STARS ON OUR MIND

Nothing dislodges Big B, but SRK sees the biggest jump in popularity in six months and Deepika Padukone is back at No. 1. OTT stars shine bright too, playing relatable characters with thespian panache

- SUHANI SINGH

The brightest stars may flicker but they finally find their shine. In the past few years, the holy troika of Khans-Aamir, Shah Rukh and Salman lost a bit of their lustre. Salman's dominance at the box office wavered; Aamir, the most private and pickiest of the lot, saw his fortunes swing; and Shah Rukh, after two back-to-back duds-Jab Harry Met Sejal and Zero-took a sabbatical and laid low, his appearance limited to occasional AMA (ask me anything) sessions on Twitter. But order is restored in the latest edition of INDIA TODAY'S Mood of the Nation poll. The Badshah a.k.a. Shah Rukh is back in business, pushing Akshay Kumar down to third, simply on the basis of announcing that he has three releases in 2023-YRF's Pathan, Atlee's Jawan and Rajkumar Hirani's Dunki. Audiences, it appears, are keen to see these films. If Shah Rukh is the biggest riser, the