One-time Wonders Of Bollywood, Where Are They Now?

Always the first name in any such list, Kumar Gaurav is the prime example of how one film can change your life, for better or for worse. Debuting at the age of 21 in the super hit 1970 romantic comedy Love Story, Kumar became the overnight sensation along with his co-star Vijeyta Pandit. However, soon after the starry frizz ended, his filmy career tanked owing to not-so-right choices. He was seen in many movies after Love Story but none of the movies could establish him. He was last seen in My Daddy Strongest in 2009.

The Delhi-born actor gained immense stardom after the success of his romantic musical Aashiqui in 1990. Although his career was not doomed soon after Aashiqui, and he did some good performances in the movies that followed, none of the films that followed could match its success. He would next be seen in a psycho-thriller movie called To B or Not to B, which is slated to be released in September this year.

If there is someone who can understand the pain of Rahul Roy, it has to be Anu Aggarwal, his co-star in Aashiqui. Anu, who became the favorite of Indian men after the success of Aashiqui, soon disappeared from the scene. Some years later, she had a near-fatal car accident that left her comatose for a month. After her coma, she dealt with partial paralysis and found her true calling in Yoga. She practices Holistic Yoga in Munger, Bihar, and plans to write an autobiography. Not too media-friendly, nothing much is known about her life.

Though not a debut, Lagaan was the first film in which Gracy Singh had a prominent role of Gauri, the love interest of the male lead played by Aamir Khan. India’s official entry for Oscars, Lagaan was just what Gracy would have wanted after two blink-and-miss performances in Hu Tu Tu and Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain. However, Gracy’s career never took the shape that she would have wanted, and after a handful of forgettable performances in male-dominated movies, she moved to the south.

Tum Bin, released in 2001, continues to be a favorite among the section of audience that loves emotional romantic stories. The movie was a launch pad not only for Sandali Sinha, but also for Priyanshu Chatterjee and Raqesh Vashisth. While both Priyanshu and Raqesh managed to carve a movie or television career out of it, Sandali was not much seen after this, even after being praised for her role as the grief-stricken Pia. Out of all her later roles, only her role as Lajo in Pinjar can be said to be something to remember. She has now retired from the industry and is happily married.

Another lady-luck for Salman Khan, Bhumika made her Hindi debut in 2003 in the highly successful movie Tere Naam. However, even an impressive debut like this could not establish her career in the Hindi film industry. After appearing in a number of unsuccessful Bollywood films while doing Telugu movies, she packed her bags and moved to Telugu film industry where she is still active.

The fact that the famous Harleen Kaur is not even an Asian, let alone a Sikh girl, was kept under wraps by the makers of Love Aaj Kal (2009) until the film was released. The Brazilian actress who auditioned for the minor role of Jai’s girlfriend was cast for a parallel lead because of her good looks. Upon the movie’s release, her role was much appreciated even though Deepika Padukone took the whole deserved credit. After Love Aaj Kal, Giselli was seen in Always Kabhi Kabhi, but the movie tanked and so did her career. As of now, she is back to modeling.

Her role as the typical and traditional Indian girl Meera in Cocktail (2012) was much appreciated, and even though she was seen with Deepika Padukone, she managed to get her share of recognition. Even after a successful debut and many nominations and awards, Diana is yet to appear in a movie although the fever of Cocktail has long died. She is also a model and the brand ambassador of TRESemmé and Nokia Lumia 510.