Arjun Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra and others aiming to bounce back with long-awaited hits

It was a dream beginning for young stars like Arjun Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra, Sushant Singh Rajput, Emraan Hashmi and Aditya Roy Kapur. Most of them followed their successful starts with added successes.

However, somewhere down the line, the success streak dried up. This was disappointing as they are promising actors who once were touted to be future superstars.

Nonetheless, each one of them has at least a couple of major releases coming up and it could well be a matter of time before they bounce back.

Let's take a look:

Arjun Kapoor (Last success: Half Girlfriend; last flop: Namaste England; upcoming releases: India's Most Wanted, Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar and Panipat)

When a successful start in the form of Ishazaade was soon followed up with the likes of Gunday and Rs 100 crore-club superhit 2 States, all seemed well for Arjun Kapoor. His Tevar did not work, but then Ki & Ka was a success. Half Girlfriend too managed to make some profits, even though it was not a clean hit.

Mubarakan brought smiles and laughter but surprisingly did not do well commercially. What turned out to be a shocker though was the disastrous response that Namaste England got despite Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra reuniting after Ishaqzaade.

Year 2019 could well be a different year though for Kapoor as India's Most Wanted is directed by Raj Kumar Gupta. Gupta is returning after the Rs 100-crore club success of his Ajay Devgn-starrer Raid. Though Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar has been delayed for eternity, all eyes would also be on Ashutosh Gowariker’s period war drama Panipat that would be closing the year for Kapoor.

Sushant Singh Rajput (Last success: Kedarnath; last flop: Sonchiriya; upcoming releases: Chhichhore, Dil Bechara and Drive)

Rajput has been enjoying a rather chequered career ever since he delivered two back to back successes in Kai Po Che! and Shuddh Desi Romance. His films like Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! and Raabta did not work but M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story was a hit. Later, Kedarnath was a surprise success, but Sonchiriya turned out to be a surprise failure.

While many of his films have failed to take off or have been shelved, there is also the curious case of his action flick Drive not seeing a release since long. Nonetheless, he is currently focusing on his biggie Chhichhore which unites him with Dangal-director Nitish Tiwari. Before the end of year, he would also be seen in the romcom Dil Bechara. Hopefully, he would end the year on a high.

Sidharth Malhotra (Last success: Kapoor & Sons; last flop: Aiyaary; upcoming releases: Jabariya Jodi, Marjaavaan and Shershaah]

If there have been successes like Student of the Year and Ek Villain for Sidharth Malhotra, there are also failures like Brothers and Baar Baar Dekho. However, had there been few more successes for the actor in years to follow, things would have been far more comfortable for him.

Yes, there has been a good success in the form of Kapoor & Sons while Hasee Toh Phasee and Ittefaq managed to recover costs. However, failure of big-ticket films like A Gentleman and Aiyaary must have indeed been hurting for Malhotra.

Nonetheless, the actor is expected to bounce back in a major way as there are a couple of interesting films lined up for release next. While Jabariya Jodi is a romantic comedy, Marjaavaan is set to be a violent love story. Moreover, Karan Johar is continuing to back his protégé and has formally announced Shershaah with him. It could be just a matter of time for Malhotra.

Emraan Hashmi (Last success: Raaz 3; last flop: Why Cheat India; upcoming releases: Bard of Blood and Khel)

Not really a newcomer, Emraan Hashmi is a veteran among the youngsters as he has been around for 16 years, with his debut back in 2003 with Footpath. There was a time when he delivered successes at a rapid pace, most notable being Murder, Murder 2, Gangster, Jannat, Jannat 2, Raaz - The Mystery Continues, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai and The Dirty Picture to name a few.

However, after Raaz 3, the graph suddenly went down for Hashmi with Ghanchakkar, Raja Natwarlal, Ungli, Mr. X, Hamari Adhuri Kahani, Azhar and Raaz Reboot flopping.

The biggest blow was earlier this year when Why Cheat India could not even make an opening. Hashmi has taken a pause though and is focusing on the digital series Bard of Blood, which is a Shah Rukh Khan production for Netflix. Moreover, he has also signed Khel with Amitabh Bachchan which should be a big release of 2020.

Aditya Roy Kapur (Last hit: Aashiqui 2; last flop: Kalank; upcoming releases: Malang and Sadak 2)

Rest assured, he would be hoping that the tag of 'one hit wonder' does not get attached to him. After a few supporting roles, Kapur emerged as the new blue eyed boy for Bollywood when his Aashiqui 2 turned out to be a blockbuster.

He played a good supporting role in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani as well. However, since then, it has been all downhill for Kapur, with solo releases Daawat-e-Ishq, Fitoor and OK Jaanu failing and multi-starrer Kalank not doing well either.

It could well be a new beginnings though for Kapur in 2020 as he has two high profile films coming up in the form of Sadak 2 and Malang. While former sees the comeback of Mahesh Bhatt as the director, latter has his protégé Mohit Suri calling the shots. Incidentally, Kapur’s last success (Aashiqui 2) was directed by Suri and he would be hoping for a major comeback here.

(Joginder Tuteja is a trade expert and film critic, and loves to talk and write about anything that is related to films. Views are personal)