Is crossover cinema a boon for TV actors?
swetta Keswani is just back from London after shooting for The Memsahib; Sonal Sehgal is going to be seen in another crossover film in April and Sandhya Mridul prefers roles like that of Page 3 to doing frivolous television. So, is TV losing its good artistes to the big screen?
In Swetta's opinion, Indian producers are still biased in offering roles to television actors. "I am still struggling and meeting people regularly. Everyone knows that my dates are available yet producers prefer taking a flop actor or an absolutely fresh face!" she laments.
Delnaz Paul, currently seen on Sony's Batliwalla House No 43, however, believes television is bigger than the silver screen. Delnaz, who did Sweetu in Kal Ho Na Ho, says film producers opt for TV artistes who are known faces to freshers. "Filmmakers know TV actors will deliver fast and good performances, as we are one shot artistes," she points out. "We do 12 to 15 shows a day but in case of films, only half to one scene is canned in a whole day. "
Delnaz is currently doing out and out commercial films like Milenge Milengeand Aur Pal Tham Gaya and is quite happy, not caring whether a film is a crossover kind or not.
Mauli Ganguly, last seen in Raincoat, begs to differ. "I haven't seen any TV actors getting substantial film roles," she stresses. "Television actors are familiar faces but not stars. A few of them are nowadays even seen in Page three kind of parties but still the differentiation exists!" she shrugs.
Be it the Help Telethon, the Filmfare awards or the MTV Style awards - the difference in treatment for TV actors is more than apparent. "Except on the lead actors in a film, makers hardly work hard on characterizations. I did Raincoat because at least my character had a beginning and an end in characterization. Crossover or offbeat films have hardly made much difference. At the most it has increased the option for TV actors to try to get a suitable break," she remarks.
Jaya Bhattacharya however attributes all her success in film to her TV roles. "Television is a big thing now. Acting is acting, whether you act for television or films. I haven't cared to notice if cross-over films have increased any options for actors. It's just that the film scenario has changed as a variety of films are being made and there is no fixed format of hero, heroine and villain."
Ronit Roy who recently acted in Kisna and will be seen in Anup Jalota's Nishaan, sighs, "I have done better work on television. In the last two years, I haven't got any film offers in spite of being successful as "Mihir".
Is anyone in Bollywood listening?
from indiantelevision.com
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