TOI: The Big leap-- KSG/SA

A move from the 'small' world to the 'big' world. From living rooms to dark theatres. An enchanting world in which fame, glory, entertainment takes a completely new name.

Talk of Shah Rukh Khan, Vinay Pathak, Prachi Desai,Rajeev Khandelwal, Aamna Sharif, Shweta Tiwari, Sakshi Tanwar and Nausheen Ali Sardar who have been a part of this 'silver' race. More recently Karan Singh Grover, Sulagna Panigrahi, Ragini Khanna, Roshni Chopra, Shilpa Anand, Tia Bajpayee, Pravesh Rana and many more have joined the league of TV stars playing lead roles in films!

So what do these actors think about making it big in the world of films? Ask telly hottie Karan Singh Groverand he says, "It's a myth that TV actors can't make it in films. If you have the talent and determination to work hard, you can make it in films even though you started your career on television. Moreover, I feel TV actors have an added advantage of making their debut with an already existing fan base. While doing television, you gradually grow into the character and it becomes easier for you to emote. However, in case of films you have a very small time period to get your act right. Working in the film industry is a humbling experience for me and it's a dream come true."

For first timers what holds important is the opportunity as well as relevance of character. Sulagana Panigrahi who was seen recently in Murder 2 tells affirmatively, "Though working on television is satisfying, acting in a film was a different experience. Financially it is not satisfying at the moment since I am just starting, but with time, it will work out financially too."

The winds of change are definitely fresh. Actress Roshni Chopra who is making her debut on silver screen in upcoming film Phhir says, "TV actors are no longer treated as side-line actors only. They are making it big in Bollywood and it feels great to be the part of this brigade."

Interestingly, these actors who are making a drift to films are not giving up television. They want to juggle between the two mediums. Tia Bajpayee, who made her debut in Haunted says, "Whatever I'm today is because of television. I will definitely return to TV but to anchor some exciting reality show."

Actress Shilpa Anand who's playing the lead in Alert 24, starring Sanjay Dutt and Ruslan Mumtaz, however has a different story to tell. She says, "I started with films but small screen gave me fame. I feel television gives you an intensive training to gear up for films and you're already bestowed with a solid fanbase. Now when I'm doing films again, I'm that much more confident."

What do television producers feel about this trend of TV actors making it big in films? Producer Rajan Shahi says, "It's nice to see TV actors getting opportunities to showcase their talent in films. It clearly reflects their popularity. Earlier people were reluctant to consider them for important roles in films." However he also feels, "TV actors should never leave their shows mid-way because they have a Bollywood offer, as it's not professional. Top film stars are now doing TV and it is the medium of the masses, so TV actors doing films is a good trend."

It's a heady feeling to be a film star and as they say nothing tastes better than success. So once this twinkling stars from television hit bigtime in Bollyville, there will be more acceptance for the telly frat on 35 mm in the coming years.