No tantrums please!
SARAH SALVADORE Times News Network, Jul 13, 2010, 12.00amThe Indian television industry has increasingly becoming an unpredictable zone where one day you are a reigning star, the next, you are a non-entity.
Gone are the days when stars would call the shots and a mere whim would stall the shoot resulting in huge losses for producers. As popular as they might be, TV stars today have a shelf life which entirely depends on their behaviour on the sets.
The past few years have seen big production houses bow to the whims of popular actors — either by changing the storylines or increasing the number of zeros on their pay-cheques. Failure to do so would result in the actor walking off and the audience totally rejecting the show. But post the economic slowdown, the recession hit industry found new faces and replaced them with old talent to fit their depleting budgets. This gave rise to a new crop of stars while the producers and network bosses held a tighter reign on the actors. A proof of shift in the power equation can be seen in the recent replacements of actors in popular shows. Rumour has it that Sapna Babul Ka... Bidaai decided to take the story forward minus lead actors Sara Khan and Kingshuk Mahajan due to some difference in opinion with the producers. While Kingshuk had reservations about playing dad, Sara harbours Bollywood dreams. Producer Rajan Shahi says, "As a director, I've seen how high handed stars can be. Today, nobody is above the show, be it the actor, director, writer or even the producer. If an actor doesn't believe in the show, he/she should move on," says Shahi.
Popular actor Rati Pandey's role in Miley Jab Hum Tum was cut short when she threw tantrums on the sets. Despite the popularity of her character, she was axed. Though many see this as a gamble, the makers stand by it as the behaviour could affect the product. "There was a time when producers paid huge price for stars as broadcasters wanted stars. But today superstars are created by the channel and the production house. The idea is to cast new actors and make them into stars," he explains.
But coming to the point where the seat of power was back with the makers took a long time indeed. The industry saw bad times, which resolved their steely drive. "After the strike, 50 active producers are united. Today, if an actor blackmails or quits the show of a particular producer he/she will have to face the consequences as other producers will also not cast him/her," says Sharma. The unit was formed to bring about a healthy working environment and along with the producers, network bosses too joined hands. "Earlier, channels supported the actors and gave them huge salary because they needed them. Today, the channels have realised that a show is not made by an actor, but content," says an industry insider.
Popular soap Balika Vadhu is taking a leap without Anandi, despite the popularity of the character with the masses. Makers say it's a "natural progression for the story." Rumours are afloat that the lead of Uttaran, Tina Dutta was warned by the channel for making incredulous demands for money.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Entertainment/TV-/No-tantrums-please/articleshow/6159074.cms
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