Shah Rukh emerges undisputed box office king in 2007

By Subhash K. Jha

Mumbai, Dec 31 (IANS) As 2007 comes to an end, Shah Rukh Khan is the undisputed king of box office and Kareena Kapoor is the "actress number 1".

Director Shimit Amin hit the bull's eye with "Chak De! India" and revived the hockey mania. Ranbir Kapoor led the pack of newcomers in 2007.

The top actors:

Shah Rukh Khan: Undisputed king of the box office with two super hits "Chak De! India" and "Om Shanti Om" oozing star-power in every frame. Next feature is with good friend Karan Johar.

Akshay Kumar: Take a bow, Akshay. With four hits - "Namastey London", "Heyy Babyy", "Bhool Bhulaiyaa" and at the yearend "Welcome" - the man is the new invincible Midas at the box office.

Aamir Khan: With "Taare Zameen Par" Aamir proves he a man of integrity and an artiste who puts his money where his mouth is.

The top actresses:

Kareena Kapoor: One rousing performance in "Jab We Met", and she's back at the top. But where does Kareena go from here? Yash Raj Films' "Tashan" is her next release and the buzz is she's bagging Karan Johar's next with Shah Rukh.

Vidya Balan: Three solid hits - "Guru", "Heyy Babyy" and "Bhool Bhulaiyaa" have suddenly made Vidya a force to reckon with. In 2008, she'll be competing with Priyanka Chopra, who has an impressive line up of lavish releases, and Aishwarya Rai whose "Jodhaa-Akbar" could be the biggest.

Konkona Sen-Sharma: From Rani's chirpy sibling in "Laaga Chunari Mein Daag" to Kunal Kapoor's besotted Laila in "Aaja Nachle", Konkona didn't really deliver the hits. But her solid performing powers put her among the formidable actresses.

The top directors:

Shimit Amin: He made hockey sexy. Shah Rukh Khan in his most sober role to date was putty in Amin's hands. The guy has taken a long sabbatical after the triumph of "Chak De! India". Of course, he returns to a Yash Raj Film.

Imtiaz Ali: And so what if "Jab We Met" came when the lead pair parted? Shahid Kapur and Kareena Kapoor never seemed to share stronger chemistry in any of the films that they did together as a real-life pair. Ali, who earlier directed Abhay Deol's debut film "Socha Na Tha", is flooded with offers. He has agreed to direct a film for producer Saif Ali Khan.

Priyadarshan: Only director of 2007 with two hits, a minor "Dhol" and a major "Bhool Bhulaiyya", Priya sure has come a long way.

Top music directors:

Monty Singh: The scintillating score of "Saawariya" has single-handedly revived the era of pure melodies.

Pritam Chakraborty: The composer delivered modern songs in "Life... In A Metro", "Bhool Bhulaiyaa" and "Jab We Met".

Vishal-Shekhar: "Sajna ji vari-vari" in "Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd" at the beginning of 2007 and "Dard-e-disco" in "Om Shanti Om" at year-end rocked the charts.

The top newcomers of the year:

Ranbir Kapoor: Rock-solid pedigree, endearing screen presence and oodles of self-confidence made the newest Kapoor on the block every girl's favourite "Saawariya". Next year Ranbir will be seen wooing Bipasha, Katrina, Deepika Padukone and Minissha Lamba.

Sonam Kapoor: She's been compared with Waheeda Rehman and Rekha. Sonam is here to stay. Everyone from Ekta Kapoor to Preity Zinta finds her interesting.

Ruslaan Mumtaz: "Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar" was a damp squib, but Ruslaan created a ripple in a quiet way. Watch out for him in his second film "Tere Sang".

Deepika Padukone: Shah Rukh Khan's dreamy girl from "Om Shanti Om" made a dream debut in a double role. Her next film "Made In China" pairs the OSO babe with Akshay Kumar.

• Featured