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Heroine No. 1
Shameem Khan
He comes, he fights, he conquers'.It's the predominant 'he' that has ruled the imagination of every hero-seeking audience. Call it gender bias or one's conditioning but we visualize the 'man' fighting all the 'odds' and winning for himself or his loved ones. It's the 'hero' all the way'
But television has changed that equation and how'Take any channel worth its salt and the show that rules the TRP charts is women-oriented. It's the heroine who takes the call on all matters'the heart and the hearth. Where are the poor men? Yes, they are there but as support systems or putting it loosely 'mere props'. So why on earth does any self-respecting man oblige to playing second fiddle where he simply stands and gapes while the woman wears his pants?
Sharad Kelkar who plays Saloni's (Rajshri Thakur) pati in Saat Phere on Zee TV offers his explanation, 'I was not at all apprehensive about taking up the show. The show is essentially Saloni ka safar, but the other parts are also pivotal to the main plot. They have as much importance if not more be it Akshay Anand, Apara Mehta or myself. Moreover my character has so many shades to it which gives me a lot of scope to emote.'
Co-actor Mazhar Sayedd who plays Saloni's brother Samar seconds him 'Saat Phere gives me my due as an actor. Thankfully, the guys in the show are not simply standing behind the sofa while Saloni performs. I know there are shows where the lead characters look like the sun while the other artistes seem like planets revolving around the sun,' he laughs at his own joke.
But Saloni's reel-life father Mohan Bhandari does not take too kindly to the joke. The veteran actor who played the powerful protagonist in yesteryears Khandaan and Parampara is visibly upset. 'I am unhappy with this changed scenario. In our times, we had equal footage. Like Neena Gupta and me had strong roles in Parampara which are remembered till today. But now only the lead girl who does everything while the men simply stand and look around. From mending a headache to a heart-attack, things only move if the girl wishes so. It was this reason that I wasn't accepting the roles that were coming to me. But then I had to make a choice and Saat Phere seemed like a good choice.'
An actor trained from a leading school in Los Angeles, Ram Kapoor too had to bow down to television's dictum. Today he plays Jai Walia, Baani's (Prachi Desai) husband in Kasamh Se (Zee TV). While Prachi recuperates emotionally disturbed men, fight the villains or save her husband's fortunes, Jai Walia simply stands by her side or gets enraged with her behavior. She even does an avenging act a la hero'.Quip Kapoor on this and he is quick to retort 'It's not degrading to do a woman-oriented show on television at all. In fact, I owe my success to this show. One thing that we were taught during our training course was that in showbiz less than 2 per cent succeed to make it and less than 0.2 per cent are a success at it. So whatever be the medium'advertisements, theatre, television or films consider yourself blessed if you can make it. I have seen so many talented people who are struggling to make a niche for themselves'in that respect, I am rather proud to have made it. And television today is very big'the money, exposure and the media attention is fantastic. And this is just the beginning.' So that explains it, doesn't it. The secret mantra is: stick to the success formula and you are a success story.
What's the women's take on it? Panchi Vora, who plays Prachi in Balaji's Kayamath gives her opinion 'I don't think hero's are secondary in such shows. They are equally popular among the women audiences. Like Rishabh Bajaj (Ronit Roy in Kasauti Zindagi Ki) or Anurag Basu (Cezanne Khan in the same show)are very popular names in these so-called women-oriented shows. Sujal (Rajeev Khandelwal) I feel was more popular than Aamna Sharif in Kahin to Hoga. In my show too both the heroes Neel (Jay Bhanushali) and Milind (Shabbir Ahluwalia) have very important characterization. It's how well you portray your character that stands the test of time. It's talent which is the deciding factor of every actor, not the gender'.
Then there are those guys who have no qualms in refusing such shows. Like Abhinav Shukla who plays Arjun in Jersey No.10 (Sab TV) 'I don't watch such shows and am completely against doing them. I only took on this show because I knew that it's not one of the saas-bahu shows but will focus on a different concept ie cricket' is his candid answer.
Surprisingly, only a handful few put their foot down to get top billing. It's only once in a while that an Iqbal Khan relents to do the main lead in Choona Hai Aasman. Others like Rajeev Khandelwal and Varun Badola are bidding their time to come up with something consequential than simply being arm-candy to their leading ladies.
While the 'men' are waiting in the wings for their turn to come, the women are making hay. How long our heroes have to wait for their stars to shine only time will tell'.
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