TOI: Is dusky the new dawn? Mitali

Gone are the days when fair actresses were the preferred ones to be cast as the lead players in the television industry. If one looks at the current telly scenario, it's obvious that many of the daily soaps today have dusky actresses in the lead.

And they are carrying the show rather efficiently on their petite shoulders. So, has the industry finally opened its arms wide for the dusky actresses? TOI digs deeper...

Long way to go
Mitali Nag, who plays the lead in daily soap Afsar Bitiya, feels that even though there are quite a few dusky actresses who are playing the lead on TV today, "the obsession with the colour still remains." She goes on to add, "It's good to see that there is change in the air, but to be quiteFrank, we still have a long way to go before mindsets can be changed. Mostly, the production houses look for fair guys and gals for the soap operas, unless a particular character needs to be dusky. Though it's good to see so many dusky leads these days, but it's also sad to know that they are there, only because The Script requires them, and not because they are the first choice."

Dusky is sexy
Purnendu Shekhar, the scriptwriter of Balika Vadhu, which has Pratyusha Banerjee as the lead, however, feels that "complexion is no longer an issue" for the television industry. "Duskiness is considered quite sexy today. The perception of having a fair lead was there initially in tellydom, but those days are over. And if you go by the statistics, you'll know that the new thought process is working well. The lead should be good-looking with fine acting acumen and impressive dialogue delivery, and that's what really matters. Also, she should be accepted by the viewers. Pratyusha, in spite of being dusky, is adored by the television audiences much more than her fair competitors." Director of Phir Subah hogi, Wasim Shahir, also feels that colour of the skin plays no role in the popularity of a show today. "The ratings of the show depend on the content of the show, the performance of the actors and not on the colour of a person," says he. However, he does not deny that dusky leads are considered more realistic in certain situations. He explains, "If the character is of a lady who is working hard in a village field, I cannot take a fair lead, as that would be really unrealistic!"

A new phase
Dusky beauty Gulki Joshi, who plays the lead in Phir Subah Hogi, adds another dimension to the debate, as she says: "Television goes through different phases at different times. Sometime back, they wanted fair leads; today they're happy with the dusky ones. But, I think the dusky phase has finally arrived, and I'm really glad about it." Does that mean the viewers and the telly producers have finally become more acceptable towards the dusky beauties? "I really don't Dwelltoo much on such nitty-gritty. But, I feel it's basically quite a positive step," says she.

Dark beauties
Afsar Bitiya - Zee TV - Mitali Nag
Balika Vadhu - Colors - Pratyusha Banerjeen
Phir Subah Hogi - Zee TV - Gulki Joshi
Punar Vivah - Zee TV - Kratika Sengar
Diya Aur Bati Hum - Star Plus - Deepika Singh
Ek hazaron me meri behna hain - Star Plus - Nia Sharma*