We look at celebs who vanished from the scene only to come back to the Bollywood fold thanks to support from industry peers

B-town's maverick filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma lost his Midas touch when his recent string of films turned out to be damp squibs. The maker of the cult film Satya (1998) is now apparently joining hands with Ekta Kapoor for his next venture. Ekta will produce the erotic thriller Xes, a film that RGV had penned and had been planning to direct for a while.

His recent films turned may have been damp squibs, but Ram Gopal Varma and has found a producer in Ekta Kapoor. She will now back the erotic thriller Xes, a film penned by Varma.


His recent films turned may have been damp squibs, but Ram Gopal Varma and has found a producer in Ekta Kapoor. She will now back the erotic thriller Xes, a film penned by Varma.

The maverick has always admired Ekta's bold decisions in filmmaking. When The Dirty Picture (2011) released, Ramu had unabashedly tweeted, "I want to give 2 million 15 lakh 17 thousand 3 hundred and 26 and a half kisses to Ekta for proving that Dirty is Clean and Clean is Dirty."

Buzz is that Ramu had been finding it difficult to find a producer for his next Hindi film. He met Ekta recently and bounced off the idea of Xes and she has given her nod to it. Ramu is hoping this project resurrects him and puts him back on the B-town scene.

Industry watchers say that it's tough to mark a successful innings after a failed one. When luck and fortune run out for a filmmaker or actor, they are shunned. But with a bit of help, things can be brought back on track. hitlist takes a look at some recent instances where Bollywood folks are getting another shot at success...

Tejaswani Kolhapure-Anurag Kashyap

Kolhapure was slated to debut in his directorial debut Paanch, back in 2001. Dogged by censorship issues, the film never got a theatrical release. She did some forgettable films and will now be seen in Ugly.

Rahul Bhatt-Anurag Kashyap

Best remembered for his role as Sameer in the TV show, Heena (1998-2003), Rahul Bhatt was seen in Umesh Mehra's love saga, Yeh Mohabhat Hai (2002) followed by Nayee Padosan (2003). He then turned TV producer. Bhat returns to acting with Anurag Kashyap's film, Ugly. This apart, Sudhir Mishra has also cast him in a lead role in his forthcoming political drama.

Armaan Kohli- Salman Khan- Sooraj Barjatya

Armaan Kohli was launched by his filmmaker father Rajkumar Kohli in Virodhi (1992). The actor went on to do forgettable films and tried his luck again in Bollywood with Jaani Dushman (2002) and LOC: Kargil (2003). He then vanished from the scene only to resurface as a contestant in the Salman Khan-hosted reality show, Bigg Boss, last year.

After the show ended, there was constant buzz that Sallu had recommended Armaan to Sooraj Barjatya for a role in his upcoming film, Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo. Last week, Armaan began shooting for the film. He essays a negative role in the film. Sallu has apparently been giving fitness tips Armaan as he will sport in a distinct look in the film.

Sushmita Sen - Srijit Mukherji

The actress has been missing in action. She was last seen in Anees Bazmee's film, No Problem, that was out in 2010. Though the actress is spotted at events and bashes, she has steered clear of Bollywood. She is now shooting for Srijit Mukherji's Bangla film, Nirbak, which she describes as a homecoming of sorts.

Similarly, Prateik is acting in Sourav Chakraborty's Bangla film, Arani Takhan, after his 2013 dud, Issaq.

Another attempt
After his film, Love Story 2050 (2008) bombed at the box office, Harman Baweja went on to star in forgettable films and this year, he tried to resurrect his acting career with Shilpa Shetty's production debut, Dishkiyaaoon. The film did not exactly create a stir and he is now in the news mainly because of his ladylove Bipasha Basu.