That's exactly what's happening to Parineeti Chopra. She may be screaming from rooftops that her career has not taken a backseat, but who's listening?
The girl made a crackling start with Ladies vs Ricky Bahl. Wasn't she noticed more than Anushka Sharma, who was the leading lady? Film critic Komal Nahta said, "Parineeti Chopra is undoubtedly the best. She has the best role, the best lines and hers is the best performance among the three." Another film critic Priyanka Roy described Chopra as "natural" and wrote "Among the ladies, debutante Parineeti almost steals the show from Anushka."
She may have played a supporting role but the girl fetched all the Best Debutante awards that year.
With her second release Ishaqzaade, she proved that she was not a one-film wonder. Wrote Taran Adarsh, "Parineeti is simply fantastic in this high-voltage drama. Playing the part of a spirited gun-toting girl, she is not the regular timid, decorous, withdrawn Hindi film heroine. She portrays the violent behaviour coupled with the audacious and brash attitude with aplomb." Rajeev Masand labelled her the "biggest strength of the film".
She then shone just as bright in Shuddh Desi Romance, never mind the film's fate. Critic Mayank Shekhar wrote, "Parineeti's act in the film's first half is nothing short of National Award winning material."
But 2014 changed things for her and not in a good way. Hasee Toh Phasee was a moderate success, followed by two disasters - Daawat-e-Ishq and Kill Dil.
Mind you, the actress was appreciated in each of these. About her act in Daawat-e-Ishq, film critic Anupama Chopra wrote, "Parineeti is sparkling."
So what happened to these praises? Why haven't they translated into more work for this girl who never abused her body to lose weight and hasn't gone out of her way to displace other heroines from projects to get herself in?
Some people argue she is 'repetitive'. Now what is repetitive? Did Amitabh Bachchan not have the same style in almost every movie in his heydays? Didn't Rajesh Khanna have his signature style in every film?
Others say Parineeti is overweight and that's her undoing. But then again, were Mumtaz and Neetu Singh not successful? Surely, they were not size zero. And why are we so obsessed with waif-thin heroines anyway? Why should an actress be judged basis her waistline instead of talent?
Tell me, wasn't she far better in her debut film than didi Priyanka Chopra was in Andaaz, her first splash in Bollywood? Were you able to take your eyes off Parineeti in that superb dance number, Drama Queen in Hasee Toh Phasee? In fact, many felt that her goofball act in the film defied every norm of how a Bollywood actress should be.
Or have we reached that point where heroines are just supposed to be Barbie Dolls and nothing else? How does it work, really?
On one hand, we claim to embrace Piku, Tanu Weds Manu Returns and NH10 but write off Pari for her weight and lack of glamour quotient.
You can argue that she made some wrong choices - turning down a film like Piku, for example. But isn't she allowed to make a mistake or two? Give her the chance to learn from her mistakes and bounce back.
And bounce back, she will. Because the girl is a powerhouse of talent (that's not something you can say of many of her contemporaries).
Maybe it's not Pari who needs to change her waist size or her movie choices. Maybe it's us, maybe we need to change our yardstick. She is an actor. Let's rate her on her acting abilities, simple. As long as she has the talent backing her, she's very much in the game. So can we hold on to her career obits, please?
So guys, what do you think? Is Parineeti a good actress who will bounce back? Or has she lost her way to a large extent? Have her counterparts raced too far ahead? Tell us on facebook.com/SpotboyE and twitter.com/SpotboyEtheshow