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Hindi cinema is witnessing a change. This is reflected in the way actors, who would have once been relegated to roles of mothers and fathers, are setting new benchmarks by diving into roles that are contemporary and have a surprise element
In Hollywood, stars are acclaimed, no matter what age they may be. Roles are written for them and they remain in the public eye as superstars, actors of note whom the theatregoers flock to see. George Clooney remains sexy, even after he’s crossed overs into middle age, as does Richard Gere, who has a dedicated fan following. Sylvester Stallone (67) after doing the Rocky series that started in the 1970s is reprising his iconic role as Philadelphia’s own Rocky Balboa in the new movie, Creed. Meryl Steep (64), regarded as one of the most talented actresses of all time, can give any actor a run for his money. Seventy one-year-old Barbra Streisand, who started as singer-songwriter, and subsequently became author, actress, writer, film producer, and director, commands an enthusiastic, mainstream audience. Playing their age and playing it well
Actors like Dame Judi Dench, Laurence Olivier, Steve McQueen, Michael Douglas, Henry Fonda, Peter O’ Toole, Jane Fonda, Dustin Hoffman, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Morgan Freeman, John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Robert De Niro, and Julia Roberts have been around for decades. They may have been teen heartthrobs and romantic stars to begin with but have constantly reinvented themselves, done challenging and varied roles and never allowed themselves to be typecast. Even late into their sixties and seventies, they draw crowds into movie halls on their own steam. But that’s Hollywood! In Bollywood, on the other hand, actors have been pretty much pigeon-holed in the roles that they do. They will carry on in the mould that they began with till it’s done to death. Rajesh Khanna, Dev Anand, Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and even the grand showman, Raj Kapoor, hung on to their youthful image till the audiences tired of it — clinging on to it by acting with ever-young heroines. The actresses fared even worse. They would rule the roost for a few years and then poof! They would either make a failed and pathetic “comeback” or resign themselves to playing mother to the very heroes who had romanced them just a few years ago. Things, however, maybe a-changing! Perhaps, Indian audiences have matured, maybe the actors have come to terms with reality but mainstream romantic actors are now ready to take the plunge, break the stereotypes and nosedive into new and stimulating roles. The maverick The forerunner, of course is Amitabh Bachchan, who has set the benchmark of breaking all the rules and diving into roles that are contemporary and surprising! Powerful, mesmerising and one of the most terrific performers of cinema, Bachchan can do a short role and walk off with the film. Whether it’s a much older man falling for his young daughter’s friend (Nishabd) or an aging don (Sarkar) or a 12-year-old boy suffering from a rare medical condition, Progeria (Paa), Bachchan has done it all. In addition, of course, is his hugely popular KBC series. Lately, he did his first role in a Hollywood film, Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby. And now, the audience will see him playing the strong-willed and resolute Yudhisthir Sikarwar in his TV fiction debut, a 20-episode series, creatively directed by Bollywood new-wave filmmaker Anurag Kashyap.
Breaking open the chocolate box Remember the pink-lipped, boyish and sensitive hero of Bobby? Cute and romantic, and the hero that many young women dreamed of, Rishi Kapoor charmed and danced his way for a couple of decades on the silver screen till he simply got too jaded and bored of playing the same role over and over again. And so did the audience, of watching him. He sunk into retirement with wife Neetu, till suddenly he’s out there — playing varied roles and playing them well. For the first time in his life, we see Rishi Kapoor competing for mainstream as well as critical awards. Growing ambitious on his success, he can do the belligerent father (Patiala House), the sweet well-wisher of romance (Love Aaj Kal), the slimy cop (Aurangzeb), the wedding planner (Shuddh Desi Romance) and perhaps, the most shockingly negative role of Rauf Lala (Agneepath). Rishi played an outrageously nasty Mafia don in ‘D-Day’ and some said he was the best part of the film.
Return of the divas All cinegoers have a special place in their hearts for the Ek Do Teen girl and for the Mr India cutie. Madhuri and Sridevi were heartthrobs of millions and ruled the roost for years with their beauty and talent. And then, both got married and disappeared from the public view. Now in their forties, both have made their comeback in new avatars. Madhuri has been very visible and much-admired in Jhalak Dikhla Jaa and is now coming in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Ishqiya 2, while Sridevi has already proved that she’s only got better with age in English Vinglish directed by Gauri Shinde, for which she was nominated for best actress in most of the popular awards. Both have proven time and again that they have more than what it takes to sustain in an ever-changing industry.
Hollywood calling The Ram Lakhan hero, who was always immensely talented and experimented with many personas, has done films like Woh Saat Din, Meri Jung, Janbaaz, Karma, Mr India, Virasat, Pukar, which were mainstream yet critically acclaimed. He sunk into obscurity but made a comeback in Slumdog Millionaire, where he had a short role. After that, however, he’s been doing some roles in Hollywood, Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol being one of them; and some roles on American TV. Among these was a role in the popular series, 24. Kapoor then acquired the remake rights for the American TV success, 24, reportedly for an amount of Rs 1 billion. Others who have reinvented themselves are Farhan Akhtar, who turned actor to give the runaway hit with his Bhaag Milkha Bhaag turn and Karan Johar is ready to do a negative role in Anurag Kashyap’s upcoming film Bombay Velvet. It seems like these brave actors have staunch supporters since they leave their audiences clamouring for more. It’s their sheer talent and guts to break out of stereotype that gives them a new lease of life time after time. More power to them!
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