Like most TV things credited to Ekta Kapoor, the idea of using Bollywood songs and Hindi-film-inspired scenes in serials too started with her K-brand of serials. Often it's funny to watch TV stars lip-synch to romantic Bolly numbers in the middle of a scene or a good two minutes spent on a typically filmi outing. They also do scenes that require them to be very intimate. Is there a clause in their contracts which requires them to do these song and dance routines?
Says Kritika Kamra, who had done the steamy Raveena Tandon rain song Tip Tip Barsa Paani with Karan Kundra in the Kitani Mohabbat Hai sequel. It might have been easier as Karan was her boyfriend then. But Kritika says she has no reservations about doing such scenes "because on TV you can only go this far and not more. TV borrows a lot from Bollywood. When the creative team or the director explains a scene to us, we do get the references. There is no particular clause in our contract that says we have to do filmi or intimate scenes."
Adaa Khan, who's done a number of seductive songs and scenes in Amrit Manthan, says she enjoys the process. "As it is, somewhere a part of us aspires to get into Bollywood someday, so why not enjoy being a typical Hindi film heroine," she laughs adding, "I have done so many of them including dancing to a Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja song that it's not funny. TV is getting bold like Hindi films but no one forces you into doing something you are not comfortable with. Scenes are tweaked as per actors' comfort so it's fine."
Anas Rashid, who plays Suraj in Diya Aur Baati Hum, however admits to feeling awkward doing such scenes. "I had done one show which had many songs from Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan's films. It is embarrassing to lip-synch these songs without any original thought. You can't escape it. I treat it like a filler, nothing serious. Today when a sequel of a famous film made 20-25 years ago doesn't work, then why would a recreated scene or a song on TV?"
Veteran actor Hiten Tejwani, however, says it's all part of the job. "There is obviously no such clause though it's understood that an actor would be required to do anything that is expected of his character to the best of his ability. Thankfully, I haven't done too many of those and when I have, I just consider it as any other scene."
Kratika Sengar, the lead of Punarvivaah, doesn't understand all the fuss. "Lip-synching to films songs or doing typically intimate scenes are part of an actor's job. In real life too, there are enough filmi people around! I enjoy myself because there is so much drama around it. In fact, it adds zing to the otherwise regular tracks and what's wrong with it?"
—Kshama Rao
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