Article: Big time for tv stars (Shabbir mentioned)

Big time for small screen stars

When Ms Twinkle Toes Prachi Desai won the dance reality show "Jhalak Dikhla Jaa" last year, she knew that she had made a bigger conquest than just garnering the highest number of SMSes or impressing the judges. Thanks to the show, Prachi had landed a part in a movie opposite director-turned-actor Farhan Akhtar.

"I got a call from Excel (Farhan and Riteish Sidhwani's production company) to come for a look test and audition for this character. Next thing I knew, I was on," says the 20-year-old actor, known for playing the role of Bani in Ekta Kapoor's "Kasamh Se".

With the success of "Rock On" next week, Prachi is already hot property in Bollywood and has begun work on her next. An Abbas-Mustan thriller, "Life Partner" stars her and Tusshar Kapoor , along with Govinda, Fardeen Khan and Genelia D'Souza.

"I guess things have worked for me. I wanted to be an actor. I was happy with 'Bani', I am happy now," says the actor.

In terms of work, TV actors seem to have hit the big league. Rajeev Khandelwal, who starred in the UTV Spotboy production "Aamir" set the ball rolling with an impressive performance.

Prachi's co-star in "Kasamh Se", Roshni Chopra who played her younger sister — the equally popular Pia — has bagged "Phir", a Vikram Bhatt film. Dharmesh Darshan (director of movies such as "Raja Hindustani" and "Dhadkan") has chosen Manav Gohil, Sangeeta Ghosh, Eijaz Khan and Shveta Salve as leads for his soon-to-be-released "Bhanvraa". And in a previously unthinkable move, Maxim put TV hottie Shveta on its April 2008 cover while Prachi adorns the August 2008 cover of Seventeen. UTV Spotboy COO Vikas Bahl feels that it is not justified to term this interest in TV actors as a trend. "An actor is an actor. He may have taken the TV route or any other way up to here, but it will be difficult to contain an actor in a certain medium when he is made for films," he says. While SRK's success story may give a lot high hopes, mediocre popularity or potential failure is also quite possible. Popular TV actors Kulraj Randhawa, Mona Singh and Amarr Upadhyay, among others are still trying to make it big in Bollywood. Roshni, who started out a career as a corporate communications manager, says that being spotted by Charu Sharma for a cricket show on DD put her in the spotlight.

"I got my film role as I had interviewed Vikram (Bhatt) for a chat show and then he saw me host "Chak De Bacche" on 9X channel," she says. Her film "Phir" is a suspense thriller that also stars Rajneesh Duggal and Adah Sharma in lead roles and will be shot in London.

Manav Gohil who plays the modern embodiment of the virtuous Ram in Dharmesh Darshan's "Bhanvraa", says that this is not so much about being a boom time for TV actors as it is the merging of the two media. "Earlier, it was assumed that TV actors were constantly looking for film roles. Now, most TV actors are so popular in their own league that this may no longer be the case," says Manav.

Balaji actor Shabbir Ahluwalia who has acted in two back-to-back movies with Balaji Telefilms ("Shootout At Lokhandwala" and "Mission Istanbul") concurs. "Earlier, it was one hero and the rest of the world. Multi-starrers have given a lot more space for experimentation and variety," he says.

While films excite him, Shabbir says he doesn't want to entirely give up television. "I am taking a break from TV when I will finalise which films to work on — only one of these is going to be a Balaji film. My sabbatical will decide which way I go."

The difference, Roshni feels, is in the spurt in new films and fresher concepts.

"Instead of taking newcomers, filmmakers are more interested in TV actors who are very popular. I was staying in the same hotel as the Bachchans when they were in New York for their Unforgettable tour and I realised that the following for us TV guys is not very different."