Bahu or babe? - Article

Television's favourite bahus, Shweta Salve, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Gauri Pradhan, Gautami Kapoor, Shilpa Saklani and Tina Parekh recently sizzled on the cover of an international fashion magazine.

And this time, they weren't overly made up, draped in navel-revealing sarees and sporting big bindis. They came dressed to reveal the curvaceous babes behind the on-screen bahus. The soap divas were seen in chic outfits and showed off their trendy make-overs. And they enjoyed the change. "I wouldn't mind modelling for the rest of my life; I just want to break free from the on-screen image. I always wanted to be a model but I'm too short," confesses Sanjeeda Shaikh, the Nimmo of Indian television.

Adds Tina Parakh Hazra, who made an impact as Shruti in Kahani... and Mukti in Kasautii..., "When I was posing in front of the camera, it was a dream come true. Unlike while playing a TV bahu, here I got to wear the most stylish clothes, make-up and shoes."

Is it difficult to break away from the TV images created over the years? "You get stereotyped on TV, but it's important to keep evolving. I hardly see our bahus wanting to reinvent themselves," says Rakshanda Khan, aka Tanya Malhotra Virani, of Kyunki... and Mallika of Jassi.... The actress says she keeps trying different roles. "I played an independent woman in Jassi..., but I've done justice to my bahu role in Kyunki... too. Cameos have more to offer than long-running roles that mostly typecast you," she says.

Tina, who wants to play younger characters, says producers and audiences should allow them to break the mould. "Some actresses look pretty only in Indian attire and audiences like them that way. But actresses should carry off any image," says Tina, adding, "I want to shed the saree-clad image, so I make my off-screen appearances in western wear."

Gauri Pradhan, Nandini of Kyunki..., says it's difficult to change the portrayal of women on saas-bahu soaps, but they'd still like to change. "No actor wants his/her career to be one-dimensional. I make sure I'm more glam when I appear on reality and stage shows," says Gauri.
But Shilpa Saklani Agnihotri, Ganga in Kyunki..., says, "You can't deny the impact daily soaps have." Though she's aware of the burden of being associated with a particular image, she says, "I've been seen in sarees for seven years and when I get out in shorts, my fans are shocked. I don't feel like destroying the image.

Kyunki's Ganga has made me popular and I wouldn't shatter that image in a hurry," says Shilpa.
Audiences also want to see the queens of soaps in other avatars. Says homemaker Usha Goyal, "We also want change. It's boring to see the same old Tulsi and Parvati. It would be nice if they appeared differently at least off the show."