Fresh faces win over stars - An article

It's official. The stars are fading, on television at least. Be it Bollywood actors who took to reality shows or established television actors who became celebs in the own right, the star magic no longer works its spell on television viewers. Most of the big actors who had a strong hold on fictional shows and entertainment shows in the past few years have been replaced by a crop of new faces in lead roles.

Even while casting for supporting characters in soaps, professional theatre actors are the preferred choice. The stars of 'K' era are not only "jobless" but, according to producers, are willing to work for 1/4th of the price they charged earlier. Yet, channels are not willing to cast them anymore. Says a well known producer, "Earlier producers and channels chased them. Now these actors keep calling us for work."

The reason for doing away with the star system is obvious, say channel producers. "The stars of yesteryears achieved a cult status because some of their shows ran for eight years at a stretch. But the current order of entertainment seems to be constant change even in fiction. Also, long established actors come with the baggage of their roles. Now only new faces are being sourced," says senior programmer and creative head, Anupama Mandloi.

Moreover, a change in the system where star actors demanded exorbitant remunerations, was long due, feels producer J.D. Majethia of Ba Bahu Aur Baby and Sukh By Chance fame. "With an exception of a few like Sakshi Tanwar and Ronit Roy, none of the actors who became big stars were talented enough to survive beyond a few years. They were a creation of an unsustainable business model which flourished on the shoulder of a few successful shows and high TRP premium that they fetched for a few producers," he explains.

The craze for the glam factor too has thankfully died down, say producers. Rajan Shahi of Bidaai, Yeh Rishta and Swarg fame, looks are secondary. "Looks had became so important that 20-somethings started playing father, mother and grandparents in shows. This couldn't have lasted long," he reasons.

Since the emphasis has shifted from unrealistic stories to realism, channels are no more looking for established and expensive actors. "The idea is to spend more on the product and less on the stars," Rajan adds. Gone are the days when actors were paid Rs 50,000 to RS 75,000 per day. Today the best of actors are paid in the range of Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000. "With actors' pay scales coming down, more money is being spent on locations, costumes, shooting and packaging," says Majethia.

With old actors out of circulation, new faces like Laali of Agle Janam, Sadhna of Bidaai, Akshara of Yeh Rishta and Tapasya of Uttaran are riding the wave of success.