TOI: Look whose back --- KSG

Look whos back!

Telly hotties whod once ruled the TRPs have comeback to play lead roles in daily soaps

Amrita Mulchandani


Prime time heartthrobs who had once ruled TRPs and taken short (and some not so short) sabbaticals have returned to play starring roles in daily soaps.Their easy connect with the audience,ability to emote and strong fan-base combined with their reliability is probably whats made them the current flavour of showmakers/ channels.While Karan Singh Grover (Qubool Hai),Saumya Seth,Rohit Khurana (Dil Ki Nazar Se Khoobsurat),Sanjeeda Sheikh,Additi Gupta (Badalte Rishton Ki Daastan ),Jay Soni,Aruna Irani (Sanskaar - Dharohar Apnon Ki),Gaurav S Bajaj,Sukirti Kandpal (Kaisa Ye Ishq Hai... Ajab Sa Risk Hai),Sanaya Irani (Chhanchhan),Riddhi Dogra,Yash Pandit (Savitri),Aditya Reddij,Sara Khan (Junoon Aisi Nafrat,Toh Kaisa Ishq),Aamir Ali (Jhilmil Sitaron Ka Angan Hoga),Gautam Rode and Jennifer Winget (Saraswatichandra) and Sneha Wagh (Ek Veer Ki Ardaas - Veera) have already been whipping up decent TRPs for their respective shows,waiting to make their comeback are the likes of Shaheer Sheikh (Mahabharat),Rubina Dalik (Punar Vivaah - Zindagi Milegi Dobara),Angad Hasija (Amrit Manthan),Rajshree Thakur (Bharat Ka Veer Putra -Maharana Pratap ),Sana Sheikh in an untitled show,Vipul Gupta,Kanchi Kaul (Meri Bhabhi),whose shows are set to take off.
Whats made these hotties emerge as favourites at a time when newbies were landing plum roles in daily soaps Actors are selected based on the demand of the script.In my show,we needed a girl whod look graceful in western as well as traditional outfits and S u k i r t i (Kandpal) fit the bill.There is no guarantee that established actors will garner good TRPs,you need good scripts for that, says producer Manish Goswami.In the frothy world of telly soaps,characters are more important than the stars playing those roles,so it becomes imperative to have actors with strong histrionic ability and screen presence to slip into those roles than use rank newcomers with no acting experience.Producer Yash Patnaik says,Certain characters need to be essayed by experienced actors.Sneha (Wagh) was apt for the character shes playing in my show because shes an amazing actress and is not too over-exposed on TV. Of course,a star in the creditline helps raise the TRPs too.Experienced actors grab lots of eyeballs,but at the end content is the king, says producer Vipul D Shah.Casting a popular face also means adding to the shows budget,but producers feel a big star also ensures more curiosity and hype.Good actors are always valued because finding a new face whos also a good actor is not always easy, says producer Mitali Bhattacharya.Big stars often bring with them extra baggage which might make the going tough for producers.On TV,actors cant afford to act bigger than their boots.A good show can make stars,but stars cant make a good show.Actors know this very well, says Patnaik.For the audience of course,its a win-win situation when their former favourites return to rule hearts and in the process deliver the TRPs,also making the soapmakers a reassured lot.amrita.mulchandani @timesgroup.com