This actor was once called Bollywood’s brightest prospect over Hrithik and Abhishek but then gave 35 flops
The year was 1999, close to the turn of the millennium. The three Khans had established themselves at the top of the food chain in Bollywood, taking the mantle over from Sunny Deol and Sanjay Dutt. But a new crop of actors was now emerging. Among them was a breakout star, a former child actor who won acclaim for his sensational debut. At one time heralded as the next big thing, this actor slowly went down the pecking order.
The actor who was bigger than even Hrithik Roshan
Aftab Shivdasani began his career when he was just 14 months old, making a name for himself in an advertisement for baby formula Farex. Over the years, he appeared as a child artiste in hits like Mr India, Shahenshah, and Chalbaaz among other films. In 1999, at the age of 21, he made his debut as a lead actor in Ram Gopal Varma’s Mast. The film also starred Urmila Matondkar, and while it was an underperformer at the box office, it gained new following on TV in the months to come. Aftab was heralded as a sensation, winning almost all Best Debut awards. In early 2000s, he was called Bollywood’s brightest young prospect ahead of other fellow debutants like Hrithik Roshan and Abhishek Bachchan.
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Aftab Shivadasani’s career slide
After Mast, Aftab tasted some success at the box office in average grossers like Kasoor and Awara Paagal Deewana, but solo hits eluded him. His first clean hit was the adult comedy Masti, which was released in 2004. But after that, Aftab saw a horror run of 22 consecutive flops, which included 13 disasters. This patch continued from 2005-12 and included films like Ankahee, Red, Aloo Chaat, Acid Factory, and Players.
How sex comedies revived Aftab’s career
In 2012, Aftab saw his first success at the box office in eight years in the form of 1920: Evil Returns. But the film that truly brought him back was Grand Masti, a sex comedy sequel to his 2004 hit. Made on a Rs 34-crore budget, the film grossed Rs 151 crore worldwide and was declared a superhit. This was followed by Kya Kool Hain Hum 3 and Great Grand Masti, two more sex comedies that kept him afloat even though they were unsuccessful at the box office. In 2020, Aftab made his OTT debut with Poison 2, followed by a supporting role in Special Ops 1.5. He was last seen on screen in the 2021 Kannada film Kotigobba 3. He is currently working in Welcome To The Jungle and Kasoor 2.
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