TOI: TV hotties making a comeback

On television, some actors lead a charmed life and enjoy overnight stardom. If they get lucky, they can even make a comeback after a brief hiatus.

Just when the audiences had reconciled to the fact that their idols were probably waiting for that perfect 'comeback' role, some favourite prime time likeSaakshi Tanwar, Ram Kapoor, Hiten Tejwani, Rakshanda Khan, Sanaya Irani, Shabbir Ahluwalia, Siddharth Shukla, Karan Singh Grover, Manasi Parekh Gohil, Mohit Malhotra, Aditya Redij, Barun Sobti, Vishal Karwal and Shweta Gulati have returned to the soapbox in revamped avatars, ready to woo the audiences.

Rakshanda Khan who's not done a prominent role since Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and is now doing Ammaji Ki Gali, says, "It's great being back on the sets. The reason for a break from soaps was the lack of good roles. I needed something meaty to lure me back into slavery of 12 hours a day, 30 days a month! The script of Ammaji...was very endearing and my role is very different from any that I've essayed earlier." Hiten Tejwani, who has been busy doing cameos (his last was in Rang Badalti Odhani) is currently anchoring Ratan Ka Rishta. Hiten confesses that he was bored of the kind of roles offered to him in the recent past. He says, "I didn't feel like taking up any project as most good roles seemed to have dried up. I decided to take a break and focus on my restaurant business and spend time with family. I also wanted a break from the 'Karan Virani' (a character he played in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi) kind of roles."

With recession leading producers to tighten their budgets, newcomers were offered plum projects as they were willing to work at lower salaries compared to the established TV actors. Many top actors choose to take 'breaks' until the next big role(s) come their way. Actor Vishal Karwal whose Rishton Se Badi Pratha went off air recently, has already started shooting for the soon-to-air mythological show Dwarkadheesh. He says, "The audience has short-term memory, so one has to continue working to stay in their thoughts and hearts."

Do producers feel having established names in their shows will help get them more eyeballs? Producer Rajan Shahi says, "Stars come and go, but good actors have a longer shelf life. Television is all about good actors who can justify strong characters. Many good actors went into oblivion either because there were not enough good scripts to match their talent or they had so much baggage that they were pushed out." Writer and producer Raakesh Paswan agrees, "With so many shows being made with a mix of newcomers and established actors, I'm sure audiences will love watching them."

Of course the baptism by fire for these 'comeback stars' will be every Wednesday when the viewership points will tell the world how strong their impact really is. In the end, the numbers game usually always makes or breaks the fates of TV's once favourite stars.

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