Unusual roles, sure shot winners?

What draws A-listers in Bollywood to offbeat roles? This year, fans can look out for quite a few films of their favourite stars, says harshikaa udasi

Anushka Sharma is not just acting in NH10 but also co-producing it alongside Anurag Kashyap’s co-owned Phantom Films.

Talk about appetite for risks! Sonakshi Sinha gave commercial hits one after the other right from Dabangg to Rowdy Rathore and then opted for Vikramaditya Motwane’s Lootera which was never expected to even get near the Rs. 100-crore club that Sona was used to. Take Ranbir Kapoor. Beginning with the definitely-not-massy Saawariya which sank at the box office, he still displayed bravery by signing Barfi! after making himself absolutely comfortable and hugely popular in the commercial zone. Deepika Padukone has bitten the dust with Khelenge Hum Kee Jaan Se and Aarakshan , but this girl still has gone ahead with Homi Adajania’s Finding Fanny , a marginal role in an English-Konkani film where she doesn’t play the lead but is part of an ensemble cast.

Bollywood actors love it when an unusual film comes their way. Certainly an attempt to get a stamp of approval for their acting skills and not just their starry status, taking the 'hatke' route is an undisputable winner for Bollywood’s stars. And this year offers a special bonanza for those wishing to see their favourite stars in unusual roles.

Anushka Sharma: NH10

Yet another actress. Yet another road trip. But the difference is Anushka Sharma is not just acting in

NH10 but also co-producing it alongside Anurag Kashyap’s co-owned Phantom Films. “I’m thrilled to get a chance to do this so early on in my career. And I couldn't have found a better project than NH10 to kick-start this new phase in my film journey,” Anushka had said in a statement about her decision to produce. NH10 is about a couple’s road trip gone awry and comes from the director of Manorama Six Feet Under — Navdeep Singh. Incidentally, this is not the only unusual film in the actress’ kitty this year. She also has Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet , a neo noir drama based on historian Gyan Prakash’s book Mumbai Fables . But there is a balancing act here as well; Anushka has the prestigious Raju Hirani’s PK with Aamir Khan coming up in December.

Deepika Padukone: Finding Fanny

Deepika had a bagful of hits last year with

Chennai Express, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Ram Leela and

Race 2 . Then as part of a reported promise to director Homi Adajani (who gave her

Cocktail) , she signed on

Finding Fanny . It is an English-Konkani satirical film about five Goans taking a road trip to look for an old postman's childhood love. Anjali Patil plays Stefanie ‘Fanny’ Fernandes and Naseeruddin Shah, Arjun Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia and Pankaj Kapur form the rest of the cast. This one is supposedly not a full-length feature film, but none of it seems to disturb A-lister Deepika who has styled her Goan look in the film. Illuminati Films (Saif Ali Khan’s) is producing the film so there will be a fairly good marketing buzz, but it needs to be seen how the audience takes to the concept. To balance it out, Deepika has a fully commercial Farah Khan-directed

Happy New Year with Shah Rukh Khan releasing this year itself.

Shahid Kapoor: Haider

He needs the Midas touch of Vishal Bharadwaj. Shahid Kapoor tasted some commercial success last year with R… Rajkumar but still has to wade through a sea of flops. Nothing like a Kaminey -style film to break the clutter, isn’t it? In steps Vishal once more into his career with Haider , an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet . Shahid’s got an all-new look with a near-tonsured head and a fuzz. This will be nowhere close to the dancing hero he gets to play usually. Set in Kashmir, the film also stars Sonakshi Sinha. There is a long list of actors who have benefited from Vishal’s magic wand — Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra to name a few, but do you remember one Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola ?

Ranbir Kapoor: Bombay Velvet

Ranbir is one actor who has never played to the gallery in successive films and has consciously taken up films that don’t follow set rules of commercial success. Beginning with Saawariya , he followed it up with Rocket Singh: Salesman Of The Year, Rockstar, Barfi! and now Bombay Velvet . In Bombay Velvet, he plays a street fighter who fights against all odds to become the king of Bombay. The film is set in the 1950s through to the 1970s. Ranbir has said that the script fell into his lap and he is happy to be part of director Anurag Kashyap’s vision. The film was being co-produced by Viacom, but now Fox Star is co-producing it. Apparently, this is the first of a trilogy that Anurag wants to make on the megapolis. After Besharam, the actor needs a hit definitely so the commercial viability of the film also matters greatly to him. Meanwhile, he is co-producing Jagga Jasoos in conjunction with his Barfi! director Anurag Basu.