Bollywood goes hero searching

A generation of romantic heroes has grown older and away from that image.



Like the impish Shah Rukh Khan of DDLJ and the innocent Hrithik Roshan of Kaho Na... Pyaar Hai. Now that they are mostly done with the romancing and the running around trees, Bollywood's definitely looking for a new bunch of lover boy actors.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh agrees there's a need to find fresh faces. "We need to look for new faces. There can't be a situation in which there are four actors and 40 producers," he points out. According to him, Shahid Kapoor suits the role of a romantic hero very well. Not surprising, since the actor is blessed with boyish looks and also wowed critics with his acting in Jab We Met. Industry-watchers have unanimously voted him the new lover boy of Bollywood.

So what makes a good romantic hero? For director Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar, it's the way the hero carries off the seemingly slight role. "He must suit the role and should have palpable on-screen chemistry with the heroine," he says. According to him, Ranbir Kapoor is an actor to watch out for in this category. "He has good screen presence," says Nagathihalli.

Actress Jennifer Kotwal likes on-screen lover boys who emote well. "He should also have a huge female fan following," she says. For her, Sammir Dattani aka Dhyan slips easily into the romantic hero character. "He is my co-star in a forthcoming movie and I feel he has the perfect chocolate box looks needed for a lover boy image," she says.

Sammir Dattani himself would rate youthfulness as the top criterion to play romantic hero. "There are a lot of older heroes playing college-goers, which really doesn't work. We need younger heroes for younger roles. The ideal lover boy should not only be a good actor but a good dancer as well. He should have the looks of a boy next door," he says.

Actor Aditya, however, doesn't think age is an issue. "Bollywood is looking for fresh faces, not because they need young faces but because the public has got bored seeing the same heroes doing romantic roles. They now want to see them in mature roles," he says.

And does marriage impact the lure of a romantic hero? Shahid's single status, for instance, has created a new interest in him. Aditya doesn't see the connection. "Tamil star Vijay is married and still has a huge female fan following. So do Sudeep and Upendra. It's about how the actors maintain themselves," he says. Jennifer agrees, saying, "Shah Rukh Khan was married when he entered the industry and he still does romantic roles. It depends on how good an actor you are."

Others feel Bollywood's love stories themselves should change. Nagathihalli believes the formula's been overworked and the audience is bored. Recommending a total change, he says, "We need to get more innovative with the scripts. We need to toss out the scripts with the cute lover boy and beautiful heroine and start from scratch. The love story needs a whole new treatment," he says.

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