Julian; Parineeti Chopra: Sachin Gokhale
84
47 STARGAZING What the numbers tell us
52 THE GIRL AND THE GAME Saina Nehwal has created a new generation of badminton lovers
56 BREAKING THE MOULD
Not treading the conventional path, Ranbir Kapoor is working to a plan
68 A DIFFERENT NOTE
Sukhwinder Singh’s unconventional voice and career path
70 THE HIT MAN
Rohit Shetty has mastered how to please audiences and ignore critics
76 ‘I’M NOT A HUGE FAN OF RS
Standing tall: Amitabh Bachchan
100-CRORE FILMS’ John Abraham’s career has been unusual, but successul
80 A QUESTION OF LEGACY
History will remember Sachin Tendulkar through those he inspired
84 FOREVER BIG B
Amitabh Bachchan’s enduring appeal lies in his capacity to overcome setbacks with dignity
92 DEFYING DEFINITION
102
Irrfan Khan continues to search for meaningful roles, and resist labelling
ROLE EVER Nothing had quite prepared Kamal Haasan for Vishwaroopam
98 WHERE MUSIC MEETS MAGIC Amit Trivedi has already given us some very soulful tunes
102 DEEPIKA: LIVING A FAIRYTALE
Regulars 9 Letters 122 Thoughts
With last year’s success, Deepika Padukone has found her rhythm
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Amitabh Bachchan: Vikas Khot; Deepika Padukone: Getty Images
Kapil Sharma has not taken long to tickle the country’s funny bone
117 BIG FELLA
Mark Mascarenhas, an outsider, changed celebrity management
118 ‘WHY I AM NOT ON SOCIAL MEDIA’ Imran Khan talks about why he dislikes Facebook and Twitter
96 HIS TOUGHEST
Shooting star: Deepika Padukone
108 INDIA’S MR FUNNY
120 SOCIAL MEDIA MOGULS Social media is just an extension of star power for these celebs
121 GLOBAL INDIANS
International faces who were born in India
FIPA 112 GIVING IT AWAY
Honouring the best in the field of philanthropy
WE VALUE YOUR FEEDBACK. Write to us at: forbes.india@network18online.com Letters may be edited for brevity. Read us online at www.forbesindia.com
Cover Photograph by Colston Julian Cover Design by Anjan Das Hair and Make Up: Apeni George Exclusive Agency: Cornerstone Sport & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. Suit by Tom Ford; tomford.com. Shirt by Gucci; gucci.com
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Celebrity
100
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L E T T E R S T O TH E E D ITO R
R E A D E R S S AY Senior Living
The TTK Prestige sto ry wi ll inspire a legion of smaller Indian co m pan i es with Big ambitions
Refer to ‘A Different Dream’ (Rich List, December 31, 2013, issue). Perhaps the project of Antara is meant for only the super rich. I don’t know what percentage of seniors retired in India can afford investing Rs 2 crore plus for accommodation and the huge maintenance cost that will be Rs 50,000 plus per month. How many such people prefer such facility against the one traditional Indians has gone for? Indra Roy Sharma, on the web
Gulf’s Indian Hero Refer to ‘How to Make a Billion’ (December 31, 2013, issue). Ravi Pillai is keeping a low profile but he is a big businessman and we have learnt a lot from him. His charity work in Kerala is admirable. He is employing more than 30,000 Asians, mostly Indians, in Middle Eastern countries. The Kerala government seeks his advice for solving Nitaqat issues among Keralites in Saudi Arabia. Akhil Kumar, on the web
The Challenger
twitter.com/Forbes_India
Refer to ‘Pretender No More’ (November 29, 2013, issue). Micromax has the entire world waiting for the brand and its products. There is huge potential in many markets like Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Africa, East Africa and Gulf are ‘low-lying fruits’ in this regard. It is the distribution which will matter in these geographies and branding would follow. In most of these geographies, India is already a known force due to the Tata group and L&T. Arijit Das, on the web
facebook.com/ForbesIndia linkedin.com/groups?gid=1959962 www.google.com/+ForbesIndia
Micromax has a very wide and fine market in India. No one can decline it. Indian people want good smartphones at
a low cost and they find Micromax fulfilling their want. Samsung is the market leader but who says that it will remain in the same position forever? They should know that once it was Nokia whom they [Samsung] replaced. If a company has good features and people have attraction towards it, it is natural they will gain the highest position. Jayanta Kumar Bhowmik, on the web Wonderful to see an Indian brand come a long way against all odds or no history of success by any Indian company in this industry. We should all support them, and take them ahead of any Korean or America brand. More power to them! Tarun, on the web
Sweet Success Refer to ‘What’s Cooking in the Prestige Kitchen? Ideas’ (November 29, 2013, issue). This is an inspiring story of how integrity, endurance and innovation— qualities that are synonymous with many Indian family-owned businesses—can combine to provide break-out results. The TTK Prestige story will inspire a legion of smaller Indian companies with big ambitions to put their head down to work, keep their feet firmly on the ground and let their vision soar high above. Anand, on the web
Organic Farming Refer to ‘Zero Pesticide? You Must be Kidding’ (November 29, 2013, issue). Are you considering reducing usage of chemicals totally to grow organic food and also going for Organic certification? That is the need of the hour. By using sustainable and organic or permaculture practices, you can increase the yields and also maintain soil health. Anil Shenoy, on the web D E C E M B E R 27, 2013 | F O R B E S I N D I A | 9
Celebrity
100
G A I N E R S A N D LO S E R S By PRINCE MATHEWS THOMAS
How the Top 10 fared this year on the earnings front
[ Winners ] Virat Kohli
21%
Along with his exploits on the field, where he equalled Viv Richards’ record for getting the fastest 5,000 runs in ODI, Kohli shone off the field too. India’s leading ODI run-getter this year signed a record deal with Adidas worth Rs 10 crore a year. His earnings for the year rose by 21 percent to Rs 57 crore. If the Delhi boy continues the run, he is sure to scale up higher on the Celeb List next year.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni 15% Amitabh Bachchan
27%
The superstar had just one release this year but is still doing great thanks to endorsement deals and another successful season of Kaun Banega Crorepati. He had the highest increase in earnings among the top 10, with a jump of 27 percent to Rs 147.5 crore. His lone movie Satyagraha, directed by Prakash Jha and co-starring Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kapoor, crossed the Rs 100-crore mark.
Salman Khan 9%
Salman Khan increased his earnings in 2013 by 9 percent to Rs 157 crore, thanks to a good showing of his Dabangg 2 at the box office. The movie grossed Rs 278 crore. On the flip side, Khan fell two places in the fame rank, bested by cricket superstars Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni. 10 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
There was no let-up in the leadership and money-making capability of the Indian cricket team captain, even on the celebrity list. He scored the third highest increase in earnings (15 percent) among the Top 10. The increase was largely thanks to two new endorsement deals at a higher valuation.
Shah Rukh Khan 9%
SRK reaffirmed his perch on top by increasing his wealth by almost 9 percent to Rs 220 crore, despite a drop in endorsements. It helped that he had two movies within the period—Jab Tak Hai Jaan and the blockbuster Chennai Express. Critics panned the movie but the masses loved it. Dhoni: Michael Steele / Getty Images, Virat: Getty Images; Akshay: Sachin Kadvekar / Fotocorp; Sachin: Danish Siddiqui / Reuters
[ Lo s e rs ] Hrithik Roshan 9%
Backed just by his endorsements—he has 10—Roshan completes the Top 10. Unfortunately, his latest release, Krrish 3, doesn’t come in our time period, otherwise he would have ranked much higher. His earnings thus saw a 9 percent cut, down to Rs 62.5 crore. But then, he starts the next year’s list on a strong note.
Akshay Kumar
34%
Khiladi Kumar had a forgettable year. The 34 percent slide in his earnings to Rs 118 crore reflected a not-soblockbuster run of his movies at the box office. He had three releases this year with just one—Special 26—making a mark. In endorsements too, it was an unremarkable year.
Sachin Tendulkar 3% Ranbir Kapoor
4%
It might be unfortunate that the actor had just one movie—Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani— in our time period. But it wouldn’t have mattered as the other release in 2013— Besharam—was a dud. The loss in his earnings thus was minor: 4 percent down to Rs 68.58 crore. He had another high in his endorsements with the latest one with Philips making waves. Amitabh, Salman, Shah Rukh, Hrithik, Ranbir, Katrina: Sachin Gokhale
The recently-retired Tendulkar’s earnings saw a dip of 3 percent. It was not surprising as the little master played in fewer matches this year. He was also endorsing one brand less. Now in retirement, it will be interesting to see how Tendulkar positions himself and how brands are going to project him.
Katrina Kaif 2%
As the lone lady in this elite group, Kaif packs a punch despite a minor 2 percent drop in her earnings to Rs 63.75 crore. She had two successful movies—Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Ek Tha Tiger—and has the highest endorsements among her peers. DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 11
Celebrity
100
THE DROPOUTS
7. Viswanathan Anand
Why they didn’t make it
By PRINCE MATHEWS THOMAS
1. Boman Irani
The versatile actor had his most subdued season since 2002 when he was first noticed for his performance in Let’s Talk. He had three releases, if his guest appearance in Student of the Year is included, in our time frame; one of his leanest seasons. It didn’t help that his other two releases—Jolly LLB and Attarintiki Daredi—hardly made any buzz. His earnings were down to Rs 2.50 crore from almost Rs 9 crore last year and that led to his exit.
4. Kailash Kher The man with the unique voice was unfortunate to miss the Celebrity List despite doubling his earning to Rs 4.50 crore. It just goes to show that competition among singers and musicians, with scores of new talent coming up, is intense. His high for the year was composing a special song for Sachin Tendulkar on the master batsmen’s retirement.
2. Vikram The actor is a favourite among critics but his box office record is yet to match his talent. Vikram had an average outing during our time period with fewer releases. His earnings at Rs 10 crore were half of last year.
3. Mona Singh Apart from a forgettable role in the movie Zila Ghaziabad and the second season of a TV soap, Mona Singh didn’t have much to write about this year. Her earnings went down to Rs 1.2 crore from Rs 2.2 crore.
12 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
5. Kangana Ranaut Despite her talent, Kangana Ranaut has found it difficult to get lead roles. Unfortunately for her, Krrish 3 (where she has a negative role) is not in our time period. The two releases that she had—Shootout at Wadala and Rajjo—were hardly noticed. Ranaut’s earnings for the year fell to a little over Rs 2 crore from Rs 8 crore last year.
It might be coincidental, but apart from being ousted by Magnus Carlsen from top of World Chess Championship (it doesn’t fall within our time frame), Vishy is also off the Celeb List. The chess master couldn’t make the right moves as his earnings dived to Rs 3 crore from a high of Rs 12 crore last year. One of the sources of his earning last year was the 2012 Championship win that earned him Rs 8.6 crore.
7. Mary Kom Her London Olympics bronze had catapulted Mary Kom high on the fame ranking; she was at No.46 in the 2012 Celebrity List. At present, though, the Manipuri boxer didn’t have much to write about except the Padma Bhushan. Her earnings too were down to Rs 1.2 crore from a little over Rs 3 crore last year. 8. Ajith Kumar 9. Ashwin Sanghi 10. Esha Gupta 11. Gagan Narang 12. Genelia D'Souza 13. Imtiaz Ali 14. Junior NTR 15. Karisma Kapoor 16. Kirron Kher 17. Madhur Bhandarkar 18. Mohit Chauhan 19. Preity Zinta 20. Ravinder Singh 21. Riteish Deshmukh 22. Robin Sharma 23. Rohan Bopanna 24. Sunny Leone
1, 3, 5: Getty Images; 2: Gareth Cattermole / Getty Images; 4: Ganesh Lad / Fotocorp
S TA R D E B U T S
By PRINCE MATHEWS THOMAS
Well-known, but new on the list
Shankar Ehsaan Loy
[ n e wc o m e r s ]
forbes india c e l e b r i t y 10 0
rank
28
Ravindra Jadeja
Till sometime ago, Jadeja had a royal name but didn’t have the wealth to match. Not anymore. With his riches from playing for the IPL franchisee Chennai Super Kings (it bought him for $2 million) and the national cricket team, and six endorsements, this lover of horses has debuted high at 28 on the list.
Sridevi
forbes india c e l e b r i t y 10 0
Kamal Haasan
rank
47
Controversy dogged the actor’s January release Vishwaroopam. The noise had a debatable impact on the film’s average box office performance. The movie, however, has helped the actor debut on our list. Haasan, who directed and co-produced the film, is now making a sequel to Vishwaroopam.
forbes india c e l e b r i t y 10 0
The heartthrob rank of the 1980s 73 and ’90s returned to the silver screen with English Vinglish and has since been busy walking the ramp, endorsing brands and signing new projects that might include Hollywood ones. She is one of the only two women newcomers on the celeb list this year, the other being Parineeti Chopra.
forbes india c e l e b r i t y 10 0
rank
71
Rishi Kapoor The lover boy of the 1970s and now a brilliant character actor, Kapoor debuts on the celebrity list at number 71. He has had five releases this year. Despite not scorching the box office with every one of them, Kapoor excelled in diverse roles including that of a gay principal and a villain. In one, he shared screen space with wife Neetu and son Ranbir.
forbes india c e l e b r i t y 10 0
rank
81 Navjot Singh Sidhu
The former Indian opening batsman, and now a motormouth politician and TV personality, debuts at 81 on the list, thanks largely to his appearances on the tube. Not surprisingly, his television show is a comedy show.
28: Getty Images; 47, 81: Sachin Gokhale; 73: Mark Blinch / Reuters; 71: Lucas Jackson / Reuters
The musician trio forbes india composed one of c e l e b r i t y 10 0 rank the biggest hits 52 this year with Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and got positive reviews for Vishwaroopam. This was enough for the three to make it to the celeb charts at number 52. In terms of earnings they rank 24, but lose out on the fame ranking where they stood 87th.
Darshan
forbes india c e l e b r i t y 10 0
The Kannadiga rank actor is among 65 the highest paid stars from the South Indian film industry. He had two releases in our time period, one of which he produced. Apart from a production house, Darshan has started a film distribution business, giving a boost to his earnings. The actor, who has a private zoo, debuts at number 65.
Shikhar Dhawan (39) Cheteshwar Pujara (40) Ishant Sharma (41) Yo Yo Honey Singh (59) Sudeep (62) Anil Kapoor (63) Amit Trivedi (64) Ranveer Singh (66) Prakash Jha (67) Ram Charan (69) Ayushmann Khurrana (70) Mika Singh (74) Irrfan Khan (75) Sajid Khan (76) Parineeti Chopra (77) Salim-Suleimaan (89) Prabhu Deva (90) DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 13
Celebrity
100
YO U N G S TA R S
By SAMAR SRIVASTAVA
These 5 are the youngest on the list
Saina Nehwal
(Age
23)
At just 23, Nehwal (Rank 36) makes it to the list for the second time. While her total earnings dropped to Rs 9.92 crore, she still made it to the list due to her strong fame rank. Nehwal plays for the Hyderabad Hotshots in the Indian Badminton League.
Anushka Sharma (Age 25) Looks as if the Band Baaja Baaraat girl is here to stay on the list (Rank 31). She’s carved a niche for herself in the industry and is widely spoken about as a promising up and coming actress. With four movies releasing in 2014 and an ever increasing roster of endorsements, Sharma has a clear road ahead.
Sonakshi Sinha
(Age
25)
It was her performance in Lootera that did the trick for her. Critics raved about her performance and the PETA-supporter bettered her ranking in this year’s list. With four movies scheduled in 2014, Sinha (Rank 25) looks like she’s here to stay. 14 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
Ravindra Jadeja
Parineeti Chopra (Age 25) Debutante Chopra (Rank 77) is on our list due to a considerable increase in her fame rankings. The success of Shuddh Desi Romance gave her career a much needed boost. Her run looks set to continue with three movies slated for 2014 and a list of endorsements that can only grow.
(Age
24)
The left-handed middle order batsman makes his debut on the list (Rank 28). Like all cricketers, he did well in the fame rankings and his total earnings stood at Rs 16.58 crore. With a solid performance for India in the year gone by, he’s on track to do even better next year. Photographs: Sachin Gokhale
AC T O R ’ S C U T With corporatisation of the film industry, top actors are increasingly opting for co-production models to get a slice of their films' profits By CUCKOO PAUL
part from their regular acting fees, Bollywood actors are looking at different revenue models to increase their income from movies they’re a part of.
In the co-production model, actors themselves get into the production of the film: They often charge less than their market rate, and get a share of the profits the film goes on to make. Studios are obliging them, as it cuts
A
costs and reduces risks. Partnerships have taken on different forms, as even young Bollywood actors, including Abhay Deol and Anushka Sharma, are turning co-producers. Deals are often complex and not very clearly spelt out.
Production Company
T
he trodden path: Through the history of Indian cinema, big actors have had their own production houses and studios. Names included RK Films and Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd (ABCL).
1
Plain Vanilla: Fixed fees
T
his is the traditional mode of payment, now used to pay most of the film’s cast, except the stars. Actor fees contribute to almost 35 percent of the cost of big-budget films, with the big stars charging Rs 30-40 crore per film. However, very few rely on this model, preferring to take a share of risks and revenues. Among A-list actors who prefer this model are Deepika Padukone. She told Forbes India that she focuses on her work in front of the camera. Illustration: Sameer Pawar
2
The old model has evolved, with companies like Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment, and Aamir Khan Productions structuring complex co-production deals. Usually, the films are produced in partnership with big studios like UTV or Eros. A-list actors work for a (lower than usual) fee, plus a share of profits. Akshay Kumar is known to insist on profits from the Punjab territory. Others have similar deals for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Second Production House
S
ome actors have more than one production venture, mostly to make non-mainstream movies. Akshay Kumar’s Hari Om Productions has co-produced a dozen films, including a documentary on global warming, since 2008. His other production company Grazing Goat Pictures—it focuses on Hindi and regional cinema—made a Punjabi film Bhaji in Problem this year. Salman Khan, who normally works with brothers Sohail and Arbaaz Khan’s production companies, has Being Human Productions which produced Chillar Party in 2011. Salman is going down the tested path next year with his own banner Salman Khan Productions. Ajay Devgn has Ajay Devgn Productions and Shivalaya Entertainment (which will make films for the international market).
3
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Celebrity
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P OW E R PRODUCERS Celebs who spun magic behind the silver screen and raked in the moolah
By SOHINI MITTER
Karan Johar Johar dons many hats—producer, director, TV host, reality show judge. With Student of the Year, he returned to his first love, direction, after nearly four years. The film collected handsomely at the box, and launched three new faces. Johar’s Dharma Productions produced Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani which became the secondt o ta l collection biggest hit of the year earning Rs 190 crore.
i l m s : Yeh Jawaani Hai 274.5 cr F Deewani, Student of the Year, Gippi; distributed The Lunchbox
Siddharth Roy Kapur / Ronnie Screwvala The honchos at Disney-UTV Studios (formerly UTV Motion Pictures) have straddled commercial and arthouse cinema with élan over the years. And the last 12 months were no different. From blockbuster successes like Chennai Express and Race 2 to fresh, youthful offerings like Kai Po Che! to indie hits like Ship of Theseus and The Lunchbox, Roy Kapur and Screwvala have gauged audience tastes better than most producers. The former also made waves with his marriage to t o ta l collection actress Vidya Balan late last year. F i l m s : Race 2, Chennai Express,
575 cr
Satyagraha, Ghanchakkar, Himmatwala, Kai Po Che!, ABCD; distributed Ship of Theseus and The Lunchbox
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Aditya Chopra The reticent son of the late Yash Chopra runs the Rs 3,000-crore film and entertainment behemoth Yash Raj Films (YRF). He produced his father’s last directorial project, the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Jab Tak Hai Jaan, which collected Rs 121 crore at the box office. Y-Films, the youth division of YRF, made the comic caper Mere Dad Ki Maruti which turned out to be a sleeper t o ta l collection hit. Chopra and YRF end the year with Dhoom 3, slated for a Christmas release.
204 cr
Films:
Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Shuddh Desi Romance, Aurangzeb, Mere Dad Ki Maruti
Roy Kapur and Screwvala: Ganesh Lad / Fotocorp; Karan: Sachin Gokhale; Sidhwani and Akhtar: Sachin Kadvekar / Fotocorp; Aditya: Indian Express Archive; Arbaaz, Mukesh and Mahesh, Ekta: Vikas Khot
Ekta Kapoor The mercurial head of Balaji Motion Pictures made headlines for the wrong reasons with the gangster saga Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbaai Dobaara!. While the film clashed at the box office with the mammoth Chennai Express on Eid, Kapoor alleged that its producers UTV and Red Chillies Entertainments had armtwisted exhibitors leaving her with very few screens to showcase her production. Despite that, the movie’s t o ta l collection impact was not lost at the ticket counters.
184 cr
Films:
Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbaai Dobaara!, Shootout at Wadala; co-produced Ek Thi Daayan and Lootera
Ritesh Sidhwani / Farhan Akhtar The friends at Excel Entertainment have a clear division of roles. While Sidhwani takes care of the finances, Akhtar oversees the creative side of film production. Talaash, their joint venture with Aamir Khan Productions, grossed Rs 93 crore and was among the top hits of 2012. Fukrey was a new-age comedy that t o ta l collection opened slow but picked up due to positive word-of-mouth. Their next big release 130 cr is Don 3 directed by Akhtar himself.
Films:
Talaash, Fukrey
Arbaaz Khan He struck gold as a producer in 2010 with Dabangg and managed to replicate that success with its sequel Dabangg 2. Adding to that glory was the fact that he was debuting as a director with the film. According to the grapevine, Khan has sealed his next script, a womant o ta l collection centric film starring a leading actress. The third instalment of the Dabangg franchise goes on floors in mid-2015. 159 cr
Film:
Dabangg 2
Mukesh Bhatt / Mahesh Bhatt Brothers and co-owners of Vishesh Films, the Bhatts have minted the Murder franchise starting 2004. But Murder 3, directed by Mukesh’s son Vishesh, failed to live up to the hype. Aashiqui 2, however, stormed the box office with collections of Rs 85 crore despite being an unacknowledged remake of t o ta l collection Hollywood film A Star Is Born. Their next project is City Lights, which is an official 106 cr adaptation of British film Metro Manila.
Films:
*Box-office collection in INR; ** Time period for films considered: October 2012 to September 2013 Source: Koimoi.com
Aashiqui 2, Murder 3 DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 17
Celebrity
100
S I B L I N G R E V E L RY When fame and success are all in the family
By KATHAKALI CHANDA
Saif + Soha Ali Khan Soha’s got a long way to go to catch up with the range of movies Saif has to his name, but one thing's for certain—she’s as good an actor as her bhai, as her criticallyacclaimed performances in Rang De Basanti and Antarmahal (Bengali) prove. The doting brother is lending a helping hand too as his next, Bullett Raja, will introduce the theatrical promos of Soha’s upcoming movie, Mr Joe B Carvalho.
Yusuf + Irfan Pathan
Farhan + Zoya Akhtar Farhan is the more versatile of the Akhtar siblings, making a name for himself as a director, actor and singer, but Zoya, too, has stamped her class in the industry with award-winning films like Luck By Chance and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Word has it that her next film, for which Farhan is writing the dialogues, is based on the life story of the duo. We’ll keep an eye out.
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The Pathan brothers, Irfan in particular, were considered promising prospects for Team India. Nifty swing bowler Irfan morphed into a more-than-handy all-rounder under the tutelage of Greg Chappell, while Yusuf's hard-hitting abilities came useful in the shorter versions of the game. However, of late, the going has been tough for the Vadodara boys as poor form has pushed both of them out of the national side.
Farhan: Getty Images; Saif: Kedar Nene / Fotocorp; Yusuf: Ganesh Lad / Fotocorp
Siddharth + Kunaal + Aditya Roy Kapur The Roy Kapurs are slowly spreading their wings in B-town. Eldest brother Siddharth, the managing director of Disney UTV, has turned the studio into one of the premier production and distribution houses in the country. While Kunaal impressed with his roles in Delhi Belly and Nautanki Saala, youngest Aditya, who began his career as a VJ, is revelling in the success of Aashiqui 2.
Lata Mangeshkar + Asha Bhosle The tumultous relationship between Lata and Asha has been the subject of gossip columns for long, but they take a back seat when it comes to their melody quotient. Lata’s ‘Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon’ is said to have moved Jawaharlal Nehru to tears, while Asha has even Aussie speedster Brett Lee dancing to her tunes.
Farah + Sajid Khan
Boney Kapoor + Anil Kapoor Amaan + Ayaan Ali Khan Sons and ‘worthy heirs’ of sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan and Ayaan represent the seventh generation of the Senia Bangash school of music. Despite their profession being rooted in tradition, the brothers have collaborated with foreign musicians and taken Indian classical music to global audiences.
Since the 1980s, Boney Kapoor has launched several stars in the Indian film industry and produced cult films like Mr India. Younger brother Anil, on the other hand, has effortlessly flitted between the small and silver screens. Anil also has a hotline to Hollywood, acting in Danny Boyle's Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire and playing a cameo in Tom Cruise-starrer Mission:Impossible—Ghost Protocol. He acquired the Indian rights for 24 and has won rave reviews for it.
Farah started her career as a choreographer, stepping into the shoes of Saroj Khan with Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander; later, she excelled in international projects like Bombay Dreams and Vanity Fair. Now, she's taken up directing and delivered hits like Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om. Sajid, who first impressed with his comedy on TV, is currently one of the highest-paid directors in Bollywood.
Salim + Sulaiman Musician brothers Salim and Sulaiman Merchant have been composing Hindi film music for over a decade. With masterful mixes of soulful and contemporary tunes, they’ve churned out countless chartbusters. Internationally, Salim and Sulaiman have collaborated with Lady Gaga and with Loyiso Bala, South Africa’s king of R&B, for the 2010 Fifa world cup anthem ‘Africa, You’re A Star’.
Salman + Arbaaz + Sohail Khan The filmy Khan-daan. Between them, they have directed, produced and acted in several hit movies. Eldest brother Salman has been the best-known actor among the trio, ever since his Maine Pyaar Kiya days, and has helped resurrect the careers of the younger ones. Of late, he's been on a roll, churning out one prolific year after another since 2010.
Lata: Sachin Gokhale, Boney, Amaan, Farah, Salim: Getty Images; Salman: Vikas Khot
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Celebrity
100
GOING TO T H E M OV I E S Two television stars who’ve managed a successful transition from the small screen to the big
By SOHINI MITTER
n his documentary photography book Living The Dream: The Life of The ‘Bollywood’ Actor, eminent shutterbug Mark Bennington writes, “In Mumbai, the Bollywood dream pours down like the monsoon, drenching every starry-eyed actor with hopes of fame and fortune.” Down the decades, small-screen actors have successfully transitioned into silver screen stars. The journey of India’s biggest superstar Shah Rukh Khan from TV to films is the stuff of legends. In the last one year, two names have stood out in this quest.
I
Sushant Singh Rajput
Ayushmann Khurrana
Age: 27 F i l m s : Kai Po Che!, Shuddh Desi Romance U p c o m i n g P r o j e c t s : Detective Byomkesh Bakshi, Peekay, Paani
Age: 29 F i l m s : Vicky Donor, Nautanki Saala Upcoming Projects: Bewakoofian, Hamara Bajaj
From Barry John’s theatre classes to the quintessential lover boy of prime-time TV to the graceful dancing star who made Madhuri Dixit misty-eyed with his acts in Jhalak Dikhla Jaa 4 to a blistering debut in Kai Po Che! to being touted as “the next big thing” (and the “next SRK”), Patna-born Rajput has come a long way from being a background dancer at the 51st Filmfare Awards. A film critic wrote about his performance in Kai Po Che!: “The actor has an indescribable presence, and it’s clear from his confidence and distinct likeability that a star is born.” Today A-list producers are queuing up to sign him while new-wave directors are eager to explore new subjects riding on his acting skills and appeal. He’s the next Byomkesh Bakshi in Dibakar Banerjee’s adaptation of the detective series; he has replaced Hrithik Roshan in Shekhar Kapur’s (who said “Sushant is one of the most inspiring young actors to emerge out of India”) much-awaited Paani; and is acting with Aamir Khan in Rajkumar Hirani’s Peekay.
Seven years and multiple TV stints—talent-hunt winner, VJ and reality show host—later, the Chandigarh lad switched to the silver screen in 2012 with Shoojit Sircar’s Vicky Donor. Khurrana charmed audiences with his performance as a sperm donor; he also penned lyrics, scored music and lent his voice to Pani Da Rang, the Punjabi love ballad that topped the year’s music charts. He went on to pick up two Filmfare awards, and a host of other accolades for his efforts in the film. The versatile Khurrana made his second splash with Nautanki Saala. Though the film fared moderately, he was lauded for his comic timing and composing two songs, O Heeriye and Saddi Gali. While his raw talent has wooed critics and filmmakers of repute, his easy on-screen and off-screen persona has made him a hit with fans. Women find him adorable and men, especially young television actors who dream of having a film career, continue to get inspired by him.
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Photographs: Sachin Gokhale
PA R A L L E L L I V E S These celebs have straddled profession and passion with ease By KATHAKALI CHANDA
Rahul Bose
Sriram Lagoo
Narottam Puri
Palash Sen
actor / rugby player The ‘Sean Penn of Oriental Cinema’, as Maxim calls Rahul Bose, likes to push boundaries off the screen as well: The 46-year-old has represented India in international rugby for 10 years. Bose is equally at home playing urbane and suave protagonists on the silver screen as he is playing scrum-half and breaking his nose, four times at that, hustling men twice his size.
actor / doctor The acting bug bit this National Award winner when he was training as an ENT surgeon, first in India and then abroad. He had a flourishing practice, but his heart lay in the Progressive Dramatics Association that he had helped set up with fellow drama-lovers. When his profession started eating into his passion, Lagoo was quick to choose: Farewell scalpel, welcome Marathi Natasamrat.
Cricket commentator / doctor Narottam Puri took to the microphone like fish to water: Be it for his vivid narratives of the Indian batting collapse during its tour of England or his incisive lectures to his students at Delhi’s Maulana Azad Medical College. An astute analyst of the game and a versatile quizmaster, Puri currently works as a senior ENT consultant at Fortis.
Doctor / Musician The pioneer of Hindi rock and the founder of Euphoria is as passionate about orthopaedic surgery as he is about his music. Even in college, Sen straddled a degree in medicine and his fledgling band. A quarter of a century later, the band continues to enthrall the country. The doctor at heart, meanwhile, runs a clinic in south Delhi and has set up a studio next to it called... The Clinic, what else?
Harsha Bhogle
Prasoon Joshi
R Balki
commentator / motivational speaker It's difficult to imagine Bhogle talk anything but cricket. He does, and with elan. An IIM-A graduate, Bhogle can tell you a thing or two about business learning. In his Twitter profile, he calls himself a motivational speaker. When he's not parsing the game, the former adman brings to the table the wisdom he's gleaned from it. Bhogle has a book too: The Winning Way, which he's co-authored with wife Anita.
advertising professional / lyricist Even as he penned lyrics for a string of successful films like Hum Tum, Fanaa, Taare Zameen Par, his ads (CocaCola, HappyDent, Mastercard, Nestle, etc) won him laurels on the global stage. At present the President-South Asia at McCann, Joshi is only the third Asian to head the jury at the prestigious Cannes Lions festival and the first Indian to be part of its titanium and integrated jury.
advertising professional / director The chairman and CEO of Lowe Lintas, R Balki has spearheaded several pathbreaking ad campaigns: Idea Cellular, Tata Tea (Jago Re), Surf Excel (Daag Achche Hai), Tanishq. His work in advertising earned him recognition in the industry much before his critically acclaimed films (Cheeni Kum and Paa) brought him the glamour of a B-town celebrity.
Ravi Subramanian
Rahul: Getty Images; Lagoo, Narrottam: Indian Express Archive; Palash: Sachin Kadvekar / Fotocorp; Harsha: Vikas Khot; Prasoon: Getty Images; Balki: Sunil Shirsekar / Fotocorp; Ravi: Dinesh Krishnan
banker / author Ravi Subramanian, currently the CEO of an NBFC, is a banker by day and author by night. Friends, family members and colleagues also reside in his world of fiction. The plots of his thrillers have been sourced primarily from the banking industry, where he has been an insider for nearly two decades. And with six of his novels having hit the jackpot, there’s one more reason why he smiles all the way to the bank. DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 21
Celebrity
100 By DEEPAK AJWANI; Celeb 100 List compiled by ASHISH K MISHRA, DEEPAK AJWANI, NS RAMNATH, PRAVIN PALANDE, ROHIN DHARMAKUMAR, SAMAR SRIVASTAVA, SHRAVAN BHAT & SOHINI MITTER
T
he more things change, the more they stay the same, particularly in Bollywood. Take Shah Rukh Khan, for instance. The actor continues his supremacy on the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list on the back of two successive blockbusters (Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Chennai Express) with his earnings estimated at Rs 220 crore. â?Ą But, on the fame count alone (one of the two components considered while computing the ranking), Sachin Tendulkar holds the top spot followed by Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni, edging out Bollywood biggies Shah Rukh and Salman Khan to the third and fourth spot, respectively. Cricket is the closest competitor to Bollywood and our fame index is testimony to that. The decision to put Virat Kohli on our cover this time was also motivated by the passion this sport continues to evoke in its fans. Kohli, incidentally, is the youngest celebrity to make it to the top 10 this year.
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There have been other changes in the top 10. Kareena Kapoor and Virendra Sehwag make way for Ranbir Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan. Sehwag does not just lose out on the fame count (a drop from 4 to 7), his earnings also fell; Kareena’s earnings eroded by Rs 17 crore, while her fame rank came down to 23 from 13 last year. In the case of the Rich List, we focus on net worth; the Celebrity 100 list is arrived at by measuring money (earnings) and fame. The list includes movie actors, television stars, sportspersons, authors, film directors, music directors,
year. However, Shah Rukh Khan’s singular focus on what he does best—films and entertainment— ensured his place at the top. The total earnings estimate of the 100 celebrities on our list is about Rs 2,622 crore, of which the top 10 together earn Rs 1,145 crore (43 percent). Twenty-four new faces enter the list this year. Notable names among the dropouts are Mary Kom, Boman Irani, Ajit Kumar, Viswanathan Anand and Junior NTR. Dhoni has earned the highest amount (Rs 141 crore) from his 23 endorsement deals, while Shah Rukh Khan’s 19 contracts in our time period
producer and even script writer. Leading film actors like Salman Khan and Amitabh Bachchan appear regularly on television shows. Karan Johar, apart from directing and producing films, also anchors a TV show (Koffee with Karan), judges reality shows and is a popular anchor for film award functions. With celebrities comfortably changing media platforms and roles, some use it to market themselves and cross-promote their films while others have made it an integral part of their careers. In another shift, there are fewer women on the list this year, down from 29 last year to
Th e tota l ea r n i n g s e st i mat e o f t h e 1 0 0 c e le b r it i e s is about Rs 2,622 crore, of which the top 10 together earn Rs 1,145 crore (43 percent)
singers and stand-up comedians. Fame is defined as media visibility in print, television and online plus social media power; this is measured by looking at each celebrity’s presence on Facebook and Twitter. Their gross pre-tax earnings are combined with their fame scores to arrive at the final ranking. Film stars might do television for extra money and popularity, but the numbers reveal that it does not determine their fortune. Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar as well as Amitabh Bachchan were involved with TV shows this
fetched him Rs 133 crore. AR Rahman continues to top the social media rank, with an astounding 15.1 million Facebook fans and 3.3 million Twitter followers. Clearly, he can teach a thing or two to our celebrities on how to engage with fans online. What has emerged from the many interactions we had with the Bollywood fraternity is the trend of interchanging roles between actors, directors and producers. Many actors have turned producers, while directors like Farhan Akhtar don multiple hats of actor,
21. Of the 29 from our 2012 list, 10 no longer feature; meanwhile, there are two new entrants in Sridevi and Parineeti Chopra. On the wealth count we notice a significant increase in the earnings for music director Pritam; his estimates have jumped by Rs 43.5 crore (a staggering 416 percent gain). This came on the back of the six movies and 50-plus concerts. Bachchan has seen the second highest increase in earnings with a growth of Rs 31 crore; his fame rank has also moved three notches higher from 8 to 5.
Principal Data Partners: LEXISNEXIS®, EXCEED ENTERTAINMENT, GALATTA, TAM-EIKONA and PERCEPT TALENT MANAGEMENT. Supported by: INDIANTELEVISION.COM, TELLYCHAKKAR.COM, RADIOANDMUSIC.COM and NIELSEN BOOKSCAN
DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 23
Celebrity
The
100
TOP /100 1. Shah Rukh Khan
E a r n i n g s : Rs 220.50 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 4 King Khan continues to reign over the box office. Of his two films in our time period, Jab Tak Hai Jaan fared well at the box office, while Chennai Express went on to create several records in Bollywood. According to Koimoi.com, it was the highest grossing Bollywood film in India and globally, collecting Rs 422 crore (the earlier record was by 3 Idiots at Rs 392 crore). SRK’s revenue is up 9 percent over last year; his brand endorsements though dropped to 19 from 23 last year. FAST FACT: In September 2013, Shah Rukh Khan-backed Kidzania, a children’s entertainment and educational theme park that began operations in Mumbai.
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Getty Images
2. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
E a r n i n g s : Rs 155.32 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 2 It was another great year for MS Dhoni. Though he didn’t win the IPL with the Chennai Super Kings this year, as is almost a habit with him, he took Team India to the top of the ICC ODI rankings by winning the Champions Trophy in England. With two new endorsements (including TV channel Star Sports), his portfolio boasts 23 deals, making him the most marketable person in India. His ODI form this past year has been great, averaging 56 compared to his alreadyhigh career average of 53. Though the Test series loss at home to England was a major disappointment, he bounced back with a sensational 224 against Australia in Chennai and finished the year averaging 52 compared to his career average of 39. His hair might be greying but Captain Cool looks as hungry as ever. With ‘elder statesman’ Sachin Tendulkar retiring, Dhoni’s role in leading the young team will be more crucial than ever. FAST FACT: Dhoni’s motorcycle racing team Mahi Racing Team India has won six out of the 12 races in the 2013 FIM Supersport World Championship.
3. Salman Khan
E a r n i n g s : Rs 157.50 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 3 The thing about Salman Khan is that he needs to have fun. Whichever set he is on. And going by his popularity in the Bigg Boss house, be it the devil or the angel, or his performance in sequel Dabangg 2, Salman Khan is definitely enjoying himself. While the film did good business at the box office, Khan’s fame rank has dropped; he was No. 1 in fame last year. This year he’s been beaten by two cricketers, Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni.
2 Mahendra Singh Dhoni
FAST FACT: Salman Khan’s philanthropy initiative Being Human has found some common ground with his brand endorsements. Earlier this year, Suzuki launched a special edition Being Human Access scooter.
UP
DOWN
(In overall ranking)
NEW
EVEN
3 Salman Khan
2: Getty Images; 3,5: Sachin Gokhale; 4: Danish Siddiqui / Reuters
4 Sachin Tendulkar
5 Amitabh Bachchan DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 25
Celebrity
100
4. Sachin Tendulkar
E a r n i n g s : Rs 94.32 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 1 2013 saw cricket and India bid farewell to arguably the greatest player of the modern era. Sachin Tendulkar helped Mumbai Indians win both the IPL and the CLT20. Though he didn’t stand out with the bat, it’s no secret that his leadership in the dressing room was a big factor in the team’s success. However, to remember Sachin Tendulkar’s contribution to Indian cricket only by his achievements this past year is to do him a disservice. He retired from Test cricket having averaged just 25 in his last 13 innings and without adding to his 100 international centuries, but the emotional speech he gave at the end of his final Test at Wankhede will live long in the memories of Indian fans.
Bollywood. While his movies may not necessarily shake up the box office, he takes home a handy sum every year and believes doing more movies is better (unlike other A-list stars). In our time period Kumar did three movies: Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara!, Special 26 and Khiladi 786. Special 26 fared best of the lot at the box office; the other two sank without a trace. With one good movie in a year plus his endorsements, it is quite possible that Akshay can give some serious competition to the Khans. Of course,
there are a few areas where Kumar doesn’t score very well. First is fame. His fame score is at least 50 percent lower than other A-list stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. Second, while he was doing pretty well with Khatron Ke Khiladi, Kumar has been conspicuously absent from television. FAST FACT: In March 2013, Akshay Kumar paid Rs 18 crore in advance taxes, the highest by a Bollywood personality.
6 Akshay Kumar
FAST FACT: Such was the demand for tickets for Sachin’s last Test match, the website selling them, KyaZoonga.com, crashed with 19 million hits in the first hour.
5. Amitabh Bachchan
E a r n i n g s : Rs 147.50 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 5 Thanks to his endorsement revenue and continued association with Kaun Banega Crorepati, now in its seventh season, Amitabh Bachchan has maintained his position at No. 5 on the Celebrity List. In terms of movies, Bachchan had a quiet year with just one release, Prakash Jha’s Satyagraha. The movie fared well at the box office. It is another matter altogether that none of this has affected his popularity: At 7.3 million, Bachchan has the highest number of followers on Twitter. FAST FACT: Amitabh Bachchan’s blog gets more than 3 million hits every month.
6. Akshay Kumar
E a r n i n g s : Rs 118.13 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 12 Contrary to his comic, loud on-screen image, Akshay Kumar is perhaps one of the most understated film actors in 26 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
Sachin Gokhale
7. Virat Kohli
E a r n i n g s : Rs 57.31 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 6 Virat Kohli has gone from strength to strength in 2013. He’s now ranked the best one-day international batsman in the world and hit the fastest ODI century by an Indian against Australia. He had a great IPL season, scoring over 600 runs to finish third in the top scorer list, but Royal Challengers Bangalore had another below par season under his captaincy. Kohli’s ranked the third best T20 batsman in the world; however, he’s yet to reach the same heights in Tests even though he hit hundreds against England and Australia.
9 Katrina Kaif
FAST FACT: His outstanding fielding and attention to physical fitness helped secure a reported Rs 10 crore per year endorsement deal, an unprecedented one, with Adidas.
8. Ranbir Kapoor
E a r n i n g s : Rs 68.58 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 13 With the box office success of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (YJHD), Ranbir Kapoor is on a high. His only movie in our time period, YJHD grossed about Rs 300 crore worldwide. This has been Kapoor’s best commercial result so far, and the fourth highest grossing Bollywood film in India and worldwide. His endorsements are growing too; Philips signed him on as a brand ambassador earlier this year. FAST FACT: While his last movie Besharam (not in our time period) did poorly, Kapoor has an interesting year ahead with two movies planned: Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet and Anurag Basu’s Jagga Jasoos.
9. Katrina Kaif
E a r n i n g s : Rs 63.75 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 16 Katrina Kaif is the only woman in the top 10 celebrities list. Ironically, till a few years ago, few in Bollywood believed that she stood a chance in the industry: She didn’t know Hindi and everything about her was ‘just another pretty face’. But Kaif has worked hard Sachin Gokhale
and she’s proved her detractors wrong. Following the success of her film Ek Tha Tiger last year, Kaif delivered another hit this year with Jab Tak Hai Jaan. That, combined with earnings from her brand endorsements, has propelled her into the Top 10. With 15 brands in her kitty, Kaif comes fifth in brand endorsements— after MS Dhoni (23), SRK (19) and Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar (both 16). If you just take a simple peer-to-peer comparison, with total revenues of Rs 63.75 crore, Kaif earned almost twice what Deepika Padukone did. That is despite Deepika’s best year in Bollywood so far, with three movies, two of them blockbusters. That said, one
would expect Kaif to have the highest fame count among Bollywood actresses. She ranks No. 3. No. 1 in the fame count is Priyanka Chopra; Deepika is at No. 2.
10. Hrithik Roshan
E a r n i n g s : Rs 62.50 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 21 Hrithik Roshan had no movies in our time period. Yet, he makes it to the top 10 on the back of brand endorsements. With 10 brands in his kitty, Roshan earned an estimated Rs 63 crore from endorsements alone. While Krrish 3, his latest movie, is not in our time period, DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 27
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the film has done very well at the box office despite receiving a mixed response from critics.
worldwide. Unlike the other Khans, Aamir is very choosy when it comes to endorsements. He has endorsed just one brand in our time period—Godrej. Compared to last year (Satyamev Jayate), Aamir had no TV revenue this year. Next year though looks to be quite promising with Dhoom 3 expected to release in December.
FAST FACT: With a score of 12.21, Hrithik has the lowest fame count among the top 15 celebrities on the list.
11. Deepika Padukone
E a r n i n g s : Rs 39.50 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 9 Deepika Padukone has had a fabulous year, with three movies in our time period: Race 2, Chennai Express and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (YJHD). While Race 2 fizzled out at the box office, both Chennai Express and YJHD were blockbusters. Padukone earned accolades from critics for her performance, and her share of brickbats too for her contrived Tamil accent in Chennai Express. Where Padukone lost out to her peers, Katrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor, is in endorsements. And yes, she’s gained 11 points on the Celebrity List, from No. 22 last year to No. 11.
FAST FACT: A song in Dhoom 3, where Aamir Khan is playing a negative role, had a budget of Rs 5 crore.
15. Virender Sehwag 12 Priyanka Chopra
FAST FACT: In 2013, all the films Padukone has starred in crossed the Rs 100 crore mark.
12. Priyanka Chopra
E a r n i n g s : Rs 36.57 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 8 Compared to the high of working in successful movies like Barfi! and Agneepath last year, Priyanka Chopra has had a bad year. Her movie Zanjeer—the only one in our time period—fared poorly. It was universally panned by critics. There’s not much to talk about in endorsements either. Compared to last year, Chopra’s brand endorsements have pretty much stayed constant. And her singing foray is still work in progress. FAST FACT: Chopra is a supporter of the girl child and has been working for this cause with UNICEF since 2008.
13. Kareena Kapoor
E a r n i n g s : Rs 56.92 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 23 Kareena Kapoor has had a quiet year, 28 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
14 Aamir Khan
with only two movies in our time period, Satyagraha and Talaash. Neither was a blockbuster; one was a multi-star film and the other was mostly about Aamir Khan. That’s perhaps one of the reasons why Kapoor has dropped out from the top 10 on our list. Her endorsements revenue continues to remain high—with 15 brands, she is neck-and-neck with Katrina Kaif. FAST FACT: Her latest movie, Gori Tere Pyaar Mein, flopped at the box office.
14. Aamir Khan
E a r n i n g s : Rs 32.38 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 10 Aamir Khan had a good start to the year with his film Talaash, which grossed Rs 173 crore in box office collections
E a r n i n g s : Rs 25.64 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 7 2013 probably saw the end of Viru’s India career as he was dropped from the Test, ODI and T20 sides. He also had a quiet IPL season for the Delhi Daredevils. Perhaps he never fully recovered from his injury in 2011 and his lack of footwork was caught out. Besides, talents like Shikhar Dhawan have grabbed the opening slot in his absence. Nevertheless, long-term endorsement deals (like Italian sports apparel maker Fila) and his IPL contract generated sizeable income for Viru. FAST FACT: Sehwag’s 5-year deal with Sunil Gavaskar’s Professional Management Group is reportedly worth Rs 100 crore.
16. AR Rahman
E a r n i n g s : Rs 50.75 C at e g o r y : Singer-Musicians Fa m e R a n k : 24 In a relatively calm year, the high point for the Oscar-wining music director and singer was having a street named after him in Canada. The composer’s lone release in Bollywood, Raanjhanaa, got high praise. Among his upcoming projects is to compose for Oscar-nominated director Shekhar Kapur’s Paani. FAST FACT: His in-house studio called Panchathan Record Inn in Chennai is regarded as one of the most sophisticated in Asia.
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Photographs: Sachin Gokhale
17. Saif Ali Khan
E a r n i n g s : Rs 59.63 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 39 It was a mixed-bag year for Saif Ali Khan on the films front. Of his two movies, Race 2 fared badly at the box office, and Go Goa Gone, India’s first zombie comedy, was a commercial success. The movie was produced by Khan’s production company, Illuminati Films. Khan is big on endorsements though, with 10 brands in his kitty, which added about Rs 30 crore to his total revenue. FAST FACT: Saif Ali Khan likes cars. His current ride is an Audi R8.
15 Virender Sehwag
18. Ajay Devgn
E a r n i n g s : Rs 58.38 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 37 Ajay Devgn has had a pretty busy year with three movies in our time period, Satyagraha, Himmatwala and Son of Sardaar. In terms of box office revenues, the best among the lot was Son of Sardaar, which grossed about Rs 150 crore. Where Devgn loses out to other celebrities is in endorsements— he has only three brand endorsements.
19. Gautam Gambhir E a r n i n g s : Rs 20.78 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 11
Cricket is a fickle business. Following poor ODI outings against Pakistan and England, Gambhir was dropped from the India side. Younger stars like Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma took his opening place in the ODI team fair and square, but he can feel aggrieved at being dropped from the Test side. Though he was one of India’s few consistent performers against England at home, he was dropped against Australia. He hasn’t been called up to the tour of South Africa. It was also a quiet year on the IPL front where the reigning champions, his Kolkata Knight Riders side, went out without a whimper. FAST FACT: Gambhir is doing just three endorsement deals this year.
20. Yuvraj Singh
E a r n i n g s : Rs 21.60 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 14 It has been a rocky year for Yuvraj Singh. While 2012 saw him campaigning for cancer awareness, he was more focussed on his cricket this year. Unfortunately, poor ODI form saw him getting dropped before the Champions Trophy and returned to haunt him even as he was picked for Australia’s tour at the end of the year. He averaged just 20 in ODIs and 25 in Tests. Though he had a disappointing IPL season, he’s been on fire in the few T20 Internationals he’s played, averaging 44. FAST FACT: Yuvraj Singh recently spent six weeks at a fitness boot-camp in France.
21. John Abraham
E a r n i n g s : Rs 36.55 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 33 John Abraham’s position on the Celebrity List stays constant at 21. Of his four films, other than Madras Café, among the remaining three I, Me Aur Main and Race 2 proved to be duds at the box office. Abraham’s performance in Madras Café though got a positive reception from several critics. Madras Café was also the second film produced by him after Vicky Donor. Despite the high number of movies, Abraham loses out to his peers in endorsements. He endorses just six brands. Getty Images
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England, picking up 7 wickets for 288 runs, he spearheaded his franchise’s bowling attack, helping them lift the IPL and CLT20 trophies.
22 Rohit Sharma
FAST FACT: With 24 in 19 games, he was the third highest wicket-taker in the IPL season and Man of the Match in the final of the CLT20.
25. Sonakshi Sinha
FAST FACT: Shoojit Sircar directed both Vicky Donor and Madras Café, the two movies produced by John Abraham.
22. Rohit Sharma
E a r n i n g s : Rs 16.88 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 17 Rohit Sharma has gone from being written off to a dead-on selection for Team India in 2012/13. After a solid start in 2013, where he helped India win the ICC Champions Trophy in England, he was one of the best performers in the West Indies tour. His ODI double hundred at home against Australia capped a transformational year in which he’s averaged nearly 53, compared to his career average of 36. His impressive knocks earned him a Test call-up and he didn’t disappoint, with back-to-back hundreds against the West Indies in Sachin’s farewell series. It was somewhat poetic, since he will look to book the Little Master’s now vacant #4 spot as a young Team India begins a series of tough tours overseas. His superb IPL form continued and he top scored for the Mumbai Indians, captaining his team to their first IPL title. He also guided the Mumbai Indians to their second Champions League T20 title. FAST FACT: Rohit Sharma is managed by Cornerstone, the same agency that manages Virat Kohli. Like Kohli, he was recently signed as brand ambassador by Adidas.
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23. Karan Johar
E a r n i n g s : Rs 19.10 crore C at e g o r y : Directors Fa m e R a n k : 19 It was the most prolific year for Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, which produced six movies with mixed results at the box office. The filmmaker, though, took a break as a director, except for one movie, and experimented with newcomers as directors for his movies. He produced one of the biggest blockbusters of the year, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, and co-produced the critically acclaimed The Lunchbox. Though he termed it “extracurricular activity”, Johar was visible on the small screen as the judge of a popular dance show and is back with a new season of his talk show Koffee with Karan. FAST FACT: He was the only Indian apart from PM Manmohan Singh to be invited for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.
24. Harbhajan Singh
E a r n i n g s : Rs 9.06 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 15 While, like many senior team members, the colourful off-spinner is winding down his India career, he found a new lease of life with the Mumbai Indians. Though he struggled for India in the home series against
E a r n i n g s : Rs 24.42 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 25 Ever since her debut in 2010 with Dabangg, Sonakshi Sinha has been a hot-off-the-fire entrant in Bollywood. Sinha is No. 25 on the list this year, climbing 15 points from last year. She had four movies in the year: Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara!, Dabangg 2, Lootera and Son of Sardaar. If that’s a lot of movies, add to it Bullett Raja that released in early December 2013. Sinha has also done well in terms of brand endorsements—she endorses nine brands with a total revenue of Rs 18 crore. FAST FACT: Sinha has the highest tally of movies (four) among her peers in our time period.
26. Pawan Kalyan
E a r n i n g s : Rs 57 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 79 If Gabbar Singh (the Telugu remake of Dabangg), a huge hit last year, cemented Pawan Kalyan’s top position in the Telugu film industry and the South, Attarintiki Daredi raised his stock further. By some counts, it’s the biggest grosser ever for a Telugu film. When Pawan Kalyan made his entry into the film word in the mid ’90s, there was scepticism about his long-term success. After all, there aren’t too many instances when a star’s kid brothers do well too, and he was holding the coat tails of Chiranjeevi. (Chiranjeevi held the top position in Tollywood, before he moved to politics full-time, launching his own party before merging it with the Congress. He is a Central minister now). Pawan Kalyan’s entry turned out to be a huge success—his first film did well, the second, better and the third one was a blockbuster. A martial arts buff, he has spent some time in Japan to learn Getty Images
it, and has co-ordinated stunts for the movies. He is now busy with the sequel to Gabbar Singh. FAST FACTS: Pawan was born Konidala Kalyan Babu, and got the name Pawan for his passion for martial arts. He has a black belt in karate.
27. Suresh Raina
E a r n i n g s : Rs 16.16 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 20 With 2,802 runs, Suresh Raina remains the highest IPL scorer of all time. He finished this year’s IPL and CLT20 as the fourth-highest scorer overall. Raina is currently ranked 7th in the world among T20 batsmen. He’s had a solid year for India in ODIs and T20s, averaging 43 and 39 respectively, though he didn’t play to his best during the ICC Champions Trophy. Along with CSK team-mate MS Dhoni, he continues to be a big part of India’s formidable middle order, averaging 65 in successful ODI run chases.
26 Pawan Kalyan
28. Ravindra Jadeja
E a r n i n g s : Rs 16.58 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 22 Ravindra Jadeja has come a long way from being the butt of all jokes (‘Sir’ Ravindra Jadeja, remember?) for scoring too slowly against England during India’s lacklustre defence of the World T20 title in 2009. The sobriquet slowly morphed into a term of endearment as the Saurashtra player became a cult figure in the Indian dressing room. Jadeja is one of the many outstanding fielders in the side; his speed and agility helped India win the ICC Champions Trophy in England. He’s ranked the fifth-best ODI all-rounder and with his slingy off-spin, the third-best ODI bowler. He took 51 of his 108 ODI wickets in just 31 matches this year and averaged 37 with the bat, earning a call-up to the Test side. Though he’s struggled with the bat, he used the Indian conditions to take an impressive 27 wickets in five matches. With six endorsement deals to his name, Jadeja’s famous moustache is certainly becoming
a national icon. The $2 million he makes from his IPL deal also boosted his income. FAST FACT: Ravindrasinh Anirudhsinh Jadeja is a lover of horses and equestrian sports.
29. Pritam
E a r n i n g s : Rs 53.50 crore C at e g o r y : Singer-Musicians Fa m e R a n k : 76 Pritam’s soundtrack for this year’s Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani was one of the factors that made the movie a blockbuster at the box office. Another 2013 release, Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara!, is claimed to be his 100th film. While known for his preference for working with upcoming singers, Pritam is often accused of plagiarism. FAST FACT: He had a guest appearance role in the 2007 film Life in a Metro.
30. Rahul Dravid
E a r n i n g s : Rs 7.66 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 18 Rahul Dravid was nothing short of an inspirational captain for the Rajasthan Royals. The elder statesman, who is more famous for classical technique and long innings, smashed his way through IPL bowling attacks like someone half his age. With an uncharacteristic strike rate of 110, he led from the front and took the Royals to the semis of the IPL and the final of the CLT20. He’s now cementing his place in the commentary box alongside former colleague and friend, Sourav Ganguly. His last game, the loss in the CLT20 final to Sachin Tendulkar’s Mumbai Indians, didn’t get much fanfare but that’s probably how he’d have wanted it. FAST FACT: Dravid was conferred the Padma Bhushan this year.
31. Anushka Sharma
E a r n i n g s : Rs 25.71 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 38 Of Anushka Sharma’s two movies, Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola and Jab Tak Hai Jaan, the first didn’t do well at the box office, while the second was a super hit. Fotocorp
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28 Ravindra Jadeja
Sharma’s brand endorsements have stayed modest (nine), but she ranks among A-list endorsers like Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. In terms of movies though, 2014 will be a big year for her with two releases, Peekay with Aamir Khan and Bombay Velvet with Ranbir Kapoor. FAST FACT: Sharma owns a Range Rover Vogue sports utility vehicle.
32. Imran Khan
E a r n i n g s : Rs 17.42 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 32 Imran Khan had one release in early 2013: Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola. The movie failed to garner much attention at the box office and barely made its money. While Khan has made his presence felt in Bollywood, he still has some way to go in getting big roles. He’s signed on with Priyanka Chopra for the romance film Milan Talkies. FAST FACT: While studying at Bombay Scottish, he developed a stammer due to corporal punishments.
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33. Suriya
E a r n i n g s : Rs 48.50 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 92 Tamil film fans are not known for their appetite for sequels. Yet, they lapped up Suriya’s Singam 2, where he plays a brave police officer pursuing an international criminal. The masala film turned out to be as successful as the first. Not for the first time, critics drew parallels between Kamal Haasan and Suriya: Two greats who can easily flit between roles that portray class acts and mass heroes. FAST FACT: Son of Sivakumar, a respected actor of an earlier era, Suriya is married to Jyotika, who reigned Kollywood as the top actress for a few years. His brother Karthi is making is own mark in the industry.
34. Sanjay Dutt
E a r n i n g s : Rs 14 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 31 Sanjay Dutt had a forgettable year. His one release, Policegiri, sank without a trace. The star made news for his conviction in a 1993 case for
possession of unlicensed arms during the Mumbai riots. He will serve the remainder of his sentence at Pune’s Yerawada jail. FAST FACT: Dutt partnered with Raj Kundra to launch India’s first professional martial arts league, the Super Fight League.
35. Vidya Balan
E a r n i n g s : Rs 11.13 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 29 After a stellar 2012, Vidya Balan had a less than exciting year at the box office. Ghanchakkar, which released in June, failed to sizzle. Critics though praised her performance, with Rajeev Masand saying, “Vidya Balan offers a particularly uninhibited performance as the garrulous, fashion-disaster of a housewife; the kind of part few leading ladies would venture near, or competently pull off.” FAST FACT: In August she and Anna Hazare served as the grand marshal of the India Day Parade held in New York.
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36. Saina Nehwal
E a r n i n g s : Rs 9.92 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 30 After the highs of 2012, Saina Nehwal has been brought down to earth somewhat this year. Injuries have held her back and she has fallen in the BWF World Rankings from second at the start of 2013 to seventh and hasn’t won a single tournament. However, she did lead the Hyderabad Hotshots to victory in the maiden Indian Badminton League season. She is doing eight brand deals, one less from last year. 2014 is a big year for Saina, as she’ll look to return to full fitness and compete for gold at the Asian and Commonwealth Games.
38 Sonu Nigam
FAST FACT: She was bought by IBL Franchise the Hyderabad Hotshots for $120,000 or Rs 45 lakh.
37. Madhuri Dixit
E a r n i n g s : Rs 19.74 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 44 Madhuri Dixit is back in the Celeb 100 List this year, despite her lower earnings compared to the year before. Her earnings are down to Rs 19.74 crore from Rs 23 crore last year. Regardless of the drop in revenues, she has climbed up a rank this year on our list to No. 37. Even though she doesn’t have a single movie to her name during our reference time period, Dixit climbed up in the ranking purely on the back of revenues from her TV show appearance and brand endorsements. FAST FACTS: 2014 will see the release of her next film Gulaab Gang, a film based on the life of socialactivist Sampat Pal Devi. She has also shot this year for Vishal Bhardwaj’s Dedh Ishqiya, a sequel to the critically acclaimed Ishqiya. Dedh Ishqiya will be directed by Abhishek Choubey.
38. Sonu Nigam
E a r n i n g s : Rs 18 crore C at e g o r y : Singer-Musicians Fa m e R a n k : 42 Despite the intense competition from upcoming artists in playback singing, Sonu Nigam has strived to remain relevant. Like others he has diversified
Sachin Gokhale
into singing in non-Hindi languages, but Nigam—who started singing at the age of four—is now focusing on composing too. He composed the theme track for November release Singh Saab The Great starring Sunny Deol. The artist, who moved to Bollywood when he was 19 and made a mark through the 1995 hit Achha Sila Diya, is also doing an ‘item number’ in the upcoming Santa Banta. Along with music composers SalimSulaiman and ghazal singer Talat Aziz, Nigam has signed up with Percept Live for the first edition of BollyBoom, a live dance music festival concept that started off in November. Nigam had already made his mark in the concert circuit and had a whirlwind European tour in August. In 1999 he did his solo album called Deewana where the music was done by Sajid-Wajid—it remains one of the most successful non-film albums. Among his international ventures, Nigam, in January, lent his voice for the Hindi-dub of Japanese animation movie The Mystical Laws. Separately, the artist continues his fight with music
companies for higher royalty for singers. He claims that companies owe him Rs 100 crore in royalty dues. FAST FACT: Nigam though has been a failure as an actor despite four attempts on the silver screen. Will he make another attempt?
39. Shikhar Dhawan
E a r n i n g s : Rs 6.34 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 26 Few players made as big a splash in 2013 as Shikhar Dhawan. The dashing opener has had a stellar year, averaging 54 in ODIs and scoring five centuries, leading India’s charge to the No. 1 ranking. He was named player of the tournament in the ICC Champions Trophy and took his Test call-up with aplomb, hitting a 187 on debut against Australia. An outstanding fielder and natural athlete, Dhawan sums up the new-look India side. As captain, he also led Sunrisers Hyderabad to the semi-finals of the IPL. DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 33
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in the devanagri script, using certain notations to indicate pronunciation.
FAST FACT: After years of grafting in the domestic circuit, Dhawan’s meteoric rise on the global stage has brought him three endorsement deals.
43. Emraan Hashmi
E a r n i n g s : Rs 22.43 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 49 Emraan Hashmi’s two releases this year failed at the box office and he maintained his image of an almostthere-but-not-quite-there actor. Ek Thi Daayan and Ghanchakkar released within three months of each other and critics failed to note his performances in either of the movies.
40. Cheteshwar Pujara
E a r n i n g s : Rs 6.57 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 27 India’s young No. 3 Test batsman is living a charmed life. He averaged 82 over the past year and hit a hundred every three matches. Pujara is currently the sixth best Test batsman in the world; the only Indian in the top 10. However, he’s played most of his cricket in friendly Indian conditions and upcoming tours to South Africa, New Zealand and England will give Indian fans a better sense of just how good he really is. His textbook strokeplay and long innings have drawn comparison to India’s previous No. 3, Rahul ‘The Wall’ Dravid. Dravid really performed when the chips were down and Pujara wasn’t able to hang in there when England were on top in the Test series. But he has age and technique on his side.
39 Shikhar Dhawan
44. Abhishek Bachchan
Shreya Ghoshal
E a r n i n g s : Rs 12 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 40 Abhishek Bachchan is still waiting for his big release of this calendar year. Other than a special appearance in the comedy Nautanki Saala!, he’s had no films so far. But he makes it to the list on the back of Rs 12 crore in earnings, mainly from endorsements. In December, the third instalment of the Dhoom series will see an all-star cast of Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Katrina Kaif. The series so far has richly rewarded him in his roles as a dogged cop.
42. Shreya Ghoshal
45. Sonam Kapoor
FAST FACT: Pujara tied the knot with Puja Pabari in February.
41. Ishant Sharma
E a r n i n g s : Rs 5.66 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 28 There’s no getting around it: Much of the publicity Ishant Sharma has gotten in the past year has been negative. Since 2008, he’s largely been India’s only genuinely fast bowler. Yet, his wayward length and lack of variation made him a target for attacking batsmen. He took 13 wickets in 21 ODIs and just 11 wickets for 434 runs in Test matches. Though his place is under threat from Mohammed Shami, he’s been called up for the tour of South Africa because of his experience and height. FAST FACT: Ishant Sharma has the second-best ODI strike rate— balls per wicket—among Indian bowlers (after Ajit Agarkar), but also the second-worst economy rate.
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FAST FACT: He’s known as Bollywood’s serial kisser as he considers it a lucky charm for his movies.
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E a r n i n g s : Rs 14.71 crore C at e g o r y : Singer-Musicians Fa m e R a n k : 43 Discovered after winning a singing competition on TV, Shreya Ghoshal continues to be one of the most prolific and popular female playback singers in the country. Apart from Bollywood, Ghoshal is now a regular playback singer in regional movies too and sings in as many as 12 languages. Earlier this year, she collaborated with Kailash Kher on Project Resound to raise awareness about technology and music. This year she also judged the first season of Indian Idol Junior. FAST FACT: Even for all nonHindi songs, including her mother tongue Bengali, Ghoshal writes lyrics
E a r n i n g s : Rs 7.61 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 34 After a lacklustre year, Sonam Kapoor had a comeback of sorts with the biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag—the film did well at the box office, earning her praise for her performance. She is at present shooting Bewakoofian with Ayushmann Khurrana and Rishi Kapoor. The film releases in March 2014. FAST FACTS: She asked her fans to donate to the Ogaan Cancer Foundation for her birthday last year. She is the brand ambassador of ELLE Breast Cancer Campaign.
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39: Jafar Khan / Fotocorp; 42: Sachin Gokhale
46. Shahid Kapoor
E a r n i n g s : Rs 11.78 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 41 Shahid Kapoor’s only release this year is Phata Poster Nikhla Hero. While the movie received mixed reviews from critics, audiences panned it. This was Kapoor’s third consecutive flop. His last hit, Kaminey, was way back in 2009, a role he was widely praised for, with some saying he had matured as an actor. Not surprisingly, he saw his revenue from endorsements plummet by a third to Rs 11.7 crore. FAST FACT: Kapoor uses the last name Khattar, his stepfather Rajesh Khattar’s surname, on his passport.
47. Kamal Haasan
E a r n i n g s : Rs 22.67 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 55 Kamal Haasan was on the verge of revolutionising film distribution when he brokered deals with DTH operators to release Vishwaroopam directly to homes a day before it hits the theatres. His colleagues were up in arms, and he had to withdraw. That was not the end of his troubles. The Tamil Nadu government had stopped the movie from releasing because a few Muslim groups complained it hurt their sentiments, and demanded cuts. He yielded. In the end, everything turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it drew more fans to the theatres.
48. Zaheer Khan
E a r n i n g s : Rs 7.35 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 35 The only bright spot in 2013 for Zaheer Khan was being called up to the Test squad for the tour of South Africa. He was dropped after a poor home series against England, where he picked up just 4 wickets in 88 overs. His spot as strike bowler in the limited overs side was taken by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. To make matters worse, he had a bad IPL season. However, his hard work during his intensive training camp in France got him a call-up. FAST FACT: Zaheer Khan has made his comeback intentions clear by joining a six-week rigorous fitness training camp in France and losing 5 kg.
49. Vijay
E a r n i n g s : Rs 32.50 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 80 Both of his films released during this period were set in Mumbai. But, don’t read too much into it. Vijay’s feet are firmly set in Tamil Nadu, where he is nurturing political ambitions. He campaigned for AIADMK in the 2011 Assembly elections. In the coming year, his fans will be looking forward to more than just his movies.
44 Abhishek Bachchan
45 Sonam Kapoor
FAST FACT: Son of directorproducer SA Chandrasekhar, Vijay went to Loyola College along with fellow star and rival Suriya.
50. Farhan Akhtar
E a r n i n g s : Rs 15 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 45 If there’s one thing about Farhan Akhtar it is that he has been incredibly successful at whatever he does. For someone starting out as a director, he’s made an almost seamless transition into acting. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, his release this year, was a box office hit and was praised by critics. The film made Rs 108 crore and was one of the five entries so far this year into the Bollywood Rs 100-crore club.
47 Kamal Haasan 44, 45, 47: Sachin Gokhale; 49: Venket Ram
49 Vijay
FAST FACT: In March, Akhtar launched a social campaign called Men Against Rape and Discrimination or MARD.
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51. Aishwarya Rai
E a r n i n g s : Rs 13.50 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 46 Even though Aishwarya Rai has had no movies to her credit since 2010, she continues to remain among Bollywood’s most popular stars. At the moment, her Rs 13.5 crore worth of endorsement deals bring in the majority of her earnings. She’s the India brand ambassador for De Beers diamonds. FAST FACTS: She made her first commercial for Camlin pencils when she was in Class 9. She has 17,000 websites dedicated to her.
52. Shankar-EhsaanLoy (SEL)
E a r n i n g s : Rs 30.63 crore C at e g o r y : Singer-Musicians Fa m e R a n k : 87 Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was the biggest hit of the year for the three musicians
53. Anurag Kashyap
E a r n i n g s : Rs 1.8 crore C at e g o r y : Directors Fa m e R a n k : 36 2013 was the most prolific year for Kashyap with seven releases as director, producer or both. Lootera (co-produced by him), starring Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha was his biggest commercial success, again underlining his liking for stories irrespective of their box office potential. FAST FACT: In November, Kashyap announced that he and wife Kalki Koechlin were “taking time apart from their more than two-year old marriage”.
54. Mahesh Babu
E a r n i n g s : Rs 28.96 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 84 After a great run last year, 2013
55. Arjun Rampal
E a r n i n g s : Rs 16.80 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 57 Arjun Rampal had a packed year with three films releasing. Inkaar, his first release of the year co-starring Chitrangada Singh, didn’t do well at the box office. Still, Rampal’s performance was noticed and appreciated. D-Day did well at the box office and Rampal rode the coattails. Satyagraha, his third release, too did well at the box office mainly due to its all-star cast. FAST FACT: Arjun Rampal doesn’t promote a film if he believes the movie hasn’t turned out well. The actor writes this as a clause in his contracts.
56. Bipasha Basu
E a r n i n g s : Rs 11.28 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 48 Bipasha Basu’s only major release in 2013, Aatma, did poorly at the box office. Critics said the film lacked a sense of mystery and that Basu had put in a forgettable performance. Audiences are waiting for the release of her first international release, the Australian film Singularity. This year her earnings have more than halved from Rs 26 crore to Rs 11 crore. FAST FACT: Basu began her modelling career at the age of 17 when she was spotted by model Mehr Jesia Rampal.
57. Kajol 52 Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
(Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa). It was the only high for the otherwise prolific team whose other 2013 release D-Day didn’t create much buzz among music lovers. The trio also had a Tamil release, Vishwaroopam. FAST FACTS: Initially, Ehsaan and Loy worked together and later met Shankar. They started off composing ad jingles. Their first movie album came out in 1997, Mukul Anand’s Dus; the film remained incomplete after the filmmaker’s untimely death.
36 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
wasn’t exactly spectacular for Mahesh Babu. In the one film that was released during this period, Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu, a heart wrenching family drama, he shared screen space with Venkatesh, a senior actor. FAST FACT: Son of veteran Telugu star Krishna, Mahesh Babu acted in nine films as a child artiste, before getting a lead role in Raja Kumarudu in 1999.
E a r n i n g s : Rs 20.25 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 70 Over a decade after her marriage to Ajay Devgn and the birth of two children, Kajol as decided to take it slow. The release of Koochie Koochie Hota Hai, where she has done a voiceover, has been delayed. She’s actively involved in social work. In 2012 she became brand ambassador for NGO Pratham, which works towards providing quality education to underprivileged children. She’s also associated with Shiksha. FAST FACTS: In 2006 she was one of four Bollywood actors—the Sameer Joshi / Fotocorp
MB Shetty) is the second instalment of Singham with close pal Ajay Devgn.
59 Yo Yo Honey Singh
61. Nagarjuna
E a r n i n g s : Rs 20.50 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 75 After the well-acclaimed Shirdi Sai in September 2012 in which he played the 19th century saint Shirdi Sai Baba, Nagarjuna had only one unparalleled hit in 2013—fantasy film Dhamarukam, which registered the biggest box office opening of his career. FAST FACT: Nagarjuna is the coowner of Indian Badminton League team Mumbai Masters (with Sunil Gavaskar) and supersport motorcycle racing team Mahi Racing Team India (with Mahendra Singh Dhoni).
others being Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Hrithik Roshan—whose miniature dolls were launched in Delhi under the name Bollywood Legends.
58. Sunidhi Chauhan
E a r n i n g s : Rs 17.66 crore C at e g o r y : Singer-Musicians Fa m e R a n k : 63 While her ‘item number’ songs have become more popular and given her the edge over her competitors, Sunidhi Chauhan continues to make a mark in other forms too. She released her first single ‘Ab Laut Aa’ in the electronic dance music genre. Chauhan also maintains her popularity in neighbouring Pakistan where she has sung three songs in the period under consideration. FAST FACT: A “secret dream” to act in movies has seen her shedding 17 kilos.
59. Yo Yo Honey Singh
E a r n i n g s : Rs 10.76 crore C at e g o r y : Singer-Musicians Fa m e R a n k : 53 His ‘Lungi Dance’ for one of the year’s biggest blockbusters Chennai Express ruled the charts and further upped Honey Singh’s reputation as rapper, singer and composer. He was also in the news after claiming to have been paid Rs 70 lakh to sing a song, the highest for a Bollywood singer till date, in the upcoming movie Mastaan. His website
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claims that his YouTube videos have a combined view of 210 million. Born in Punjab and trained in music in London, Singh remains a popular draw in his home state and has also acted in Punjabi movies. Controversy though has always accompanied Singh. He was alleged to have sung ‘Main Hoon Balatkari’ that was considered offensive by many. The artist disowned the song and a case filed against him was dismissed. Apart from his success in Bollywood, the rapper has continued his focus on albums. His new release ‘Blue Eyes’ was launched digitally and picked up 10 million views on YouTube within 20 days. FAST FACT: After denying it for long, Singh recently admitted that he was married in 2011 to a girl “he had known for 18 years”.
60. Rohit Shetty
E a r n i n g s : Rs 17 crore C at e g o r y : Directors Fa m e R a n k : 69 Rohit Shetty’s Chennai Express became his fourth consecutive movie to make it to the Rs 100 crore-club after Golmaal 3, Singham and Bol Bachchan. The movie that stars Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone created several records at the box office, including grossing the highest single-day and opening week collections for a Bollywood movie. Next up for Shetty junior (he is the son of fight master
62. Sudeep
E a r n i n g s : Rs 13.50 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 61 One of the few Kannada actors to have successfully transitioned across language barriers, Kiccha Sudeep had a pretty varied and fulfilling year. He won a slew of awards for his role as the villain in the Telugu-Tamil fantasy movie Eega. FAST FACT: Sudeep hosts the Kannada version of Bigg Boss, which went on air in 2013.
63. Anil Kapoor
E a r n i n g s : Rs 6.13 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 51 Anil Kapoor’s role as Jai Singh Rathod in the Hindi adaptation of the television series 24 was widely appreciated by audiences (in the original American series he played President Omar Hassan). Kapoor has also acquired the Indian rights to the series for a rumoured Rs 100 crore. Judging by the first season, the show is on its way to go places. Along the way, he kept up his appearances in movies with Shootout at Wadala and Race 2. FAST FACT: In January 2013 Kapoor became the first Indian actor to be invited for a special segment, ‘In conversation’, at the Toronto International Film Festival, an honour reserved for actors with a considerable body of work.
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Celebrity
64. Amit Trivedi
E a r n i n g s : Rs 21.58 crore C at e g o r y : Singer-Musicians Fa m e R a n k : 89 Each of Amit Trivedi’s albums from Bollywood movies ruled the charts in 2013. Starting with Kai Po Che! to Ghanchakkar and Lootera, Trivedi has proved his diverse style. But like many of his peers in the industry, Trivedi was also hit by plagiarism charges, but he clarified that he “is not a fool to steal music”.
65. Darshan
E a r n i n g s : Rs 24 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 98 Darshan won the best actor award at the South Filmfare Awards for his role in 2012 historical biopic Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna. Like
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many of his other peers, Darshan too is attempting to build a business that is independent of his acting skills. His family currently owns a shooting unit, production and distribution companies.
66. Ranveer Singh
E a r n i n g s : Rs 1.69 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 47 Lootera, which was Ranveer Singh’s significant release during this year, did moderately well at the box office, but Singh wowed audiences with his performance. The movie, inspired by O’Henry’s short story The Last Leaf, had Singh remarkably at ease in the 1950s setting. One critic wrote, “Ranveer has been entrusted with a complicated character so early in his career… The character has disconcerting shades and it is
imperative that he uses his eyes to leave a mark, which he does so at a variety of stages. He’s simply fantastic!” FAST FACT: After completing his studies, Singh worked for a few years as a copyrighter with agencies like O&M and JWT.
67. Prakash Jha
E a r n i n g s : Rs 10.33 crore C at e g o r y : Directors Fa m e R a n k : 66 Continuing with his preference to take up topical political and social issues, Jha’s Satyagraha made enough buzz to become a commercial success. The movie had a premier star cast, including Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kapoor. Next up is Raajneeti 2, sequel to his 2010 release. FAST FACT: His philanthropy initiative arm rebuilt homes for 104 families in Bihar’s flood-hit region of Kosi.
68. Ravi Teja
E a r n i n g s : Rs 13 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 73 After a dismal 2012 in which all of his movies failed to make a significant mark at the box office, 2013 gave Ravi Teja the super hit Balupu, which ended up beating the box office collections of all of his prior films. 63 Anil Kapoor
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FAST FACT: Teja is popularly known as “Mass Maharaja” by his fans
Amit Trivedi
69. Ram Charan
E a r n i n g s : Rs 12.67 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 72 2013 had both duds and hits for Ram Charan. The superhit was Naayak, a film in which he played two characters. The dud was his Hindi-Telugu action film Zanjeer alongside Priyanka Chopra, a remake of the 1973 Bachchan-starrer, which bombed without a trace. In May, Ram Charan got into a controversy when his security guards beat up two software engineers on Hyderabad’s roads because they refused to give way to his car. 66 Ranveer Singh 38 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
73 Sridevi
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63: Ganesh Lad / Fotocorp; 64: Sunil Shirsekar / Fotocorp; 66: Getty Images
72 Leander Paes
70. Ayushmann Khurrana
E a r n i n g s : Rs 2.58 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 50 After a stunning debut with Vicky Donor last year, Ayushmann Khurrana had a soso year with one release, Nautanki Saala! While the movie received some positive reviews for its comedy of errors plot, Khurrana’s performance went largely unnoticed. All eyes are now on his next release Bewakoofian, where he stars with Sonam Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor. FAST FACTS: Khurrana was the winner of the Season 2 of MTV Roadies, in 2004.
71. Rishi Kapoor
E a r n i n g s : Rs 9 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 62 Since moving to supporting roles in the 2000s Rishi Kapoor has continued to have success. After his 2012 pathbreaking performance as a villain in Agneepath, in 2013 he acted in five movies from Shuddh Desi Romance to D-Day. His acting has been widely praised. “He just takes the movie to another level,” says one reviewer. Getty Images
FAST FACT: Bobby, which launched Kapoor as an actor, was made to pay the debts of Mera Naam Joker.
72. Leander Paes
E a r n i n g s : Rs 5.26 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 54 Leander Paes didn’t have quite as good a year as 2012, but he had plenty to be proud of nonetheless. Along with doubles partner Radek Stepanek, he won the US Open—his 14th Grand Slam title—and collected $230,000 in winnings in New York. He became the oldest male grand slam winner at 40. Paes finished the year with $456,777 in tour winnings and an ATP 250 event title in Winston-Salem in North Carolina. He competed in the World TeamTennis tournament with the Washington Kastles and was invited to the White House to meet US President Barack Obama in July. Back home, the Union sports ministry recommended him for the Padma Bhushan in 2013. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the West Bengal government, presented to him by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He also made his Bollywood debut in Rajdhani Express. A Buddhist, Paes
continues to donate 15 percent of his earnings to his orphanage Future Hope that has helped about 10,000 children in Kolkata. FAST FACT: Both his parents are Olympians. His father Vece won the bronze in field hockey and his mother, Jennifer, competed in basketball in the 1972 games.
73. Sridevi
E a r n i n g s : Rs 3.5 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 52 After a 15-year break from films, Sridevi had an incredible comeback with English Vinglish. After her performance she was hailed as the Meryl Streep of India. Sridevi has also been active in philanthropic work. In 2010 she donated $50,000 from the auction of a painting to charity. On the Tamil version of Kaun Banega Crorepati, she donated the proceeds to Little Flower School for special children in Chennai. FAST FACT: In 2013 she was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour.
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74. Mika Singh
E a r n i n g s : Rs 16.23 crore C at e g o r y : Singer-Musicians Fa m e R a n k : 83 The talented Bhangra pop artiste has had the best year of his career. But as always, controversy followed him when in March the local administration sealed his farmhouse in Gurgaon for illegally running “commercial activities”. Vocalist of popular songs Mauja Hi Mauja and Singh is King was also arrested at Mumbai airport for carrying currency beyond the permissible limit. Singh, along with fellow singer Shaan, will star in the upcoming film Balwinder Singh Famous Hogaya. FAST FACT: The youngest of six brothers, his birth name is Amrik Singh. Older brother Daler Mehndi, though now not as popular as he used to be, popularised Bhangra across the country.
78. Vishal-Shekhar
E a r n i n g s : Rs 14 crore C at e g o r y : Singer-Musicians Fa m e R a n k : 81 The biggest success for Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani in 2013 came from Chennai Express. But they courted controversy after it was reported that they were upset after rapper Honey Singh was asked to compose a promotional song for the movie; the song, Lungi Dance, went on to become a hit. The duo teamed up with singer Shreya Ghoshal to judge Indian Idol Junior. 74
FAST FACTS: Vishal Dadlani is the frontman for Mumbai-based band Pentagram. Shekhar Ravjiani is a trained classical singer.
Mika Singh
79. Sukhwinder Singh
E a r n i n g s : Rs 2.73 crore C at e g o r y : Singer-Musicians Fa m e R a n k : 58 The versatile singer’s biggest chartbuster was ‘Slow Motion Angreza’ from Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. The year otherwise was a subdued one for the artiste known for his “different” vocal and for being Shah Rukh Khan’s voice in six movies. He has been active in the concert circuit with shows in Hong Kong and Australia, among other places.
75. Irrfan Khan
E a r n i n g s : Rs 7.26 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 60 Irrfan is among Bollywood’s most versatile actors. After being largely unnoticed in the 1990s, he got his break in the 2005 film Rog. Since then, Khan has done a variety of lead roles as well as supporting roles. He has also starred in international films like The Amazing Spiderman and A Mighty Heart where he played the role of a police officer. In 2011 Khan was awarded the Padma Shri. His notable releases in 2013 were The Lunchbox and D-Day. FAST FACT: Khan is a meticulous researcher who stays up late at night reading at least one new script a week. He is constantly looking for new ways to play his characters.
76. Sajid Khan
E a r n i n g s : Rs 13.43 crore C at e g o r y : Directors Fa m e R a n k : 77 The filmmaker’s take on the 1983-classic Himmatwala was an average grosser. He is currently appearing on TV as a judge on Nach Baliye. His next release is planned to be Humshakals starring Saif Ali Khan and Esha Gupta. UP
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77. Parineeti Chopra
E a r n i n g s : Rs 5.36 crore C at e g o r y : Film Actors Fa m e R a n k : 59 Parineeti Chopra enters our Top 100 Celebrity List for the first time. Her only movie in our time period, Shuddh Desi Romance, was a commercial success. In the three years that she has been in the industry, Chopra has done well for herself. She started her career in 2011 with Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl, for which she won the Filmfare Best Female Debut award, but gained critical appreciation for her role as a feisty tomboy in the movie Ishaqzaade last year. FAST FACT: Chopra started out at Yash Raj Films as a public relations consultant before moving into films.
FAST FACT: In November the singer threatened legal action against an organiser of a ‘fake concert’ in Toronto who claimed Singh would be participating in the event.
80. Chetan Bhagat
E a r n i n g s : Rs 2.60 crore C at e g o r y : Authors Fa m e R a n k : 56 Chetan Bhagat continued his dream run in 2013. After the success of 3 Idiots, Kai Po Che!, an adaptation of his novel The 3 Mistakes of My Life, did well at the box office. In 2014, One Night @ The Call Centre and 2 States: The Story of My Marriage are up for release. FAST FACT: Chetan’s brother Ketan released his own book, Complete/Convenient, this year, but received a lukewarm response.
(In overall ranking)
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74: Sunil Shirsekar / Fotocorp,; 75: Prasad Gori for Forbes India
81. Navjot Singh Sidhu
E a r n i n g s : Rs 5.75 crore C at e g o r y : TV Personalities Fa m e R a n k : 64 Known for his witty one-liners, Navjot Singh Sidhu followed up his brilliant cricket career with cricket commentary, politics and TV shows. Having appeared in various television series and films before, Sidhu tried his luck as a contestant in Bigg Boss season 6 in 2012, but had to leave due to his political commitments. Sidhu is currently featuring on Comedy Nights with Kapil, which has earned popularity among TV viewers. 77 Parineeti Chopra
FAST FACT: Due to Sidhu’s prolonged absence from his Lok Sabha constituency, an NGO launched a poster campaign calling him missing and offering a reward of Rs 2 lakh for bringing him back.
82. Malaika Arora Khan
E a r n i n g s : Rs 12.08 crore C at e g o r y : TV Personalities Fa m e R a n k : 78 Malaika Arora Khan has top songs like Chaiyya Chaiyya and Munni Badnam Hui to her name and is known as India’s top item girl. In 2012, Khan produced Dabangg 2 with her husband Arbaaz Khan. The movie was declared a box
office super hit and Dabangg 3 is said to be in the making. She has judged various dance reality TV shows and India’s Got Talent 4. She walked the ramp for Vikram Phadnis as part of the Blender’s Pride Fashion Tour. FAST FACT: Malaika will be seen next in a cameo role in Shah Rukh Khan’s movie Happy New Year, which is directed by Farah Khan.
83. Mahesh Bhupathi
E a r n i n g s : Rs 4.63 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 67 By his own high standards, 2013 has been an average year for Mahesh Bhupathi. With a win/loss record of 16/14, he’s earned $221,693 in tour winnings. In February, he won the Dubai Open without regular partner Rohan Bopanna, lifting the ATP 500 event instead with French veteran Michael Llodra. After rejoining Bopanna, the pair finished runners-up in the Masters 1000 event in Rome in May. It seems that six different doubles partners in a year hasn’t yielded the right fit or rhythm for him.
84. Sania Mirza
E a r n i n g s : Rs 7.10 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 74 Sania Mirza broke into the top 10 women’s doubles rankings after winning four tour events in 2013. She won in Brisbane and Dubai with American Bethanie Mattek-Sands, in New Haven with China’s Jie Zheng and in Beijing and Tokyo at the end of the year with Zimbabwean Cara Black. She’s currently ranked No. 9 in the world in doubles; she quit playing singles in 2013.
85. Shilpa Shetty
E a r n i n g s : Rs 2.75 crore C at e g o r y : TV Personalities Fa m e R a n k : 65 From being a successful film actress to taking part in Celebrity Big Brother 5, owning an IPL team and experiencing the joy of motherhood—Shilpa Shetty has done it all. She has judged various dance shows, including Nach Baliye 6, which is on air now. She hit the Sachin Gokhale
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FAST FACT: He is currently playing on the Japanese Tour to regain form.
88. Shaan
82 Malaika Arora Khan
83 Mahesh Bhupathi
E a r n i n g s : Rs 2.58 crore C at e g o r y : Singer-Musicians Fa m e R a n k : 71 A popular voice and face on Indian TV, Shaan turned dancer on dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. He is now working on his acting debut in a movie (Balwinder Singh Famous Hogaya) directed by Sunil Agnihotri that also stars fellow singer Mika Singh. On the singing front though, Shaan continues to face stiff competition from a string of newcomers. FAST FACT: Shaan collaborated with popular Danish band MLTR for the song ‘Take Me to Your Heart’ for his 2006 album Tishnagi.
89. Salim-Sulaiman
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Shilpa Shetty
Prabhu Deva
headlines for the wrong reasons when her husband, businessman Raj Kundra, was questioned in the IPL spot-fixing case and he admitted to betting and losing money. She has a charitable organisation and is a PETA activist too.
Championships in the second round. 2014 will see him make his Bollywood debut alongside Akshay Kumar in Fugly.
FAST FACT: Shetty recently launched YaP, a programme combining yoga and physiotherapy, in association with VLCC.
86. Vijender Singh
E a r n i n g s : Rs 2.75 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 68 Vijender Singh’s good looks and charm means India’s best-known male boxer still has endorsement deals bringing in income. His performances in the ring haven’t been great. In the 75 kg division, he went out of the World Boxing 42 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
E a r n i n g s : Rs 11.94 crore C at e g o r y : Singer-Musicians Fa m e R a n k : 96 Once called protégés of filmmaker Karan Johar, the brothers Salim and Sulaiman Merchant walked out of the producerdirector’s forthcoming Ungli in August, reportedly over creative and royalty issues. Sons of composer and Telugu film industry veteran Sadruddin Merchant, the siblings had two releases in 2013: Rabba Main Kya Karoon and Satyagraha (the film had four composers)—but neither made big waves.
FAST FACT: Vijender became a father in August when his wife Archana gave birth to their son Abir.
FAST FACT: They got their first break in the 1997 movie Hameshaa (for which they scored the background music) after director Sanjay Gupta, who was working in the adjacent studio, heard them composing music for an ad jingle.
87. Jeev Milkha Singh
90. Prabhu Deva
E a r n i n g s : Rs 9.18 crore C at e g o r y : Sports Fa m e R a n k : 86 2013 was a mixed bag for the Singh family as father Milkha was honoured in the hit film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag while son, Jeev, had a quiet year on the European Tour. Unlike 2012, Jeev Milkha Singh wasn’t able to win any tournaments and his fall in the rankings to 263 is largely down to an injury to his index finger.
E a r n i n g s : Rs 8.50 crore C at e g o r y : Directors Fa m e R a n k : 85 The choreographer-actor-turnedproducer-director is making a staple model out of remaking his hit movies down south into Bollywood potboilers. The results till now have been mixed. While his 2012 release Rowdy Rathore was a hit, his second venture Ramaiya Vastavaiya (a remake of his directorial debut Nuvvustanante Nenoddantana) 82, 85, 90: Sachin Gokhale; 83: Getty Images
was a dud at the box office. The star will be hoping to do better with his December release R… Rajkumar. Prabhu Deva also played the lead role in ABCD—Any Body Can Dance, reportedly India’s first 3D dance film.
92 Remo D’Souza
FAST FACTS: He continues to chair the dance academy named after him in Singapore.
91. Mithun Chakraborty
E a r n i n g s : Rs 9 crore C at e g o r y : TV Personalities Fa m e R a n k : 94 The disco dancer of yore now appears as the Grandmaster of the show Dance India Dance. Apart from his appearances on television shows, Chakraborty recently was seen in the movie Boss and Enemmy and has signed various upcoming movies Bhaiyyaji Superhitt and Kaanchi. He was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Award for OMG—Oh My God. FAST FACT: Chakraborty has been approached to do a role in the mythological series Devon Ka Dev…Mahadev.
92. Remo D’Souza
E a r n i n g s : Rs 6.95 crore C at e g o r y : TV Personalities Fa m e R a n k : 88 The boy who left his home in Jamnagar with a one-way ticket to Mumbai and a passion for dance is today one of the hottest choreographers of India, a dance show judge and a director. Having started choreography with Rangeela, the choreographer has put together dance moves for many of the latest hit movies, including Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Krrish 3, Besharam and the upcoming Dedh Ishqiya. He recently judged Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6 along with Madhuri Dixit and Karan Johar. Early in 2013, D’Souza directed ABCD—Any Body Can Dance. It received an enthusiastic response and various contestants from Dance India Dance starred in the film. The choreographer-director is now turning producer with Amar Must Die, starring Rajeev Khandelwal and Zarine Khan. D’Souza also seems to Ganesh Lad / Fotocorp
be following the trend of sequels and reportedly plans to come up with one of his film ABCD Any Body Can Dance to be shot in the US. FAST FACT: D’Souza and Karan Johar are said to be joining hands to come up with an action flick under the banner of Dharma Productions, with D’Souza as the director.
93. Kapil Sharma
E a r n i n g s : Rs 4.50 crore C at e g o r y : TV Personalities Fa m e R a n k : 82
Kapil Sharma, who started his career with comedy reality shows like The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, Comedy Circus and Ustaadon Ka Ustaad, launched his own show Comedy Night with Kapil under his banner K9 Production. Aired in June 2013, the show has been extremely successful. Apart from that, Kapil has also hosted reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 6 and has made appearances in shows like Bigg Boss. He has been a subject of gossip after Sunil Grover, fondly known as Gutthi, left his show. DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 43
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by switching off his phone between December 22 and January 1.
94 Amish Tripathi
FAST FACT: Das is very active on Twitter with 120,000 followers and almost 6,000 tweets.
96. Ram Kapoor
E a r n i n g s : Rs 4.75 crore C at e g o r y : TV Personalities Fa m e R a n k : 91 Kapoor’s romance and struggles with Sakshi Tanwar in Bade Achche Lagte Hain continues with the series showing a jump of seven years. The show has won four awards till date, including the Indian Television Academy Awards and the Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards. Apart from the TV Show, he also starred in the movies Mai, and Mere Dad Ki Maruti.
FAST FACT: The comedian faced a loss of Rs 20-22 crore after a fire broke out on the sets of Comedy Nights with Kapil.
94. Amish Tripathi
E a r n i n g s : Rs 6.36 crore C at e g o r y : Authors Fa m e R a n k : 93 A devoted Shiva follower himself, all of Tripathi’s books are based on religious topics. He’s known for marketing his books aggressively. According to him, it is a fallacy to assume that a good book sells on its own. Tripathi, who is an IIM-Calcutta graduate, originally wanted to be a historian but chose a career in finance as he couldn’t afford to be a historian. After 14 years in finance—where he worked with Standard Chartered, DBS and IDBI—he ventured into writing. When the Immortals of Meluha was about to be released, he kept the first chapter free at bookstores and asked them to give it out for free, something unheard of at that time. In 2013, a music album called Vayuputras, an original soundtrack based on The Oath of the Vayuputras, the final book of the Shiva Trilogy, was released. FAST FACT: Tripathi also released trailers of his books in theatres and on YouTube. He believes that the 44 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
audience for movies and for his books is the same.
95. Vir Das
E a r n i n g s : Rs 4.80 crore C at e g o r y : Comedians Fa m e R a n k : 90 India’s top stand-up comedian has his fingers in many pies. He shot four movies and is currently producing two films himself. Through his comedy consultancy Weirdass Comedy, he’s organising India’s largest comedy festival in January 2014, something he wanted to do for the last 10 years. His comedy-rock band ‘Alien Chutney’ has gained popularity and he’s just added a 12-person choir. They regularly perform at NH7 events, India’s premier alternative music festivals. He debuted in a new comedy show, Battle of Da Sexes, and though the demand has been huge—especially from women— the number of days he has to commit to shooting there means he isn’t doing as many gigs as before. His average day is 10 hours of shooting, two meetings and a gig. He is also enjoying doing films: Shooting for Go Goa Gone felt almost like a holiday because they filmed in Mauritius for 40 days. Das usually gets to see his family and friends only for dinner after a show; so he plans to enjoy a well-deserved break
FAST FACT: Kapoor has reportedly been cast in a lead role in Sajid Khan’s movie Humshakals, also starring Saif Ali Khan and Riteish Deshmukh.
97. Ronit Roy
E a r n i n g s : Rs 3.75 crore C at e g o r y : TV Personalities Fa m e R a n k : 97 Having worked in saas-bahu soaps like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kasauti Zindagi Ki, Roy has attempted a different genre with his role as Advocate KD Pathak in Adaalat that has been running since 2010. In 2013, he starred in various other movies like Boss and Shootout at Wadala and has been cast in the upcoming movie, 2 States, which is based on the book by Chetan Bhagat. FAST FACT: The character played by Roy in 2 States is said to be inspired by Chetan Bhagat’s father.
98. Sakshi Tanwar
E a r n i n g s : Rs 4.50 crore C at e g o r y : TV Personalities Fa m e R a n k : 99 Sakshi Tanwar became a household name for her portrayal of ‘Parvati Bhabhi’ in Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki. Her attempt to break the stereotype finally worked when her character Priya in Bade Achche Lagte Hain was widely appreciated. The series is still on with a jump of seven years. Tanwar has 94: Prasad Gori for Forbes India; 95: Sachin Gokhale
95 Vir Das
HOW WE CRUNCH THE NUMBERS The Celebrity 100 ranking is based on two parametres: 1) Estimates of entertainmentrelated earnings and 2) estimates of fame. The period under consideration for both is October 1, 2012 to September 30, 2013.
HOW WE CALCULATED EARNINGS
For each celebrity, we got independent estimates from multiple sources—industry insiders, including talent management agencies, film and TV producers, publishers, music industry professionals, sports consultants, ad agencies, brand marketers, celebrity managers and other relevant experts.
HOW WE CALCULATED FAME
also done many short films like Coffee House and Kahin Door. She also hosts the show Mujhe Pankh De Do, which showcases real-life inspirational stories of women. FAST FACT: Tanwar was felicitated by Padmini Devi with the Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II Award for excellence in the field of television.
99. Terence Lewis
E a r n i n g s : Rs 1.88 crore C at e g o r y : TV Personalities Fa m e R a n k : 95 Terence Lewis has choreographed not only Bollywood movies, but various international stage shows, musicals, feature films, ad and music videos. Recently, he choreographed Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela. He has judged various television shows, including Dance India Dance and Nach Baliye Shriman v/s Shrimati. He has also made it
to the Guinness World Records by choreographing 1,336 people together as part of a show. FAST FACT: He is the first Indian to receive the prestigious danceWEB Europe Scholarship.
100. Cyrus Broacha
E a r n i n g s : Rs 1.83 crore C at e g o r y : Comedians Fa m e R a n k : 100 In another tumultuous year for Indian politics, the burly comedian known for his satirical TV show The Week That Wasn’t has had no shortage of material. He’s impersonated and poked fun at everyone and everything from Narendra Modi to Rahul Gandhi to Jayalalithaa to Isro’s Mars Mission. He was nominated for the best comedy performance by an actor/ actress award in the Asian TV Awards 2013. Apart from his TV show, he’s been busy doing corporate gigs.
Profiles by Ashish Mishra, Dipal Desai, NS Ramnath, Pravin Palande, Prince Mathews Thomas, Rohin Dharmakumar, Samar Srivastava, Shravan Bhat and Sohini Mitter
We tracked their media visibility across print, television and the internet. We used Google to estimate online exposure, Facebook fans and Twitter followers. Our principal data partners LexisNexis, Galatta, Percept Talent Management, and TAM-Eikona helped provide data for celeb endorsements as well as on print and TV exposure. We were also supported by indiantelevision. com, Exceed Entertainment, tellychakkar.com, radioandmusic. com and Nielsen BookScan for data gathering process. The entire process was verified by Ernst & Young, our official tabulators. Note: The ranking in this list is based on estimates of earnings and media visibility of each celebrity across print, television and online media from October 1, 2012 to September 30, 2013. The numbers are, therefore, not accurate but merely indicative. We (at Forbes India Magazine or Digital18 Media Private Limited) have done our best to verify the information published, but do not take any responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the information.
DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 45
Celebrity
100
s ta r wat c h What the numbers say about the Top 100
THE TOP 10 By rank, fame rank, revenue, and endorsements
THE TOP ENDORSERS The ones who rake in the most
THE LIST By category
GENDER BENDER How the women fare vis-a-vis the men
THE MONEY TRAIL Gainers & losers, by earnings THE FAME GAME Gainers & losers, by fame rankings
THE ‘AVERAGE’ CELEB Surprise! Most are actors, are married, and live in Mumbai
Celebrity
100
MEASURING FA M E & FO R T U N E Compiled by SHRAVAN BHAT; Infographic by SAMEER PAWAR
The Top
48 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
10
Celebrities
Shah Rukh, Salman, Sachin, Virat: Getty Images; Dhoni, Bachchan, Akshay: Corbis; Ranbir: Lucas Jackson / Reuters; Katrina, Hrithik: Sachin Gokhale
Rank
Fame rank
COMEDIANS
THE LIST CONTINUES...
Total Revenue (Rs cr)
Number of endorsements
FILM ACTORS
1
4 2
2 3
3 4
1 5
5 6
12 7
6 8
SHAH RUKH KHAN
220.5
RANK
19
MS DHONI
155.3
23
SALMAN KHAN
157.5
10
SACHIN TENDULKAR
94.3
16
AMITABH BACHCHAN
147.5
16
AKSHAY KUMAR
118.1
8
VIRAT KOHLI
57.3
13
11 12 13 14 17 18 21 25 26 31 32 33 34 35 37 43 44 45 46 47 49 50 51 54 55 56 57 61 62 63 65 66 68 69 70 71 73 75 77
NAME OF CELEB
TOTAL EARNINGS (IN RS CR)
Deepika Padukone Priyanka Chopra Kareena Kapoor Aamir Khan Saif Ali Khan Ajay Devgn John Abraham Sonakshi Sinha Pawan Kalyan Anushka Sharma Imran Khan Suriya Sanjay Dutt Vidya Balan Madhuri Dixit Emraan Hashmi Abhishek Bachchan Sonam Kapoor Shahid Kapoor Kamal Haasan Vijay Farhan Akhtar Aishwarya Rai Mahesh Babu Arjun Rampal Bipasha Basu Kajol Nagarjuna Sudeep Anil Kapoor Darshan Ranveer Singh Ravi Teja Ram Charan Ayushmann Khurrana Rishi Kapoor Sridevi Irrfan Khan Parineeti Chopra
39.5 36.6 56.9 32.4 59.6 58.4 36.5 24.4 57 25.7 17.4 48.5 14 11.1 19.7 22.4 12 7.6 11.8 22.7 32.5 15 13.5 28.9 16.8 11.3 20.2 20.5 13.5 6.1 24 1.7 13 12.7 2.6 9 3.5 7.3 5.4
9 8 23 10 39 37 33 25 79 38 32 92 31 29 44 49 40 34 41 55 80 45 46 84 57 48 70 75 61 51 98 47 73 72 50 62 52 60 59
RANBIR KAPOOR
9
16
68.6
7
KATRINA KAIF
63.7
62.5
All numbers are estimates
100
SINGER-MUSICIANS 16
AR Rahman
50.7
29
Pritam
53.5
24 76
38
Sonu Nigam
17.9
42
42
Shreya Ghoshal
14.7
43
52
Shankar Ehsaan Loy (SEL)
30.6
87
58
Sunidhi Chauhan
17.7
63
59
Yo Yo Honey Singh
10.8
53
64
Amit Trivedi
21.6
89
74
Mika Singh
16.2
83
78
Vishal-Shekhar
14
81
79
Sukhwinder Singh
2.7
58
88
Shaan
2.6
71
89
Salim-Sulaimaan
11.9
96
SPORTS 15
Virender Sehwag
25.6
07
19
Gautam Gambhir
20.8
11
20
Yuvraj Singh
21.6
14
22
Rohit Sharma
16.9
17
24
Harbhajan Singh
9
15
27
Suresh Raina
16.1
20
28
Ravindra Jadeja
16.6
22
30
Rahul Dravid
7.7
18
36
Saina Nehwal
9.9
30
39
Shikhar Dhawan
6.3
26
40
Cheteshwar Pujara
6.6
27
41
Ishant Sharma
5.6
28
48
Zaheer Khan
7.3
35
72
Leander Paes
5.3
54
83
Mahesh Bhupathi
4.6
67
84
Sania Mirza
7.1
74
86
Vijender Singh
2.7
68
87
Jeev Milkha Singh
9.1
86
TV PERSONALITIES 19.1
19
53
Anurag Kashyap
1.8
36
81
Navjot Singh Sidhu
5.7
69
82
Malaika Arora Khan
12.1
78
Shilpa Shetty
2.7
65
Rohit Shetty
17
64
67
Prakash Jha
10.3
66
85
76
Sajid Khan
13.4
77
91
Mithun Chakraborty
9
94
90
Prabhu Deva
8.5
85
92
Remo D’Souza
6.9
88
93
Kapil Sharma
4.5
82
96
Ram Kapoor
4.7
91
97
Ronit Roy
3.7
97
AUTHORS
10
90
1.8
Karan Johar
10 HRITHIK ROSHAN
21
4.8
Cyrus Broacha
23
60
15
Vir Das
100
FAME RANK
DIRECTORS
13
95
80
Chetan Bhagat
2.6
56
98
Sakshi Tanwar
4.5
99
94
Amish Tripathi
6.4
93
99
Terence Lewis
1.9
95
DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 49
Celebrity
100
THE MONEY TRAIL
THE FAME GAME TOP 10 (PRINT MENTIONS)
EARNINGS: TOP 5 GAINERS (In absolute terms) 2012
Pritam
2013
Sachin Tendulkar
Numbers are in Rs Crore
10.3 53.5 116.3
Amitabh Bachchan
147.5 26.3
Pawan Kalyan
155.3
50.7
179.8
Kareena Kapoor
Bipasha Basu
Mahesh Babu
Aamir Khan
118.1 73.5 56.9 26.8 11.3 42.2 28.9 42.5 32.4
50 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
2361 2357 2160 1885 1862 1722 1596
2012
2013
20.7 40.3
Sachin Tendulkar
0.05 4
Deepika Padukone
Numbers are in Rs Crore
Akshay Kumar
2603
Cheteshwar Pujara
(In absolute terms) 2013
3751
Shah Rukh Khan Salman Khan Amitabh Bachchan Virat Kohli Gautam Gambhir Virender Sehwag Harbhajan Singh Yuvraj Singh
Ravindra Jadeja
32.9
EARNINGS: TOP 5 LOSERS
2012
3817
MS Dhoni
(By fame points)
135.2
AR Rahman
CELEB COMMERCIALS ON TV
FAME: 5 BIGGEST GAINERS
57
MS Dhoni
THE TOP ENDORSERS
2
Ranveer Singh
11.9
Numbers are in minutes per day
10.1 12 17.1
6.1
FAME: 5 BIGGEST LOSERS (By fame points) 2012
2013
Virender Sehwag
17.7
34.9 26.6
Salman Khan Rahul Dravid Zaheer Khan Gautam Gambhir
28.8
13.3
20.3
15.1 8.7 22.8 16.7
Shah Rukh Khan
Katrina Kaif
601.1
468.9
Kareena Kapoor
Saif Ali Khan
446.6
379.2
Salman Khan
Amitabh Bachchan
374
343
Aamir Khan
Kajol
275.9
253.8
Akshay Kumar
Ranbir Kapoor
204.4
194.1
GENDER BENDER
THE ‘AVERAGE’ CELEB
2013: WOMEN LOSING THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES? In top 100 list
2012 Women (29)
Average revenue of Celebrity 100
2013 Women (21) TOP CELEBS BY NO. OF ENDORSED BRANDS No. of Brands
Endorsement Earnings
MIND THE GAP
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
23
141
Shah Rukh Khan
19
133
Top 5 male Bollywood actors charge almost twice what the top 5 female film stars do per endorsement
Amitabh Bachchan
16
88
Sachin Tendulkar
16
80.8
Katrina Kaif
15
60
Kareena Kapoor
15
50.2
Name of Celeb
In Rs Crore
Average
Average
6.2
3.2
All numbers are estimates
Virat Kohli
13
42.6
Priyanka Chopra
11
31.9
Salman Khan
10
70
Hrithik Roshan
10
62.5
Deepika Padukone
10
32.5
Saif Ali Khan
10
31
38 Numbers are in Rs cr.
Numbers are in Rs crore
7.4
Shah Rukh Khan
Salman Khan
7
7 Aamir Khan
6.7
Sachin Tendulkar
6.2
All numbers are estimates
Average age of Celebrity 100
Women still get paid a pittance compared to Bollywood’s male leads
TOP 5 CELEBS BY ENDORSEMENT RATES Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Rs 26.23 crore
Movie Hero Fee (Rs cr) Box Office (Rs cr)
CHENNAI EXPRESS
YEH JAWAANI HAI DEEWANI
Heroine Fee (Rs cr)
DABANGG 2
What they do, where they live
Salman 47.5*
68 of India’s top 100 celebrities are married
Sonakshi 2
65 of them live in Mumbai
226.7 190.3 158.5
46 of them are film actors
SRK 43.75* Deepika 2.3
Ranbir 28.3 Deepika 2.3
* Compensation including share of profits
DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 51
Celebrity
100
THE GIRL AND THE GAME Arguably India’s most prominent non-cricket sportsperson, Saina Nehwal’s rise has created a new generation of badminton lovers in the country
By ASHISH MAGOTRA
W
hen saina nehwal first burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old in 2006, Sania Mirza was at the height of her pomp: The irreverent messages on her t-shirts as well as the spunk in her attitude made the tennis player a hit with the Indian youth. Mirza had just been named the WTA Newcomer of the Year (2005) too. ❡ The presence of two similarly named champions often caused confusion in newspaper offices. Saina… Sania… Saina… Sania: It was an easy mistake to make 52 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
when writing a piece on the newbie, particularly in a rush to meet the deadline. Two letters changing positions, you just could not notice the difference. Not surprisingly, Saina would, more often than not, be the afflicted party. The following day, the error would be blamed on typoglycemia (a situation where as long as all the necessary lettersare present, and the first and last letters remain the same, readers appear to have little trouble reading the text). The editors were no less mad but at least this was a handy excuse. |➷ Getty Images
because of this shift [of locations].” Seven years on, such mistakes Saina’s simplicity is humbling are fewer and far between. Reason: but the intensity of her focus can be Imagine an India without cricket and unnerving too. “My parents initially Saina, 23, would be the country’s most wanted me to focus on studies but God famous sportsperson. You cannot wanted me to become a discount Viswanathan badminton player. One Anand, Leander Paes and forbes india day in Hyderabad, [SM] a host of Olympic stars but celebrity 100 Arif sir [a Dronacharya badminton has emerged Award winner] recognised rank as India’s second most me as a player and I popular sport thanks to became one. Since 1999, the efforts of Saina, PV badminton has been my Sindhu, Paruppali Kashyap only focus. Nothing else,” and Pullela Gopichand; it she says. “They talk about is the sport that is getting the aloo parathas but I can’t have the media coverage and in which too many of them as I gain weight. India is challenging the world. They are a luxury. When I am home, movies… particularly those of Shah KEEPING IT SIMPLE Rukh Khan’s… are generally on my Saina’s rise has been anything but plate. I do not like shopping so my instant. She has been around for a sister and mother do it for me.” good eight years. But do we know So much about Saina is badminton her like we know, say, Mahendra
No. 36
Some people have this attitude more compared to others. It is natural.” CHANGING THE GAME There are at least three distinct phases in modern Indian badminton—the Prakash Padukone era, Gopichand’s All England triumph, and the age of Saina. Padukone had ensured that badminton to India was not relegated to what we saw Jeetendra ‘play’ in the movies. “Indians love badminton— there has been a following (for the game) ever since Prakash Padukone won the World Cup in the ’80s,” says adman Prahlad Kakkar. “He had it all; he was tall, good-looking, fair and a winner, all the things that this country loves. He could have been the Pataudi of badminton. But he chose to avoid all of that and concentrate solely on the game. Sometimes I wish he hadn’t.”
I a m s i m p ly S a i n a . I wa n t t o d o w e l l i n m y s p o r t. Let the people of India decide about my brand. If th ey like m e , I will be happy
Singh Dhoni? Ask the layman about the Indian cricket captain and he will quickly rattle off facts about his hair, his bikes, his cars, his wife, his captaincy, his food habits, his endorsements and even his ragging of Sir Ravindra Jadeja. Ask him about Saina and he will probably have two references to make— badminton and Gopichand. Press a little more and you might get him to talk about her much-documented penchant for aloo parathas too. “I am a very simple person. I believe in actions and the truth,” says Saina in an email interview. “My childhood was spent in Hisar and my teenage years were spent playing badminton in Hyderabad. I did not get a chance to make friends
that you wonder if she has time to do anything else. This has been her routine for almost every morning since 1999: Exercise, do the rounds and practise her groundwork. Make no mistake, she enjoys what she does—spending six days a week on the courts, leaving nothing in the tank. And this is only possible because she loves winning the most. “Sundays are the only free days. On the remaining six days we are busy with training on the badminton courts for at least six to seven hours per day. I don’t mind it. I want to be the best,” she says. “Intelligence with grit is the key to winning a tournament. One has to be stubborn to fight for the honour of the country; one must give 100 percent to win in any match.
It took a long time for India to find its next badminton star. Waiting in the wings was Gopichand who had to figure things out for himself: He had no mentor. His biggest challenge was to break the stronghold of the dominant Chinese. When he eventually did that, winning the All England in 2001, it was the high point of his career, making him a household name. Then, a knee injury knocked him out of the sport. India needed a new champion. Welcome, Saina. “Badminton was gaining momentum after Gopi sir won the All England. And I came in after Aparna [Popat]. I was defeated three times in a row by her in the finals of the All India championship [2004, 2005 and DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 53
Celebrity
100
Walking the ramp for a fashion show in Delhi. “I do not like shopping so my mother and sister do it for me.”
2006]. But I beat her in the Indian Satellite in 2005,” says Saina. “It gave me the confidence that I could win at the international level too. I started winning a few international tournaments and things kind of just fit in. My wins were the first of their kind in India, so badminton got the momentum to reach greater heights.” China, though, continues to be a problem for India. They had blocked Gopichand’s path, now they stall Saina too. What explains their domination? 54 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
“In China, there are more academies and trained coaches in badminton as compared to India. They give full financial support to their players. They have at least eight players ready for each category compared to India where we have one, may be two,” says Saina. “Their natural build and nutrition is different from ours. In India, popularising the sport at the grass-root level is the key to our rise. We need an assembly line to compete with China.”
And that is where a bigger brand Saina can help. For long, every cricketer wanted to be Sachin Tendulkar. Now, we need a nation of badminton players looking to emulate Saina— winning medals at the Olympics and succeeding at the Super Series. In every way, Saina’s brand is good for badminton’s brand. BRAND SAINA Despite the hype surrounding her, Saina is still not on television screens as often as the cricketers. Simply put, Dhoni and Kohli are easier to sell than someone whose life outside badminton is limited to her love of aloo parathas. Does this bother her? “Ads are earned by the players. No one interferes with anybody’s share. It [cricket] is a game for the masses, so the response goes to cricketers and they take a major share of ads,” she says. “The corporate houses go with them to popularise their brand name. It is only fair. But now they have some love for me and have kept me on an equal footing with cricketers.” Her Twitter profile (240 tweets, 182,299 followers) or her Facebook page (2,308,558 likes): Are these numbers that matter to her in the building of her brand? “No, I am simply Saina. I want to do well in my sport. Let the people of India decide about my brand. If they like me, I will be happy,” said Saina. Aparna Popat, former world No. 16 and one of India’s finest badminton players, has seen the sport morph from a niche discipline to one that is followed by the masses today. And she feels that Saina has played a big role in that transition. But why is Saina’s brand not as big as her impact? “Maybe badminton players are boring because that is how our mental make-up is. If you step back a generation, how many characters would you find in badminton? If you do the same for tennis, F1 or Getty Images
even cricket—you will find plenty of such instances,” says Popat. “My coach, for example, didn’t even let me read comic books when I was growing up because he thought that the small print may affect my eyes.” In fact, she puts forth another view that might seem odd, even archaic, today. “There is already talk in the badminton circles that the advertisements Saina does are too many,” says Popat. “They say that she has a BMW and too much money and that is affecting her play. So in that sense, it is a double-edged sword. How much is too much?” Kakkar believes that the most important thing for Saina at the moment is to keep winning. The rest will fall in place. “She just needs to keep winning. It doesn’t matter what you do in terms of a brand building exercise if your performance on the field dips,” says Kakkar. “India is not yet obsessed about badminton, certainly not in the way it is about cricket. So if you lose, you drop out of sight, and that’s not good.” Saina has not had the best year, having failed to win a tournament in 2013. Her progress has been hampered by injury. That meant a time out, no practice and given that Saina’s game is all about fitness, these breaks hit her hard. That is also the crucial difference between cricket and an individual sport like badminton. “Cricket is a team sport. There is pressure on you but it’s not all on you, not all the time. If the team wins, you still win. You have a chance to fail but you also have several chances to shine. In an individual sport like badminton, it’s all you. You are there in the middle alone, with the spotlight on you,” says Popat. “You might argue that even tennis players do the same, but look at how they travel—they have their family, coach, trainer, a personal space. In badminton, you go away for a five-day tournament. Getty Images
It is intense and then you come back to training, over and over again. If you party too hard, you can’t give your best the next morning.” In sport, you are constantly judged by the present. No matter what you have achieved in the past, what promise you hold, if you can’t win on the day, you don’t matter. 2014 will give Saina a chance to matter
even more. The Commonwealth Games at Glasgow in July are quickly followed by the Asian Games at Incheon in September. With the eyes of India on her, she will have a chance to go for gold once again. If she can do that then the headlines will all read: Saina.. Saina… Saina… Saina… there will be no room for a mistake. DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 55
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BREAKING THE MOULD With his looks and legacy, Ranbir Kapoor could have easily made the conventional, romantic hero slot his own. Instead, the actor is traversing a variety of roles, choosing them with deliberation and to a plan
By DEEPANJANA PAL
I
t has never been an easy task to get hold of ranbir kapoor. Ask his mother, actress Neetu Kapoor. For years, he would kiss her goodnight and trudge upstairs to his room. She thought he was going to sleep, when actually he would be getting ready to sneak out of the house. “She could never catch me because I planned well,” Kapoor, 31, had said while promoting his most recent release Besharam. “I knew what time she would call the security to check, what time my dad and she would sleep.” The cheeky grin accompanying this confession distracts most of us from what this little story reveals about the actor. Ranbir Kapoor has a plan. ❡ In 2013, some would argue the grand plan has had mixed results. He has delivered one of the biggest hits of the year as well as one of the most disappointing flops. For the first time since his debut in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya in 2007, Kapoor was seen looking uncomfortable on screen as he played the over-the-top car thief Babli in Besharam. His wardrobe was ugly, his performance was overdone and the film was a disaster. | ➷ Yet, considering the success of kitschy good-bad guys who have ruled the box office of late, it isn’t difficult to understand why Kapoor took on this project. It was written and directed by Abhinav Kashyap, the man credited with thinking up Dabangg, the film that tapped into the audience's love for vintage Bollywood and made crass cool again. The film was, for all practical purposes, a single-starrer, which meant that if it worked at the box office, the glory would be Ranbir's 56 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
alone. (The only actors who could come close to sharing the limelight with Ranbir in Besharam were his parents, Neetu and Rishi Kapoor, who were part of the film’s supporting cast.) It was set in small-town north India, which is an important region for box office collections. If Ranbir was going to really cement his status as a blockbuster hero, he needed to find his inner Chulbul Pandey and, on paper, Besharam was the perfect medium. Unfortunately, the film fared
miserably at the box office. While the audience had lapped up the urbane Bunny of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, it wasn’t convinced by Ranbir as Babli. “People said Besharam looked bad and all that but no one could have guessed that it will do as badly as it did,” said one executive who had worked on the film. “It has got nothing to do with it being a bad film as critics put it. Critics never like anything. It was a miscalculation by Ranbir. He is too classy for that kind of role.”
forbes india celebrity 100
rank
No. 08
A
s one of the scions of the Kapoor clan, there is no doubt that class is something Ranbir Kapoor has in spades. As great grandson of Prithviraj Kapoor, grandson of Raj Kapoor, son of Rishi (and Neetu) Kapoor, cousin of Kareena Kapoor Khan and now a cousin in-law of Saif Ali Khan, Ranbir is Bollywood royalty. With his lineage, it seems inevitable that Ranbir became an actor. However, he took his time to enter Bollywood. Sachin Gokhale
Most of the actors in his family made their debuts in their teens. Ranbir assisted Rishi Kapoor in Aa Ab Laut Chalen when he was 17. But that was more a bonding period between father and son than a professional assignment. Ranbir entered the film industry in earnest at the age of 23, after studying film and acting in the US. He assisted Sanjay Leela Bhansali in Black and was picked for the lead in Saawariya. At the time, Ranbir was 25 and
still got pocket money—Rs 1,500 a week—from his mother. Six years later, he continues to live at home but given the rumours that his fee for Besharam was in the range of Rs 20 crore, it seems fair to assume he doesn’t need an allowance from Neetu Kapoor anymore. The box office performance of Besharam notwithstanding, Ranbir is one of the biggest stars in Bollywood today. His cheerfully candid admission that he dreams of DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 57
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the day when legendary actor and director Raj Kapoor will be known as Ranbir Kapoor’s grandfather doesn’t seem an impossibility. Until Ranbir and Kareena entered the Bollywood fray, it looked like it was time to relegate the Kapoor family to Bollywood history. But these two young actors have imbued the family name with their successes. And while Kareena seems content with acting, Ranbir has already turned to production with Jagga Jasoos, in collaboration with director Anurag Basu.
B
arfi!’s unexpected success helped crown Ranbir as Bollywood’s golden boy. But the journey to superstardom has had its share of bumps and potholes. His debut film Saawariya saw him in a role that caricatured his grandfather’s
but he desperately needed a hit. The success of Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani set the actor’s career on track. He went on to win best actor awards for his performances in Barfi! and Rockstar. Both films were hits, with Barfi! propelling him into the Rs 100-crore club. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani in 2013 too grossed over Rs 100 crore. That success has gone a fair distance in dulling the sting of Besharam’s failure. Assess Ranbir’s career so far and it is interesting to see how carefully he has alternated between masala films and those that are more challenging. In an industry that is plagued by hackneyed plots and stereotypical characters, Ranbir’s filmography traverses a variety of genres as well as types, revealing how carefully he has picked his films. These aren't whimsical decisions: They are more
Harpreet, or Rocket Singh, is Ranbir’s best acting performance till date, showing off his remarkable ability to slip into a character that is completely unlike him in every possible way, beginning with the turban and beard that obscured his famous face. In Raajneeti, Ranbir tried his hand at a political thriller. With this, he not only showed that he could hold his own in a multi-starrer, but that he could also establish himself as the hero in the company of senior actors. Barfi! was decidedly ‘arty’ and it offered him his most challenging role so far. Ranbir played a hero who had to be charming despite being both deaf and mute. He also had to age because the story spanned a few decades. This year, the romantic hero got an update via his role as Bunny in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and in Besharam, he tried to go rustic, but with little luck.
H i s ca n d i d a d m i s s i o n t h at h e d r e a m s o f t h e day when Raj Kapoor will be known as Ranbir Kapoor’s g r a n d fat h e r d o e s n ’ t s e e m a n i m p o s s i b i l i t y
Chaplin-inspired look; also, courtesy the infamous picturisation of the song Jab Se Tere Naina (Ranbir’s character is seen flashing on his balcony and almost dropping the towel wrapped around his hips), the film’s lasting gift to the actor has been towel-themed jokes that he still can’t shake off. It was a resounding flop and his next two films didn’t fare much better. Wake Up Sid, directed by Ranbir’s friend Ayan Mukerji, was a turning point for Ranbir—his acting skills were finally noticed. But while the film was praised by critics, it didn’t earn much love from cinema-goers. By this time, Ranbir was a favourite of the paparazzi and had garnered a solid fan following, largely due to his good looks and playboy reputation, 58 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
like chess moves, designed to take Ranbir from strength to strength.
H
e had, what would be considered by many, a dream debut: A film with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Then came the pulpy romance Bachna Ae Haseeno, followed by the offbeat Wake Up Sid, which with its exploration of upper middle class in urban India was the first touch of realism in Ranbir’s work. Next, he showcased his comic skills in Ajab Prem…, an unabashedly frothy blockbuster that offered no challenges to either the actor or the audience. But there was nothing light-hearted about his next film— Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year, a little gem directed by Shimit Amin.
Box office success and pay packets aside, it is a remarkable range in a relatively short career of six years. His success has been preceded by much anticipation, and from some unexpected quarters. Just after Saawariya was released, Dilip Kumar went to meet Ranbir but the legendary actor did not enter the Kapoor home. He stood at the gate and asked the guard to call Ranbir who rushed down. The old man sat him down on the road and said, “I give you a lot of blessings because I see a lot of Raj [Kapoor] in you.” It is too early to know whether Ranbir will live up to these expectations, but from the decisions he has made so far, it is evident he is going to give it his best shot.
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V I R AT KOHLI
THE G L A D I AT O R By SHRAVAN BHAT Photographs by COLSTON JULIAN Art Direction by ANJAN DAS
At 25, Virat Kohli has already achieved more on the cricket field than most do in their entire careers. He has also brought to the sport an aggression that promises to transform the team, and for the better. That attitude coupled with remarkable skill has made this man an unconventional role model and a marketer’s delight. Oh, and the swagger. That helps too
V
irat kohli is nothing like the universally loved, happy-go-lucky, pudgy-around-the-edges cricket superstars he grew up idolising. He is, perhaps, their antithesis. Arguably India’s best batsman today, he has a polarising effect on the cricket-crazy millions where even some of his admirers are not sure if they ‘love’ him. But Kohli doesn’t need to be liked as long as he delivers. He is oblivious to the expectations from a typical Indian cricketer’s personality —placid, conciliatory and pleasant. He is unapologetically aggressive and fiercely athletic. The swagger keeps the marketers and the media interested but what has earned him the admiration of the youth of this country is his skill, commitment, focus and attention to fitness. There is little doubt that he is the new, irreverent face of Indian cricket. ❡ It is a heavy responsibility, one that is still sinking in because this transition, over just the last year-and-a-half, has happened so quickly. “I am still only 25, so it is very hard to sit down and think of myself as a role model. Even now, if I have the option, I will grab some of my friends, walk into a mall and go eat at a store that I like. I am that kind of a guy,” Virat Kohli tells Forbes India. “I don’t like [having] drivers or servants. I drive myself. I do stuff at home myself. It is hard for someone like me, who has done everything all by himself all his life, to suddenly start thinking that people actually want to follow me.” |➷
forbes india celebrity 100
rank
No. 07 Suit by Tom Ford; tomford.com. Shirt by Gucci; gucci.com Hair and Make Up: Apeni George Exclusive Agency: Cornerstone Sport & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.
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THE (ROLE) MODEL For an outsider, ad film shoots in Mumbai can be fairly surreal. Hundred or so people buzz around the large studio: The bearded, tattooed, earring-wearing ‘creatives’ from the advertising agency argue with the suited executives from the client’s side while bereted directors orchestrate operations in between cups of green tea. Sitting patiently, quietly, in this maelstrom is the ‘talent’. Kohli is taller than you would expect. He surveys the spread of chips, chocolates and soft drinks and reluctantly grabs some organic wheat crackers. “It’s all junk,” he sighs as the director calls him over to the set. Mahendra Singh Dhoni walks in silently, entourage first. Kohli greets him and they begin almost immediately. Both
2013 IPL, for four days in Dubai. This is Kohli’s life now. “I used to enjoy these shoots. Now I am professional about it. I come in and do what I am asked,” he says. At just 25, his success on the cricket field has earned him 13 ongoing endorsement deals, including one with Adidas reportedly at an unprecedented Rs 10 crore per year— this puts him in a league of his own. The company had paid this amount just so their rivals couldn’t have him. Kohli has the posing down to an art. He lowers his head and glances at the camera side-on. Take after take, he walks back to his starting spot—much like a bowler—and executes his lines till the director is satisfied. He speaks with a cold gaze and steely expression because that is what all the brands want: A tough, intimidating image, not the smiling
like mine or to tell me, ‘I want to play that shot like you,’ it’s very sweet.” The boy walks away triumphantly with his signed bat. His day has been made. “I make sure I meet all the small kids who are aspiring to play cricket. I don’t want them to think of a cricketer as someone who becomes a star and then becomes arrogant,” he says. “...I make sure I make the kids happy because I want to keep them inspired.” Already an international star, it is easy to forget how young Kohli still is. Till he reminds you. He loves playing football game FIFA on his Playstation with his friends. “I have got all the editions from 2008 to 2014,” he says. “I haven’t got the PS4 yet—I’m probably going to bring it back from South Africa.” And, of course, he is a fan of Spanish football club Real Madrid and their talisman player
“Wh e n yo u g et o ld e r , yo u g row u p, yo u b eco m e mat u r e a n d yo u wa nt to s et a n ex a m p le fo r p e o p le watc h i n g yo u … b ut t hat c o m p et it ive n e s s i s w hat i s ma k i n g p e o p le b e li eve t hat w e ca n w i n ”
have the thousand-yard stare of professional athletes who have come to accept this necessary nuisance. Kohli is interested in how he appears on camera and goes over to the director to review each shot. He has been filming for four hours, for an energy drink, after flying into Mumbai from Delhi where he had been shooting for two days. We sit in his trailer and he lies back on the bed. “Long day?” we ask. “This is nothing,” he shrugs with tired shoulders. “We shot for 14 hours straight with Anushka Sharma,” says his assistant. “Three days back-to-back.” The last time he took a holiday was eight months ago, before the 62 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
faces that Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag would put forth. A young boy waits nervously with his father, a pen in one hand and a bat in the other. He has been on the set for the last two hours and, during a short break, when Kohli takes his seat next to his stylist and manager, the duo takes their chance. “What’s your name?” Kohli asks the boy as he puts the bat across his lap to sign it. He is learning what it means to be a role model. “This is what I wanted to become. This is what I wanted my life to be like. This is what my dream was: That people will one day want to be like me,” he says. “Now when I see kids coming up to me for pictures or with hairstyles
Cristiano Ronaldo. “I was shooting for Adidas and they presented me with a Real Madrid jersey signed by all the players,” he says. “They are planning on flying me to Brazil for the World Cup next year. I want to go and watch one of the El Clasicos in Spain too. It’s all planned, but I just want to take the time out to do it!” THE FIGHTER Kohli’s admiration for Ronaldo is interesting, even logical: The two superstars from different sides of the world have much in common. They are divisive figures; both are admired and criticised for their perceived arrogance. Both lost their fathers early. Both burst onto the
scene as talented teenagers carrying huge expectations, and transformed themselves into supreme physical specimens. They know how to have a good time but neither drinks nor smokes. Both are fitness and nutrition fanatics who developed thick skins to the negative press. Instead, they answer their critics through their performances. Those who know Kohli point to a frighteningly driven athlete who is being groomed to lead Team India. A far cry from the stately, elegant players of the generation before him, he represents a new breed. He is a mentally strong, professional athlete
first, talented cricketer second. Kohli’s ability to win in high-pressure situations as well as his focus on diet and physique has already anointed him a leader among the young players. The fallout: He is in the spotlight and, inevitably, his aggression has become a talking point. However, Kohli has developed a thick skin to criticism. For him, his attitude is just an intrinsic part of his game. “Everyone has a different personality. I don’t think being quiet on the field works for me. I get into a zone where I become lazy and I don’t think too much about the sport,” Kohli says. “I want to channelise my aggression
for my benefit and the team’s benefit but I don’t want to cut it down.” It is an attribute that has given him much success and it is something that he intends to hold on to. “Obviously I wouldn’t want to cross the line as far as playing cricket is concerned. When you get older, you grow up, you become mature and you want to set an example for people watching you. You want to cut down on a few things but that competitiveness is what is making people believe that we can win,” says Kohli. “I want people to get inspired by that. It impacts the whole team. When you get into the face of the opposition, your teammates come along [with you]. In the Champions Trophy final, when India defended a small total, the team got the belief that we are together. We are here to win. We are here to compete. We are not just participating. I hate losing. I feel horrible.” He is aware of the impact his behaviour may have on the impressionable generation. “I don’t want kids to get inspired by the line that has been crossed at times. I want them to get inspired by us taking Indian cricket forward and being in the face of the opposition,” he says. “People need to appreciate that we are good enough and we are talented enough; you can’t just come around and bully us. This is the new face of the team which people need to see.” THE ATHLETE At 25, Kohli has already achieved what most cricketers would be proud of at the end of a 25-year career. He is arguably the best ODI player in the world. In 2011, he won the World Cup; in 2012, he was voted the ICC ODI Player of the Year; and, in 2013, he won the ICC Champions Trophy, became the top-ranked ODI batsman in the world and hit the fastest ODI hundred by an Indian. There is a reason why he is touted as most likely DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 63
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“ P e o p le n e e d to a p p r e c iat e t hat w e a r e g o o d e n o u g h a n d w e a r e ta le n t e d e n o u g h ; yo u c a n ’ t j u s t c o m e a r o u n d a n d b u l ly u s ”
to break the records set by Tendulkar. But what sets him apart is his ability to chase huge scores with staggering ease: He scores a 100 every six innings, averaging 65 when chasing. He has the highest conversion rate of 50 to 100s in the history of the game and is the joint fastest (appropriately with the legendary Viv Richards) to reach 5,000 runs. His batting is the more visible aspect of his game that invites most of the plaudits. But, quietly, he has been a catalyst in another revolution that has taken place in the Indian team: In the fielding department. When India won the Champions Trophy in cold, swinging English conditions, they were, astonishingly, the best fielding side in the tournament, snapping into inner-circle stops and sliding near the boundary rope. For many older fans, seeing young athletes throw themselves around like the Australians or South Africans was unimaginable a decade ago. “The fitness culture is there in the team right now. You see everyone hitting the gym and training in groups. You see the guys helping each other with fitness routines and asking the trainer to push them hard every week,” says Kohli. Former India and Delhi player Vijay Dahiya is one of Kohli’s early coaches. “I never had to find him for fielding practice—he was always there. As a young kid trying to break into the India side, he said ‘If I’m not batting, how can I impress?’” says Dahiya. What helped here was his fixation on fitness. Kohli started a fitness and diet regimen in 2012, after the IPL. “I don’t think I was fit enough to be an international sportsperson,” he says, “I wanted to be the best that I could
be, the fittest possible, to improve my speed on the field.” He has used physical fitness to set himself apart. “In our country, fitness wasn’t the prime focus... No one would make that extra effort to actually tell you to train properly. It wasn’t in the set-up,” Kohli says. “That helped my cricket immensely. I could focus for longer periods; if I was physically fit, my mind could respond to what my body wanted to do.” The fitter the athlete, the less injury-prone he is and the faster his recovery time. “I’ve been playing non-stop for 32 months now. Every format—even in the IPL—I haven’t missed a single game,” says Kohli. He has combined physical training with a sensible diet plan. “Guys are taking care of the kind of food they eat. We have a trainer who keeps a check on the food that comes into the team changing room. Otherwise, on a regular basis, it is more of a personal choice,” says Kohli. “When you are tired you just eat whatever is in front of you—so you might as well get the healthy option. That sort of change has come about and it is helping the team’s cause. If you have 11 fit players, you will see it in the performance.”
WHERE WERE THE M O D E R N G R E AT S AT AG E 2 5 ?
Of course, he finds it harder to stick to the plan when he is back in Delhi and is faced with butter naan and butter chicken. “I am a Punjabi boy! We usually have a tendency to put on weight pretty quickly,” he says, laughing. His strategy is to not eat more than the calories he has burned. “That keeps me in check. I try to eat as light as I can for dinner. During game time, I have protein shakes with carbs. And I take my carbs from good sources. I don’t touch junk food unless it is in a place like Kochi where you are completely drained and it is a one-off,” says Kohli. “People also suggest you shouldn’t make your body totally alien to this kind of food. Once you have a craving, it has a very bad effect on you so I try to have those ‘cheat’ days in between, but I don’t go overboard. The very next day, I make sure I burn that off.” THE TALENT Dahiya remembers the first time he saw Kohli play. “In Delhi, at the Under-15 level, there are a lot of players. Take Sehwag, Gambhir, Virat, Shikhar and multiply that by 100. There are a lot of distractions growing up in Delhi,” he says. But
VIRAT KOHLI
52.27
17
SACHIN TENDULKAR
42.39
21
ODI average ODI 100s
RICKY PONTING
39.97
6
BRIAN LARA
43.59
5
Source: Espncricinfo.com (Statsguru) DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 65
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THE RISE AND R I S E O F KO H L I
2008
Leads India to Under-19 World Cup victory Joins Royal Challengers Bangalore for $30,000 Debuts for India’s One Day international team
2009
First ODI century
2010
Debuts for India T20 international team
2011
Helps India win the ICC World Cup Debuts for India Test team
2012
First Test century; India’s only one in Test tour of Australia Voted ICC ODI Player of the Year
2013
Named Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Helps India win ICC Champions Trophy Captained India in ODI for the first time Wins Arjuna Award
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what stood out about Kohli was his consistency and focus. “He was single-minded, mentally strong and his body is now responding,” Dahiya says. Winning the Under-19 World Cup as captain in 2008 was a game changer. That was when Kohli came into the public eye. It was also the first time veteran cricket writer Ayaz Memon saw him. “The first thing that came through was his aggression— at that age he seemed to be impetuous,” Memon says. “What struck me was that he was very demanding of his team-mates. It showed strength of personality.” But his defining innings was his maiden Test hundred in Adelaide in 2012. Many will remember it for his pumped-up celebration but Memon believes that was the day Kohli realised that success in cricket is what makes him a role model, and not the tantrums. “You can show whatever attitude you want, if you don’t get the runs it doesn’t matter,” says Memon. “That 100 impressed upon him the need to make runs and that they are hard won.” Kohli is at his most animated when talking cricket. It is quickly evident that he is a thinking player too—what may look spontaneous is, in fact, planned and executed with focus. Focus is a common refrain from everyone near him; they say it particularly comes to the fore when he is chasing down big scores. Consider that he has scored more than half of his runs in successful ODI run chases, where he averages 84 and made 11 hundreds. Perhaps his finest performance was the unbeaten 86-ball 133 against Sri Lanka at Hobart, Australia, in 2012. India chased down 320 in less than 40
overs and what stood out was Kohli destroying fearsome pacer Lasith Malinga. He innovated by going back in his crease and turning Malinga’s deadly yorkers into hittable deliveries. And it was all planned, he says. “The second time I ever played against Sri Lanka and Malinga [in December 2009], I was in India and I scored my first century [in ODIs]. I was batting with Gautam Gambhir and we were chasing a total. I hit him for four 4s in the first over that I faced from him. I thought that this bowler is very difficult for a lot of people but somehow I find it convenient to play him,” he says. “In South Africa in 2010, in the Champions League against Mumbai Indians, I hit him for six boundaries. And then in Hobart, I thought of experimenting by taking my game to another level against him. On that day, it wasn’t much his fault either. He bowled really good yorkers but I was just middling it.” His passion for chasing germinated early. Kohli remembers the first time he ran down a big score in competitive cricket. “We were playing an Under-17 match against Himachal Pradesh in 2005. They had scored around 385 runs. We had lost 4 wickets for 70 and were in trouble. I was batting and I scored 251 not out,” Kohli says. “We took the 1st innings lead. The last wicket, Ishant [Sharma], was batting for us. We had a 90-run partnership in which he scored 2 runs. That was the game that I single-handedly won for us; we scored 400 and I got 250. That was the first time I thought that whatever target is given to us, I think I am good enough to chase that down.” Ask him about the science of chasing when the pressure is on, and he sits straight, his eyes light up. “I like to think about the game a lot and chasing down a total allows me to do that. You can check the scoreboard, you can analyse how many runs you need to score in the Paul Gilham / Getty Images
“ i d o n ’ t r e m e m b e r a wo r d h e [ sac h i n ] to ld u s [at t h e u -1 9 ca m p ] b e cau s e i was j u st sta r i n g at h i m . i c o u ld n ’ t b l i n k my eye s . i was sta r st r u c k”
next 5 overs, which bowlers you can target, how many singles you need to score, when you need to score a boundary, how many runs do you want to get in that over and the one after that,” Kohli says. “All those things are what I love calculating, taking control and being there talking to my partners saying, ‘What can we do?’” He rattles off scenarios. “It’s a large field, we can push the fielders, they’re back on the boundary, and we could irritate them with doubles and singles and by playing with soft hands. It’s lovely to have that challenge,” says Kohli, a fast talker who is unstoppable when discussing his craft. Like many other greats, at his core, Kohli is a fan of the game. And,
like every other Indian, he fondly remembers the days of India-Pakistan rivalry at Sharjah. “I remember [when we were living] in the first house that we had, I used to come back from school, finish my homework and do everything required before the game could start. When India used to bat second, I used to run to the shop next to my house, grab packs of chips and any other goodies that I wanted to eat. I would keep the bag next to me and watch India play,” Kohli says. “I miss Sharjah. There was nothing else like that vibe. India versus Pakistan at Sharjah: Those games were the best. The way Sachin used to win matches for us inspired me; I don’t think anything else inspired me so much.”
Kohli very evidently idolises Sachin Tendulkar. The only difference is that he now has access to the Master Blaster. For him, Tendulkar is more of a confidant than an advisor. “He likes people who play with a lot of passion,” Kohli says, adding that Tendulkar has told him little things about his batting that he could improve on but, mostly, he gives Kohli confidence because he knows he thrives on it. “I just need to be mentally fresh for the game and I’ll be fine. He understands that beautifully,” says Kohli. For him, Tendulkar’s final Test in Mumbai was the best atmosphere he has ever experienced. “I couldn’t speak to you standing three feet away, that’s how loud it was when he took off his cap to bowl,” he says. He recounts the day he first met Tendulkar, before an Under-19 tour to New Zealand. “We had a threeday camp in Mumbai. Our coach Mr Lalchand Rajput called Sachin over to speak to us. We saw him walking towards us and we were so nervous,” says Kohli. “I don’t remember a word he told us because I was just staring at him. I couldn’t blink my eyes. I was starstruck!” Kohli’s jaw drops, mimicking his expression that day. He clearly has a treasure trove of such stories but his assistant signals that our time is up. And Kohli must return to the studio for another three hours at least. Later, they were headed to Yuvraj Singh’s home for the night’s festivities. “Anything else for today?” he asks his manager hopefully. “Yes, someone wants you for 30 minutes.” His shoulders drop again: It’s a Saturday night and this 25-year-old will have to be at work for a little longer. DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 67
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A DIFFERENT NOTE A master of the cult song, Sukhwinder Singh has charted a path quite different from the typical Bollywood singer By PRAVIN PALANDE
T
he interview began with a flash of white. Sukhwinder Singh appeared before us asking, “How does this look? I wanted to be in white for these photographs. White is the colour of Saraswati [the goddess of learning],” even as he fussed over his all-white outfit. The singer’s dressing sense would have given Jeetendra, the actor from the eighties known for his proclivity for white, a serious run for his money. Sukhwinder then quickly puts on the air conditioning to full blast, saying he needs to cool down. He blames the heat on the long steam bath he had that afternoon. Meanwhile,
his two Pomeranian dogs start to bark. “This is my family,” says Sukhwinder as he makes himself comfortable for what promises to be an interesting Sunday afternoon for us. ❡ The 42-year-old has been a maverick presence in the Hindi film industry since his debut in 1986, when he sang a few lines in Subhash Ghai’s blockbuster Karma. He has come far since: It would be fair to say that many of Bollywood’s cult songs in the last couple of decades can be attributed to Sukhwinder: From ‘Chhaiyya Chhaiyya’ (Dil Se) in 1998 to ‘Ramta Jogi’ (Taal) in 1999 and to the more recent slow-motion ‘Angreza’ (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag) last year. | ➷
this with recordings for some of his But the hits didn’t just fall into favourite musicians. And Sukhwinder his lap. He had to slowly work his has met with a remarkable response way into the limelight. His process from the international market— included travelling around the world around 50 percent of his audience are and understanding different forms of non-Indians. This is true in Canada music. Much of his time was spent in but particularly in the UK, where the US and the UK. This exposure was he really started his music career. invaluable: He was able to incorporate new styles into his music when he finally came back to Bollywood and ukhwinder stops the English worked with AR Rahman in creating music that is booming out of the iconic ‘Chhaiyaa Chhaiyya’. “I his Sony music system and always had that song inside me since says: “I must be the first guy to release I was four years old. I had dreamt a Punjabi album in the UK market way it and I had whistled it,” he says. back in the early nineties. It was called Though there are newer and ‘Munda South Hall Da’. We recorded more prolific singers emerging in in East Africa as well as in Russia and the industry just about every year, he Morocco.” Those were the days when continues to be sought after for two music took some time to travel to reasons: One, his versatile voice and, Indian shores. While he wanted the two, his skills as a music director. album to become a hit in his home However, he has paced country, Sukhwinder’s himself in Bollywood, not focus was to ensure that forbes india celebrity 100 over-crowding himself his voice reached a new with assignments. Instead, composer, AR Rahman. rank he prefers to spend at least He had heard Rahman’s half his time travelling music and was keen on across the globe for working with him. So, with concerts; he intersperses the help of some friends,
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he arranged to send a copy of his album to the musician. “Rahman then did call me but for a different purpose. He wanted a writer,” says Sukhwinder. He asked Sukhwinder if he could write a song for a Govind Nihalani movie, called Thakshak. Sukhwinder had not attempted this kind of assignment before but he decided to take on the challenge and wrote ‘Mujhe Rang De’; the music director was AR Rahman. The song was a hit and also marked the beginning of their friendship. Later, he introduced Rahman to Peer Baba Bulleh Shah, a 15th century Sufi poet. Sukhwinder had heard some verses at a dargah and wanted to recite them to Rahman: That went on to become the first building block for the cult song ‘Thaiyya Thaiyya’ in Punjabi, which was later rewritten by Gulzar for Dil Se as ‘Chhaiyya Chhaiyya’. After this was recorded, Rahman immediately asked him to perform another number, this time for SP Balasubramanian, a noted singer in the Tamil film industry. Rahman was acting in a film with Nagarjuna and felt
that Sukhwinder could be his back-up singing voice. The film, Ratchagan, also starred Sushmita Sen who had just won the title of Miss Universe. But Sukhwinder did not know Tamil. “[Mahatma] Gandhi never knew Sanskrit—someone challenged him to learn that language. But within a month he practised and was able to communicate in Sanskrit. How did he Manoj Patil for Forbes India
do it? His motto was ‘one time, one job’. I cancelled everything and set out to learn Tamil,” says Sukhwinder. One time, one job: That has also been Sukhwinder’s approach. He doesn’t like to mix composing with singing in any project. Rahman had to force him to buy some equipment to set up a music recording studio at his residence as he knew that
Sukhwinder would do justice to it, and that has helped his music. He has composed for seven movies that include Rakta Charitra and Astitva. In most cases, directors who were looking for a different sound approached him and liked what he had to offer. The new trend of music directors trying to be singers so that they can make more money out of live performances disturbs him. “They are gifted in something else. Why are they wasting their talent on something that is not their area of expertise?” Sukhwinder says. His passion, he says, is singing, and today he is working hard to create a show that is more of an international act as his audience becomes increasingly global. He even wants to include jazz and opera in his shows because he feels that music doesn’t really have a language. For instance, when Deepa Mehta told him that she is doing a film called Monsoon Wedding based in Delhi, he said that he had a song that might interest her. But she said that it was an international project and a Punjabi song may not work for the audience. But she eventually included ‘Kawa Kawa’, which went viral amongst the American crowd. It is speculated that Sukhwinder practises singing while running on the treadmill so as to maintain the quality of his voice. “I eat and drink everything that comes my way and do breathing exercises to help my voice,” he says. “Practice is a must. But I don’t do these kinds of stunts.” DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 69
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THE HIT MAN Rohit Shetty has mastered the art of pleasing the masses and has also perfected the science of ignoring the critics. No surprise, then, that the box office has responded to him with alacrity
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By SOHINI MITTER Photographs by PRASAD GORI for Forbes India
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hen rohit shetty steps on the set of any of his movies, he rips off (or, perhaps, more gently removes) his day clothes and slips on his Superman cape. We aren’t saying this. He does. Before you peg him as “typically Bollywood arrogant”, listen to why he likens himself to the original superhero. Shetty, 40, isn’t in this for his 15 minutes of fame. “I don’t react to anything—success or criticism. I’ve trained myself over the years to have zero reactions,” he says. | ➷
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100 It is a career that is dotted with several highs. The only filmmaker, since Manmohan Desai in the ’70s-80s, to give seven mammoth hits in a row, Shetty is now synonymous with box-office glory. Touted as the “president of the Rs 100-crore club” and a director who is “criticproof”, Shetty attributes his success to his instincts about the audience. He has an ear to the ground and is acquainted with the trials and tribulations of lower-middle-class families and their desire for “a few good laughs” and nothing more. “We’re not Hollywood; travel 100 kilometres from Mumbai and the audience is not the same,” he says. “My critics go to Starbucks, read the news, interact with like-minded people and think that is the end of India. They do have a taste and a sensibility but the world is not them. The world is my audience.”
He comes, does his bit and goes back to his own world. At the end of every day, the saviour of the box office goes home as Clark Kent. Censured by critics and devoured by middle-class audiences quite unfailingly for a decade, Shetty is B-town’s most sought-after director today with A-list producers and actors vying to work with him. According to Forbes India estimates, he is the highest paid as well. Following the record-breaking success of Chennai Express, a film that gave a fresh lease of life to actor Shah Rukh Khan’s career, Shetty has retired to the solitude of his plush office in suburban Mumbai to get on with his tenth film in as many years. You start anew with every film, he says. Only three months after delivering his seventh successive hit, the workaholic Shetty is browsing through the 150th 72 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
draft of his next project Singham 2. For a man whose films are ostentatious, there’s a certain understated air about his personality. He’s usually unfazed by bouquets and brickbats and this is sometimes misconstrued as arrogance. He doesn’t read newspapers. He doesn’t keep track of his films’ earnings. He doesn’t tune into speculations. He doesn’t attend parties or premieres. “I don’t focus my energy on these things because in our business you will always be remembered by the last Friday,” says Shetty who has few interests beyond films (he likes his sports cars and flashy tattoos). Despite his matter-of-fact attitude, he savours special calls like the one he received from Rajinikanth after Singham. “I couldn’t believe it. He said he loved my film. It was one of the high points of my career,” says Shetty.
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hetty’s early life is inseparable from what he is today, and the connection that he stitches with the audience is a result of that. Son of legendary fight master and villain MB Shetty (popularly known as Fighter Shetty), he decided very early that he would join the film industry “to be like my father”. But calamity struck when he was 11; his father died, leaving behind a family of four. With no money for rent, the Shettys moved to the far-northern suburb of Dahisar (“almost a village then”) to live with Rohit’s grandmother. His mother took up work as a junior artiste at Natraj Studios in Andheri (the film hub) while Shetty boarded a Virar local every morning to get to his school (St Mary’s High) in Santa Cruz. Later, when they moved to Malad, he would walk two hours to Natraj when he ran out of conveyance money. “It was a culture shock because when I was born we had everything. My father was the biggest and the
" My c r it i c s g o to Sta r b u c ks , r ea d t h e n ews , i nt e r act w it h li k e - m i n d e d p e o p le a n d t h i n k t hat is the end of India.…but the world is not them”
most popular action director of that time,” Shetty says. “We had seen the glamour, glory and money. And then everything just vanished.” When he was in the tenth standard, he started working as an assistant director with Kuku Kohli who was making Phool Aur Kaante. That was 1991 and he was 16. “I quit studies because we didn’t have money for my college fees,” he says. Does he regret that decision? “I wouldn’t encourage that. Education is very important. When I see films like Rang De Basanti or 3 Idiots, I feel I am not educated enough and will never be able to make such films,” he says wistfully. With Phool Aur Kaante began his enduring association with Ajay Devgn who was making his debut in the film. “Ajay and I gelled very well. We had a father connection. His father [Veeru Devgan] and mine were friends. He too was the son of an action director,” says Shetty. Devgn remembers Shetty as “one of the most hard-working boys” he had ever met. “I saw a lot of promise in him. I had immense faith in him that the day he gets a chance, he will make a good film,” he told Forbes India in an email. On the sets of Phool Aur Kaante, Shetty came under the tutelage of Veeru Devgan who was choreographing the stunts in the film. “I learnt many techniques from him which we use today. Veeruji used to tell me, ‘It’s in your blood’. That’s how the journey began,” he says. At the turn of the millennium, Ajay Devgn launched his production company with mega-flops like Dil Kya Kare and Raju Chacha. Shetty served as assistant director for both films. Raju Chacha was a big budget
Fac t F i n d e r Shetty made a film Ek Aur Kohinoor with Kuku Kohli in 1991 which never got released. It had Abhishek Kapoor—the director of Rock On and Kai Po Che!—in the lead. To cast Telugu film actress Kaajal Agarwal in Singham, Shetty and his team hunted the whole of Hyderabad. They later came to know that she lived in Churchgate in Mumbai.
His first choice for Tusshar Kapoor’s deafand-mute character in Golmaal was Dino Morea who turned the film down because there were no dialogues for him.
Golmaal Returns is Shetty’s quickest film, completed within 65 days. Shah Rukh Khan and Shetty were initially slated to come together for the remake of Gulzar’s Angoor.
Amar Akbar Anthony and Johnny Mera Naam are among Shetty’s favourite films, which he watches and rewatches.
film and incurred a huge loss. “Ajay had to shut down his company for two years. He wanted to pay off everyone first,” says Shetty. “But then we said we’ll do another film which I’ll direct. And that’s how we wrote Zameen [Shetty’s directorial debut].”
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ameen (2003), conceived in the backdrop of the hijack of a Kandahar-bound Indian Airlines flight, took two years in the making. “There were too many hassles with the production. We had accidents on set. We didn’t even have the budget to hire a Boeing,” says Shetty. Zameen bombed at the box office and it took Shetty nearly eight months to realise that. “In those days you didn’t come to know about the fate of a film on the opening day itself. And I was young and not well-connected enough.” The period between 2003 and 2006, when Shetty managed to turn
the tide with comic caper Golmaal, was tumultuous. He says, “I started working on a script. No actors wanted to work with me. Production houses didn’t want to sign me.” But he never gave up. “I had to make another film. That’s the only thing I knew.” Golmaal (2006) was a series of happy “accidents”. Filmmaker and theatre personality Neeraj Vora narrated a play (Aflatoon) to Shetty one afternoon. It was a superhit play from the ’80s about four guys living in a shanty who would go on to take refuge in a blind couple’s house. “I went to Ajay and said I wanted to make this into a film,” says Shetty. Devgn liked the idea. Around the same time a new production company— Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision, owned by Dhilin Mehta—appeared on the block and signed Rohit Shetty and Imtiaz Ali for its launch projects. Shetty chuckles, “I still don’t know why they signed two flop directors. Imtiaz had made Socha Na Tha which tanked. And I had made Zameen. The whole industry was laughing at Ashtavinayak. But Ajay convinced them about Golmaal.” Devgn says, “When we heard the script of Golmaal, we all freaked out and said, let’s go ahead with this! That’s where the journey with comedy started.” Golmaal reinvigorated Shetty’s career and was the first instalment of what would become a hugely successful franchise that cemented his reputation as the king of slapstick comedy. The humour in his films was harmless and clean, which family audiences could enjoy. He was strictly mainstream, aligned to the “safe genre” of comedy. Golmaal was followed by Golmaal Returns (2008)—which Shetty calls DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 73
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his “most mediocre work till date”— All the Best: Fun Begins (2009) and Golmaal 3 (2010) which catapulted him to the coveted Rs 100-crore club. With soaring success came equal-part fanfare and flak. While audiences lapped up his films, critics dismissed them as “insufferable” and “more than nonsensical”. The hackneyed phrase "mindless entertainment" came to define his oeuvre. Shetty says, “When you have given a hit, people want to work with you. But critics still pan you. They don’t realise if you get into an Udupi restaurant, you won’t get pasta there.” Filmmaker-screenwriter and critic Khalid Mohamed observes, “Commercial cinema has no style as such. In Shetty’s films one
if I was taking them for granted by only giving them comedy,” he says. While waiting for his Bol Bachchan crew one afternoon, he ended up watching a Tamil film (Singam), whose DVD was given to him by one of the producers, Reliance Entertainment. Shetty’s eyes lit up— he wanted to remake it into a Hindi action film. “Watching Singam was another accident like Neeraj Vora coming to me with Aflatoon,” he says. Singam had to be massively tailored for the north Indian audience because Shetty “thought the second-half was very loud”. His trusted associate Ajay Devgn came on board and Reliance Entertainment, which was struggling after twin disasters Kites and Raavan, agreed to produce the
“Shetty’s films are very entertaining,” Bachchan told Forbes India in a chat. “They're good fun.” But he also says that comparisons with Manmohan Desai, who had a string of superhits with Bachchan, “are odious”. “It takes credit away from what Rohit Shetty has achieved and what he [Desai] achieved in the past,” he says.
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fter seven hits including four Rs 100-crore grossers, Shetty has become an institution of sorts. Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal observes in a Khalid Mohamed documentary that “Shetty has his own school of filmmaking”. What distinguishes Shetty from his new-wave contemporaries is his
w h at g o e s u p, c o m e s d ow n . “ I h av e g iv e n s ev e n b lo c k b u st e r s b ut I sta rt e d w it h a f lo p. S o it doesn’t bother me anymore”
thing isn’t related to the other. Anything can happen anytime and that, in effect, is his style.”
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hetty considers Golmaal 3 a landmark in his career. “Comedy was always a safe genre. But we took it to a different level in Golmaal 3 and made it a saleable business. Shah Rukh called to say he loved the film and we should work together,” he says. Khan later called Shetty “a brand” and considered himself “fortunate” to have worked with him in Chennai Express. It was while working on Bol Bachchan that Shetty realised he was sliding into a comfort zone. He was now a household face courtesy his stint as a television judge and he felt more responsible towards his audience. “The kind of love I got from people for Golmaal 3 made me wonder 74 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
film despite initial reservations. Singham (2011) stormed the box office and went on to garner stupendous satellite ratings. The director of Singam, Hari, congratulated Shetty on the successful remake. The film was screened for CRPF and CISF forces across the country. The then Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik thanked Shetty for the film. “People love you for Golmaal but they respect you for Singham,” says Shetty. With Bol Bachchan (2012), Shetty accomplished his lifelong dream of working with cine legend Amitabh Bachchan, albeit only in an item number. “Shooting a song with Mr Bachchan was one of the best days of my life. And the biggest compliment I got was when he called me to his van and said, ‘Let’s do more work together’,” says Shetty.
disdain for nuance and a disregard for critical appreciation. He has his finger on the pulse of his audience and the astounding success of his films hasn’t gone to his head. Shetty succeeds because he doesn’t try to prove a point, says Devgn. “He makes films for audiences [and] not to prove a point that he is a great director or he is trying to make a great film,” he says. Nor is he affected by what the fraternity perceives him to be. “Negative reactions are always within the industry… with trade pundits, analysts, critics, but never with the audience. If you don’t fall into that vicious trap, you’ll be successful. And that is what I have done,” Shetty says. He knows that nobody can go on making hit films—what goes up, comes down. “I have given seven blockbusters but I started with a flop. So it doesn’t bother me anymore,” he says.
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Prasad Gori for Forbes India
‘I AM NOT A H U G E FA N O F RS.100-CRORE FILMS’ John Abraham has had an unconventional but successful career. A late entrant into modelling but an early starter in production, the 40-year-old says he wants to cater to a widening audience palette
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n 1997, at the age of 26, i walked on the ramp for the first time. It was an unconventional move as most models enter the profession at the age of 21 or so. And here I was—someone who already had an MBA, a job with an advertising agency and reasonably certain that I wanted to get into media planning. ❡ Up until then, I had had a fairly run-of-the-mill childhood. I went to school at Bombay Scottish and got an economics degree from Jai Hind College. After that, I did an MBA. My first job was with an advertising agency called Enterprise Nexus where I was a strategic planner. I was very sure of what I wanted: To head an agency and handle accounts. | ➷
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I entered modelling with the same focus. All I wanted was to be the best model there is. Many models entered the profession as a means to get entry into Bollywood but I never looked at it that way. I didn’t even leave my job. The folks at Enterprise were kind enough to give me a sabbatical. For the next four years, modelling was all I did. Then, in 2003, at the age of 30, my life took another turn. That was when Vikram Bhatt approached me for a film, Aetbaar. We had been filming it for four days when the project got shelved.
(Aetbaar released four years later.) Fortunately, Mahesh Bhatt got in touch with me soon after and asked me to do a film with his daughter as producer. Jism released in 2004 and it was an instant hit. I was on a high and that charted the course of my career for the next few years. However, all that came crumbling down when my next four films failed at the box office. That was when I decided to work harder as an actor. When a particular thing didn’t work, I changed the genre of the films I acted in. And looking back, that did make a DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 77
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difference. I was always a subtle actor and not one who overacted. This was not appreciated at that time but I can see that, over the years, it has been noticed and looked upon favourably. But this period also allowed me to reflect—to look at the films I wanted to be a part of. In 2005, Water (a film by Deepa Mehta) gave me a tremendous platform to showcase my work. What gave me particular joy was that my work was liked and appreciated by great directors like Steven Spielberg. But then, the moment I got back to India, I was typecast as a model. Welcome back to India is what I said to myself. Looking back at those years I can
of commerce in Bollywood was growing, the quality of films is not. If I can make a small dent in helping India rank as a great film producing nation, I will consider my work a success. And by that I don’t mean to compare us to just Hollywood but also to, say, Korean or Iranian cinema. Some would say we took a risk with Vicky Donor but I don’t see it that way. Shoojit (Sircar) and I saw Ayushmann (Khurrana) who plays the lead role in the film and decided to cast him immediately. I knew he had it in him and also that we had a winner as a story albeit on a subject that not a lot of people like to speak about. While marketing the film, we also
single song and dance sequence! The simplest thing for me to have done in Madras Café was to have taken off my shirt but I made sure I played what my character demanded and did not try and force fit anything. As a producer, I am absolutely clear that what Indians expect from films is going to go through a massive change. In the next two-three years, films with song and dance sequences will reduce significantly and there will be a lot more emphasis on story-telling. I have scriptwriters who come with scenes like “and then we will have an intermission here” or “the first three minutes after the interval have to be slow as people are still walking in with
T h e s i m p l e st t h i n g fo r m e t o h av e d o n e i n M a d r as Ca f é was t o h av e ta k e n o f f m y s h i rt b u t I m a d e s u r e I p l ay e d w h at m y c h a r ac t e r d e m a n d e d a n d di d not try an d fo rce fit anyth i ng
say with some degree of conviction that if given a choice, I wouldn’t have done those films. If I were to live through that period again, I would have done just 10 films but those would be the ones I really wanted to do. I am not a huge fan of Rs 100-crore films as they are too formulaic— get an A-list cast or a successful franchise or a list of great songs and one can be reasonably certain that the film will do Rs 100-crore plus. Sure it feels nice to be in that club but I am okay if the film has a great story but makes less money.
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ast year, I made my debut as a producer through the film Vicky Donor. Some would say I got into production a little too early but the reason why I did that was to improve the quality of films that were being made. I was dismayed by the fact that while the amount 78 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
adopted a slightly unconventional approach. I knew it would do well through word-of-mouth, so we managed our promotion spends in a calibrated manner. We kept 60 percent of the budget for before the movie released and the balance 40 percent to give it that push when people started talking about it. Sure the movie got off to a slow start. It did, I think, Rs 2.5 crore on the opening weekend, but we have done fantastically well since then. (Industry sources say Vicky Donor made Rs 60 crore as against a cost of Rs 4.25 crore.) Our release this year, Madras Café, was once again an unconventional hit. The research agency we hired said the movie would not get past the first show but we junked those findings and went ahead with it anyway and made money. And this for a film that does not have a
their popcorn”, and I send them away. Most Rs 100-crore films are these kinds of proposals and I don’t see us doing such projects. I would like us to be smart in the way we choose our films. Even if we make, say, Rs 50 crore for a film, I am happy with having at least half the audience of a Rs 100-crore film. I firmly believe that this audience will grow in the years to come and stand us in good stead. The way I see it is, there is a huge audience in Tier II and III cities. They are used to going out every weekend to the cinemas. On that day, they watch the big release of that weekend. So, essentially, they are getting their daal chaawal. Why don’t I, through the films I make, try and give them a different dish. What’s the worst that will happen? They’ll spit it out. But, at least, we’d have laid the path for other producers. (As told to Samar Srivastava)
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A QUESTION OF LEGACY Experts have long pondered the tedious question of how history will remember Sachin Tendulkar. The answer lies simply in the generations of cricketers he has influenced, inspired
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Ryan Pierse / Getty Images
By ABHILASHA KHAITAN
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he year is 2037. A 16-year-old is limbering up in the bullpen with his coach’s voice booming through the speakers in his helmet. He dare not press the button that will mute the tirade that threatens to be the background score for his debut. He is forced to listen to a litany of reasons why he would never be a Sachin Tendulkar—and this was supposed to be motivational. The boy grits his teeth, shakes his head and tries to wish away the pressure. | ➹
How could anyone match up? They say the illustrious old man of world cricket—now living a quiet life on an island named after him—could make the ball travel higher than the tallest skyscraper; that he mysteriously grew wings while running between the wickets; that he made bowlers break down in the middle of a game. And this was in the 1990s, when bats were made of wood. He had seen some old videos but they were not half as grand as the tales they were told at camp. The kid had become a national story because he was considered similarly talented but even the thought of measuring up to Tendulkar was as onerous as taking on all 20 Avengers in one go. Before fear could entirely overtake him, it was time to run out into the glass dome. The arena reverberated with chants of his name. The only way he knew how to calm himself was with the thought: What would Sachin do?
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Tendulkar's career got its final touch of credibility when Sir Don Bradman, whose bust can be seen in the background, likened the Indian's batting style to his own
ack in 1998, Sachin Tendulkar’s career was getting its final touch of credibility. In a defining moment, Sir Don Bradman, the Australian batting legend, had likened his own batting style to the young Indian’s. Tendulkar was 25 at the time. That affirmation was enough to put any lingering scepticism to rest. He was unreservedly crowned heir apparent to Bradman’s throne. Now, in 2013, Tendulkar is considered the gold standard. You could almost pity the boy he chooses to anoint his successor. Stacking up to him, even sans the superhero cape fantasy writers have a habit of adding, is a fool’s errand: Most modern-day cricketers shrink from any comparison. Since the age of 16, Tendulkar has been a larger-than-life figure dominating world cricket and the collective imagination of its fans. Before he even stepped on to the DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 81
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national stage, he was already the brightest star in the school cricket firmament. Safe to say, where Tendulkar went, the spotlight followed—and it was never as intense as last month when he finally said farewell to the game. Not even his worst critic could resist joining in the sentimental goodbye. However, as the focus shifts to the Indian team’s fortunes in South Africa, and on whom the mantle of the No. 4 batting position will fall, Tendulkar is no longer top of mind. It is as it should be in the after-life, as it were, of a sportsman, which is drenched with the inevitability of moving on. Already on the maidans, the young boys talk of newer heroes. “It is not that they don’t mention Sachin but they are equally
For those still scrambling to define it, this, here, is very quietly his legacy.
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act: The Tendulkar legend may not assume the mythical proportions imagined at the beginning of this piece. This is unlike Bradman, who has become almost sacred; his place as the best batsmen ever is non-negotiable in some parts of the world, even though there are hardly any left who have watched him play. Tendulkar, on the other hand, is more open to scrutiny because his life and times are not left to storytellers and blurred recollections. So as his records get rewritten, his technique analysed and personal failings noted, the memories will become hazier, less imposing. This is the lot of any modern great. Ask Michael Schumacher.
mattered was how he played the game. His purported successor, Virat Kohli, openly attributes his interest in the game to his reverence of Tendulkar. “I always wanted to be Sachin Tendulkar, all my life,” Kohli told Forbes India in an interview. He sounds like an unabashed fan boy, much like the rest of the Indian dressing room. Not too long ago, he was just that. “The way Sachin used to win matches for us inspired me; I don’t think anything else inspired me so much. I remember I went for a Test match in Delhi. I was about 12 and India was playing Zimbabwe,” says Kohli. “I got tickets for the side stands. I stood there, clasping the railing, hoping that he would come to the boundary once. He came. I was shouting his name. He looked
eve n th e yo u n g est ad m i r e r o f a ro h it s har ma o r a v i r at ko h l i w i ll b e l i n k e d to t e n d u lk a r by v i rt u e of h is in flu e nce in shaping th e sport ove r decades
enamoured with the likes of Virat [Kohli] and [MS] Dhoni,” says Raju Pathak, coach of Rizvi Springfield, the school that has produced prodigious run-scorers over the last few years (most recently, boy wonder Prithvi Shaw). This transition has been going on for the last couple of years, he says. But the Tendulkar effect is less about direct transference and more about a chain reaction. Even the youngest admirer of a Rohit Sharma or a Virat Kohli—or of their successors or those after them—will inextricably be linked to Tendulkar by virtue of his influence in reshaping the sport over the last couple of decades. Picture Indian cricket as a family tree and you will find him at the apex, connected to the very last link. His teammates, both old and new, are less intimidated, more grateful, for the association. 82 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
But, even diminished in some future date, his legacy will continue to be visible to those that seek to see it—in the generations of cricketers that have either modelled their game on him or been inspired by his attitude towards cricket. Experts have long pondered the tedious question of how history will remember Tendulkar. They have tried to answer it over the years with varying epithets and narratives. Inevitably, the discussion veers to his life after the cricket is over. Would Tendulkar do much to better the sport, will he open an academy or will he take on the BCCI? But his post-cricket occupation, while potentially relevant, hardly defines his legacy. As cricketers of all manner—former, current and prospective—will testify using that ageless cliché, with Tendulkar all that
back once and waved and that was a great moment for me. That was a Rs 300 ticket. That was the extent I could go to, to actually see him.” Despite his childish ebullience on the field, Tendulkar’s senior statesman stature in the team was unquestioned. Even the captain, MS Dhoni, has been quoted as saying that he is still shy about approaching Tendulkar on noncricket matters. Happily, this does not come in the way of his approachability on cricketing matters: He is ready to influence and advice, even unsolicited in many cases. The animated appreciation from his people—without a tinge of insecurity—is equally telling about the respect he commands and the grace with which he gets it. “He taught us not only about the importance of good performance but also the importance of good on-field
Not even his worst critic could resist bidding Sachin a sentimental goodbye in his farewell Test at Wankhede
conduct. He taught us about what sort of mindset you need to have when you play abroad,” Rohit Sharma, another batsman who claims to have modelled his game on Tendulkar, told reporters after the Wankhede farewell match. Sharma, like others, basked in his older colleague’s approval. “Whenever I do well, he always lets me know and congratulates me and wishes me luck. That’s all you need from him,” says Kohli. “It’s just amazing to speak to him about cricket. Even now, after 24 years of cricket, if you speak sense to him, he will be very keen on what you are trying to say.” Tendulkar’s readiness to share ideas—not just give but take—has also helped with his own longevity. The last couple of years were peppered with disappointments and failure, but Courtesy: Pal PIllai - BCCI - SPORTZPICS
there was a dignity with which he handled the unusual negativity from the media. No justifications were offered; just an exit plan was rolled out whereby he started withdrawing from different forms of the game one by one. And even in the end, he was all about the cricket, reminding his now former team that they were privileged to be able to serve the sport. Even ‘god’ was only a servant of the game.
T
he boy, meanwhile, took his stance on the 22 yards. The nerves were calmer, his mind sharpened. It had taken him a minute to switch gears but he was back in the zone. You see, he had figured out what Tendulkar would have done: Silenced the intrusive voice and prepared to face the coach’s anger.
He had read somewhere that Tendulkar had found the distraction of other people’s expectations an unnecessary burden, especially when he already carried the weight of his own. He had been a boy whose talent was spotted at the age of 10; clarity of purpose and lightness in the mind were necessary tools to grow as a cricketer, which was all Tendulkar had ever wanted to be. This 16-year-old, too, could only dream about the bat hitting the ball. But he had another secret wish. That, perhaps, if he did it well enough, one day Tendulkar might finally notice how he batted somewhat like him. With that faint hope in his heart, he looked straight into the bowler’s eyes, the India flag shining on his helmet. (With inputs from Shravan Bhat) DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 83
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forbes india celebrity 100
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No. 05
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100
FOREVER BIG B Adversity doesn’t spare even superheroes. But the dignity with which they overcome setbacks only adds to their aura. And that is what makes Amitabh Bachchan’s longevity and enduring appeal the stuff of legends
By SOURAV MAJUMDAR and ASHISH K MISHRA; Photographs by VIKAS KHOT
I
t is 8.15 pm and we are ushered into a study on the first floor at janak, Amitabh Bachchan’s office bungalow in the upscale Juhu suburb of Mumbai. Janak is a couple of houses away from his residence, Jalsa, where, every Sunday, hundreds throng to get a glimpse of the 71-year-old superstar who has straddled Indian cinema like a colossus for nearly half a century. ❡ Even before we meet Bachchan, we are surrounded by his presence captured in Parisian black-and-white photographs and a wall-sized painting, in award statuettes lining the shelves and in a chest of drawers containing books ranging from those by American writer Saul Bellow to Nelson Mandela’s autobiography. ❡ Bachchan, known for his punctuality, is running a little late. However, he ensures we are kept abreast of his schedule and told that he would meet us as soon as he gets in. After a few minutes, the staff at Janak begins to bustle, indicating that he has arrived. ¶ We are taken to the second floor where the door opens to Bachchan standing in the middle of a large room with his hand outstretched waiting to greet us. He is wearing a white Pathan suit with a greenand-yellow Bengal shawl draped around his shoulders. ❡ After the pleasantries, he gets to business (“So what is this interview about?” he asks). What follows is an engrossing discussion on the life and times of one of India’s most enduring icons; a discussion peppered with wit, humility and wistfulness in equal measure; quintessentially Amitabh Bachchan. | ➷
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Q You are among the longest lasting icons of Indian cinema and the country in general. What does the fame and attention mean to you? I have never believed in these epithets and I don’t know that I have been in the industry long enough for you to say that I am the ‘longest lasting’. There have been many others before me, many established and more credible people. But, yes, I have been around for 45 years. I came into the industry in 1969. I don’t know… it is a job that I enjoy.
Q Sure there have been others as you say. But nobody has had this impact. Look at the people outside your house on Sundays. I think it started off primarily as… I don’t know what to call it. When I was in the hospital after my Coolie accident in 1982, I was quite surprised. I didn’t know what was happening outside but when I came out I found that there was great love and affection. Many people had done penance, prayed, went through personal agony: That was a very moving experience. Actors know when they get appreciated for their work. They walk on the streets and people recognise their face; some wave out to you, a couple of them ask for your autograph. But this was unique. Thereafter, when I reached home, every evening people would gather outside the gates just to see me, I think try and get some kind of confirmation that I am alive. So I would go out and shake their hands. For some reason, it has become a practice.
Q Cinema is often looked at as a reflection of the times. In the 1970s, it was about ‘the angry young man’; it reflected the angst of the people. Should cinema be pure entertainment or actually manifest the mood and maybe even offer solutions to the prevailing problems? 86 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
“People would gather outside the gates just to see me, I think [to] try and get some kind of confirmation that I am alive”
I will do a counter to that. If you look at all the films that have been successful at the box office, they have some kind of a moral approach in them. The very concept of Indian cinema or, perhaps, of cinema around the world is the fact of poetic justice in three hours. You don’t get that in a lifetime or even several lifetimes. There is a moral message that crime will be punished, good will prevail over evil, relationships in families are important, the integrity of women… all that is incorporated in our films. And it can be made entertaining as well.
Q On the subject of the real world, what are your views
on philanthropy—about giving back to society?
I think it is personal where everyone wants to do something more. And if they are in that position—that is their own decision. If you are able to improve somebody’s life, provide some help to those who want it, then why not do it?
Q Do you think it should be spoken about? I have not spoken about it. There are two approaches, one of which is you silently go ahead and do it—and, for me, that is the right thing to do. Tomtomming it appears a little arrogant. I am the United Nations (UN)
ambassador for polio; I am the UN ambassador for the girl child as well. We have worked on polio for many years and India was finally in a poliofree situation last year, and this year again. We have to do one more year before India can be declared a polio-free country. There is great satisfaction in this. But it puts me in an awkward position to have to describe it in the form of this interview.
Q In the West, a lot of influential people lend their names to quite a few causes, such as ensuring better governance. Not necessarily activism, but they support it. That doesn’t happen too much here.
It does happen. And a lot of people do it. It’s just that you do not hear much about it. I think the people in
Q But you had said in an earlier interview that you would do co-productions.
doing it. It is the only thing I knew.
Yes, but we have quite a hard time being creative enough. And I am not conversant with management. At the time of the initiation of ABCL, it was advised that since the management is salaried, you can get the very best. So we did. But it was a sunrise industry. Though the management was very qualified, it wasn’t adequate for the film business which has its own pitfalls and is difficult to understand. I still don’t understand many aspects of this business. They were unable to do it and, yes, we went into near bankruptcy. Happily, we have come out of that. We had about 300 employees all over the country—I now have one, a chartered accountant. If I need to
Q But it led to a kind of revival of Brand Amitabh Bachchan. I am not able to understand the modern lingo of most of the management gurus of the world today. I don’t really know what it means. If it can be given a phrase or expression, I leave that to you; I am just happy doing my work.
Q To redefine and position yourself the way you did made brand experts take serious note.
The word ‘brand’ is used so often. When we started AB Corp and the whole question of brand came up, people from your own profession used to be quite cynical about this fact—‘you’re an actor, but you’re
I t h i n k t h e p e o p l e i n t h e W e st a r e fa r m o r e e d u cat e d , a lot b r av e r i n t h e cas e o f a cau s e a n d t h e i r v i ews ; t h ey ta k e s i d e s
the West are far more educated, a lot braver in the case of a cause and their views; they take sides. And that is understood. I don’t think a similar kind of temperament would prevail here—that would take time. I would rather do something very quietly, on my own and not talk about it. It is not as though we are not concerned. There are many people who talk about it and the whole world says ‘my god, what a fantastic guy you are’. But I would rather do charity than talk about it.
Q Then let’s move back to the movie business. We don’t see too many movies being co-produced by AB Corp [as it was rechristened] these days.
Because we did not know the job as well as we thought we did!
do a production or co-production, I would hold hands with someone who knows the job; I would share equity.
Q You are not interested in growing AB Corp into a larger entity? Not even with Abhishek at the helm? Right now, he does give a lot of inputs on decisions of commerce. But that is his prerogative in the years to come.
Q You have had a huge comeback after a major setback. Are there any important lessons from that?
I just keep working. I don’t think there is anybody who has not had a setback. The biggest and greatest companies have had bankruptcy problems. They have had problems with financing, funding, setbacks… all of us are used to that. It is just that I wanted to carry on
calling yourself a brand. That’s not on’. But now it is an accepted format. [When ABCL started], we had no plant, machinery, formula—terms normally given to attract investors for your seed capital. For the first time there was a human that was evaluated. So Jaya and I got evaluated. Today it is looked upon as a very common thing—how to build your brand, how to market it, where to position yourself [sighs]... all these complicated words. I don’t know this terminology.
Q The repositioning and revival of your brand…
These are words I keep hearing. I was without a job. So I went across and asked some people for a job and started working, that’s it. DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 87
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T h e r e ’ s a lways g o i n g t o b e t h at f e a r , t h at a n x i e t y t h at yo u m ay g e t b ac k i n t o t h at s i t uat i o n w h i c h was h o r r e n do us an d m ost e m bar rass i n g
Q Is that what people who have a setback should do? Just go ahead and keep doing what they know? I don’t know what others would do. I had zero money in the bank, my houses were all attached. Every day I would meet bankers who had earlier clamoured for me to borrow from them—I saw an entirely different face of theirs. They would sit in front of me and abuse me and ask for their money. That was embarrassing—very, very embarrassing. And you wonder what’s going to happen then. You sit back and say ‘what is it that I can do? I am an actor and I should act’. So I started acting. And gradually I paid back everybody’s loans, every creditor, from one rupee to crores of rupees. I went to their houses and offices personally and said, you may not know this but I owe you this money and here it is. This includes Doordarshan, Prasar Bharati. I was the only guy that did it. A lot of people still owe Prasar Bharati money but nobody talks about it.
Q You have not looked back since… Look back is a wrong term to use. Anything can happen to me just now and I could lose everything. I think the eventuality of that should never be forgotten. There is always going to be a risk; if you are aware of that risk and the fact that it could happen at the drop of a hat, perhaps that is what drives you to not fall into that situation again. There’s always going to be that fear, that anxiety that you may get back into that situation which was horrendous and most embarrassing. So I guess you just continue working to 88 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
ensure that doesn’t happen.
Q Somewhere in your subconscious, is that the reason that drives you to keep working?
I don’t know whether that is the reason but I think that is a fear.
Q When situations like these come up, it makes companies hugely risk averse. Risk averse? What does this terminology mean?
Q It means you don’t want to take any more risks considering the situation that you faced.
I don’t think that you can equate the two things. That is a company and I don’t know what companies do. We are in a creative field. Maybe there are certain similarities. If a company is producing something that is not being bought or marketed or appreciated, I guess they will have the same temperament as a film that is not being seen. Yes, we would want to be working in films that are successful because that ensures our longevity. Or it just perhaps ensures your next film. And when that is over, you immediately think of the next thing—okay fine, thank god this is over, what should I do tomorrow? Or, oh gosh, this has not worked, what should I do tomorrow?
Q Another thing you have set a trend for is of well-established film actors entering television. That was also timed with the revival of your brand. You seem to love it now. I would have to say that I love everything I do. If I didn’t love
it, I shouldn’t be doing it. But I think television came as a very fortunate opportunity. It was very welcome because it provided me with a certain amount of income which helped me in paying back my creditors. The other reason was that I liked what they asked me to do. And then it went on from there. I think television is big—and it’s going to be huge. It is already earning twice as much as films. I think films are about Rs 12,000 crore and TV is about Rs 22,000-24,000 crore and likely to become three times more in the years to come. We have about 300 million people watching TV, maybe 350 million, and projected to touch 500-600 million in the next five years which is massive. It is immediate, unlike cinema which takes a year or year-and-ahalf for people to finally see it. The realisation came when I did my first couple of KBC [Kaun Banega Crorepati] episodes. Within three or four days I went on a pilgrimage to Amarnath. The pilgrims were talking about KBC which was only three days old!
Q The way you give out figures for TV and movies, you seem to be good at numbers… I think it’s more practical knowledge than anything technical. You don’t need to be….what is that degree…
Q An MBA? An MBA, yeah, to be able to gauge that. It’s just practical knowledge. You may wonder why I say ‘practical’. I’ll walk into a restaurant, a public place, and there will be some response,
some heads will turn. Five minutes later, a TV star will walk in and there will be chaos. That is my judgment on how important TV has become.
Q Is it a real example or the fabled Bachchan humility? The TV star got more attention than you?
Yes, yes, this was some years ago. There is a lot of identification with TV stars. They are now into cinema too.
Q With so many young talents coming in, do you see yourself in a mentoring role as well? No, I don’t have the capacity or capability to mentor. I am just delighted to be in their company. I find them extremely talented, just a joy to be with and to see them work. In their very first films, they come out without any mistakes. I am just amazed at where they get this talent from and how they are able to project themselves so well. They are so confident and aggressive; it is a fabulous feature of the younger generation in our country. I am just overwhelmed by their potential and what they are doing. I keep meeting them and I feel awkward because, you know, I am 71 and the average age on the set is about 25. But I just love how Indian cinema is shaping up. I see a great, great future.
Q Do they ask you for advice or guidance?
I would be unable to give them advice. I would rather learn something from them.
Q Equally, there would also be other newcomers without adequate contacts who wouldn’t know how to go ahead in the world of films. Would you help them by putting them in touch with the right people, for instance?
You come across people who want to work and I can put them on to
somebody. I am very bad at being able to assess talent or, er… [pauses]. My HR is poor. I am unable to pick the right people—I would rather somebody else did that. But if I felt very strongly about somebody, I tell some people I think this guy is good, you should be working with him.
Q When you say you observe and interact with the younger generation, how does that manifest itself?
I don’t know how it manifests but I just enjoy being with them. Much like we are talking here, we have done sessions for some magazines who want to call some actors, directors and we all sit and have a
A d ay i n t h e l i f e o f A m i ta b h B a c h c h a n 6:30-7 am
Wakes up 9:30-10 am
7:30 am
Heads to the gym 6 pm
Leaves for work, Wraps up shooting which could be shooting for a movie, advertisement or television show 7-10 pm
Business meetings
12-2 am
10:30 pm-12 am
Has dinner, spends time with family
Updates his daily blog, replies to comments from followers on both his blog and social media
chat and it is all printed or recorded or whatever. It is wonderful to know what they are doing and what they feel about it. They are extremely confident. I am still learning and they are already past masters.
Q But you seem be a master too. You are a phenomenon on social media. You have a massive following of over 7.3 million on Twitter. Though you came in a bit later on Facebook, you are hugely popular there too. And there is your blog. Somebody came and told me there are about 150 websites of yours on cyberspace and none of them are correct. They said you should have your own website because there is a lot of wrong information out there— date of birth, where I studied, how many degrees I have and all that. Somebody said I had two degrees and so on… it was rubbish. They said they would design a website. I asked them how long that would take and they said six months. I said why can’t you do something which I can start tomorrow? They said you can write a blog. So I wrote a blog, whatever came to my mind. Next day I got a response. I said, oh boy, this is terrific. So I responded to the response. I took that person’s name in the next day’s blog saying thank you so much for writing to me. Next day I got five responses and so it went on. And as it went on, I found most of them were normal, appreciative people who were almost like me sitting across a dining table and talking to my family. So I gave them a title—you are my ‘Extended Family’. I gave them an abbreviation—EF. And now we have three million hits almost every month and 500-600 respondents every day. I don’t know any of them, and neither do any of them know each other. But during this time period, and because of the length DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 89
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of association, they have all got to know each other. That’s not all. If I am travelling to a certain part of the world, and if there’s an EF there, he or she will want to come and see me. Just to take a photograph or to say hi. I say fine, so they come. I had a performance in Paris at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees where I recited my father’s poems. And about two or three months before this, I wrote about it in my blog. Around 30 of the EF from all over the world, South Africa, America, Germany, the Middle East, contacted each other. They are not all of very good means, so for three months they saved money to come to Paris. They timed it so that they could all meet at the airport there. They stayed in the same hotel. They came to the show together to see this performance of mine, and all they wanted was—‘can we come backstage and say hello to you?’ And now, wherever I go, they meet. If there is a group of them travelling to India, the reason for their visit is, ‘we want to be in that crowd on Sunday. We just want to come and be a part of that crowd’. So the Mumbai EF contacts them, they stay in their houses, move around together. They have this fantastic feeling of a family. Just a few days ago a whole group—15 to 20 of them from various countries—had all come here. All they wanted was to wish me on my birthday. A lot of people were from within India too. Eleven of them hired a small hall somewhere and stayed together. They are pretty well off, married, etc, but they all stayed together and they said, ‘sir, we have never laughed and enjoyed ourselves so much in our lives as we did this time’.
Q So you are the catalyst… It is a fantastic family that has been created. They are so communicative. They have a problem, they write 90 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
about it and 50 other people come up with solutions. Someone says, it is my birthday, sir, nobody wishes me on my birthday—500 people come up with birthday wishes because I put his or her birthday on my blog. I have made a data sheet now, so I have all their names, dates of birth, addresses, email IDs. I announce it very boldly and artistically on my blog, that today is his or her birthday. And then they all get wished. For them it is huge—they say they haven’t ever got so many wishes in their lives. It is a feeling of great camaraderie. A family of EF came from South
Africa to meet me. They are originally from Gujarat. On the way back, they land in Dubai and one of the members gets seriously sick. This lady doesn’t know what to do. She suddenly remembers there’s a Dubai EF. She rings him. That person drops everything, rushes to the airport, takes her to the hospital, gets her taken care of and puts them back on the plane. Many of them now want to do charitable work. In Dubai, they have opened a blood bank. They look after differently abled children in some other places. It is a nice community feeling.
Q With you as the common factor… Yes, and I write every day, so…
Q You get time to write every day? I have to. I can’t miss out. I somehow feel empty if I don’t. I am on Day 2,045 or 2,046.
Q But for someone who’s known to be rather private, isn’t it like opening yourself up totally?
Yes, but this is different. It is a great experience for me because not everything that I say is appreciated or agreed with. And some of them are fantastic writers. If you are not there, they will start sending messages: ‘Sir, where are you? I am feeling sleepy and you’re not yet online’. Someone in
of credibility is needed because you are doing something for the product and you are asking people to buy it. There have been a couple of examples—Cadbury’s had a problem. They had worms coming out of their product. They said we want you as our brand ambassador. I said, ‘Will you tell me very honestly why you have come to me now. You have been around for so many years and never had a brand ambassador.’ And they said, ‘Sir, we are surprised you’re asking us this question but because you have been so candid, we will tell you. We have a problem with our product. We see you as a credible person to talk about it, because our credibility has come down. We have lost a large percentage percent of our market and we need
I feel admitting to a mistake is a very powerful thing when you are on the backfoot or when an error has been made. It is always good to admit that we made a mistake but we are trying to repair it. So this is what I did. I was in Jaipur at the opening of a girls’ school and one girl stood up and said, ‘Mr Bachchan, you are endorsing a soft drink. My teacher has told me it is poison. Why are you endorsing it?’ I didn’t have an answer. I wrote to the soft drink company. I told them what happened, that they had better answer the girl which they did and clarified.
Q Finally, the question of the Bachchan legacy.
I don’t look upon it as a legacy.
C e le b r it i e s a ls o n e e d to ma i n ta i n a c e rta i n c o n d u c t i n p u b l i c b e ca u s e t h e y a r e a lways g o i n g t o g e t l o o k e d at m i c r o s c o p i c a l ly
America will say, ‘it’s ok, it is daytime here, let him be’. So they kind of keep provoking you to write.
Q You also do a lot of endorsements. How do you decide what to endorse?
Absolutely. It is a difficult choice and one that needs a lot of thought. And again I guide myself by what I experience publicly rather than by reading a management report. I want to know what the credibility of the company is, what their standing is in the market, what is the product, what am I going to be saying or doing. Apart from building brand equity, I think celebrities also need to maintain a certain conduct in public because they are always going to get looked at microscopically; more so now, with one billion cameras following you wherever you go, through mobile phones. A certain amount
somebody with a certain amount of credibility to bring us back again’. They said we have changed our product, added double wrappings and so on. I said I want you to take me to your factory, I want to personally see how you are doing it. I went there, they filmed it. I saw how the chocolates were made, where they came from, how they went into the containers, how the wrapping took place, etc. Once satisfied, I then said I will write my own lines, not what your marketing team says. I just want to look into the camera and say: ‘I am Amitabh Bachchan. I am here to talk about Cadbury’s. Cadbury’s had a problem, they made a mistake. I have personally now gone and seen everything and I am telling you it is clean.’ They agreed and they are back up again.
My only legacy is my father’s. So long as that is alive, I am happy. You will forget me in a couple of months. But my father you will remember for hundreds of years!
Q Are there plans to, perhaps, set up a foundation in his name?
I already have a trust in his name and we do charitable work there—The Harivansh Rai Bachchan Trust. We did one event just last week. It is the electrification of 3,000 villages across India through solar energy through another organisation called Urja Foundation—also United Nations and my trust. I announced it on my birthday, October 11, and just last week actually initiated it. These events don’t get reported because they’re not valuable enough for entertainment value [laughs], which I said in my speech. DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 91
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100 forbes india celebrity 100
rank
No. 75
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DEFYING DEFINITION Irrfan Khan resists being labelled. It is limiting, says the actor, whose search for more meaningful roles continues despite the overwhelming affirmation from critics and audiences alike By SOHINI MITTER Photographs by PRASAD GORI for Forbes India
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way from the hustle and bustle of mainland Mumbai rests a quiet stretch of land dotted with leafy palm trees that sway in the winter breeze and monstrous old buildings that are being renovated into hotels, resorts or residential complexes. Called Madh Island, the area is not only far but also far removed from B-town’s usual cacophony. Its famous resident, Irrfan Khan, is looking for just that. ❡ Cut off from what he calls the corrupting influence of “a movie-city like Bombay” on an artist, Irrfan, 46, inhabits—and defines—a world of his own, just like in his movies. Dressed impeccably in a white blazer and The cause of this lack of fulfillment, he says, “is a continuous struggle to find my kind of story… such a story where I have a great experience and give the audience a great experience. And for that you need a storyteller.” Is there a dearth of storytellers who can fascinate an artist of his calibre? “There are many promising new directors but it is time they were more ambitious and started telling stories that have resonance all over the world,” he says. It is this need for a “universal” brand of cinema that he has stressed upon in his visits to a gamut of film festivals this year, including the prestigious event at Cannes where he was hailed for his compelling performance in The Lunchbox. He reckons Indian audiences are evolving and “they need different kinds of films and experiences”. He wears the acclaim of The Lunchbox on his sleeve. “It is the first Indian film that was released like an English film [in terms of scale] across
slim-fit grey trousers, beard trimmed to perfection, hands gently rolling a cigarette—something he “got hooked on” at the National School of Drama (NSD)—he settles down for a chat with Forbes India. ❡ The tranquility of the place is unmistakable and Irrfan’s husky-voiced intensity rips through it as he dwells on his craft, the soul-wrenching efforts that go into his effortless performances, and his never-ending quest for contentment as an actor. “What I am looking for still eludes me,” he says. Even after a host of unforgettable films, wide recognition and multiple accolades, he is looking for “stories that can really engage me” and “take me forward”. | ➷
the world,” says Irrfan, who was a coproducer. But as an actor, not playing his age was “a tedious process”. “To look like that, to think about it, how to age myself, I don’t sleep, I booze, I do this, I do that… you don’t want to do that thing [and] be in that zone,” he says. This isn’t the first time he has played an old man—and felt unpleasant about it. In 2011, for the HBO series In Treatment, he played a widower paralysed by the grief of losing his wife and at the same time battling pangs of cultural displacement when his family brings him to the US for treatment. Irrfan says, “It was very difficult. I haven’t faced that kind of complexity in my life. I didn’t know from where I would bring that experience of pain.” In 2006, in Mira Nair’s sublime celluloid adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Namesake—a film that established him as an actor of repute in the Western world—he played a professor who ages from a reticent
young fellow to an unobtrusive old man. “I never enjoyed that phase… playing that age and feeling that age in your body when your agility is challenged. I hated it,” he says.
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he actor has often felt “stifled” by the intense process of acting. “Earlier I used to look for a method. At NSD, they asked you to find a posture which would lead you to the emotion of a scene. It was among the various techniques they taught. But I could never connect to that,” he says. He kept looking for triggers that allowed him to slide into a character and experience all its emotions to the fullest. He cites the example of Maqbool (2003), Vishal Bhardwaj’s adaptation of Macbeth and one of Irrfan’s most memorable films. “During that scene where Tabu is lying dead, something happens to me when I suddenly realise that this woman has brought me till here and she has left… she is gone!” DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 93
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he says. “I was going through grief as an actor. And because you are creating that grief, you start enjoying being in that state.” In another Bhardwaj film, 7 Khoon Maaf (2011), Irrfan plays an effeminate poet by day who turns into a wife-assaulting beast by night. He struggled to determine the “emotional core” of the character. “I kept asking Vishal ki isme kya hai? [what is in it?]” he says. Right before a shot one night, he heard an Abida Parveen ghazal that helped him “find the contradictions, complexities and compulsions” of the man. “There was no connection between the ghazal and the character. It was just a trigger,” he says.
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rrfan believes there are two selves at work while acting. “The process of acting bifurcates and creates another person in you. One
that won him the National Award last year. “For certain roles, you have to grow and find the character. But when Tigmanshu Dhulia [the director] narrated Paan Singh Tomar to me, it was just there. He was standing in front of me,” he says. He finds it most rewarding when audiences are overwhelmed by his performances. “The way the audience relates to your work and the way it stays with them is the most precious thing. That is the reason you are an actor,” he says. But the fiercely self-analytical actor is irked when audiences praise him for a role in which he “felt nothing”. He says, “Sometimes people love your performance but you know that you never experienced anything. What is it they like so much?” He also has an aversion to epithets even if that is of a “fabulous actor”.
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oday I don’t need to communicate to the industry that I can engage,” says Irrfan with a sense of pride. But the restless actor can’t wait for more “engaging scripts”. He has turned producer to play an active role in a transitioning industry. “I don’t want to keep waiting for good stories. If I see a possibility of making an engaging film, I would rather take charge and make my own,” he says. Will he direct too in the near or distant future? “When I watch cinema what attracts me is people’s behaviour more than the story. My natural inclination is towards acting. I can’t direct,” he says. His latest film Qissa, a “hardhitting” Partition tale, was screened at the recently concluded Abu Dhabi Film Festival and Irrfan is quite upbeat about it. “This film has Indian,
" T h e way t h e a u d i e n c e r e l at e s t o yo u r w o r k a n d t h e way i t s tays w i t h t h e m i s t h e m o s t p r e c i o u s t h i n g . That i s t h e r eas o n yo u a r e a n acto r .”
becomes the observer while the other is the performer,” he says. “You are losing control [as the performer] and letting yourself flow but you are still in control [as the observer].” Rarely does one come across an actor who analyses his craft so scientifically and manages to deconstruct the process so convincingly. Time magazine puts it aptly in a 2012 essay: “By eschewing Bollywood frivolity and focusing on his craft, Irrfan Khan has won the right to be considered the finest Indian actor of his generation.” Irrfan says he only attempts to give the character “a proper culmination and appeal”. But some roles are already complete like the one in Paan Singh Tomar, a film 94 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
He feels “caged” by tags. He says, “The industry is eager to put you in an image so that they can use you. They want to define you as soon as possible. I feel claustrophobic when any definition is put on me.” Nonetheless, unfettered praise has marked Irrfan’s journey. Oscarwinning director Ang Lee called him a “unique actor” after Life of Pi. Danny Boyle, who directed Slumdog Millionaire, said he is “beautiful to watch” and compared him with an athlete who could execute the same move perfectly over and over again. Legendary film critic Roger Ebert termed his work “subtle” and “engrossing”. Amitabh Bachchan called him an “incredible performer” in Paan Singh Tomar.
German, French and Dutch producers. So it gives us a kind of visibility in the European market,” he says. While sections of the media are quick to anoint him the first truly “crossover” Indian actor who has found favour with influential Hollywood studios, Irrfan is keen to work with the new crop of desi directors who are making waves with non-formula films. “Dibakar Banerjee, Shoojit Sircar, Shimit Amin, Sujoy Ghosh, Sriram Raghavan… they are all promising. They just need to find their ground and their stories,” he says. For an actor who is eternally hungry and hunting for “something beyond”, the sky is the limit. Perhaps Irrfan Khan won’t settle for even that.
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HIS TOUGHEST ROLE EVER Kamal Haasan has performed in front of cameras ever since he was 4. But, nothing had prepared him for his role in Vishwaroopam By SHAKTHI GIRISH
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amal haasan, outspoken, unconventional and very aware that his boundaries stretch farther than those of most others, is no stranger to controversies. But last year he faced the biggest storm of his career. With Vishwaroopam, a mega-budget film that revolves around international terrorism, Haasan walked on that thin ice of religion and community. ❡ The first big controversy around Viswaroopam saw fearful distributors and exhibitors go up-in-arms as Haasan announced a simultaneous direct-to-home (DTH) release. Technological and marketing progress has not really been Tamil cinema’s strongest suit, especially with polarising viewpoints from all the unions and associations involved in the business. Not surprisingly, the decision to use the DTH platform at the same time as the theatrical release was an unpopular one. | ➹
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Add to this, there was the accusation of religious disharmony: It was contended that Vishwaroopam portrayed its Muslim characters in poor light. Ironically, the protests were led by heated, near-violent groups of people calling for the ban of the film’s release which the state stalled, citing security reasons. All this after it had already got an okay from the censor board. Even more ironically, it then released in several areas with denser Muslim populations than Tamil Nadu and those audiences predominantly found nothing untoward in the film. For the first time, Haasan, 59, displayed emotional eloquence in what seemed like a spontaneous, impromptu press conference. He spoke of his respect for all communities and his right of freedom
(as he is addressed respectfully by several peers and protégées) began his association with the silver screen when he was just a little boy, aged four. Stalwart producer AVM Chettiar’s son M Saravanan noticed the fire within him and suggested to his father that Haasan take over the passionately eloquent little boy’s role in the wildly famous Kalathur Kanamma. There was no looking back after that, although the journey was not always smooth sailing. It would take an entire volume to talk about his long career, which spans over 200 Indian films in Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, Hindi, Kannada and Telugu. His entry into films as a fouryear-old kid in Kalathur Kanamma (1958) is still remembered but his first big Tamil film breakthrough was a film called Apoorva Ragangal
his films during this time are in Malayalam and several others are dubbed into various languages. Over the next several years, the willingness to experiment both offand on-screen saw him portray a range of characters, produce films, sing songs, experiment, inspire, provoke and, as a result of all this, build a huge fan following.
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owever, after the ban, for some time, it seemed as if the actor would leave India forever. Newspapers and television channels followed him 24/7. The press conferences at his home/office were crowded. He was trending on Twitter for days. It was painful to see an artiste (at that time, he called himself a businessman trying to trade his wares, but couldn’t) fight
it i s n ot o ft e n t hat o n e f i n d s s o m e o n e w h o s e p e r s p e c t i v e a n d w o r k c o n s ta n t ly breaks barrie rs, jum ps out of th e box and blurs boundaries
of speech through the medium of cinema. He talked about how “he is fed up of playing dirty political games”. He said he despaired being misunderstood and targeted by miscreants and troublemakers when he has pledged his whole life to the art and passion of cinema. And then, there was the ultimatum: If India didn’t let him work, he would even move out. Like the late artist MF Hussain.
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n the melting pot of good, bad, ugly, mediocre and genius, also called Indian cinema, it is not often that one finds someone whose perspective and work constantly breaks barriers, jumps out of the box and blurs boundaries. Kamalji
(1975), directed by K Balachander. Today, that film is remembered more for launching the career of a superstar: Rajinikanth. But while the audiences took note of Rajinikanth for his charisma, they noted Haasan for his immense talent. He did close to a hundred films in different languages in the following decade— these include 16 Vayathinile with Sridevi and Rajinikanth, Avargal (again with Rajinikanth), Sigappu Rojakkal and Kalyanaraman. He essayed some outstanding (and outstandingly different) roles—from a mentally challenged simpleton to a disturbed serial killer to a ventriloquist. Several of these are multi-starrers with Rajinikanth and Sridevi. Many of
what seemed to be a losing battle. But soon, the tide turned in his favour—about two weeks after the ban (and after a successful release everywhere else in the world, including regions with heavier Muslim populations than Tamil Nadu), Vishwaroopam was given the go-ahead for release. Despite the delay, the film garnered huge sympathetic support and raked in the returns. It was a huge worldwide hit, a fantastic PR vehicle and Haasan was back in business. Focussed as he is, Vishwaroopam 2 is already nearly done and will see its theatrical release in early 2014… provided no controversies and protests pop up from around it. The writer is Editor– Galatta Cinema/Galatta Media DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 97
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WHERE MUSIC MEETS MAGIC In just five years, Amit Trivedi has given the Hindi film industry some of its most soulful tunes. Some have even given him the title of the ‘next Rahman’ By SOHINI MITTER
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he cacophonous world of hindi film music has a new smooth obsession. Five years and 20-odd films on, Amit Trivedi is no longer just the guy Anurag Kashyap gave a break to—he is fast becoming a trendsetter. Some have dubbed him the next big thing; a few call him a “killer musician”; and there are those that even hail him as the heir-apparent to AR Rahman, the man who has redefined film music since the ’90s. ❡
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Comparisons, albeit premature, are inevitable. Like Rahman, the 34-year-old Trivedi is reserved; a man of few words but many memorable tunes. And much like the maestro, he stays up odd hours at his garage-studio in Mumbai to make his music. Unlike Rahman, though, he is shy to a fault declining Forbes India’s interview request multiple times. “He is extremely media shy, as you know,” his wife, Kruti, said over the phone. “I’ll try to convince him though.” | ➹ Courtesy: MTV India
t r iv e d i ’ s ex p e r i m e n ta l s o u n d s , u s e o f i n d ia n fo lk i n s t r u m e n t s o n a d i s t i n c t i v e ly W e s t e r n b a s e , h av e c r e at e d a n ew e c o syst e m fo r f i l m m u s i c
Trivedi is nearly absent from the media scene, only making an appearance during music launches where the film’s lead actors, almost unfailingly, happen to be the cynosure of all eyes. He is hardly visible at film award functions and, until last year, his presence in the live music circuit was very limited too. A selfproclaimed “studio man”, Trivedi is heard the loudest when he hits the high notes of a song with his raw earthy voice that some call “imperfect” while others find “magical”. “He’s a reluctant singer. He will record his tunes in his own voice and then have someone else sing it in the film. I tell him not to do that because he has a magical voice,” says filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane for whom Trivedi scored music in Udaan (2010) and Lootera (2013). Music and film historian Pavan Jha has a contrarian take on Trivedi’s voice: “His voice is strong and the texture is rustic but he hasn’t matured as a singer yet.” While opinions may be fragmented when it comes to singer Trivedi, there is unanimous adulation for the music composer. His experimental sounds, free-flowing use of Indian folk instruments, sometimes on a distinctly Western base of rock and electronica, have created an all-new ecosystem for film music. He has introduced a plethora of new singers who have successfully broken the mould of honey-coated voices that have found favour until now. “Amit is deeply rooted and innovative. His music ethic is superb… there is no clutter in his sounds. It takes a lot of courage and conviction to create such music in the age of noise pollution,” says
lyricist-and-singer Swanand Kirkire who wrote for Trivedi’s tunes in the musically-acclaimed Kai Po Che! (2013). He also sang Trivedi’s beautiful baul-based composition Monta Re in Motwane’s Lootera. “Amit grasps mood very well and sometimes fixes a scene with his melody. For him the setting of the film is most important. Monta Re was a simple song so apt for the situation,” says Motwane. “Also, the way he has introduced folk music in Bollywood is incredible.” While Monta Re was influenced by Bengali folk, Shubhaarambh in Kai Po Che! used garba tunes from Gujarat and Navrai Majhi from English Vinglish was inspired by a popular Maharashtrian wedding song. “He has a signature but he adapts himself to every culture quite effortlessly,” says Kirkire. One of the other distinguishing features of Trivedi’s music is the abundant use of Hindustani classical instruments such as sitar, esraj and sarangi as well as those from the folk genre like iktara and dholak. Kirkire says, “He introduces an instrument and utilises it to the fullest. It is not for ornamentation. It is a character in the song yet the use remains so subtle.” Trivedi seems to have struck the right chords in the industry but he has had to wait for it.
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e began composing music at the age of 20. Ad jingles, background scores for plays and television shows, a one-off orchestra here and a local gig (with college band Om) there—he just about managed to remain on the fringes. His uneventful career chugged along with the occasional music label
signing him for non-film albums. The tide turned in 2008 when friend and playback singer Shilpa Rao suggested his name to Anurag Kashyap who was on the lookout for fresh sounds for Dev D—his uber-cool take on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s much-adapted novel Devdas. Trivedi dished out a wide range of tunes—from grunge, rock and jazz to brass band, hip hop and folk—that stunned producer Vikas Bahl and director Kashyap who went on to turn the film into a musical. “Amit was brilliant in Dev D. We hadn’t heard anything like this before,” Kashyap told Forbes India a year ago. “There were 18 tracks in the film, each one different from the other.” But production hassles delayed Dev D and Trivedi’s debut film turned out to be Aamir (2008) directed by Raj Kumar Gupta, who had been Kashyap’s assistant in Black Friday. He composed five tracks (and lent his voice to three) for the film, including Sufi number Ha Raham that became an instant hit. “I noticed him with Aamir,” says Jha. “The moment I heard the music I knew there was a punch and something new about it.” But it was Kashyap’s Dev D a year later that catapulted Trivedi to the big league. Its subaltern soundtrack stormed the industry and suddenly everyone was talking about him. “We freaked out on hearing the music of Dev D!” says Motwane. “I just wanted to know who the guy was.” Trivedi won the National Award for his score in Dev D and also the Filmfare RD Burman Award for New Music Talent. “Dev D is his best work till date. When I heard the DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 99
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100 alone after that,” says the director. “It is sheer magic to see him search for the right tunes and have him present them to the director. That is a performance in itself,” adds Motwane. Udaan’s music was appreciated for its juxtaposition of heavy rock and Indian classical. Aazaadiyan, sung by Trivedi himself, became the new youth anthem and furthered his reputation as a singer. In the years that followed, Trivedi churned out one hit album after the other. Films like Aisha, No One Killed Jessica, I Am, Trishna, Ishaqzaade, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu and Bombay Talkies had more than one memorable track that wooed listeners and charmed his contemporaries. Vishal Dadlani (of Vishal-Shekhar fame) called him a “killer musician”.
The success of Dev D catapulted Amit Trivedi into the big league and won him the National Award
music, I was pleasantly surprised,” says Kirkire, who first met Trivedi on a flight to Delhi. “He was going to collect the National Award for Dev D and I was going for 3 Idiots. He came across as a normal guy who was stressed about the occasion,” he says. Kirkire later teamed up with him in Gauri Shinde’s English Vinglish (2012) where “we became friends”.
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fter the success of Dev D, 2009 turned sweeter for Trivedi when his only composition Iktara in Dharma Productions’ Wake Up Sid went on to become the biggest chartbuster of the year. The film’s music was scored by the reputed trio of ShankarEhsaan-Loy but the soulful Sufi notes of Iktara stood out. Trivedi gave the industry a strong new Sufi voice, that of singer Kavita Seth, who had gone unnoticed in her earlier work. “Amit lets a singer flow. He can use all sorts of voices and get the positives out of them,” says Seth. 100 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
Iktara was a landmark in Trivedi’s career and a tune that will “stand the test of time”, says Motwane. “Instrumentation will change but the melodies will remain. People will listen to Iktara forever,” he says. In 2010 came Motwane’s directorial debut Udaan. “Amit loved the script and we hit it off immediately. He got exactly what I wanted. I just left him
FINE TUNES Trivedi's most memorable tracks Ha Raham (Aamir) Pardesi (Dev D) Iktara (Wake Up Sid) Aazadiyaan (Udaan) Gal Mitthi Mitthi Bol (Aisha) Aali Re (No One Killed Jessica) Pareshaan (Ishaqzaade) Gubbare (Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu) Gustakh Dil (English Vinglish) Manjha (Kai Po Che!) Murabba (Bombay Talkies) Sanwaar Loon (Lootera)
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hy does Trivedi succeed? Music historian Jha says, “Call it timing or destiny, his music has coincided with the need and the rise of fresh sounds in the films of new age directors like Anurag Kashyap and others. Ek daur aaya hai… naye filmon ka, naye sangeet ka… [This is a new era in films and music] and Amit is the flag-bearer of that.” What separates him from the rest is his connection to India’s musical roots and heritage. “He is experimental at the same time tied to the earth,” says Jha. “His closest contemporary would be Sneha Khanwalkar [music director of Gangs of Wasseypur] but Amit rises above her because of his sense of melody. Uske kachche gaane meethe bhi hote hain [His rustic songs are sweet too].” While the reticent Trivedi continues to operate behind closed doors, the film fraternity lauds his penchant for perfection. His filmmaker-friend Motwane sums it up aptly, “He is a true musician. He just needs to find his notes and his melody. And it is a treat to watch him in that process.”
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DEEPIKA: LIVING A FA I R Y TA L E The pace of the last year has left the young actress breathless—both with exhaustion and exhilaration at having finally found her rhythm in Bollywood
By CUCKOO PAUL and DEEPAK AJWANI
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s business journalists, we have learnt to listen to numbers. They, in turn, have told us compelling stories. In the past one year, there has been one set of figures which seem to be adding up faster than gold pieces in the early levels of Temple Run. They paint a fairytale for Deepika Padukone. ❡ Trade pundits are, far less poetically, calling it her Rs 600-crore story because that is the estimated net box office collection for the four Padukone films that have stormed Bollywood over the last year (of which three are in our time period). And as Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela continues its dream run, there doesn’t seem to be a discordant note in her narrative. ❡ When we meet Padukone, she is still catching her breath. The four back-to-back releases—with the last film being shot during gaps between two others—have left her breathless. ❡ That seems to be a state she is comfortable with. ❡ In 2011, enticed by marquee names like Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Shah Rukh Khan, she had plunged in, signing films with a greed that is the trademark of struggling actors. In doing so, she signed away two years of her life. She left no space even for film promotions or endorsements. “The pace was abnormal. I worked 365 days—often doing double shifts for months at a time. There were no Sundays, no holidays,” she says. ❡ The decision to go flat out was not made on an impulse. “When I got the offers, I sat with my business manager and we decided to go for it,” she says. “The ball was in my court. I decided to give up my life to do these films. I worked during all the breaks.” While she gave up on normal things like sleeping for eight hours; she also had to make compromises with her craft. Her role as the smouldering seductress in Ram-Leela was essayed entirely on the fly, she says. There was just no time to prepare. “When I got into the film—the set was ready; they were just waiting for me,” she says. Her co-star Ranveer Singh, on the other hand, had researched his part. He had gone to Gujarat and spent time prepping for his character. | ➷ 102 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
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No. 11
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Like some other actors, Padukone disapproves of measuring achievement in terms of the money her films make. And she is right. Her commercial success is just one of the many signs of her coming of age as an actor. More palpable are the other signals—the hordes outside the studios where she shoots, the hoardings and magazine covers, and the awards that will inevitably follow.
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hough the climb has been the steepest in the past year, it hasn’t always been smooth. Padukone began as a teenage model in Bangalore under the tutelage of Coorgi fashion designer and model-trainer Prasad Bidapa. Among her memorable
mouth, you want to run away.” Ironically, Padukone’s struggle over the next three-four years seemed to prove him right. On the face of it, she was doing everything right: She had the right opportunities, films with established heroes and directors. Yet many of the ventures flopped. Films like Chandni Chowk to China with Akshay Kumar, the psychothriller Karthik Calling Karthik with Farhan Akhtar, Lafangey Parindey where she played a blind girl trying to skate, and comedy drama Desi Boyz—they hardly set the box office on fire. Many of these were challenging roles, unconventional characters, but market-oriented metrics, where star-appeal is judged by box office hits,
The perception has changed now. Ev e ryo n e ta lks a b o ut h e r d o i n g meaningful roles in commercial cinema. “She is no longer a prop"
campaigns at the time were Close Up and Liril. The transition to films was through music videos, two of them with singer-actor-director Himesh Reshammiya. By 2006, she had also debuted on the catwalk at the Lakme Fashion Week and gained instant fame by being on the hugely popular Kingfisher calendar. Padukone’s story, thereafter, acquires a Cinderella-like attribute. Her first Hindi film, the reincarnation melodrama Om Shanti Om (2007) by Farah Khan, was the perfect launch vehicle. But while the film, was a commercial success, Padukone did not impress everyone with her performance. One famous director, who will not go on record for fear of being forced to eat baked-crow, had this to say then, “These models can’t really act. They look great— but the moment they open their 104 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
indicated that she was losing her way. Till something changed.
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t was almost like a light had been switched on. In mid-2012, when Homi Adajania’s Cocktail was released, audiences felt a difference. This was Padukone energised, stronger and shining like never before. As Veronica, the material girl who embraces a lifestyle of ‘sex, drugs and rock-n-roll’, she was the character that everyone remembered long after they had left the theatre. Padukone says that Veronica is the toughest character she has ever played. Adajania, of Being Cyrus fame, had warned her early that this was a character that had been done many times by others. The performance could very easily look clichéd. She chooses to call it an “author-backed part”, one that she knew, as soon as
she read the script, could stand out. Her research began in the nightclubs of London six months before the film was shot. “I went with Homi to these bars. I’d see how the girls danced, how they spoke, how people interacted with the bouncers at the door,” she says. The challenge was also to play this rich, wild sybarite and still keep her likeable. Veteran film critic Khalid Mohamed says he loved the highenergy number Mein Sharabi, where an uninhibited Veronica grooves all night. “She gave me the goosebumps with that one,” he says. Mohamed believes the young actress has all the ammo she needs. “She looks great. Her acting is implosive in a landscape where most actors are very illustrative,” he says. The transformation is palpable: The rapid success after muddling along for four years. Anirban Blah, CEO of celebrity management firm CAA Kwan, who has been Padukone’s image manager for two years, says her hunger to improve sets her apart. She was earlier seen as a giggly, gorgeous girl. The industry had typecast her. In the public eye, she was a fashion icon, a stunner. The perception has changed now. Everyone talks about her doing meaningful roles in commercial cinema. “She is no longer a prop,” he says. One big difference between Padukone then and now is that people are talking more about her films and less about her boyfriends. Does she think there is a correlation between her successful streak and the fact that her personal life is no longer generating paparazzifrenzy? “I am very traditional and believe in giving a hundred percent to a relationship when I am in it. There is no in-between,” she says. Relationships can be time-consuming, she admits, smiling as she thinks
S I M P LY DEEPIKA Q In preparing for a role, do you try to get under the skin of a character? Or is the focus on looking the part?
A little bit of both actually. If it’s a specific character, I like to read, rehearse and prepare a bit. In Chennai Express, cracking the accent was the only thing I needed to work on. Since I come from a South Indian family and have grown up there, I was familiar with the accent and mannerisms. How women hold their saree-edge for instance. I did watch a few DVDs though. But the performances within the scene are all spontaneous and organic. I like watching people. I like to talk less and observe more. And that is my inherent nature. This has helped me along the way. I enjoy observing at airports, sitting in a car. Some of those things just stay with you.
Q Is it possible to rehearse for a part like Leela, who is about oomph and sexuality? Do you identify with any of the characters that you have played?
If people want to understand who I am, then I am Naina Talwar of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. She is closest, and I had to feel more than prepare for that role. I just had to look inside myself. The director Ayan’s [Mukherji] brief to me was to just be. Sensuality, strength of a woman, sometimes these are based on the way the character is written. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Leela was written like that. I just had to play the part. Q Bollywood actresses have a short window at the top, while their male co-stars continue to work for much longer. Does this bother you?
That’s not going to change, unless we change the way to look at it. Yes let’s not shy away from the fact that it exists, but if I keep acknowledging this fact, I will not be able to do anything different. In my mind I am not different from any male
actor. If a guy can work till he is 40, 50 or 60 then why shouldn’t I? I am not thinking about marriage. But I think that even if I do get married and have kids, then what are the kind of films I can do? Which are the movies in which I can balance family life and work? I don’t think that work ends after marriage. I plan to work towards extending the time given to female actors. Until we change the way we look at this, I don’t think anything is going to change. So I don’t even acknowledge it. I think the question is wrong. Q You have had a dream run for the past year. How do you like to pamper/indulge yourself?
I don’t want to go out. I don’t want to see an aircraft. I don’t want to be in a hotel. I don’t want to eat out or go to any foreign location. My indulgence right now, is to be at my own home and eat my ghar ka khaana. I have been living out of suitcases, and I only want to be home. I have little time for movies, except on long flights. Probably my only indulgence is working out for an hour daily. I also like going to spas, if there is time. Q Your acting is now being talked about more than your personal life and relationships. Is the shift something that you have been able to engineer?
In India, we can’t really be open. People don’t respect personal space and privacy or the fact that two people are in a relationship. People want to know all the time…. We are under constant scrutiny. I guess if you are a public figure, you are bound to be scrutinised. I am not questioning that. It’s only that I am not emotionally ready to invest in a relationship right now. Some might feel I am being guarded. But honestly, I am not ready to be in one now.
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back. There probably is a correlation, she muses. It has also helped that she is not distracted, she says, as she has more time for her work now.
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t 27, Padukone has time on her side. And the industry has only just begun to sit up to take notice. Blah hopes there will be a rich haul of awards this year. Critics wonder if she will break a record set by Meena Kumari in 1963. That year, she was the only actress nominated in the Best Actress category (in the Filmfare awards) for three of her films. She won for Sahib, Biwi aur Ghulam. The competitive landscape is quite dull at this time. Most of her A-list rivals are four to five years older. Katrina, Kareena and Priyanka Chopra have been around for some time. Anushka Sharma and Kangana Ranaut are still finding their feet. Probably the biggest proof of Padukone’s popularity is that she is now the
first choice for the big directors. This allows her to command higher payments than any other female lead in Bollywood; this also helps her choose more substantial roles. Her decisions on which film to sign are still based on who she wants to work with. “I want to work with Ranbir Kapoor and Imtiaz Ali again, and so I signed up even without the narration,” she says. The film is tentatively titled Window Seat, and she begins shooting next year. So if she does not look for meaty roles, how will she manage to have a lasting impact on the audience? Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore has been quoted widely last week for being very critical of the portrayal of women in Hindi cinema. At a lecture in Delhi on ‘Representation of Women in Indian Cinema and Beyond’, she said male actors dominate the Hindi film industry and scripts are written especially for
"I believe in giving a hundred p e r c e nt to a r e lat i o n s h i p w h e n I am i n it. Th e r e i s n o i n - b etwe e n "
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them. The films continue to brandish an image of women which is largely decorative and secondary, she said. Many in the film industry feel that actors like Padukone could be breaking this mould. Mohamed says, in many ways, she seems to think like a man. “She is forthcoming and direct. Knows what she wants, and gets it. She does not use her femininity to project herself,” he says. This is tougher while working with big-ticket male actors, who are often very careful about their screen presence. Chennai Express, where Padukone plays a saucy Meenalochani alongside Shah Rukh Khan, was one such film. Despite the larger-thanlife male lead, she made an impact. Padukone says the roles often happen organically while the film is being made. “On paper, the part [in Chennai Express] was equal. The girl and the boy were both there in every scene. It depended entirely on who they cast, and what she did with it,’’ she says modestly. At the heart of it, she says, it boils down to what an actor does to make a role his or her own. And Padukone seems to have mastered that art. Vijay Mathur / Reuters
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I N D I A’ S M R FU N N Y In just a few months, Kapil Sharma and his comedy show have become a must-see for audiences across all backgrounds
By DEEPAK AJWANI and PRAVIN PALANDE
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or a kid who grew up in the amritsar police quarters, sang at school functions occasionally, and actively took part in plays during college youth festivals, becoming India’s biggest comedy show host wasn’t even a distant dream. ❡ Kapil Sharma believes he just lucked out. ❡ “For me, a successful career in comedy is nothing but happenstance,” says Sharma, 32, whose television show Comedy Nights with Kapil has become a mandatory pitstop for Bollywood celebrities keen on leveraging his popularity. ❡ Sharma’s fatalism is understandable: He was twice rejected at the nominations stage of Star
One’s popular The Great Indian Laughter Challenge show (the channel has since been renamed Life OK). But his persistence paid off, and he was third time lucky—he went on to win the show in 2007 and, today, the man who would be a singer is India’s most popular comedy show host. ❡ When Forbes India met Sharma, he had just returned from a gruelling 12-hour shooting schedule; also, it had been barely 24 hours since he had landed in Mumbai after a week of live performances in Sydney and Muscat. A sprain in his back had impaired his movements; he walked slowly to the couch in his living room and tried to make himself comfortable. |➷
Sharma had noticed at Ramleela His apartment in the western events during Dussehra that a majority suburb of Andheri, bought in 2007, is of the crowd would either be drunk a veritable bachelor pad. A treadmill or disinterested. "Now how do you takes centre stage in the living room, entertain such a crowd?" says Sharma. and a few of his friends from Amrtisar "I decided to join the crowd and start traipse in and out, preparing for a jam talking to people. The moment they session at night. This is stardom in the start to get the feeling that I am one classic television style—working odd of them, I can get them rolling.” hours and travelling for shows to farThe show he conceived is based off lands. Sharma, clearly, has arrived. on BBC’s The Kumars at No. 42; it After his win at the Laughter includes a gag, live audience and Challenge in 2007, Sharma decided celebrity guests. Unlike the British to move from Amritsar to Mumbai show, here the audience would also to try his hand at comedy shows on play a role. “We wanted the audience the small screen. His talent saw him to participate in our show and continuously showcased on Sony celebrities to be themselves, more Entertainment’s Comedy Circus; casual than when they judge a dance his ratings were soaring. But there or reality TV show,” says Sharma. was little room for complacence. He kept the humour The entrepreneur in clean and chose subjects that him urged him to do forbes india celebrity 100 would appeal to people from his own show; that all backgrounds. Sharma was when he wore his rank wanted to be watched not producer hat. His plan: only in the cities but in every To blend theatre and part of India. And such has stand-up comedy. been his impact that the A keen observer,
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10 pm slot, which he occupies, has become an extension of prime time. “I wanted to put up a show that would interest both an Ambani and a rikshawala and that is the reason my show talks about the problems affecting a lot of people, such as inflation, milk and onion prices, etc,” he says. Sharma also believes that kids play a huge role in making stars out of performers, so it was important that the show also appeals to them. “Just like we remember Ramayana after so many years, I want the kids to remember my show for years to come,” he says.
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he show’s down-to-earth appeal is balanced by the star power it attracts. Sharma’s personal favourite is Dharmendra. Sharma had wanted him on the first episode of Comedy Nights with Kapil, but his team had said that the veteran actor was not available. So Sharma personally met Dharmendra and requested his DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 109
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support as it was his first show as a producer and host. “Dharampaaji's film had already been released so he didn't need any promotion. Still, he agreed to come,” says Sharma. The show launched in June and was an instant success. It is consistently No. 1 on TRPs in the non-fiction genre. In fact, Sharma is struggling to accommodate all the stars who want to attend his show. Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Rohit Shetty, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor are among those who have already shaken a leg and shared a laugh with Sharma. Yet, Sharma is clear that the show is not going to become a vehicle to promote products or movies. Every act and aspect has only one objective: To make the audience laugh. To that end, he has even revised his own notions. His first thought was to have seven artistes wear similar costumes and discuss a single event. But he 110 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
had seen the popularity of welletched characters with the saas bahu soaps. He decided to introduce two strong characters; Gutthi and Dadi, his creations, are now considered to be the real crowd pullers. The show has two writers who work on the skeleton script but all the punch lines are created by Sharma. Most of the script is finalised on the day of the show. He tries his best to keep himself abreast of current affairs but a significant part of his scripting is based on his observations. That is the reason why he spends time with the aam aadmi whenever he travels.
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harma says he owes everything to the tenodd years that he spent in theatre. He believes that his acting background has played a key role in his success. In fact, he would like to test his acting potential in Bollywood. He has been approached
by many filmmakers but Sharma says that he wants to be careful in his choice of a role—and it may not necessarily be a comic one. He was recently approached by Anil Kapoor to play a terrorist in his popular television serial 24; Sharma had to refuse because the timing did not work out for them. But he is sure that he will get the time, the opportunity and even the role that he wants—he is prepared to wait. Work keeps him too busy to watch any TV serials or movies. Sharma, however, is a huge fan of biopic films. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Paan Singh Tomar are two of his favourites. We glance at the treadmill as we wrap up the interview and can’t resist asking, “Do you regularly use the treadmill?” Sharma, who can barely stand up, replies deadpan: “No ji. We just use it to dry our clothes.” And that’s our exclusive dose of comedy with Kapil for the evening.
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GIVING IT AWAY
orbes India played host to a distinguished gathering of individuals and organisations who have created philanthropic models that look set to stand the test of time. The Good Samaritans pledged to do even more as they collected their awards at a ceremony in Bangalore on November 29. The winners’ trophies were exquisite metalwork keepsakes depicting the Mubhi Tree, symbolic of the art of giving.
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1. The winners with Forbes India’s R Jagannathan and Gurmeet Singh; From left to right: K Srikrishna, Jayant Sinha, R Jagannathan, Archana Raghuram, Jamshyd Godrej, Gurmeet Singh, Rohini Nilekani, Shereen Bhan, Rahul Bajaj, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Nandan Nilekani, Anu Aga and Amit Chandra 2. Dr Devi Shetty, chairman of Narayana Health, receives the Good Company award. 3. Anu Aga, former chairperson, Thermax, wins in the Corporate Catalyst category. 4. Members of the Bajaj family receiving the Distinguished Family of the Year award for the work of the Bajaj Foundation. 5. Archana Raghuram, director, Cognizant Outreach, accepting the Good Samaritan Award. 6. Amit Chandra of Bain Capital receives the NextGen Leader in Philanthropy Award from Ravi Ventakesan. 7. Kiran MazumdarShaw presenting Jamshyd Godrej, chairman, Godrej and Boyce, with the Outstanding Corporate Foundation Award 8. Nandan and Rohini Nilekani accepting the Outstanding Philanthropist award
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Photographs: Sudhinva Atri for Forbes India
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BIG FELLA Mark Mascarenhas changed the game of celebrity management with Worldtel. His biggest and best bet: “My boy” Sachin Tendulkar By VIVEK KAMATH
ark Mascarenhas was a big man. He stood at sixfeet two, had broad shoulders, a booming voice, and a laugh that could fill a stadium. It certainly filled his suite at The Oberoi, Mumbai, where he lived each time he jetted into the city from his base in Connecticut. In time, he set up an office in Worli, but his hotel suite continued to serve as an outpost at Nariman Point and meetings—not to mention food and drinks—flowed into the wee hours. Broadcasters, BCCI mandarins, business enchiladas, they all wanted in on the action at WorldTel: The 10-man David-sized operation that Mark ran like a Goliath. He cut big deals, wrote big cheques, and wasn’t shy of picking big fights. He took on state broadcasters, cricket boards and corporate heavies with the same impunity with which a Sachin Tendulkar would swat away a Glenn McGrath express delivery. And that brings us to one of the sweet ironies of Mark’s life. Mr Big’s most defining move was signing on a boyish cricketer who was fondly called ‘the little master’. Maybe it’s because opposites truly attract. Or, more likely, Mark knew he was onto the biggest story in international cricket. At a time when Sachin’s biggest advertising deal was about Rs 16 lakh a year, Mark signed him up for a five-year contract valued at nearly
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Rs 25 crore. Sachin was already one of the richest cricketers, but with the WorldTel contract, he hit the ball out of the park. It quickly became the talk of the town: Was it for real? Leave alone turn a profit, would Mark even recover his money? Would he see the contract through or was it just badge value? While the deal created headlines, Mark busied himself creating a market. He had raised the bar, revised the benchmarks, changed the game, and we were running out of clichés. Meanwhile, there was an important change in Sachin’s on-field game as well. He started to open the batting in one day internationals and did so at his brutal and dominating best. With the entire innings at his disposal, the building blocks were in place for what would eventually add up to a hundred hundreds. An impressive roster of brands signed on with WorldTel: Adidas, MRF, Philips, Visa to name just a few. Each coughed up in excess of Rs 1 crore for an annual contract. Even old faithfuls like Boost and Pepsi escalated their contracts in line with the new numbers. Mark’s big bet had paid off. KNOW RISK KNOW REWARD Suddenly, everyone wanted to know who Mark Mascarenhas was and where he’d come from. He was an outsider in every way. He grew up in Bangalore and moved to the US. He worked his way up at CBS and was
their top sales guy. (One of the many legends surrounding Mark is that he landed his CBS job by telling his boss he wanted the job as he badly wanted to buy a big car. He got the job and, sooner than later, he got the car.) He went after what he wanted and often got it. It was only a matter of time before he struck out on his own and used his many CBS bonuses (net of
the new car) to start acquiring and trading rights. He couldn’t go for the big ticket items, but did some arbitrage deals in soccer and boxing before scoring a multi-bagger with the Skiing World Cup rights. Around 1992-93, he heard of the upcoming BCCI bid for broadcast rights of the 1996 cricket World Cup. TWI, a major player in sports production, was already at the table; Robert Hallam / Corbis
while they could come up with the money, there was a roadblock in the payment terms. BCCI needed some cash flow upfront and that was the deal-breaker. It was just the kind of situation Mark revelled in. He upped the numbers, made a down payment (the figures were $10 million and $3 million, respectively), and swiped the deal from under TWI’s nose. Mark
doubled his money, earning over $20 million from the 1996 World Cup. He promptly invested in rights across Sharjah, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY Not all of his bets paid off. The cricket World Cup rights got caught in the crosshairs of terrestrial broadcast and Mark found himself in a lawsuit with the state broadcaster, DoordarDECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 115
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shan. His love-hate relationship with Jagmohan Dalmiya, the BCCI chief was said to be a charade and insiders said Mark was in fact Dalmiya’s blueeyed boy, the one who got first dibs at BCCI’s prime properties. (Mark denied this charge.) He fell out with the Sri Lanka cricket board over allegations of manipulation; his response was that there were warring factions in the Sri Lanka board and he was collateral damage. By the end of the nineties, there were raids on WorldTel’s offices by the CBI and income tax authorities. Mark never discussed these matters in the media, preferring, instead,
failed to grow his roster beyond Tendulkar. There was a spat and a falling out with Saurav Ganguly, contracts with Ajit Agarkar, Robin Singh, Shane Warne and Shoaib Akhtar went nowhere in particular. And Rahul Dravid was on his wish list but resolutely refused to take the bait. A PERFECT TEN So we come back to Tendulkar and the significance of his WorldTel contract for sport in general, Tendulkar in particular. Ever since the cricket World Cup victory in 1983, Indian cricket has been on an exponential growth curve.
in endorsements and appearances: Not in the tens of crore but eightdigit annual earnings nonetheless. The age of greed also brought on cricket’s darkest hour and some players, in the absence of lucrative management contracts, resorted to throwing games or fixing matches for money. Even with Sachin’s legendary talent, it did help that he had a manager who secured him financially. “You focus on your game and leave the rest to me,” Mark had promised Sachin. And he made good on that promise. Actually, he did one better.
wh e n Sac h i n ’s b i gg est adve rtis i n g d eal was about Rs 16 lakh a year, Mark signed him up for a 5 -y e a r c o n t r a c t o f n e a r ly R s 2 5 c r o r e
to say he was not in the wrong and representations were being made before the respective authorities. And not every hunch of his was an informed one. He started a cricket magazine and cricket website on the assumption that India had a billion people all of whom loved cricket. “So even if I get 10 percent of that number coming to my magazine and website, we’re at a 100 million,” he told this writer at his swanky office at Worli in 2000. He brushed aside all talk of literacy levels, readership of English magazines, internet access and so on. He was all bluster, saying cricket is a religion that cuts across demographics. He wound up both media properties shortly after, but his hubris was undiminished. “I produced a Rolls Royce when the market needed a bullock cart,” he said in an apparent reference to bandwidth and data speed in India. Even in player management, he 116 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
However, while money flowed into BCCI’s coffers, the growth in player salaries was not proportionate and certainly not in keeping with player salaries in other global sports with comparable viewership numbers. Certainly cricketers earned comfortable salaries, but the chasm between reality and possibility was illustrated by the jump in Sachin’s off-field earnings after signing up with WorldTel. However, in the last two decades, only MS Dhoni and, to a lesser extent, Rahul Dravid, have realised the full extent of their earnings potential. An entire player management industry was born in WorldTel’s wake. Young turks with family money or venture capital sought to replicate WorldTel’s model. Outsiders fancied their chance. For instance a Kolkatabased sports management company signed on Dhoni prior to the famed 148 against Pakistan. And cricketers started to pocket substantial fees
Once the first contract ended, Mark renewed his contract with Sachin for a whopping Rs 100 crore. Ten years earlier, Mark had paid around Rs 50 crore for the rights to the cricket World Cup. Now, he was pinning twice the amount on just one player, even if he was, arguably, the greatest of them all. As a businessman, Mark’s track record was chequered. Even as a manager, he had his share of misses. But as Sachin’s manager, he scored a perfect 10. He honoured his financial commitments no matter how staggering they first seemed. He kept his word and let Sachin focus on the game to the exclusion of all else. During that fateful World Cup in 1999, when Sachin lost his father and had to leave midway through the tournament, Mark made all the travel arrangements and stood by him like a rock knowing there was little else he could do. Sachin, to him, was always “My
Mascarenhas with Tendulkar after the final match of the Coca-Cola Cup in Sharjah in 1998
Armin van Buuren soaks in the atmosphere at Mumbai’s Turf Club.
boy”: “My boy will take us through,” he said in Sharjah in 1998 when India were all but knocked out of the Coca-Cola Cup. When Sachin played a whirlwind knock and almost single-handedly helped India qualify, Mark immediately negotiated a bonus for his “boy”, a shiny red custom-fitted Mercedes, no less. He spoke of Sachin like he would of his own children. And he shielded them all in every way. He continued to be a warrior in business but one part of him was the nurturer. For all the media attention he received, Mark never let any pictures of his family make it to the media. They remained cocooned far away in Connecticut. And for all the allegations and investigations splattered on WorldTel, he made sure Sachin remained ring-fenced. Sure, he had invested a billion rupees in his key client, but he knew, more importantly, that a billion hopes rode on Sachin. He was protective about players in
general. His parties would start at 7 pm so the cricketers could retire by 8 pm. He ensured no alcohol was served until the players exited the party. THE INDELIBLE MARK Today, there’s a lot more money in the game and even more riding on the game. Sony paid a billion dollars for the broadcast rights to IPL. Current IPL player salaries make the first WorldTel contract look like chump change. Many a manager tries to replicate Mark’s art of the schmooze, his swagger, his manner. But they forget that his core was strong and he always put the player at the centre. For instance, an unknown firm with no track record or known source of capital announced a Rs 200 crore deal with Dhoni in a move that smacked of Mark, but it lacked any credibility. The firm’s credibility was further dented when Dhoni’s stake in the company raised conflict issues, given that the firm managed other players.
Perhaps they should have said that Rs 200 crore was the revenue target (a number that looks like a walk in the park given Forbes India reported Dhoni’s earnings at Rs 135.16 crore). But a firm that imperils Dhoni’s solid reputation does him a great disservice. A classic case of learning all the wrong lessons from Mark. For better and for worse, Mark changed Indian sport forever. He was one of only 20 individuals Sachin mentioned in his instantly legendary retirement speech. Sachin, for his part, did the gentlemanly thing and stayed with WorldTel right until 2006 when the contract ended (four years after Mark passed away in a car crash). Yes, Mark Mascarenhas was a big man at over six feet in his lifetime. And, in some ways, he’s an even bigger man today at six feet under. Vivek Kamath is co-founder of Matrix, one of India’s leading celebrity management firms. Matrix worked closely with WorldTel on a few projects for Sachin Tendulkar
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WHY I’M NOT ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Imran Khan on Facebook, Twitter and the Bollywood Bubble
We’re just telling entertaining stories…. You don’t need to treat it like international espionage
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he level of information that Facebook has on people is remarkable— and we volunteer it. If the government asked these questions, I would say, “Why would you care who I’m married to or who I’m dating? It’s none of your business! Why do you need to know what music I listen to, man? You’re the government. Go away.” But if Facebook asks, I tell them. I tell them all the TV shows I like, I tell them my favourite colour, I show them where I travel, I do regular 'check-ins.' If my friends went some place last weekend, and I check in there as well, I say, “Hey guys, I took a photo in the same place you were.” So, they geo-tag me, they follow me everywhere, and all this on the basis of information I voluntarily upload onto Facebook. This is information that, if anyone else asked, I would never tell them. That’s why I never signed up for Facebook. I’ve recently started using the Tor Network (a free, online anonymity tool and network, used recently by Edward Snowden) just because I don’t like the fact that every website I go to pops up with Facebook, G+ signin and ‘Like’ prompts. And though Chrome allows anonymous browsing, it is still owned by Google, and I don’t want them to know either. When I’m walking down the streets of a city, I should be free to walk wherever I choose. Similarly, when I’m roaming around the internet, I should be able to go my own way. If I found a forum of like-minded people, people I want to talk to, I’ll open up. Elsewhere, I’d rather just want to watch from afar. But it should be my choice whether to leave a record of where I’ve been. I dislike Twitter too, but for different reasons. In 2009, I had a Twitter account because the makers of one of my films wanted to promote it online. So when I started shooting,
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that access? Try saying that to his I created a Twitter account and face, his security guys will ensure tweeted through the shoot. Once the he is never heard from again. film was released, I deactivated my With Twitter, people get a sense account. That was July-August 2010. of strength or power: I can reach out What, in my opinion, is wrong and I can throw a stone at this guy. I about Twitter is that it gives can punch him, I can hit him. You’ve everyone access to you. I’m not very not done anything to earn it. Why good socially, I like small, intimate should I give you that? gatherings where you Part of living life in the can engage with people forbes india c e l e b r i t y 1 0 0 public eye is knowing that one-on-one and you people like you and dislike can actually formulate rank you and that’s okay. But opinions about one if you dislike me, sit in another honestly, your room and stew in organically. Take my it. Choke on your dislike, phone: I choose who I choke on your hate. give my phone number I’m not going to give you to. If there are people I don’t want to direct access to me. hear from, I don’t give them my phone In any case, Twitter isn’t that number. Likewise, I have a security important. It’s not worth the hassle, guard at home who will check people because of the numbers. When I was before they come in. With Twitter, on Twitter, the guys with the highest I’m allowing everyone in the world number of followers were Salman to communicate directly with me
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We give Twitter a lot of importance within our circle, the same way that we give importance to the media and PR. So, all of us in the industry open up the papers and say, “Man, Shah Rukh Khan has built 8-pack abs. Oh shit, he got paid Rs 15 crore for this film.” Then I start to feel insecure, I tell my PR guys to put out a story saying that I’m getting Rs 35 crore for 15 endorsements. But the rest of the world doesn’t give a damn. They open up Page Three, look at the party pictures, see which actress is showing a good amount of cleavage and move on! We have turned this PR into something that is important because it is important to us personally. It’s actually actors taking shots at each other, directors and producers trying to one-up each other. We’re all in this one little bubble. You take a step out of the bubble and look around,
" i f yo u d i s li ke m e , s it i n yo u r r o o m an d st ew i n it. C h o k e o n yo u r d i s li k e , c h o k e o n yo u r hat e . I ’ m n ot go i n g to g ive yo u d i r ect acc ess to m e ”
without a barrier. As a public person, there are people who love me and people who hate me. Everyone in the world, anyone who has anything bad to say about me, now has a direct line to me. And it’s alarming. Forget about me, Amitabh Bachchan is on Twitter. He’s one of the most respected people in the film industry and the country. Whether you like his films or not, the man is worthy of a certain respect because he has earned that through his work. Now, take a guy who wakes up one morning, he hasn’t showered, hasn’t dressed, and he sends out a message, “F*** you, you are a b******.” And it lands in Mr Bachchan’s inbox. Who is he, that he should be allowed
Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan—they had 5 lakh followers, 10 lakh followers. What is 10 lakh people spread across the world? There are more people in Mumbai who read Bombay Times! Ten lakh people around the globe is not enough to give me a day’s collections in Mumbai. If, instead of putting in all the time and effort on Twitter for 4 lakh people, I give a tabloid one story on the front page, and it goes national or gets syndicated out, I’m reaching more people *snap* like that. We give Twitter more importance than it actually deserves, because we’re all following one another. Talk to my driver: He doesn’t know what Twitter is. He knows Bombay Times though.
and you realise that nobody gives a damn. Twitter’s the same. Consider a day a negative article appears about me. I’m furious and shattered and I’m saying the industry is laughing at me… but nobody else has read it! They’re reading about what’s happened in Bihar or Uttarakhand or international cricket news. Bollywood is a tiny blip. We are in the bubble and we lose perspective. Step back for a moment. We’re making movies. We’re just telling entertaining stories, we want people to come in, watch a film, enjoy it and go out. You don’t need to treat it like international espionage. (As told to Peter Griffin and Shravan Bhat) DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 119
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SOCIAL MEDIA MOGULS
n a recent interview to esquire magazine, george clooney said that celebs who use Twitter are “morons” and the social networking site is “just stupid”. But Indian celebrities would beg to differ. From leading Bollywood personalities to top cricketers, social media—primarily Twitter and Facebook—is an extension of their star power and mass appeal. Here are the ones who’re leading the pack.
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By SOHINI MITTER and SHRAVAN BHAT
1 AR Rahman
2 Salman Khan
3 Sachin Tendulkar
4 Amitabh Bachchan
5 Shreya Ghoshal
He may not be as prolific a tweeter as his arch-rival Shah Rukh Khan but with 5.6 million followers, Salman’s is one of the most popular handles. Add to that 11.1 million Facebook fans and he’s hot on social media too!
His tweet acknowledging #ThankYouSachin messages was retweeted 17,300 times. With 4 million Twitter followers and 12.5 million Facebook fans, he’s setting benchmarks on social media as well.
India’s most followed celebrity on Twitter, putting out five to seven tweets each day (night) to his 7.4 million followers. Posts elaborate status messages with pictures on Facebook where he has 7.3 million fans.
With 12 million Facebook fans and 2.6 million Twitter followers, she’s the most popular singer on cyberspace. Her social media feeds are highly interactive, and filled with food and music updates.
6 Aamir Khan
7 Sonu Nigam
The numbers—9 million Facebook fans and 5.1 million Twitter followers—are high but interactions almost negligible.With only a 100-odd tweets in four years, he needs to play catch up. (Doesn’t have an official FB page yet.)
Widely followed on Facebook with 11.7 million fans, he reposts fan messages and notifies them about his musical pursuits. Has 1.3 million followers on Twitter; mostly retweets praise that comes his way.
8 Deepika Padukone
9 Hrithik Roshan
10 Priyanka Chopra
The reigning queen of B-town retweets more than she tweets. Thus, her 4.8 million Twitter followers (and 8 million Facebook fans) lap up every little update (mostly film promotions) from her.
While his 4.6 million Twitter followers are fed box-office numbers and reviews of his films, and retweets of fan messages, his 7.5 million Facebook fans get to see a more profound side of him.
One of the first A-list stars to be bitten by the Twitter bug, PC has over 10,000 tweets and 5 million followers. And her 7 million Facebook fans are served pictorial updates daily.
With a staggering 15.1 million fans on Facebook and 3.3 million followers on Twitter, the music maestro leads actors and sportstars in social media influence. He’s also the top-ranking Indian on the global list of social media stars.
Special Mention
120 | FORBES INDIA | DECEMBER 27, 2013
Shah Rukh Khan
The happy-go-lucky superstar transforms into a poet-philosopher on social media. His 6 million Twitter followers and 5.5 million Facebook fans surely don’t mind that avatar!
5,6,8,9,10: Sachin Gokhale; 1,3,7: Getty Images; 2: Fotocorp; 4: Reuters
THE DESI CONNECTION Born in India, they set out to conquer the world By KATHAKALI CHANDA
Sabu
Vivien Leigh
Julie Christie
Merle Oberon
Born in Mysore
Born in Darjeeling
Born in Assam
Born in Mumbai
The ravishing Scarlett O’Hara on screen, and a charming go-getter off it, Vivian Leigh was born in 1913 with the proverbial silver spoon. Later, she spent a few years in Bangalore before her mother sent her to a convent school in England where her acting dreams blossomed.
Oscar-winner Christie, who played Lara in the epic Dr Zhivago, grew up at a tea estate in Chabua, Assam. She also had a half-sister, who was born out of a relationship between her father, the manager, and a tea-picker. Her parents separated when she was young and she returned to England with her mum.
Oberon, Cathy in the 1939 classic Wuthering Heights, went to great lengths to hide her Indian parentage. She claimed she was born in Tasmania to a British army officer, used skin-lightening cosmetics to hide her tan and introduced her Indian mother, who joined her in England later, as a maidservant.
Born in Mumbai
Persis Khambatta
Engelbert Humperdinck
George Orwell
Rudyard Kipling
Born in Mumbai
Born in Madras
Born in Bihar
Born in Mumbai
The ‘Sophia Loren of India’ was born in a Parsi family and took to modelling since she was 13. Khambatta, who made history as the world’s first bald heroine (as Lt Aliea in Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979), had turned down a role in a Bond film as she had promised her mother she would return home and not fall for the glamour of the West.
The British pop star, born as Arnold George Dorsey, spent the first decade of his life in a large bungalow in Chennai, where his father, a British armyman, was posted. He grew up with 10 siblings frolicking around the harbour, almost drowning once when he fell off a floating log. The family went back to England when ‘Hump’ was 10.
Legendary British author Eric Blair, who wrote under the pseudonym of George Orwell, was born in an old brick bungalow in Motihari in 1903. His father worked in the opium department of the Indian Civil Service. The family moved out when Orwell was all of one, but the house still attracts a stream of visitors.
The Nobel Laureate was born on the campus of Bombay’s JJ School of Art in 1865, where his father, an artist and a scholar, was the first dean. His early experiences in Victorian Bombay shaped the character of Kimball O’Hara, the orphaned Irish protagonist in his novel Kim. Kipling later returned to India as a journalist.
The incredible ragsto-riches story of India's first Hollywood star begins in the elephant stables of the maharaja of Mysore. Sabu Dastagir was an orphaned mahout there when documentary filmmaker Robert Flaherty cast him in the eponymous Elephant Boy in 1937. The rest, as they say, was history.
Cliff Richard Born in Lucknow
Born as Harry Rodger Webb in Lucknow in October 1940, Sir Cliff spent the first three years of his life in Dehradun. His parents then shifted to Howrah (his dad was a railway catering contractor). There, young Cliff joined St Thomas School, adjacent to St Thomas Church where he first went to Sunday school and sang in a choir.
Sabu, Julie, Merle, Engelbert, Rudyard: Corbis; Vivien: Alex Stewart Sasha; Douglas: Getty Images; Cliff: Rune Hellestad / Corbis; Persis: Harry Langdon / Getty Images; George: Bettmann / Corbis
Douglas Jardine Douglas ‘Bodyline’ Jardine was born in Mumbai’s tony Malabar Hills in 1900. His father, an Oxford Blue, practised as a barrister at the Bombay Bar and became the advocate-general of Bombay. Jardine’s India innings ended at 9, when he was sent to a school in England.
DECEMBER 27, 2013 | FORBES INDIA | 121
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T H O U G H T S O N S TA R D O M Stardom isn’t a profession, it’s an accident.
To handle that stardom, the red carpets, the photo shoots, people all of a sudden recognising you and following you in everyday life, it’s a bit weird. It’s strange, and it can have funny effects on you.
LAUREN BACALL Overnight stardom can be harmful to your mental health. Yeah. It has ruined a lot of people.
ROGER FEDERER
CLINT EASTWOOD
I see stardom very clearly as a construct that’s been created in order to sell things.
To be a star is to own the world and all the people in it. After a taste of stardom, everything else is poverty.
JULIE CHRISTIE
A sign of celebrity is that his name is often worth more than his services.
HEDY LAMARR The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.
DANIEL J BOORSTIN
JOHN WOODEN
Pop stardom is not very compelling. I’m much more interested in a relationship between performer and audience that is of equals.
ANI DIFRANCO Stardom is only a byproduct of acting. I don’t think being a movie star is a good enough reason for existing.
NATALIE WOOD
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There is not a more unhappy being than a superannuated idol.
JOSEPH ADDISON
Whenever I start feeling too arrogant about myself, I always take a trip to the US. The immigration guys kick the star out of my stardom.
SHAH RUKH KHAN
The nice thing about being a celebrity is that when you bore people, they think it’s their fault.
HENRY KISSINGER Stardom can be a gilded slavery.
HELEN HAYES
Sameer Pawar
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