KUNAL KAPOOR
After the exuberant Rang De Basanti touched the heart of a nation, the Mumbai-based artiste, who had first been noticed in the offbeat surrealistic offering, Meenaxi: Tale of Three Cities, hit bulls-eye at the marquee. Surprisingly not on a movie signing rush, hot bod, Kunal Kapoor, bided his time, intent on wooing success on his own terms. “I want to do what I am doing with passion and focus,” he had said, soon after RDB had made him the heart-throb of Generation Next. “At the end I want to look back and see not 120 films but work that I have wanted to do.” With three releases this year (Hattrick, Aaja Nachle and Laaga Chunari Mein Daag) the 31-year-old actor – who has endorsed brands like The Indian Terrain and Thums Up – is once more in the limelight

Highlight of the year
If I had to choose one of my three films this year as my best, I would say Aaja Nachle. For one – and this is not a cliché – my role is very different from what I have done so far. And, of course, I have worked with my favourite actress, Madhuri Dixit.

Cool quotient
If people think I am cool, then I must be cool. It is a hangover of the cool quotient of Rang De Basanti. Aslam, who was neither fashionable nor stylish, wore a torn and tattered jacket, yet was ironically considered cool.

On being labelled hot
I am hot... In fact, I personally think I am hot so the label is not surprising!

Innate stylishness
In everything I do, I display a very strong sense of individuality. I do have a beard and my hair is styled differently…. Everything I do eventually becomes my individual style. This has nothing to do with the way I dress.

Favourite look
It would be grunge. I usually put together things that are old, tattered, unironed, washed out, faded…. I mix and match them to create my own look for the day.

Walking the ramp
I have tried it but I am not particularly looking forward to the experience again.

Filmi style
I would dress according to my character because I believe that would be half my battle won. It would be silly to play a hutment dweller, wearing a Gucci watch. So in Rang De Basanti, Meenaxi… and Hattrick, I looked my role. It is important to let go of your own vanities and develop the correct screen presence.

Personal preference
I do not have one particular style statement. I seek variety and I am constantly looking for new things to do and wear. So, what is my sense of style today may not be the same thing tomorrow. I truly believe in the fact that how you feel is how you dress. If I start feeling different, that is bound to show in the way I dress on that particular day. I love change and I am constantly experimenting with different things in my life...clothes included.

ZAYED KHAN
He struck ‘Lucky’ with one of his early masala movies, Main Hoon Na and the cool, lanky youth was noticed as much for his appearance as for his performance in this successful musical. The foreign-educated boy who had entered Bollywood with a distinctively urban look has since reinforced his stylish macho status after his several forays on screen, the latest one, Cash included. Though the film did not receive rave reviews, its heroes, Zayed Khan included, were noticed for their trendy gear in the action caper. Often togged up for fast-paced moves on screen, the youngest of Sanjay and Zarine Khan’s offsprings is all set to become a father himself, next year…. With a frame and image that is worked on and modelled to perfection, he is busy with ad and film shootings in India and abroad. His professional and personal life are on a roll....

Sense of style
It is a reflection of myself. I think style creates character; it defines my personality.

Trendy look
It is very, very casual, very hip and urban. I am normally seen in jeans and loose T-shirts… a pair of Nike shoes on my feet. I somehow feel that I can carry off that better than a suave suit.

Urban image
I do not take my image too seriously. I am what I am. It is the way I behave in society. And since I do not think too much about it, I tend to ease into it seamlessly.

‘Macho’ man
It is how people perceive me. I welcome the label ‘macho man’. It creates a three-feet space around me when I step out in public.

Style on screen
It is essentially going bling. In real life, my look is fashionable, more subtle and sober. On screen, I often go berserk if it is necessary for a situation or a song. It is all about making it look as big as possible....

Brand endorsement
The brands I would sign would depend on the time, my personal growth...what kind of market the brand is wooing. I would also look at whether it is in sync with my image. The brand must enhance and not destroy my image. I look at a more global Indian feel. That suits me and I suit the brand. Yet, just as I do movies that everyone can watch, I sometimes branch out and make simple brands look fashionable and cool.

Favourite accessory
My watch, of course! Unlike women, I cannot say my bangle or beads…. I do think that a watch is a man’s macho accessory.

Wife, Malaika’s influence
She is very preppy all the time. She thinks that I am wild in my jeans and T-shirts. She makes me wear blue shirts and khaki pants when we go out together.

Highlight of the year
Personally, the news that I am going to be a father. It will happen next year but I have waited long for this moment. My child-like behaviour has often impinged on my adult life.... I am going to be a super-dad!

UPEN PATEL
His Brit accent, characteristic cleft and killer smile along with his smooth moves in his screen debut, 36 China Town, got him his fair share of attention. Namastey London and Shakalaka Boom Boom reinforced the fact that a new style icon of the silver screen was born. With plum projects in the pipeline (with Dharmesh Darshan, Abbas-Mastan, Sunil Darshan, Tips, Venus and Ramesh Sippy), 27-year-old Upen Patel is here to stay. The face of Tommy Hilfiger in India, the actor is also the brand ambassador for Provogue and Kamasutra and has lent his brand equity to the likes of Tuscan Verve, Zegna, Paul Smith and Boy London.... The graduate in computer science, who set fire to the ramp, is prepared to prove once again that models can act and dance too!

The clinch factor in doing a film
The banner and the director matter the most. It is the power of my role, rather than its length that appeals. To my mind, grooming is of utmost importance. Like I enrolled at an acting school before I got into movies.

Hot threads
As far as my looks are concerned, I have always been like this. Suave and stylish, particular about my clothes and accessories and zealous about my fitness regimen. Even today, I might wrap up my shoot at 3 a.m. but I still work out for an hour, irrespective of the time. I think one needs to strike a balance between content and packaging to make headway.

Manic obsession with his mane
It’s all in the mind. I would shave my head if it is the crucial demand of my role. After all, screen persona is all about the character, isn’t it? It is important to get that right.

Secrets of his closet
I have about 20 shirts, eight clean-cut jackets and blazers each, 18 pairs of snug jeans, Armani and Prada threads galore.... I have a fetish for shoes. I own close to 200 pairs. And yes, my favourite colour is white. As for accessories, I love Brietling watches, especially the Bentley edition I recently bought in London because it shines like the stars.

Crossover cinema
I want to do leading roles in commercial masala movies. I don’t want to do crossover cinema. In my mind, masala flicks have a huge reach and are hugely entertaining. Films packed with action and romance are for me. I love Bollywood with all its histrionics, dancing around trees and guns and roses.

Style rule
I am experimental as far as my looks go. I own several quirky pieces of clothing, like a Ranna Gill kaftan, which looks absolutely fantastic because of the way it fits me.