States of Head

As in life and in art, trends walk the shifting sands on television, too. It just takes one to set a path and the rest of the pack becomes the Hutch pug, collectively following that one. Six years ago, when everyone was busy enjoying socio-dramas and thrillers, the so-called spicy saas-bahu drama was brought in with greater melodrama. And once our viewers (read: women) started living on this staple diet, some wise TV guru flashed another ace called 'formatted shows' and society wasn't the same anymore with shows like Kaun Banega Crorepati, Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin, Indian Idol and so on.

And now on television another happening thing is happening. A new breed of middleaged, salt--pepper heroes are currently making women go weak in their knees. The first was Ronit Roy aka Mihir of Kyunki... Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi ... some three or four years back. The trend gained momentum with Kasautii Zindagii Kay where Ronit (again) played the sexy, middleaged Mr Bajaj. And picking up the baton (the salt--pepper look) is Ram Kapoor in Kasamh Se, who is watching smugly a female fan following going berserk.

"Today, I get so many compliments only because of my hairstyling in Kasamh Se," says an amused Ram Kapoor. "My wife [Gautami Gadgil] too swoons over George Clooney just because he has salt--pepper hair." Interestingly, Ram Kapoor was mobbed by a couple of youngsters while he was sharing a private dinner with wife Gautami just a while ago. This was just one incident. His fan following seems to be on the rise.

"I don't know about the others," Ronit Roy clarifies. "As for me, I sported the salt--pepper look some four years back." He is playing two middleaged characters at the moment. "And at that time, I did it purely because I liked the character very much and secondly, at that point of time, I desperately needed some work."

That was the phase when Ronit was written off completely in the film industry following a disaster like Jaan Tere Naam in the 90s. At that time, even in his wildest dreams, he wouldn't have thought that he would be a trendsetter. But now it's his calling!

The trend has also ruffled a few feathers and given the black--gelled hair a few spiky ends at the same time. The fans of characters in their 20s have their arguments well in place. "We don't give a damn to these so-called sexy old blokes. For us, the younger studs like Iqbal Khan, Rajeev Khandelwal and Gurpreet Singh matter and they are the ones to die for," comments one salivating follower.

So, can we term this a war between two different 'states of head' who think differently? One which believes that the heroes need to be traditionally good-looking, handsome and young. And the other which feels the older the wine, the better.

Ronit Roy is best equipped to nail the argument. "You cannot say which generation is going to rule the television because both are equally popular. In some shows, young actors win, while in others the 40-somethings are loved. For example, in Kyunki… Mihir is equally popular as his son Karan [Hiten Tejwani] and same can be said about the other son Gautam [Sumeet Sachdev]," he moderates.

So, can we say that both will coexist in the TV scenario? "I guess it's going to be so. After all, how can a viewer just like one type of character? Different people can have different likings," comments an industry analyst. "The way you have different communities in a society, you are going to have both kinds of screen representations as well. But the healthiest trend seems to be the fact that Indian audiences are open to unconventional looks."

This is something that the analysts and the viewers feel very happily. But then what about those artistes who till recently refused to put whitener in their hair? Didn't Nausheen Ali Sardar walk out of Kkusum when she was expected to play a mother's role? Amarr Upadhyay, the first Mihir, also left Kyunki... as he did not want to go grey after a time leap. Never mind the fact that he did not succeed with other things, either.

Chhavi Mittal, Neha Bamb, Arjun Punj are other examples who just hate to be called mom/dad. "See, I hate to look like an aged man, but then I don't have much choice. Every serial nowadays is taking a generation leap," shares an actor who doesn't want to be named and has turned grey very recently. "If I have to have work, I will have to accept the new trends. Or else, I will simply have to sit at home."

So, it's all about money, whether you like ageing or not. "It's fine till the time the actors are earning money and justifying their role," agrees Shakti Anand of Ek Ladki Anjani Si fame. Similar are the views of Poonam Joshi who walked into Chhavi Mittal's sandals after she walked out of Zee's Tumhari Disha, "I don't mind playing an aged character. My character is interesting and I am paid well, what else do I need?" shrugs Poonam.

And this seems all the more true given the fact that there are actors even in their teens who wouldn't mind playing an older character. Prachee Desai stuns everyone with her real age (she is just 17!) but is playing the character of the eldest sister Baani in Kasamh Se, a 30-something character. On the other end, we have Shweta Gulati who was reported to be almost 30, but convincingly plays 18-year-old Tia in the StarOne show Remix.

"Actors have to get into the skin of the character and that's what matters irrespective of which age group he or she is portraying onscreen," straight-talks Sandip Sickand, Creative Head, Balaji Telefilms, who has conceptualised the look of Ram Kapoor and Praachi Desai in Kasamh Se.

One can then put it in simple words: age actually doesn't matter in today's television. Ageing, like the small screen itself, is actually a state of mind. (Sampurn)