Ever wondered about the sudden change in a slew of actors or actresses in Kannada TV serials who all portray hugely popular characters? The character of Chinny in Lakshmi Baramma, has been essayed by three actors so far. In the same serial, the character of Chandu has been replaced by four actors on several occasions. Similarly, in Agni Sakshi, the popular character Chandra was replaced as well. Such changes hardly make a huge difference on the small screen as the serial must go on. Bengaluru Chronicle reports on these small changes on the idiot box and how they pan out.
“It is highly improbable to implement such changes and continue the rest of the shooting with another actor in films. They can only afford to do it in sequels but they still face the risk as the audience normally do not connect with such changed characters. Even in sequels like Munna Bhai MBBS, roles like Munna Bhai and Circuit are very popular in their own right, and if either of these two characters played by Sanjay Dutt or Arshad Warsi were replaced with another actor, it would have been a disaster,” says director Prashanth.
Popular Kannada serial director KS Ramji, who is currently spearheading serials such as Puttagowri Maduve, Akka and Bangari on Colors TV feels that the audience follows the story as far as serials are concerned and but in films, the characters are obviously connected with star actors.
“For instance, in Puttagowri Maduve, the audience recognises the lead character as Puttagowri and the actress Ranjhini essays the role of Puttagowri. So, even if the actress is replaced with someone else, for any reason, the story goes on as usual, with hardly any difference. A film is shot in schedules ranging from 40 days to a few months, and it is rarely more than a year or two. This is why they cannot afford any changes but a mega serial has a life spanning more than a year, and the actors and technicians do change based on preferences and better opportunities,” Ramji adds.
Another director feels that some actors tend to be blinded by the popularity. “Some ditch serials that brought them fame and popularity in the middle, and chase dreams of becoming actors, like Ganesh, Yash and Radhika, to become film stars. However, they forget that even such stars worked very hard to reach such heights. It is something which cannot be reached instantly. I have seen a couple of actors who did a few films and when they failed, they returned hopelessly and by then they had already lost their earlier sheen,” concludes Bhaskar, a technician.
