Click to play videoOver the last 10 days, CNN-IBN has asked you to tell us who you think is the most promising newcomer, with maximum potential in tinsel town - the actor you have your hopes pinned on, the star you are expecting to shine in the months ahead. We asked you to vote for your choice from a selection of six candidates we shortlisted.
The six newcomers who were in the running for their smashing debuts were:
- Imran Khan
- Ranbir Kapoor
- Neil Nitin Mukesh
- Harman Baweja
- Rajeev Khandelwal
- Sikander Kher
Imran Khan received rave reviews for his performance in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and a record opening at the box office.
Ranbir Kapoor might not have had a dream debut with Saawariya but his clean, good looks and his impish smile have the filmmakers lining up.
Legendary singer Mukesh's grandson, Neil Nitin Mukesh signed up for an unconventional debut and though Johnny Gaddar didn't rock the box office, the youngster made quite an impact and is ready to swim against the tide if need be.
Harman Baweja has been dubbed as a Hrithik Roshan clone and his Rs 50 crore debut, Love Story 2050, did not make the right impact. But with filmmakers like Ashutosh Gowariker and Sanjay Leela Bhansali swearing by him, here is a star to watch out for.
Rajeev Khandelwal defied critics and made the switch from small screen to the silver screen with his debut Aamir and received rave reviews for his performance.
With his unconventional good looks and style, Sikander Kher made a creditable debut with Woodstock Villa. His next movie, Summer of 2007 may not be very hot, but he has surely arrived.
So, if Ranbir Kapoor has that great smile, Imran Khan has a charm most can only envy. Neil Nitish Mukesh has an intensity people can only hope for and Harman Baweja oozes self-confidence and while Rajeev Masand has defied all critics, Sikander Kher has an unconventional look and charm. So, how do we choose from these six hot stars? The choice was yours.
The Most Promising New Hero Poll received over 10,000 votes through online voting and smses.
At number six with two per cent votes was Sikander Kher.
Harman Baweja stands at number five with 11 per cent votes.
Small screen superstar Rajeev Khandelwal is at number four with 15 per cent votes.
Neil Nitin Mukesh is at number three with 18 per cent votes.
Ranbir Kapoor takes his place at the number two slot by grabbing 20 per cent votes.
And finally, with a whopping 34 per cent votes to his name, Imran Khan is ready to be the Gen Next superstar.
In Conversation With Imran Khan
Rajeev Masand: We have with us, the man of the moment himself, Imran Khan.
Imran Khan: Please don't make any hero number one jokes.
Rajeev Masand: Imran the result of this poll is obviously indicative of the fact that you have fans who ...
Imran Khan: Have access to computers?
Rajeev Masand: Yes that and they also expect big things from you. So what is the direction that we are likely to see you going in post Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na?
Imran Khan: I don't really think of it that way. What I have learnt from Aamir is to approach it from an instinctive, creative level. Whenever someone narrates a script to me or I read a script, I think, 'does this sound like a film I would want to watch?' And if the answer is yes, that I would like to sit for two hours and watch the movie, then I will say yes to it.
Rajeev Masand: But you have got eclectic taste, is what I have heard.
Imran Khan: Yes right.
Rajeev Masand: Imran obviously, you have read and heard all the praise. Was there any criticism levelled against you? Did you read any of that?
Imran Khan: Ya. You didn't really care for the movie. Two stars!
Rajeev Masand: I thought you were really good in it. What was some of the stuff that you heard or read about yourself?
Imran Khan: A critic ultimately is just one person so I tend to check out a lot of blogs online to get a better idea. Hundreds put their opinion on blogs and a lot of people really didn't like my work, which is completely understandable - lot of people said I make funny faces, which I do and a lot of people said I have thick eyebrows which again I do. You can't really argue with these things.
Rajeev Masand: So do you just sort of take it in the right spirit?
Imran Khan: Ya, am not going to argue and say 'my eyebrows are perfectly fine'.
Rajeev Masand: You've seen the poll and you have won by a fairly large margin. Of your competition on the poll, who are the guys that you admire? Whose work have you really liked?
Imran Khan: Ranbir. Definitely. He's great. He's got that easy charm and charisma which his dad has. And he is an incredible dancer, which I am very envious of because I can't dance to save my life.
Rajeev Masand: So then the song, Pappu can't dance was about you?
Imran Khan: I have always had my suspicions but Abbas has never admitted it openly.
Rajeev Masand: You have this great interest in Hollywood movies. You are an avid movie buff. Tell us about that.
Imran Khan: You know funnily enough, up until thre years ago, I didn't watch Hindi movies. I started watching them only because I was joining the industry, because I figured I should know the work of my contemporaries and of those before me. So up until that point, it was only Hollywood.
Rajeev Masand: So if you were packed off to a desert or a desolate island, what are the five films that you would take with you?
Imran Khan: A Fish Called Wanda, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I would take Batman Begins because I love that movie so much. Beyond that I think I would pick up whatever I could before my plane went down.
Rajeev Masand: Is there a film that you have seen which made you wish it was made in your time just so you could be a part of it - foreign or Indian?
Imran Khan: Rebel Without A Cause. I am a huge James Dean fan. Huge. I love him. Somewhere I think at the back of mind that I had heard this was a very famous, popular film, but I was expecting that since it is from the fifties, it is probably very dated. I was 18 when I saw the film and I think the character is about 17 or 18 years old in the film and I could relate to it. It was not dated at all. It was as relevant to today as it was to 50 years ago.
Rajeev Masand: Imran you are a trained bartender. You have to tell us what, when, where, why?
Imran Khan: Have you seen a movie called Cocktail? It's not the greatest movie, but it's great fun and after watching that, I must have been 13 or 14 at the time, I was like , 'aah, I got to learn how to do that'. While I was in LA, after I finished film school, I was looking for a way to get a job and make some money - while I was looking for a real job making films - and a friend of mine joined this bartender's training institute and he was having a blast and he told me about it. It turned out that he was the guy who trained Tom Cruise for his role in Cocktail. So I went in and did the course. It was a very intensive course.
Rajeev Masand: Imran you spend a lot of time with creepy crawlies and in the jungles? Tell us more about this
Imran Khan: I was in a school which didn't have a name - it was that small. There is a village called Gedde about three-and-a-half hours out of Ooty. Near this village was a farm and I was in a school there. It was a kind of a gurukul. One of the students there, his dad has a crocodile bank in Chennai, called the Madras Croc Bank. He gave us the chance to go and work there. I think I spent one summer working there when I was about 13 or 14 years old.
Rajeev Masand: So what was the work? Cleaning their cages?
Imran Khan: The crocs are kept in pits, kind of like a concrete swimming pool, seven or eight feet deep. So, they would drain the pit out and there is always a lot of dung, which has to cleaned out by hand. So you get in there and you are knee-deep in crocodile dung, scooping it out with buckets. So the crocs are in there and one guy holds this net keeping them at bay while you scoop out the dung.
Rajeev Masand: And apparently, when you are back in civilisation, you are a big gizmo freak.
Imran Khan: Ya. I think, that comes from not having any gizmos earlier on. It's almost like 'ooh! electricity'. Ya I am quite a geek.
Rajeev Masand: Imran you have a filmmaking degree. What kind of films would you like to make? Do you see yourself going in that direction eventually?
Imran Khan: Ya, absolutely. I don't know when because I haven't put a timeline to it, but I have realised that inherently, you have to make a film that entertains. It can have serious tones to it, but it has to be engaging. But I am not going to limit myself to a genre. It is quite early.
Rajeev Masand: Who are your favourite filmmakers? Who are the filmmakers in this country that you would like to work with and collaborate with in your career?
Imran Khan: I don't know. I do think that I would like to work with a lot of new people as I worked with Abbas. I've liked several of Vodhu Vinod Chopra's films. I think a lot of people didn't like Eklavya, I really liked it. I would like to work with him. Rakeysh Mehra definitely. I loved Ran De Basanti. It's probably one of my favourite films with Aamir.
Rajeev Masand: Well best of luck Imran, we are hoping that you will do well, push the envelope and live up to the most promising hero tag.
Imran Khan: Thank you.
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