It’ll take young actors 1520 years to become superstars: Danny Denzongpa

Veteran actor Danny Denzongpa is very impressed with the younger crop of actors in Bollywood and admits that he is flattered with what they bring to the table.

“I have seen some recent films and I feel Irrfan is fantastic. Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkummar Rao do a good job, and Ranveer Singh and Ranbir Kapoor are great actors and can do anything. Varun Dhawan is doing well for himself — he’s hard working, a good dancer, proficient in acting, fighting and has got a nice physique; so he’s a package,” says the senior actor.

However, the 70-year-old actor is quick to add that they will get superstardom only with time. “These actors are the future but it takes time, and for this generation, it will take at least about 15-20 years to become superstars. For instance, Salman Khan is a superstar in the real sense today. Woh kisi bhi picture mein kaam karta hai, woh chal jati hai. You give that same film to some other actor and it will flop,” he says.

Going down memory lane, Denzongpa recalls, “In our times, Amitji [Amitabh Bachchan] was a hit during ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. Rajesh Khanna was at the top for some time and even Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor enjoyed stardom.”

Denzongpa also feels that some brilliant performances come out of supporting parts today. “Character actors like Sanjay Mishra, Annu Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla are so good. Hamare zamaane mein Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri aur Nana Patekar the, jo bahut ache the. But format plays a big role [for them]. If you give them the right part in an atmosphere where they fit in, they will be fantastic, but if you put them in a commercial setup, they will be not be comfortable. You can’t expect them to do what Govinda used to do. And actors who can do both, become superstars like Amitabh Bachchan.” he explains.

Salman Khan is a superstar in the real sense today. Woh kisi bhi picture mein kaam karta hai, woh chal jata hai. You give that same film to some other actor and it will flop.

DANNY DENZONGPA,

ACTOR