doubles rescue originals(hiten)

The latest trend on TV is the use of body-doubles for actors. So why do a double take on it now?


WHAT you see may not be what you think it is. And that is exactly what is happening on television these days. The person whose back you're seeing on your TV screen and assuming him to be your favourite actor might just not be him at all.

In all probability, it is the back of a body-double who is filling in for your favourite actor while he is resting at home or shooting elsewhere. The trend of using duplicates being used in place of lead actors which was till now prevalent in films, has now caught up with the small screen as well.

Producer Ajai Sinha of Hasratein fame, explaining the concept says, "At times when there is a party scene and the entire cast is not present on location, then we do make use of body-doubles.

Duplicates are also required if the actor is unavailable at the time of shooting. We take close-up shots of the original actor and the rest is filled in by a duplicate who is usually a junior artiste.

The duplicate is made to wear the same clothes and a similar wig." Sinha says he has done this on a number of occasions. "Even in my serial Astitva, I had used a duplicate for Varun Badola. In my serial on-air now there have been times when I've used duplicates."

Producer/ director Vipul Shah of Yeh Meri Life Hai (YMLH) fame says, "With actors doing two-three serials simultaneously, they don't always have the time to do all the scenes themselves, so producers like me have no alternative but to use duplicates.

Also, like it so happened on the sets of YMLH, my heroine Shama Sikander fell ill and it being a daily soap, we just couldn't stall the shooting. So, we used to take her master shots in the hospital and make use of a duplicate for long shots.

" A fact that is corroborated by the actress herself. Says Shama, "I was very sick and my absence was affecting the serial, so Vipul and the whole team would come to the hospital to take my close-ups.

But it seems the actors themselves are not very comfortable with this idea. Shama is a little guarded in her reply: "See, we actors don't have much of a choice in this matter. If the production house is in a hurry to wrap up the shooting, we actors have to comply with what they want. If they want to use duplicates, it's okay because at the end of it is our identity that is known to the viewers."

The same holds true for actor Karan Grover who is seen in Meri Awaaz Ko Mil Gayi Roshni and in Saarthi. He is not at all comfortable with the idea. Says Karan, "I don't take on too much at a time, so my absence from the sets is rare but personally I don't like the idea of a duplicate taking my place. I would rather do all my scenes myself."

However, not everyone thinks so. Actor Hiten Tejwani seen in serials like Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and Kasauti Zindagi Ki is okay with duplicates filling in for him. "With actors like me playing different characters in different serials, it does happen sometimes that I am required in both the serials at the same time, so in such cases, I play myself in one serial and in another the duplicate takes my place. This thing is very common now," says Hiten.

Well, while the actors may or my not like the use of a body double, the junior artistes who substitute for them are sure having a whale of a time.