Katrina Kaif wins the race

Katrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor always ran neck-and-neck for the number one position. Both vied for the same roles, same endorsements, wooed the same actors onscreen, and were on the wishlist of the same producers. Kareena always had an edge over her rival because along with being a pretty face, she has some solid performances behind her.

(Chameli, Omkara). Katrina, who has always relied on her looks, more than made-up for the lack of talent with her hard work. The ‘lucky’ tag helped.
Most heroes consider Kat lucky because she has had more ‘hits’ at the box-office than misses.

Until the beginning of last year, Bebo had a clear advantage because she had worked with SRK and Aamir Khan. But then Katrina landed Jab Tak Hain Jaan with Shah Rukh Khan and then came the announcement of her signing Dhoom 3 with Aamir.

The field was leveled. Later in the year, Kareena tied the knot with Saif Ali Khan and there was a definite shift in Kat’s favour. Producers worry when an actress of a certain age gets married then comes the pressure to start a family. Producers are worried that the ‘heroine’ (pun intended) will get pregnant and their films will get stalled. No one wants to take the risk when big money is at stake. Almost overnight Kareena lost the edge she always had over Kat.

The signs...
Kareena’s item song Fevicol Se in Dabangg 2 was received with less enthusiasm than Malaika’s item song in the prequel. That was the first blow. The second sign was when her last film before marriage (Heroine) wasn’t received well by the critics or the audiences.

The third shocker came when her first film after marriage — Talaash — couldn’t charm them either. Meanwhile, Katrina was basking in the success of Ek Tha Tiger, and followed with Jab Tak Hain Jaan. Katrina is still on everybody’s list while Kareena’s name seems to have been erased out from a few.

The sex symbol factor
Whether anyone admits it or not, a married actress in Bollywood is not hot property. Karisma Kapoor knew that and made way for her sister once she said ‘I do’.

Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi too lost their crowns and brand value after they took saat pheras.  You may argue that Kajol’s career never got affected once she became Mrs Devgn but that’s because she was never considered a sex symbol.

The same applies to Vidya Balan who doesn’t have to worry about her career being affected post-shaadi. The danger is when you are an object of desire and want to continue to play that post marriage.

Playing cards right
Kareena, a smart girl, perhaps realises that it’s time to hang her minis in the closet and opt for different kind of roles. Which explains why she is part of Prakash Jha’s Satyagraha with a multi-star cast whichhas the male leads (Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn and Arjun Rampal) taking the centrestage.

There are two ways to look at it, either Bebo can try to compete with Katrina and lose. Or she can graduate to roles that now go to Kajol and Vidya. That would not be stepping down from her throne, it would still be a step up.