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Survival of the fittest? TV figures it out
Akash Wadhwa, TNN, Jul 27, 2010, 11.27am ISTkareena Kapoor may have introduced Bollywood to size zero, but the Perfect-10 bod is as much coveted by TV stars as it is by our silver screen actors. While the actors want to bulk up, actresses want to join the 'thin is in' brigade on TV.
TV actress Ragini Khanna of Sasural Genda Phool, had to make changes in her vital stats in order to meet the demand of her director. "It may sound funny but my director wanted me to flaunt a size zero in the serial, but with fuller cheeks." A slightly unreasonable demand, one would say.
But Ragini justifies it with – "Well, television is highly competitive today; if I wouldn't have done it, some other actress would have. My director wanted me to look sexy but at the same time, keeping in mind my character, he wanted me to have that chubby look!" she laughs.
Meeting similar demands, but of her fans, is actress Aarti Singh. But Aarti says she doesn't quite "understand this trend". She explains, "After losing 13 kgs, I'm still trying to lose more weight, because actresses around me are just so skinny that I can't afford to have even a single extra pound on my body! Moreover, I don't want to disappoint my fans. After meeting me, they comment that I look so thin in reality, but plump on the screen. It is difficult to explain to them that the extra pounds are due to camera angles," she says.
For actor Nandish Sandhu of Uttaran fame, "television today has gone to a completely different level, it's reach is even greater than Bollywood's". And that somehow explains why actors on the small screen need to look as fit as their big screen counterparts. "Also, fitness is extremely important for all of us who wish to survive in this industry.
If you don't eat well, which most of the actors today are doing, and work out for your fitness, you cannot survive in this industry; it's not only about looking good and feeling good, it's also about having the energy to work long hours."
Agrees actor Aamir Ali, whose six pack abs were discussed more than his dancing in the dance reality show Zara Nach Ke Dikha. "TV actors today are no less popular than Bollywood stars. Apart from staying fit, we need to keep in mind our huge fan following.
Having the perfect abs and bulging muscles is the need of the hour. And since this trend is successful and healthy, it is going to stay."
However, on the flip side, celebrity trainer Mickey Mehta feels that the male actors are more concerned about their vital stats. "The television industry is still largely dominated by women. And that's why the male actors are striving for the perfect physique, so that at least they will have something to make them stand out on the screen," he says and goes on to elaborate,
TV actress Ragini Khanna of Sasural Genda Phool, had to make changes in her vital stats in order to meet the demand of her director. "It may sound funny but my director wanted me to flaunt a size zero in the serial, but with fuller cheeks." A slightly unreasonable demand, one would say.
But Ragini justifies it with – "Well, television is highly competitive today; if I wouldn't have done it, some other actress would have. My director wanted me to look sexy but at the same time, keeping in mind my character, he wanted me to have that chubby look!" she laughs.
Meeting similar demands, but of her fans, is actress Aarti Singh. But Aarti says she doesn't quite "understand this trend". She explains, "After losing 13 kgs, I'm still trying to lose more weight, because actresses around me are just so skinny that I can't afford to have even a single extra pound on my body! Moreover, I don't want to disappoint my fans. After meeting me, they comment that I look so thin in reality, but plump on the screen. It is difficult to explain to them that the extra pounds are due to camera angles," she says.
For actor Nandish Sandhu of Uttaran fame, "television today has gone to a completely different level, it's reach is even greater than Bollywood's". And that somehow explains why actors on the small screen need to look as fit as their big screen counterparts. "Also, fitness is extremely important for all of us who wish to survive in this industry.
If you don't eat well, which most of the actors today are doing, and work out for your fitness, you cannot survive in this industry; it's not only about looking good and feeling good, it's also about having the energy to work long hours."
Agrees actor Aamir Ali, whose six pack abs were discussed more than his dancing in the dance reality show Zara Nach Ke Dikha. "TV actors today are no less popular than Bollywood stars. Apart from staying fit, we need to keep in mind our huge fan following.
Having the perfect abs and bulging muscles is the need of the hour. And since this trend is successful and healthy, it is going to stay."
However, on the flip side, celebrity trainer Mickey Mehta feels that the male actors are more concerned about their vital stats. "The television industry is still largely dominated by women. And that's why the male actors are striving for the perfect physique, so that at least they will have something to make them stand out on the screen," he says and goes on to elaborate,
"The best example is actor Karan Singh Grover, who boasts of a near-perfect body on the small screen. And though he may not be such a great actor, he's still doing good. It is a raging trend, and it is now a matter of the survival of the fittest."
Jewel Gamadi, fitness director of television actors, adds, "Romance on television is comparable to Bollywood romance sequences these days. I have so many actors from the television industry approaching me to get that perfect looks so that they look just as hot as the Bollywood actors. They too want the perfect cleavage and arm muscles, and size zero figures."
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
Mangal Lakshmi
