Originally posted by: sanityinfinite
Thanks 😊 I understand your pov about screen presence, I resonate with that to some degree too. But when I reflected on it, I wondered if it had anything to do with the likes of Rajeev, Barun not being offered equal ground to compete on in a platform like Bollywood?
A lot about how an actor comes across on the big screen, doesn't just depend on his/her portrayal of the role, but it depends on so many things such as - the budget of the film, the cinematography, the locations, the soundtracks/albums, the storyline/script, the costars they are paired with, the supporting cast they have. All of this enhances an actor's overall appeal in a film, along with the film itself.
Example - The reason Rajeev had such immense stardom on TV, was because in TV - he was given a show and a role, that launched him to success. Ekta in those days was the best in the business. Balaji Telefilms was like the Dharma Productions of Indian TV and Rajeev was given all the tools to become a success. He had a beautiful costar in Aamna, electrifying chemistry, amazing supporting cast and characters like Vasu, Rishi. Great soundtrack in 'Thoda Sa Pyaar'. The investment in the overall show and Sujal's character enhanced Rajeev's appeal 1000x as a newcomer on TV. He started out with the best of the best on TV and that established him. He had the liberty to pick and choose roles on TV because people were dying to watch him and PHs would have taken him, despite his scuffle with Ekta. So Rajeev ended up with Capt.Rajveer, which was another hit role.
Same with Barun, Four Lions and Gul left NO stone unturned to make ASR a hit. The script was amazing, well shot, electrifying chemistry again with Sanaya and a wonderful supporting cast that complimented them. And ofcourse, their own soundtrack with 'Rabba Ve'.
Now if we apply the same to this generation in BW for example - Alia, Arjun, Ranbir, Ishaan, have all been launched similarly by the best of the best in the business. Some cashed in on it and some didn't (like Arjun didn't). Did they all have great screen presence right off the bat? No. Atleast not individually. Perhaps, they've now built their own screen presence after a string of films, but in the beginning - it was all the magic of big banners like Dharma and YRF, SLB etc that made these folks appear larger than life, with the cinematography, songs, strong casting (support cast), script, good roles, dialogues etc.
I never found Arjun Kapoor great. But I loved Two States, and I thought he was decent there - because of working with the best in the business again. Having strong supporting cast like Amrita Singh and Ronit Roy, amazing songs and ofcourse his costar Alia, who was a firecracker there - made it all work!
So screen presence is a tricky thing I believe. Folks like Rajeev and Barun have immense talent and great screen presence. They probably didn't have that kinda support in BW, as they did in TV. Smaller budget films, rarely leave a strong impression. There are exceptions ofcourse, but with smaller banners and smaller budgets, the overall appeal of the films don't last and thus, they don't successfully compliment the lead characters well either (which is where Rajeev and Barun took a hit I believe). Plus the lack of a proper PR team.
My point being - screen presence cannot be created by just the individual themselves, it takes a good team behind the scenes and a combination of factors (good costar, good supporting cast, soundtrack) that could compliment the lead actor's portrayal and enhance it..thereby making an actor have a 'larger than life' appeal and leave the kinda impression we look for on the big screen.
I still think that Barun is a one time wonder, cause he did great as Arnav Singh Raizada but he kinda lost passion and faded away a bit. Rajeev was able to recreate and sustain momentum in television for quite a while, so I'd have banked on Rajeev atleast on BW, had he had the right production houses casting him with the flamboyance, that they do the Nepo kids with.
true you have made a amazing point here...👍🏼
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