2014 Rewind: Bollywood stars who dabbled in parallel vocations

Call it competition or a compelling need for creative kick, several B-Town celebs ventured into uncharted territories this year. We highlight some of them

If invention is propelled by necessity, reinvention is de rigueur. After all, it is the era of multi-tasking and cross-functionality — and Bollywood ain’t willing to lag behind. That is precisely why we have a bunch of filmmakers and singers who can act, choreographers who don the director’s hat, and actors who can make films or turn singers overnight. Be it for professional growth or personal satisfaction, several celebs continued the trend of jumping tracks in 2014. hitlist highlights some of them…

Calling the shots

Priyanka Chopra
Like most beauty queens, PeeCee also ventured into the realm of Hindi moviedom after winning the Miss World crown in 2000. A string of flops later, she established herself among the top-notch actresses and followed it up with music singles that were released worldwide. This year, she pushed the envelope by turning co-producer for Madhur Bhandarkar’s -Madamji-.

Shahid Kapoor
He joined the league of actors turning producers with Vishal Bhardwaj’s -Haider-. In fact, Shahid along with Vishal and UTV had equal stake in the film. But the actor decided to keep his new stint low-key by not taking credit officially
for it.

Also…

>> Shilpa Shetty saw her maiden project -Dishkiyaoon- releasing this year. However, the film, set in the backdrop of the Mumbai underworld, failed to set the box office coffers ringing.

>> Anushka Sharma’s debut production titled -NH-10- went on the floors in January and was wrapped up by May. Though it was scheduled to release in September, it has been pushed to March next year.

Wrapping it up

Karan Johar
The filmmaker, who makes his acting debut with Anurag Kashyap’s -Bombay Velvet-, indulged his passion for designing by launching a line of women wear for an international clothing brand. KJo had collaborated with designer Varun Bahl for a men’s collection four years ago.

Sonam Kapoor
Billed as Bollywood’s fashion icon, Sonam has quite recently turned stylist for dear cousin Arjun Kapoor for all public appearances for the promotions of his upcoming film.

Singing along

Shraddha Kapoor
Hailing from a family of music stalwarts, it was only natural for this young actress to dabble in the vocation sooner rather than later. She put her vocal cords to test with a duet with Ankit Tiwari for -Ek Villain-. The song titled -Galliyan- topped the music charts for several weeks. For those who are still guessing, Shraddha is the grand-niece of celebrated singers Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.

Alia Bhatt
When she stepped into Bollywood as the glamorous Shanaya in -Student of the Year-, some called it as a rather safe debut. But, she silenced her critics with her very next film, Imtiaz Ali’s -Highway-. Not only was she lauded for her acting chops but also for taking up the mic for the soulful -Soona saha- track composed by none other than AR Rahman. Alia went back to the recording studio again for -Main tenu samjhawan ki- -Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania-. The actress-singer added another feather to her cap by turning stylist for an online fashion retailer. Talk about being versatile!

Sonakshi Sinha
Though she confesses that her singing talent is confined only to the four walls of her bathroom, she has entered the actress-singer club with a party number for her upcoming film, -Tevar-. The song has been recorded with Holland-based singer Imran Khan of -Amplifier- fame and is trending on social media. But she has clarified that it was a one-off experience and that she isn’t competing with Alia or Shraddha. What’s more, Shruti Hassan, who will be seen in an item song in the film, has sung a romantic song for Sona. Earlier this year, the -Dabangg- girl crooned a few lines for the sequel of Hollywood animation film, -Rio-.

Facing the camera

Kunal Kohli
Having worked with the likes of Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan, the filmmaker decided not to scout for actors for his next project, -Phir Se-. He cast himself in it opposite telly actress Jennifer Winget. However, the film has run into a hurdle following plagiarism charges levelled against him by writer Jyoti Kapoor.

Mahesh Bhatt
The filmmaker, who took sanyaas from direction many years ago, was signed on to play a Buddhist monk in Mukul Misra’s directorial debut, -Siddhartha-. Bhatt made it official on social media in May when he posted: “Stepping into the frame of silence.” It is to be seen if he goes bald or uses prosthetics for his role.

Also…

>> Honey Singh made his acting debut with a small negative role in -The Xpose- starring Himesh Reshammiya and Sonali Raut.

>> Monali Thakur showed her acting prowess as a child prostitute in Nagesh Kukunoor’s -Lakshmi-, which released this year.

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