Alia, Parineeti or Shraddha: Who Will Rule Bollywood in Coming Years?

Times in life are always changing; though the same cannot be said about Bollywood.

Yes, products of Bollywood (films) always keep on changing—they are more genres, different themes, new techniques with which they are made. But ultimately, in Bollywood, it’s stability that rules.

Once you are a loved actor here, you will always be a loved actor. Once you are a top filmmaker, you will always have a certain clout in the films that are getting made—you will always have a position.

Read more: Abhishek Bachchan: Star-kid of the Century

This is because in Bollywood, by and large, the control always lies with a certain few. And to be that certain few, you would have to be either uncommonly talented or born with a big shiny silver spoon.

Alia Bhatt, Parineeti Chopra and Shraddha Kapoor have both those things.

Up till 2011 none of us had even had even heard these three names. But here we are five years later and these young actresses have not only shown incredible promise but are considered among the best actresses working in the industry today.

Such is the potential they have shown in a relatively short span of time that we are already thinking about their future. Specifically, who among these three has the brightest?

This might look like a trivial question. But it isn’t. With Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone devoting more and more time to Hollywood, Bollywood might suddenly need these three to step and take the reign.

The question remains though: who among them will lead the way?

The case for Alia Bhatt.

Youngest of the three, Alia Bhatt made her debut with Karan Johar’s Student of the Year in 2012. While she looked like the actress that looked more suited to the mainstream setup, she quickly disproved that when acclaimed filmmaker Imtiaz Ali hired for Highway. Paired opposite Randeep Hooda, she gave a performance of such profound maturity that people immediately saw her in a different light.

Alia is still pretty much a mainstream actress. But she hasn’t allowed that to limit her. Yes, she has done downright commercially driven films like Humpty Sharma ki Dulhaniya and Shaandaar. But even in choosing that, she makes choices that have a certain level of risk about them. This year’s Kapoor & Sons and Udta Punjab are perfect examples of that.  

Next up for her is Gauri Shinde’s (English Vinglish) Dear Zindagi and sequel to the hit film Humpty Sharma ki Dulhaniya.

The case for Shraddha Kapoor.

Daughter of serial villain Shakti Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor started her career as a leading actress with a flop. Her film Luv Ka The End, despite backing from Yash Raj Films, underperformed at the box-office. But that disappointment was soon forgotten as her next release Aashiqui 2 was not only a huge commercial success but gained all kinds of compliments for her.

And then 2014 came, and her already aloft career gained a lot of height. While Haider was one of the most appreciated films of the year, thriller Ek Villian reaffirmed her commercial appeal. She followed it up with more successful endeavors. Her next two films ABCD2 and Baaghi have gone on to become blockbuster hits.

This year she will be seen in the highly anticipated Rock On!! 2. She will follow that with another awaited film Half Girlfriend.

The case for Parineeti Chopra.

It is a well-known fact that Parineeti Chopra didn’t want to be an actress like her cousin Priyanka. Though, it turned out that she proved herself wrong when she stole the show in Ladies vs Ricky Bahl in 2011. The very next year, her role in Ishaqzaade won her a National Award.

Her subsequent projects Shuddh Desi Romance and Hasee Toh Phasee were both testaments to her acting talent and her stardom.

Next up for her is Meri Pyaari Bindu alongside Ayushmann Khurrana.    

To rule Bollywood you need to be an actor and a star; you need to have talent and popularity; you need to play it to your strength and take a necessary risk. These three actors have all shown that.

But the question still persists: who will rule when the time comes?

Read more: Sidharth Malhotra or Varun Dhawan: Who Has a Brighter Future in Bollywood?