The filmi vamp has all but disappeared as lines between good and bad blur on the silver screen. However, she still sends TRPs soaring for popular telly soaps, where she is all-black, says Priya Pathiyan.
Remember the vamp? The silver screen siren who tripped her way through every movie worth its dress circle ticket – shimmying in nightclubs, seducing the hero, scheming wholeheartedly with the dastardly villain and then dying in the penultimate scene with a whisper, while the audience got the best bang for its buck. The vamp was the perfect way to infuse a bit of sex and scandal into films that were otherwise populated by rather insipid characters, such as the self-sacrificing mother, the angry young man, the humorous side-kick, the virginal heroine and the assorted supporting roles. There was a time when she added that much-needed bit of glamour to a film. But where is she today? Analyse any modern-day film and you'll notice that the vamp, as we know her, is conspicuous by her absence. Where are the New Millennium Aruna Iranis, Helens, Shashikalas, Bindus, Nadiras, Padma Khannas...?
Well, you needn't look far... all glamorous negative characters can now be found batting their eyelashes and tossing their heads on television instead! And, not just that. The vamp we knew has moved away from a sometimes purely decorative role in films to a pivotal part in tele-serials, with the story often revolving around her. In many cases, less isn't more and a single serial will have two, three – or even four! – dastardly damsels vying for our eyeballs!
So we hang on to every word uttered and every eyebrow arched in tight close-ups of the likes of Komolika, Debonita, Aparna or Menaka in 'Kasautii Zindagii Kay', 'Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki's' Pallavi and Chhaya, 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhie Bahu Thi's' Meera, Mohini and Mandira, GK in 'K Street Pali' Hill on Star Plus, Jigyasa and Roshni in 'Kasamh Se', Tanisha in 'Mamta', 'Saat Phere's' Kaveri on Zee, 'India Calling's' Kamini on Star One, 'Ek Ladki Anjani Si's' Tulika on Sony, 'Woh Rahne Waali Mahalon Ki's' Sheena on Sahara One, etc. We rush home from wherever we are to find out what new depths that kohl-eyed beauty will sink to on tonight's prime time show.
Urvashi Dholakia, who plays Komolika, one of the best-known small screen vamps in 'Kasautii...', says, "While TV has evolved completely only a couple of years ago, the current genre of cinema is taking a different turn altogether. Masses are accepting different kinds of films on the Indian circuit, which is very good. But perhaps at some level, viewers (especially housewives) miss drama in movies and that's why they turn to television, which is right in their home and constantly in their face." Besides, she avers, since "oomph does count as well" and vamps are rather glamorously presented, people like to watch them in action. After all, the first thing she was told by Balaji Telefilms head Ekta Kapoor about the Komolika role was that it was the 'next big thing' because she'd be playing "a sex bomb"!
Dholakia agrees with Krrish director Rakesh Roshan, who says, "Today's films have become very hero-oriented." According to Urvashi, since latter-day films are so dominated by the male fraternity, TV serials, which not only have several women characters, but are also made by women, are consequently watched by an audience made up of the female gender.
Ekta Kapoor, who has spearheaded the trend of multiple-manipulators, also concurs that since serials are purely for women, it's natural that "they'll be about women's problems". "Movies are made for men and demand a sex symbol like Priyanka Chopra. But soaps tell a woman's story, which usually is about issues with other women. And when you have a positive protagonist like Parvati, you need someone who is the antithesis of her to create the drama," says the soap queen, explaining why today's vamps are all black.
Psychoanalyst Dr Anjali Chhabria goes into the psychology of the individual, saying, "If you're all good, you come across as a 'bechara bhala aadmi'. Anything mysterious, negative or unpredictable invites curiosity, provides material for gossip and results in higher TRPs for the channel."
I know there was a similar article, called bad girls get worse. This one is from July 17. Sorry if, it's a repeat... Moderators, please close if it is. Thanks
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