The young and peerless: Bollywood veterans pick their favourite newcomers

The script of Bajrangi Bhaijaan had its viewers oscillating between laughter and tears while the cinematography of Bahubali transported the audience through a time machine Itrsquos no great secret that earning your spotlight in Bollywood is a matter of great talent or thanking your lucky stars or sometimes a combination of both But there are several newcomers whoare distinguishing themselves from the rest enjoying the hardwon and welldeserved admiration of the film industryWe spoke to a few esteemed professionals across various profiles from the world of cinema and got their take on who they think has the credentials and the spunk to make it big in BTownThe Hair and makeup artistsBharat and Dorris From Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit to Priyanka Chopra and Rani Mukerji the duo has managed to work the magic of their brushes on various Bollywood actors for over three decadesOur pick Anoushka BindraAnoushka is a complete package Not only does she have the talent but also a positive attitude a winning spirit and poise which will help her make it big in the industry We spotted her at Rohit Vermarsquos fashion show in Mumbai and with the way she used her brushes while doing makeup and the awareness she had about the various hairstyles in vogue we were convinced that she is a promising newcomerLowdown Nainitalborn Anoushka Bindra 31 has been working as a hair and makeup artist for over a year now Based in Delhi she had worked for various fashion shows in Mumbai including hair and makeup for models such as Carol Garcias and Diandra Soares Currently the upcoming artist freelances in New Delhi for a wellknown online market place and also does bridal hair and makeup When asked about her struggle to make a mark she is quick to admit that it hasnrsquot been a joyride since she got into the field a little later than others However talented and passionate she is sure that there is no stopping herThe DirectorShyam Benegal A Padma Shri 1976 Padma Bhushan 1991 and Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2005 winner he is the man behind a number of acclaimed films such as Ankur 1973 Manthan 1976 Bhumika 1977 and Zubeidaa 2001My pick Neeraj GhaywanFilmmaking is like building a house To be able to build a house that can withstand any weather you need to know the craft of building really well Similarly the first and foremost quality of a good director is to master hisher craft Then comes the ability to imagine and express yourself distinctly I see the aforementioned qualities in Neeraj Ghaywan whose film Masaan released recently A few years ago I remember being moved by its script which Neeraj had originally written for a fellowship From then to now I remain as impressed What struck me about the film was how real it was mdash regular people with believable lives and problems As opposed to a lot of filmmakers who do not possess the basic art of storytelling Ghaywan definitely has a bright futureLowdown Born and raised in Hyderabad 35yearold Neeraj Ghaywan is armed with an MBA in Marketing Communications However always inclined towards cinema the director after a short stint with a cinema website began assisting Anurag Kashyap and found his true calling A number of short films later Ghaywan made Masaan which not only got him a standing ovation at Cannes 2015 but also the Federation of Film Critics FIPRESCI Award in the Un Certain Regard section of the festival The film and the director also received the award for the Most Promising Newcomer at the festivalThe LyricistIrshad Kamil An established poet and lyricist Kamil began his career with writing for television in 1998 In Bollywood he has penned songs for films like Jab We Met Chameli Love Aaj Kal and RaanjhanaMy Pick Raj ShekharI choose Raj Shekhar who has penned songs for Tanu Weds Manu and its sequel When you compare him with other newcomers whose connection with literature is gradually withering away here is this young man who is wellread has a knack for writing and has his roots in literature For me it is very important for a budding lyricist to read a lot and to have command over at least one language This enables us to use appropriate words and wellcrafted phrases for a particular emotion Writers are not actors who can rely on one film for getting the necessary spotlight they need to work consistently to get somewhere I see Shekhar taking the right pathLowdown Raj Shekhar 34 hails from a farmerrsquos family in Madhepura Bihar After completing his graduation and Masterrsquos from Delhi University Shekhar got the opportunity to assist Aanand L Rai on Tanu Weds Manu It was at the directorrsquos insistence that he dabbled in writing lyrics and the songs of the both films struck a chord with the audienceThe Film editorDeepa Bhatia An esteemed film editor Deepa gives us her opinion on who she thinks has the potential to make it big in Btown among the current lot of film editors She has been the editing genius behind films like Rock On and Taare Zameen Par among othersMy pick Chandrashekhar Prajapati In recent times Irsquove really enjoyed the way Piku was edited by Chandrashekhar Prajapati The cross conversations sharp intelligent inserts and also the idea of using dialogues over images mdash all of these entwined to create a very delicious and refreshing portrait of a family and its many dynamics The cuts were quite lyrical and more importantly you could sense the confidence of both the editor and director Managing to hold and relish these moments it was very beautifully doneLowdown Prior to making an indelible mark with the commercially successful and critically acclaimed film Piku Chandrashekhar Prajapati has also worked in movies like Bhoothnath Returns and Madras Cafeacute His work on Madras Cafeacute won him considerable laurels and he ended up winning quite a few awards as wellThe Costume DesignerRocky S With his edgy spunky and distinctive styling for both men and women this is one designer who has carved an indomitable name in the world of fashion While his own designs continue to be a rage in the industry he picks out the one name from the budding lot of designers who is here to stayRocky S My pick Kunal Rawal I think one designer who is climbing the charts and who has immense potential would be Kunal Rawal He definitely has the ingredients that one needs to make it big as a costume designer in Bollywood Hersquos got a great sense of style and adds to the oomphquotient of his actors with panache and ease both as a stylist and as a designerKunal Rawal Lowdown Kunal Rawal is a fashion designer who specialises in menrsquos apparel He climbed the ladder steadily by becoming the youngest desiger to feature his designs in 2006 at the Lakme Fashion Week With his mix of contemporary and Indian designs and keen eye for detail he has shot to fame and is steadily making his mark in BTownThe Cinematographer Ravi K Chandran The wellknown cinematographer has collaborated with several filmmakers such as Priyadarshan Mani Ratnam Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Rajiv Menon during the course of his career spanning over decades He debuted as a cinematographer in Bollywood with Virasat in 1997 and bagged an award for the filmMy pick Tapan Tushar BasuBasu is yet to make a featurelength film but is actively involved in television commercials I have been observing his work for a while now and what sets him apart is that he is fearless when it comes to experimenting and has a very realistic approach to his work at the same time Nowadays itrsquos easy for youngsters to get into films as filmmakers are open to exploring newcomers However in order to sustain themselves they require talent and some amount of luck as well For instance Ravi Varman who was the cinematographer for Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram Leela had done a couple of Hindi films in the past but it took a film of that scale for him to get noticed Similarly I was lucky to be a part of films like Dil Chahta Hai Yuva and Black because that made people sit up and take notice of my talentLowdown 33 Tapan Tushar Basu hails from a business family in Kolkata and has been working independently for the past threeandahalf years An FTII alumnus Basu has always been fascinated by visual art leaving his family business to study cinematography Having worked on over 200 television commercials of several big brands Basu calls his growth in the industry an organic one and says that all newcomers need to keep collaborating with directors and keep shooting to build a standout portfolio The young cinematographer also stresses on the need to find a mentor to hone your skills and feels that sometimes at the end of the day it is all about getting that lucky breakThe Music composerPritam Chakraborty After being a part of over 110 films Pritam has established himself as an Indian composer singer and liveperformer to reckon with After giving us some captivating compositions in Life in a Metro 2007 Jab We Met 2007 and Barfi 2012 who would be better suited to pick out a young music composer with potentialMy pick Amal Malik Amongst the absolute newcomers Irsquod pick Amal Malik Hersquos got a completeness an almost holistic quality to his music that I would bet my money on Hersquos also versatile and you can tell that his sound is freshLowdown Son of Daboo Malik and nephew of composer Anu Malik Amal insists hersquos made it the hard way contrary to popular opinion ldquoI have really struggled clawed my way and built my own pathrdquo And all that hard work has rewarded this young music composer quite well His debut in 2014 with Jai Ho won him some rave reviews