ARticle on small screen actors - How big

After Shah Rukh Khan, have you heard of any filmstar who has made it big in films? The answer is a resounding 'no'! There may be huge stars around who command big money in the TV industry, but everything comes to naught once they try to up their luck in Bollywood. Bollywood is a totally new ball game for them. The best example is Amarr Upadhyay who left his successful TV career to try his hand as a filmstar and achieved nothing.

Not to forget Rohit Roy who made an obscure debut in an obscure film in the late 90s just after his hit serial, Swabhimaan, and did a superflop Plan later. Ditto for Niki Aneja who did a couple of infamous films in the 90s. Even TV hottie Mandira Bedi, in spite of a good character role in the superhit, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Sharad Kapoor, Raman Trikha, Sandali Sinha, Gracy Singh (all started out with TV serials) have not been great shakes at all on the big screen.

And Natassha, biggie Ekta Kapoor's protegee had a string of flops — Kuch To Hai, Yeh Dil, Krishna Cottage and Koi Aap Sa in the course of her brief film career. In spite of good friend and guardian angel Ekta Kapoor's patronage Natassha has been a no-show (and a non-actor as well!) Seems like Natassha is only cut out for her sob stories and good old cat fights (read: saas-bahu serials).

Similarly, Nausheen Ali Sardar, the original Kkusum, still seems to be slogging hard at a movie career (she has reportedly signed a few non-happening films) and has not made it anywhere as yet. The glamorous TV siren, Sandhya Mridul, is not considered that glamorous a babe in Bollywood though she has good notice from critics. Even the hot young things, the VJs have got a lukewarm response from Bollywood fans — Malaika Arora (tagged as item number specialist), Amrita Arora, Shehnaaz, Anusha, Gaurav, Pia, Purab and the most recent, Sophie with her lousy act in Shaadi No. 1.

Is it the over-exposure that spoils it for them? It might be so that the viewers, who see their good old TV stars day in day out in the comfort of their living rooms, don't want to venture out, buy a movie ticket to watch them on the big screen. They want to see something new, somebody who has real star power there. Probably doing the same stuff over and over again for a long time makes them too boring for new experiments and too loud to be considered subtle actors.

Moreover, TV stars are hardly as hot as their bigscreen counterparts. Mandira Bedi is one among the few TV stars who has a well-maintained body. Then, too, the lady does not have a film career to talk about, not even her husband's films! In fact, other than a select few, most TV stars are not too much into bodycare (their long working hours can be blamed for that). Or you wouldn't have Smriti Iraani ruling the roost on the small screen. Can you imagine her in any role on the big screen other than of a bhabhi or a maa? The spare tyres can hang out on the small screen, but on the big screen it better be something else.

Madhavan (of Tol Mol Ke Bol, Ghar Jamaai and now Deal Ya No Deal) achieved some success, but mind you, only in South films. So maybe it will take some time to get another Shah Rukh Khan (in those times of Doordarshan, exposure wasn't that much anyway and there were no boring soaps, either) who does a successful cross over to Bollywood.

Many failed filmstars, on the contrary, have sought refuge in television after having fizzled out in films. Ronit Roy, failed as a hero in spite of a talked-about Jaan Tere Naam in the early 90s and was seen in television some years later.

Sheeba, Iqbal Khan now smallscreen heartthrob, Mukul Dev (after appearing in Sushmita Sen's debut film, Dastak), Deepshikha, Rahul Roy and Vikas Bhalla, Ravi Behl, Sanober (the trio have also tried their luck as pop stars) — the list can go on. The latest entrant is Tum Bin hero Rakesh Bapat who made his debut in the Zee serial, Saat Phere, not very long ago.

In fact, better talents like Shekhar Suman and art film actress turned TV glam girl Rajeshwari Sachdev are content with their TV careers now. Seems like Manoj Bajpai will join the brigade soon — he started with Swabhimaan, went on to do some really good films, but now out of work again, he is back to TV hosting a new game show, Kam Ya Zyada on Zee TV.

Ironically, if TV stars are unsuccessful on the big screen, same goes for the track record of filmstars on the small screen. Barring the biggest of them all, Big B, all including Madhuri, Sridevi, Karisma, Raveena, Arbaaz Khan, Jugal Hansraj, Govinda, Manisha Koirala, Anupam Kher have failed to leave a mark in television. Could be that the working style in TV doesn't suit them. Maybe it's always better to continue in one's own space and not venture into new territory.

Hollywood is a different case altogether where actors like Jennifer Aniston (Friends), George Clooney (ER), Jennifer Love Hewitt, Neve Cambell (Party of Five), Jennifer Garner (Alias) and many others are equally shining in both the media.

Back home the latest buzz is that Shah Rukh Khan will appear in a non-fiction show on Zee TV. Let's wait and watch how the Baadshah fares in his second innings in Tellywood.