new TOI article.. Barun mentioned..:)

Tellydom's stars go beyond TV

The small screen is no longer 'small' by any stretch of imagination. But if you thought that prime time superstars are content just by making their mark in daily soaps and revelling in the adulation and attention that comes with their elevated status, you couldn't be farther from truth.

Tellydom's hottest male stars are spreading their wings everywhere - theatre, films or business. What makes them move out of their comfort zones? Could it be the fact that their career span has reduced considerably, no thanks to divided loyalties of viewers which has led to fractured audiences for general entertainment channels? Or the fact that they don't want to take any risks and keep their back-up options or better bets ready, just in case their small screen stint doesn't shape up the way they envision it?

Tellyland's reignmen Amar Upadhay, Ronit Roy, Aman Varma and Ram Kapoor showed the way and straddled tele soaps with alternate career options, ensuring they had a life beyond the small screen. Says current teenage heartthrob Barun Sobti, "Now TV stars want to try out new things. If one is financially secure then one can try other options to earn. Actors who want creative satisfaction experiment with films and theatre instead of sticking to television, it's their choice." His views are echoed by telly hottie Gurmeet Choudhary, "As actors, we want to move to the next level, have to experiment with our looks, outfits and roles to get constant attention."

More channels and shows also mean lots of competition. Soapmakers now approach top actors, make them undergo 'look tests' and then sign them up for plum roles in a big buck show. Limited recall value of the audience means, an actor no longer has the liberty and luxury to be choosy about work. Hitting headlines and having the spotlight firmly trained on him is all important.

Dimpled star, Arjun Bijlani admits that with "more and more newcomers joining the television industry everyday, existing actors have to diversify to get noticed. Actors want to be seen everywhere and grab every opportunity coming their way." Aman Varma who's successfully dabbled in films and TV, has an interesting take, "Actors want to cash in on their popularity and try their hands at different options. With so much competition on television, producers/channels often prefer to work with newcomers because of the favorable cost factor. Stardom is heady, and can go to one's head, but to hold on to it is not easy."

Channels and production houses are often wary about having established stars in the lead roles because they shoot up the budget considerably and come with the baggage of starry attitude, not easy to deal with. Producer Rajan Shahi agrees, "While actors like to cash in on their stardom, one mustn't forget that to survive in the television industry, one needs to constantly reinvent oneself.

This generation of actors is enterprising, hardworking and ambitious, but many lose their focus and ask for too much too soon." Some actors don't want to suffer the insecurity pangs of being jobless once a show goes off air and grab available opportunities. There have been instances when TV stars have turned their back on promising careers for Bollywood films, only to return to the soapbox as second fiddle to newbie actors or ended up without work. Even now, TV stars don't always get the best options when it comes to B-Town films and play insignificant roles, but that's still a lucrative option. Showmaker Siddharth Kumar Tewary feels that insecurity and competition are so rampant in the television industry that actors "start exploring other options at the peak of their success, to avoid financial/creative insecurities. When a show is a hit, everyone gives a star all the attention, once it's off-air he's relegated to the sidelines."

Small wonder then that for the most loved and wanted faces on television who make TRPs soar and a million hearts beat faster, looking ahead is a smart move.

Here is d link..:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv/Tellydoms-stars-go-beyond-TV/articleshow/12981725.cms

Mods.. please close d topic if posted already!