Article-Telly's okay with the belly

Telly's okay with the belly

Akash WadhwaAkash Wadhwa, TNN | Jun 27, 2011, 12.20pm IST

Not so long ago flat abs ruled primetime TV in India.

Slowly but surely however, those gym-toned bodies and size zero figures are being replaced by curves, on both men and women. With generously proportioned actors like Ram Kapoor, Pushtie Shakti, Apra Mehta, Deven Bhojani and Smriti Irani playing leads in TV soaps, looks like size matters little on TV.

Pushtie Shakti who's had a dedicated fan following ever since her "Mahi Way" days agrees to the change. The plus-size actress says, "To have good looks, and only good looks as a criteria for becoming a lead in a serial is pass, now. Just like most other trends in our television industry, even this (the trend of unconventional looks and plus-size leads) is an influence of the West where there is no set definition of a lead. In fact shows abroad have been known for experimentation on the small screen. This is the reason why you have a fat girl like me taking the responsibility of the whole show on my shoulders."

At the same time Pushtie feels that viewers are happy with what she calls the the "shock value of casting fat people in serials". She says, "When a majority of viewers, who are not perfectly sized see people who look like them acting and romancing and telling their stories on screen, they are like 'OMG, yeh to ek dum real character hai'."

A thought that gets a nod from the 50-something rotund actress Apra Mehta, currently playing the lead in "Humari Saas Leela". She says, "There's no age or size to become a lead on TV. We see so many serials going off air today who've had ramp models as leads. Why? Because they couldn't act. Both TV and films ultimately, need talent. Bhai, TRPs chahiye channel ko ab wo mota lead laake de ya patla. In fact even those actors who proved their mettle 10-15 years back are again in demand, even though they may not be sporting perfect looks."

Actor Deven Bhojani, who's played in many genres of television, says, "Worshipping the hero because of the good looks is not a trend on TV anymore. Since the main leads are the central characters of the storyline, every channel is trying to make them as believable as possible. And the best way to do that is to show them in their natural shape and size."

However, taking this trend as just another phase of the ever-evolving television industry, is director Ravindra Gautam who is directing Ram Kapoor in "Bade Achhe Lagte Hain". He says, "Adding that surprise element in serials has always been in vogue with television and as soon as the surprise facor is copied by other channels, it becomes a trend. We had a trend of casting good-looking faces ever since Ekta came up with her shows. Then, there was a trend of casting unconventional-looking people with serials like "Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi", and now there is a trend of casting plus-sized actors. This too has come with a shelf life. Also, TV is a closeup medium where the main focus is on the expression and the face, Again, all the plus-sized leads are brilliant actors as well. So, everything is working in favour of this trend."