Lost in transmission
Will the likes of Smriti Irani and Rajeev Khandelwal have the same audience impact in their new roles?
Sapana Patil Poojary
Indian television has witnessed it time and again. Actors starting off with a bang, often fail to maintain their successful track-record on small-screen
Actors Tulsi-Mihir, Parvati-Om or Angad-Kripa - the on-screen characters from the popular television serials, are undoubtedly household names with that one character they played. But unfortunately, the success rates of these actors diminished when they donned a new role. Actors like Arun Govil and Nitish Bharadwaj are names from the past, who could never grow beyond their screen characters of Ram and Krishna. It's not that they didn't get to play other roles, but somehow they failed to impress the audience. Such cases are many. Amarr Upadhyay, Kiran Karmarkar and Rajeev Khandelwal, who played Mihir Virani, Om Agarwal and Sujal Garewal respectively, maybe cited as few glaring examples joining the list in the recent times. We are yet to see if Smriti Irani aka Tulsi of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi will break this jinx. Incidentally, both Smriti and Kiran are coming together in the forthcoming Thodi Si Zameen Thoda Sa Aasmaan.
Amarr begs to differ. "I agree that Mihir has been one of my biggest roles on the small screen so far, but that has never come in my way of getting better roles later. I am happy that people still remember the death scene of Mihir. After Kyunki…, I did Des Mein Nikla Hoga Chand, where I got a phenomenal response. And similarly, my role as Kunal Kharbanda in Viraasat; is being liked by many," says Amarr.
Rajeev Khandelwal reasons, "My role as Sujal in Kahiin To Hoga ran for nearly four years and became popular with the audience. Whereas my subsequent roles in Time Bomb, CID or Deal Ya No Deal were too short-lived for people to get attached to them. Besides, it's not that I didn't get an equally good offer. Currently, my show Left Right Left is doing very well but nobody seems to be concerned. Anyway, I am happy that the audience is yet to accept the new Sujal as they have adored the new Mihir. As for an actor's fame being restricted to just one role, I would like to add that Amjad Khan as Gabbar Singh is remembered even today. Does that make him any less important as an actor?"
Nausheen Ali Sardar too is a case in point. She was launched as Kkusum in Kkusum and as the pattern has it, she failed to grab eyeballs in Kaalchakra. Nausheen says, "Kaalchakra was not promoted well. But this is just one side of the story. There are examplesa of cases where actors have become successful in their second innings too. Take for example Pallavi Kulkarni, whose character in Vaidehi is as popular as the one in Kehta Hai Dil. I believe that if the characterization is strong, then it can become a hit."
Producer and director Aroona Irani who has given Sangeeta Ghosh new entity in her serials Mehendi Tere Naam Ki, Des Mein Nikla Hoga Chand and Rabba Ishq Na Hove says, "Public memory is very short. An actor is remembered as long as the serial is on air. But I think accepting Smriti Irani as Uma in Thodi… may be a little difficult because Kyunki… is still on air and Tulsi is a strong character."
Writer-director Aatish Kapadia couldn't agree less. He says, "The last role that an actor plays does not pose any hindrance to us. We look at the skills of the actor while casting him." Seems true; as he has successfully broken the stereotypes in his serial Baa Bahoo Aur Baby.
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