Pin up boys, poster girls wanted

There was a time when television serials were high on the glam factor. In mid-2000, when daily soaps made their entry on the small screen, the medium had thrown up quite a few pin-up boys and girls. Smriti Irani, Shweta Tiwari, Cezanne Khan, Iqbal Khan, Ejaz Khan, Mona Singh and Anita Hasnandani became overnight stars. However in the last two years, despite the advent of several new good-looking youngsters on the small screen, none of them seem to have the charisma of their older counterparts. So what's stopping them from becoming poster girls and pin-up boys?

"I think the benchmarks set by the older stars are too high and therefore difficult for others to emulate," feels well-known television director Sanjay Upadhyay. He incidentally had introduced Smriti Irani on television in Aatish before she went on to become a cult figure with Kyunki a year later. In Upadhyay's opinion, the super success of some of the television actors is directly related to the success of their shows. "They became brands because their shows were successful," he says, adding, "While others couldn't achieve those starry heights because their shows had not made a mark."

Successful television content, according to Balaji's creative head Nivedita Basu, is primarily all about relatable characters and stories. "Faces don't get eyeballs. Viewers relate more to characters than faces. But if a good-looking actor plays a popular character he or she becomes equally popular. It is good to have great actors but talent also plays a key role in success," says Nivedita, adding, "To be a pin-up boy or girl, you need that extra zing that helps you stand apart."

Producer-director Deeya Singh too feels that television is not about super heroes but real people and real characters. "The beauty of television is that it catapults an ordinary looking person into an instant rage. But lately there has been too much of overlap in characterisations," says Deeya. She also blames poor scripts that prevent characters from making a mark. "The roles have to take the characters to the next level. When too much of duplication starts happening the star value goes down," says Deeya.

Agrees producer Sunjoy Wadhwa of Saath Phere. "New shows don't seem to offer author-backed roles and stories are letting down characters," he says. In his opinion some of the actors went on to become brands because of the novelty of daily soaps. "Now seven years the novelty factor has gone," he adds.

Another major reason, according to Upadhyay, is that it is very difficult to find a fine blend of talent and good looks. "Often talented actors are short on looks and vice versa. Also the demand is so high and supply so short that a reasonable combination of talent and looks clinches the deal," he says.