The Graceful Talent!. Review on Bobby Deol

That's the first word that comes to mind just when I hear the name Bobby Deol---''GRACEFUL''. Given Bobby doesn't have a super star status attached to him. Given that it's been a while since Bobby gave a nice solo hit. Given that Bobby has been typecasted more in thriller types of movies only. But then again, why look at the darker side of the story. We all are supposed to be optimistic people. We should go for the brighter side. What this guy has is good enough for me to recommend him. Firstly he has been decent enough to not ever rely on cheap tricks like smooching despite having a marvellous and charming personality. Secondly, Bobby is a star son who never asked for media attention. He rather went for critical acclaim despite an initial success record that was very enviable (GUPT, SOLDIER)!

Let's get to the man himself in detail. Bobby seems to be a simpleton. When he started off his career in BARSAAT (1996), he was an actor looked forward to but his publicity was never done in an over fancied manner like the Zayeds and Shahids get in today's times. BARSAAT was a failure on the whole and Bobby had to look forward to AUR PYAAR HO GAYA. He was working with Aishwarya Rai in only his second movie and even though she was a debutant, there was no doubt she was already a big name with her success in her beauty pagents. Bobby too, despite the failure of his first movie, had gained popularity among females. But he remained grounded with humble attitude all the way. No hype no hungama at all. Even though this movie too got a response as low key as Bobby's attitude, Bobby was hot property due to his own personal abilities.

In GUPT he was hot property ever since the promos not because he was from the Deol family, but because he was presented amazingly in the movie. He looked a star in every way--he was dashing, he was restrained, and unlike his other family members, he danced awesomely to the rocking tunes of Viju Shah. GUPT was a superhit and though mainly it was Kajol who stole the show, Bobby too was noticed by one and all as everyone realized that he could be the commercial hero of the future. In SOLDIER, he proved all his fans right as he delivered a promising performance in all departments yet again, be it acting, dancing, or looking dashing! No doubt the movie reached the winning post effortlessly.

However, then came the surprise as Bobby probably made a few wrong moves here and there. The BAADALS and the BICHOOS and the AASHIQs decreased his popularity considerably. Despite decent performances from the man himself, the failure of these movies ensured that Bobby was no longer a darling for big movie makers who now thought he was an unwise investment. About a half a dozen flops in a row is no joke after all (even though he was fabulous in one of those flops called DILLAGI). Being a Bobby fan, I was disappointed but then again I stood by him like I have done in case of all my favorites be it Abhishek, Fardeen, or Saif, who have all seen tough times and emerged successful out of them time and again. Bobby had made a few wrong choices, but he was about to redress that all as he returned with a bang in Abbas Mastaan's AJNABEE in 2001.

May be yet again it was Akshay whose negative role seemed to take the cake in the movie, but you can bet that Bobby's new short-haired look as well as a matured personality was good enough to bring him back into the spotlight. His pairing with Kareena also made him one of the select few to have worked with both the Kapoor sisters even though his pair with Karisma had earlier been a major failure. Even though after AJNABEE itself it seemed that Bobby Deol had romanced almost everyone from Rani to the Kapoor sisters to Aishwarya, he seemed to return with CHOR MACHAAYE SHOR (his first as well as a decent effort in comedy) in 2002 where he worked with the gorgeous Shilpa and the sensual Bipasha as well! However in 2002 it was his success in the hit thriller HUMRAAZ (yet again by Abbas Mastaan), a movie that seemed to have given his career a fresh touch. Again Bobby looked suave in the movie and needless to say, like always, he performed the role of the memorable business tycoon Raj Singhania in an outstanding, mature, and admirable way. His chemistry with Amisha Patel came out much better than it did in his other movie with her called KRANTI, which failed due to being a monotonous action movie. However, even that movie had good action and acting from Bobby.

Cut to the last couple of years now and Bobby lacks that zing that HUMRAAZ had apparently given his career in terms of Box Office success. For me, Bobby was tremendous as a caring and responsible brother in BARDAASHT. His performance was so restrained that some said that as an actor he has crossed both his dad as well as older brother Sunny. He added another beauty queen, Ex-Miss Universe Lara Dutta to his resume of co-starring with the hottest of actresses. With a flop film like KISMAT too the same year he was able to add former Miss World Priyanka Chopra to his resume of hot co-starring actresses. Bobby's performance in TANGO CHARLIE and AB TUMHARE HAWAALE WATAN SAATHIYON, two patriotic movies, was once again pure gold. I am sure he gave no one, absolutely no one a chance to complain with his decent and restrained performance in those movies. It was like this guy is very flashy and good looking and yet he's one of those rare talents who can handle such complex roles (SHAHEED BHAGAT Singh 23rd March as well) just as he entered his thirtees. In terms of individual performance, he was marvellous. BO success still eluded him though. He had to return to thriller, his former forte. JURM was released as a movie of a thriller/suspense genre but was nowhere near GUPT or SOLDIER. Despite good music and another author backed performance from Bobby, the movie was a non-starter at the BO and the one to suffer most out of it was again Bobby.

Crisis had to be lifted and Bobby had no choice I guess but to experiment and enter love stories. BARSAAT (2005) came after he failed in romantic roles before in AUR PYAAR HO GAYA as well as HUM TO MOHABBAT KAREGA and AASHIQ. KAREEB and DILLAGI (co-starring brother Sunny) are his best romantic films till date but then again they went unnoticed too. BARSAAT however did better business than the other movies listed above since it had the Suneel Darshan family movie tag on it. BARSAAT was to me a very old fashioned and unacceptable movie with one of Bobby's weakest performances to date, but yet surprisingly and ironically it had to be the one with better BO success. So I was still happy for Bobby that his career once again got a new lease. Cut to today, he is once again carrying DOSTI (from Suneel Darshan again) on his broad shoulders. This is once again a family genre. Last time Bobby worked with the same maker (Abbas-Mastaan) in back-to-back in a similar genre, it worked. This time too I hope Bobby repeats success as at least his performance is being considered one of the high points of this movie.

Let's wish Bobby a good luck so that he too can be either a celebrated actor like his father or an award winning actor like his brother. To his own right already though, he is one of the select few heroes whose almost each and every movie has been a musical success!

Do drop your comment in and rate the review as I will be pleased.

Capt!