The 90s had a strange habit of introducing heroes who looked absolutely ready for stardom… and then quietly losing them somewhere along the way.
Rahul Roy arrived with Aashiqui and became a phenomenon overnight. Those long locks alone probably launched a thousand hairstyles. Ronit Roy had Jaan Tere Naam, a silver-jubilee hit, yet famously went months without a single film offer.
Prithvi Vazir had Dil Ka Kya Kasoor with Divya Bharti, while Avinash Wadhawan had the face, the romance, the songs and films like Ayee Milan Ki Raat, Junoon, Geet and Balmaa.
And then there was Armaan Kohli, who actually had Deewana before Shah Rukh Khan stepped into it. He was also considered for Baazigar. Imagine that alternate Bollywood universe.
Five faces. Five very different stories. One deliciously frustrating decade.
Because the 90s didn’t just create stars.
It also left behind an entire gallery of “arre yaar, these guys could have been huge!”
And perhaps that is why we still remember them. Not merely for what they became, but for what we once thought they were going to become.
Our note:
That's an interesting take but here's ours; they made bad choices in flop films. The industry puts up with everything - except box office failure. At some point you have to deliver the goods - put butts on seats. Which none could do despite a great launch. Great music and great leading ladies. One flop after another. Trouble is they had the look but limited talent. Weak voices, poor diction, sloppy dancing... they looked great on the big screen, but that's about it.
BTW - who was your fav? Among this lot? For sure speedo-clad Ronit Roy. He was tall handsome and fit as hell... that body beautiful and he was so cute. the guy next door...
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