~*Sushant's Bollywood Journey#19*~ - Page 39

Boys to men

So what's common between Badlapur, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy and Dum Laga Ke Haisha (DLKH)? Dedicated performances by the Gen X of Bollywood boys - Varun Dhawan, Sushant Singh Rajput and Ayushmann Khurrana, that's what. It gives me immense pleasure to see that the young brigade is pushing the envelope. That they are demanding better roles, investing in good directors and stories and not signing on a project just because it belongs to a top banner. Gradually, the youngsters are realising that the perfect face or that chiselled bod or the six-packs aren't enough. You have to take stock of your craft too.

Another thing they aren't shy of is taking risks. Varun Dhawan took a risk when he chose to play a dark character, who is 15 years older than the actor's real age. The edgy role, which he played with aplomb, won him plaudits throughout. Sushant Singh dared to play an iconic Bengali detective, made famous by no less an actor than mahanayak Uttam Kumar in Chiriyakhana (1967) under Satyajit Ray's direction. He got under the skin of this period sleuth and owned the character. It will be hard for us to imagine someone else playing Byomkesh in the near future. Ayushmann too took a risk by playing an unsympathetic character in DLKH. Instead of playing the romantic lead with the golden heart, he chose to play a real '90s lad and should be applauded for his gutsy choice.

Maybe, the age of the classic hero is slowly fading away. Actors don't want to play paragons of virtue but real flesh and blood characters that give them scope to showcase their talent. That's a healthy trend as it will lead to better writing. Our scenarists won't have to fall back on tired and time-tested tropes but will have to search for new ground. Our directors would think of telling a story instead of just making money-spinning star vehicles.

Showbiz is ruled by its male stars. They have the power to take cinema forward. Sadly, most fall prey to the lure of commercial considerations and the quality of the films remains static. The way forward lies in accepting more responsibility towards your chosen profession. It lies in making choices that inspire others to try out-of-the-box stories and roles. Yes, the biz part is important but you have to continuously rejig the show part of showbiz otherwise the industry will not evolve. Also, it wouldn't be able to satisfy today's demanding audience, which has so many other venues at its disposal. A beginning has indeed been made this year and hopefully, the trend will continue...