Bahus & betis go glam on prime time TV: TOI

Think of a telly bahu/beti and you'd automatically associate her with a demure saree or salwar kameez clad figure flaunting bindi-bangles to look like the ideal bharatiya naari.

While the docile bahu-beti brigade continues to exist in the soapy world, making their presence felt in starring roles are the new lot of leading ladies in ultra-glam outfits, high definition make up, and trendy hair do (as against boring plaits and buns sported by the other more demure telly ladies). Sanaya Irani (Rangrasiya) Asha Negi (Ek Mutthi Aasman), Radhika Madan (Meri Aashiqui Tumse Hi), Ratan Rajput (Fanaah), Roopal Tyagi (Sapne Suhaane Ladakpan Ke), Surbhi Jyoti (Qubool Hai), Pratyusha Banerjee (in the upcoming show Hum Hain Na) " are putting a fashionable foot forward in their telly outings.
Have the winds of change finally swept over small screen? Or are these characters going to get another makeover to suit the respective storylines of their shows? Producer Sudhir Sharma shares, "In an urban set up female protagonists need to be trendy. The costume of the female lead is decided by the demand of the script and the setting of the show."


For actresses who have been playing adarsh bahus in their previous outings on prime time TV, getting to sport a nattier look in their current shows comes as a welcome relief and most of them admit that they find it easy to relate to these characters, vis-a-vis the coy girl next door they would've played before. Nia Sharma admits,"I'm glad that I'm getting to play a role which is so modern. My character Roshni loves to dress up and flaunt latest hair-dos something which wasn't possible in my previous TV stint." Asha Negi says, "My character is a sweet and fun loving girl with a modern approach to life. I'm glad to be playing a character that is so real."


For Roopal Tyagi who's been playing modern beti and bahu for a bit, says, "Usually on GECs, if any bahu is wearing a western outfit, she is considered to be a vamp. I'm happy that I could break that myth and still get accepted by the audience for over two years. This shows that the audience is ready for a change too!" Chips in Sudhir Sharma, "When you have a modern girl in the lead on a TV show, it does fulfill some aspirational values in our audience which is nice." As long as the new glam bahu-beti brigade manage to strike a connect with their target audience and ensure a steady northward rise in TRPs week on week, they'll continue to have a significant presence on Hindi GECs. On prime time TV, clothes don't matter, but numbers do!