KOMOLIKA--Iconic character

U RVASHI DHOLAKIA plays the part of Komolika, the vamp in Kasauti Zindagi Kii, so well that her own mother once forgot she was nice, harmless Urvashi and yelled at her for her on-screen machinations. "I still remember, when I kid- napped Anurag and Prerna's son Prem on TV, my mother yelled at me the minute I reached home. She went ballistic yelling, 'Arre, aur kitna bura karogi? Tumko yehi sikhaya tha kya?' I didn't know how to react," she says. But Urvashi's mother wasn't to blame. Her daughter plays the char- acter so convincingly after all. Komolika is a special vamp who has a special background tune re- served all for herself. Nikaa… goes the soundtrack every time Komolika walks in, gives one of her trademark devious looks or finishes plotting an- other of her schemes to split Prerna and Anurag. Her adas leave men breathless, her nakhras make women see red. Her plunging necklines, heavily made-up eyes and scarlet red lips shout her sexuality. And with all that sensuousness perfectly in place, she schemes and plots breakups, kidnappings and murders. Komolika is happy when everyone else is not. "TV had never seen anything like her. She is sexy, bitchy, scheming, cal- culating and devious, yet there is an innocence about her. She knows what she wants and how to get it. Her body language, her eyes, and just about everything about her has a sensuality and connivance. She was the first of her kind. And others followed suit. I guess that is her plus point," says Ur- vashi. Four years after Komolika sizzled on screen no one – not the produc- ers, nor the actress – can fathom why this vamp has a fan following to rival a heroine's."I am stunned. He- roes and heroines are okay but to be a vamp and still be popular is some- thing rather strange. In fact, kids are fascinated by me. I think they are more intrigued with the music that comes with me. But I honestly see no reason why people should like a vamp and try to ape her style state- ments," says Urvashi. The actress reasons that the char- acter's packaging – styling, dressing and make-up – has a lot to do with her popularity. But the creative team of the serial feels Urvashi's excellent portrayal of Komolika is responsible for the char- acter's popularity. "The brief for the role was very clear. We wanted a character who was a home breaker, a man stealer, basically a woman whom men would salivate after and women would hate. Urvashi fit in perfectly. While the character is the first of its kind, we can't take away the fact that Ur- vashi adds a lot of her childish, yet sensual nakhras to the character. That gives the role a lot of lift," says Doris Dey, creative director, Kasauti Zindagi Kii. Urvashi is no stranger to the small screen. She made her first TV appearance as a child artist nearly 23 years ago and is happy playing the bitch on TV. "I have played all possible charac- ters. From the kid sister to dumb girlfriend to trusting wife. But I have never got the kind of response for those roles that I got for playing a mean vamp. It was as though after all these years, people suddenly sat up and took notice and said, 'hey, she is worth it'. Komolika did what per- haps no other character could do," she says. A random call by Ektaa Kapoor, the creative director of Balaji Telefilms, landed Urvashi the role. "I had done two other serials with Ektaa before. I just went to her office when she called. She looked at me and said, 'You are my Komolika, the next big thing on TV'. I took up the role but had no clue that what she said would come true," reminisces Urvashi. And how does it feel when people in real life react to her as Komolika, the home breaker, just like her moth- er did? Doesn't it hurt? "I don't think I can get away from a character who is so popular. Why me? Most people who play larger than life characters get stuck with their on-screen images. It takes a lot of time to get out of that character but you manage. The idea is not to get stuck yourself," she smiles. "I am just acting. This is my job. I may be scheming on screen but in real life I am just a normal girl." Urvashi also feels she has been in the industry long enough not to take things like this too seriously. "I am an actress and doing my job. For me it doesn't matter whether people call me an angel or a witch. My satisfac- tion lies in the fact that even as a vamp, I am convincing enough for people to notice and hate me. At least they aren't indifferent."