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Playing god
On-screen, Gurmeet Choudhary and Debina Bonnerjee are decked in jewelled attire, complete with bedazzling crowns et al.
But that is what their respective characters — that of the legendary Ram and his loyal wife Sita — of the famous Indian mythological story Ramayana, demand. But off-screen too, these two Southern stars who are now looking to make a mark in tellywood, truly believe in the strength of their characters, and of the serial Ramayana (on NDTV Imagine) itself. Over to the on-screen husband-wife duo...
Do you think a mythological serial will work in the day and age of saas-bahu soaps and reality shows? Especially a done-to-death tale like the Ramayana?
Gurmeet: The Ramayana is a story which can be told and re-told and can still be grasping. Yes, even today, the Ramayana is still a hit. In fact, I think today's audience have a greater need for serials like this, because the generation of today is more insecure; they need the constant reassurance of God. For those who believe in God, the Ramayana can never become a stale story.
Debina: The fact that the story has been told time and again over the years, by different writers and directors, implies that it is a success. And despite saas-bahu soap operas and reality shows, there are a number of mythological shows on the small-screen today. That means there must be an audience that supports them.
Arun Govil, the original Ram, was typecast in this role. Aren't you afraid of getting stuck in the Ram/ Sita image?
Gurmeet: I was apprehensive at first, but that's not the case today. Then, there was limited choice of roles and characters, so it was difficult to get out of one's mould. But today, the choices and serials are endless. TV actors are getting film offers too now.
Debina: Any popular character that gets into the heart of people becomes a personal favourite, and people start identifying you with that character. But I wouldn't call it typecasting. At the end of the day, it depends on how the actor handles his roles, an actor has to convincingly change his on-screen image.
If offered a saas-bahu serial now, would you take it up?
Gurmeet: I'm not really interested in regular saas-bahu kind of roles. I wanted to do something different, but something that was hatke. Like playing Ram. That's the way people notice you as a good actor.
Debina: Honestly, when I came to Mumbai, I wasn't keen on doing television. I was on the look out for a change in work, I wanted to do something completely different. And Ramayana was different, playing Sita was not a commonplace role. Right now, I'm putting my heart and soul into Sita, I'm not even giving other serials a thought. But let's see what happens in the future.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Entertainment/TV_Buzz/P laying_god/articleshow/2959298.cms
On-screen, Gurmeet Choudhary and Debina Bonnerjee are decked in jewelled attire, complete with bedazzling crowns et al.
But that is what their respective characters — that of the legendary Ram and his loyal wife Sita — of the famous Indian mythological story Ramayana, demand. But off-screen too, these two Southern stars who are now looking to make a mark in tellywood, truly believe in the strength of their characters, and of the serial Ramayana (on NDTV Imagine) itself. Over to the on-screen husband-wife duo...
Do you think a mythological serial will work in the day and age of saas-bahu soaps and reality shows? Especially a done-to-death tale like the Ramayana?
Gurmeet: The Ramayana is a story which can be told and re-told and can still be grasping. Yes, even today, the Ramayana is still a hit. In fact, I think today's audience have a greater need for serials like this, because the generation of today is more insecure; they need the constant reassurance of God. For those who believe in God, the Ramayana can never become a stale story.
Debina: The fact that the story has been told time and again over the years, by different writers and directors, implies that it is a success. And despite saas-bahu soap operas and reality shows, there are a number of mythological shows on the small-screen today. That means there must be an audience that supports them.
Arun Govil, the original Ram, was typecast in this role. Aren't you afraid of getting stuck in the Ram/ Sita image?
Gurmeet: I was apprehensive at first, but that's not the case today. Then, there was limited choice of roles and characters, so it was difficult to get out of one's mould. But today, the choices and serials are endless. TV actors are getting film offers too now.
Debina: Any popular character that gets into the heart of people becomes a personal favourite, and people start identifying you with that character. But I wouldn't call it typecasting. At the end of the day, it depends on how the actor handles his roles, an actor has to convincingly change his on-screen image.
If offered a saas-bahu serial now, would you take it up?
Gurmeet: I'm not really interested in regular saas-bahu kind of roles. I wanted to do something different, but something that was hatke. Like playing Ram. That's the way people notice you as a good actor.
Debina: Honestly, when I came to Mumbai, I wasn't keen on doing television. I was on the look out for a change in work, I wanted to do something completely different. And Ramayana was different, playing Sita was not a commonplace role. Right now, I'm putting my heart and soul into Sita, I'm not even giving other serials a thought. But let's see what happens in the future.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Entertainment/TV_Buzz/P laying_god/articleshow/2959298.cms
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