Saturday, January 17, 2009

ON RECOGNISING THE HOTNESS...

I'm back even sooner than I thought I'd be, to talk about something that's been on my mind... that thing being the moment when I recognise the 'hotness'... the moment when I look at an actor and realise that he's not just good-looking, he's very, very hot! I'm laughing at myself right now... such frivolous subject matter, I know, but it feels like it's been a while since I've been utterly frivolous around here (and even if it hasn't, humour me, please).

'Hotness', I think, is such a subjective, flimsy thing - so many people in Bollywood are good-looking, sometimes exceptionally so... but I don't always find them hot - and usually right not off the bat. One notable exception to this rule was Dharmendra (of course) who totally had me at hello. But it's more usually the case with me that I see a particular actor in a few films before I see him looking a particular way (whether it has to do with wardrobe, styling, physique, or even just his demeanour - the way he stands, speaks or walks) that just strikes me as hot. Another notable exception to this rule: Ajay Devgan, whose hotness I've raved about before, in near-embarrassing detail (now if only he'd lay off the hair dye...).


But back to my point about it usually taking a minute for me to 'recognise the hotness'... let me provide a few cases to illustrate (who am I kidding, this is just an elaborate excuse to look for pictures of hot men and put them on my blog so I can smile at them later)... I've always thought John Abraham was an extremely attractive young man (those gorgeous brown eyes, that beautiful smile!), but I didn't feel even a flicker of hotness where he was concerned until 'Salaam-e-Ishq' (yup, I didn't even feel it in 'Dhoom' - felt Abhishek totally pipped him to the post in that one) - and that flicker only burst into flame with 'Dostana'.


There are two reasons why I finally find John hot (and no, the massive muscle growth isn't one of them - it's not really my thing).


One is his haircut - the man has always had great looking hair (you almost want to touch it), but he hasn't always done great-looking things with it. I was elated when he cut it short for 'Goal'... am SO loving him with short hair, I hated that floppy cut he had in his awful 'Aetbaar' days. The second thing is the confidence and comfort he seems to slowly be developing onscreen - John seems more relaxed these days (although I feel he still has a ways to go), and that's very appealing. I used to feel such a disconnect between the laidback, ultra-cool guy I saw in interviews and this stiff, contained, over-eager, overly-serious person he seemed to be on screen - now he seems to be streamlining the 'two Johns' into one, and I am loving it...




Now, I love John with short hair, but it's the other way round with Arjun Rampal. Once upon a time, I found him very pretty but also rather bland and/or boring to look at (Exhibit A: 'Dil Ka Rishta'. Exhibit B: 'Yakeen'), but then he grew out those locks for his role in 'Don' (2006) and I had to do an about-face and look again... and again, when he played the sexy bad guy in 'Om Shanti Om' (they kinda ruined his character in the second half, but he was still pretty hot); and now, even though I haven't yet seen 'Rock On' (can't wait though), the pictures of him with all that hair... well, let's just say, kabhi khushi, kabhi khushi, khushi, khushi....


Speaking of kabhi khushi, there's Shahrukh Khan... where to start? My first encounter with SRK was with his annoying Raj in 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' - and although I ended up enjoying the film, I wasn't feeling the hotness at the time at all... since then though, I've felt it, many, many, many times... at the moment, my favourite is his lean, rangy, angst-ridden, stubbliciousness in 'Chak De! India'... swoon.


Bad 90s fashion aside, I even find him hot in a lot of his older flicks. Really, I could go on and on, but yeah, suffice it to say that I now think he's seriously hot.

Well, I think I've given enough examples of recognising the hotness for one day (and have looked at enough gorgeous pictures in the process)... other names spring to mind - Vinod Khanna (he very nearly stole my heart, but Dharam beat him to it), Amitabh Bachchan (most especially as the bad boy in 'Deewaar'), Dilip Kumar (yes, Dilip Kumar), and even Shahid Kapoor (I blame 'Jab We Met'), and oh my goodness, I haven't even mentioned Abhishek or Hrithik.... but I think I feel a fever coming on - with all this talk of hotness, I'm burning up - and so I will depart now and (hopefully!) come back with something suitably grown-up next time....




20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you. That was a very welcome dose of good, old-fashioned ogling! I do think John Abraham is soooo awesome. I still think he can't act for nuts (Dostana is Abhishek's, all the way), but at least he looks wonderful. And Arjun Rampal in Rock On - drooping moustache and all - is amazing too. Another person I thought very hot was Uttam Kumar in his heyday, mainly in his Bengali movies (though he's gorgeous in the 1967 Hindi film Choti Si Mulaqat too).

Nicki said...

Welcome back. Yah, I see John and Arjun on your list...but muscles play a big factor for me cause I'm shallow. :)

Harsh said...

And i thought I was the only one who think Ajay Devgan is quite good looking and smart, when allowed to be....

;)

Daddy's Girl said...

@dustedoff: I agree, John may never win any acting awards, but at least he's lovely to look at! I've developed a bit of a soft spot for him now, interesting since for the longest time I couldn't care less about him. I'm rushing off to find out about this Uttam Kumar.

@nicki: You're not shallow at all! The human body is a work of art and there's nothing better than appreciating good art! I find muscles very nice when they're proportionate... like John's are. I hope he doesn't get any bulkier than he is right now. I think I generally tend to favour a leaner look though.

@harsh: I totally agree - Ajay is very good-looking in my book, in a very 'different' way, and when given the right material, he really shines... it's been a while since he's gotten his hands on some good material, unfortunately.

Anonymous said...

Smoking HOT post!
All the best!
Sita-ji

Anonymous said...

Recognizing hotness, indeed! You're spot on with your analysis. For me all it takes is a decent romance/romcom and I am smitten - Ajay has not one but several of those (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Chori Chori, and my absolute favorite Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha). I liked John a lot in S-e-I and Garam Masala and think he is very good looking, but still waiting for that magic moment.

Anonymous said...

John did a good job in "Kabul Express" and "Water". He even did a decent job in Babul. He is hot no doubt. On the acting stakes, he will mature and emerge as a good actor - it is a matter of time.

Anonymous said...

Ajay is the first Indian actor that I went gaga over (and I am not usually a gaga kind of girl). Have you seen him in Chori Chori with Rani? My favorite Hindi film :-) John and Arjun are just so pretty! (but too pretty for me to find hot, I think) and SRK is the second actor I went gaga over. And, well, you know about Shammi and Ranjeet ;-P

Anonymous said...

Hi DG

I saw "Sharaft" last night and remembered that you are crazy about Dharmendra.

This is one Dharm-Hema movie in which both are gorgeous. Other notable films include Dream Girl, Jugnu, Raja Jani, Dost, Sholay, Seeta aur Geeta etc.

Of course Dharm looked good with most heroines - Sharmila in Mere Humdum Mere Dost, Satyaka, Yakeen etc.

Anonymous said...

John is definitely very stylish but he's a mediocre actor. Ajay Devgan is not that hot n sexy stylewise but he's delivered consistenly powerful performances in many movies e.g. Dil Kya Kare, Raincoat, Dilwale, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Blackmail, Main Aisa Hi Hoon, Qayamat etc. In Qayamat he was sensuous too. And one personality from the film department who must not be forgotten to mention is Aftab Shivdasani.He's a total package -- mindblowing actor of A++ class category; sensuous, killer looks with an awesome innocent, decent naughty, female-magnetic style which can match any international standard ; Superb creative mind and innocent, down2earth soul; In a word he's the next gonnabe living legend of the Industry. Just watch him in Red, Ankahee, De Taali, Koi Aap Sa, Muskaan, Life Mein Kabhie Kabhiee n Speed & just mark my words.

Uzo said...

Our phone conversation should say it all but with saliva dribbling down my chin as i write this..all i can say hot DAMN

Daddy's Girl said...

@bollywoodfoodclub: Thanks Sita-ji!

@bollyviewer: I haven't seen 'Pyar To Hona Hi Tha' yet (but I really want to), and 'Chori Chori' somehow didn't work for me, but I LOVED Ajay in 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'. I do agree that John hasn't found 'that' role yet - the one that takes him to 'the next level' and really makes him a true Bollywood leading man. But all of sudden, I'm fond of the guy and I really hope he gets there.

@anonymous: I really hope you're right! I think the potential is there, even if he hasn't quite harnessed it right (yet).

@memsaab: I do know about your love for 'Chori Chori', and your enthusiasm about it makes me wonder what I missed when I watched it - perhaps I should revisit it (and pay more attention this time). I've never really paid much attention to Ranjeet,but you've definitely awakened my curiosity and now I'm going to look out for him. And I definitely do see the appeal of your darling Shammi.

@anonymous: 'Sharafat' sounds gorgeous - I definitely have to see it; thanks for the recommendations. I've seen most of them but am yet to find 'Dream Girl', 'Dost', and 'Yakeen'. I love Dharam and Sharmila together, perhaps even more so than Dharam and Hema (and that's saying something!)

@anonymous: Wow, you're certainly a huge Aftab fan! I haven't seen much of him yet, but certainly stirred up my curiosity to see more. Thanks very much for your comments.

@uzo: Thanks for summing things up nicely, as always!

Shellie said...

Isn't it amazing how one person can get you so fast you don't even realize it until one day you wake up and look at your husband and say "Hey, you're not so and so!"

I completely agree with you on the hair issues. Hair can make or break a look and John and Arjun both have found a style that works for them.

I won't even start on Shah Rukh, as this comment will go on and on and on......................

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Unknown said...

Good, light read. but completely frivolous. Also, you'd have given a better description of when actors jump from your 'Just looker' category to the 'I have a crush on him' category. And what generally adds sex appeal to an actor, apart from the superficial qualities, from a female's perspective.

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Bollywood Talk said...

After Rockon , Arjun Rampal got no big hit. He badly need one hit.

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