The Best Debutants of 2008-Asin Or Anushka

2008 was a year of great variety among debutants. Two of the brightest female faces of 2008, Asin and Anushka Sharma came within two weeks of each other. If Asin in 'Ghajini' was an expressions ki dukaan, Anushka Sharma in 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' was far more controlled and reined -in. This model from Bangalore was in no hurry to let us know all the tricks of her trade in one go. Aram se was Anushka. Asin was a storehouse of expressions, a Sridevi on steroids.

And a month earlier we had Mugdha Godse, yet another new feminine flavour for 2008 who made a blasting impact. Bold and uninhibited, she stood her ground in 'Fashion' in spite of an author-backed part for Priyanka Chopra.

A fourth fabulous female debutante came earlier during the year. Prachi Desai with her sweet and tender big-screen debut in 'Rock On' proved television stars do shine in cinema. The myth that television actors falter and fall while making that transition (look at poor Amarr Upadhyay, he is back on television after trying everything on the big screen from horror to Bhojpuri) was broken twice over in 2008. Not just Prachi. But also Rajeev Khandelwal who made a powerful debut in Aamir along with director Rajkumar Gupta who emblazoned his name with a tale of terrorism that traveled the tormented streets of Mumbai in scampering motions.

If 'Aamir' gave us a camera-worthy director in Rajkumar Gupta, two other directors dabbling in terrorism - Nishikant Kamat in 'Mumbai Meri Jaan' and Neeraj Pandey in 'A Wednesday' - came out with flying colours.

Indeed 2008 was the year of demoniacal directorial impact. Abhishek Kapoor who had once acted in a film titled 'Uff Yeh Mohabbat' with his then-girlfriend Twinkle Kapadia in the lead was resurrected as the man behind 'Rock On'. For all practical purposes this was Abhishek's beginning as a director and what a debut!

Ditto Munnabhai writer turned director Abbas Tyrewala, who shone in meteoric motions in the inspiring company of his debut making hero Imran Khan in 'Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na'.

The debutant directors who came during the earlier part of the year like Vijay Krishna Acharya ('Tashan'), Jaideep Sen ('Krazzy 4') and Vivek Sharma ('Bhoothnath') couldn't live up to the hype created around their debut.

But actor Imran Khan did. He was hands-down the male discovery of the year. Sassy, spontaneous, practical and sensible, Imran's freshness of approach to acting was contagious. The nation contracted the Imran virus. Harman Baweja who made his debut on the same day as Imran was far filmier. Like Asin, he knows it all. And doesn't hide it.

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