The offbeat highway
They’re young, new and ambitious, but mind you, they’re not naive. They’re a blend of mainstream success and offbeat characters. From Parineeti Chopra to Sushant Singh Rajput to Ayushmann Khurrana and Alia Bhatt to Huma Qureshi, the fresh breed of actors have not only tasted success with their early films, but are also treading the unconventional path by picking unusual parts. Their choice of roles shows that they’re more than just pretty faces or handsome hunks. While some have made offbeat debuts, others are ready to entice film buffs with their upcoming avatars that aren’t just eye-candy, running around trees or run-of-the-mill. Take, for instance, Sushant, the TV star turned film actor who proved his mettle in his very first film Kai Po Che. His second movie Shuddh Desi Romance, although a love story, was a very unusual one. His upcoming films include PK, a political satire and Paani, directed by the Oscar-nominated Shekhar Kapur. When it comes to playing unusual roles in films that been liked by a large section of the audience, Huma is on top.
After a superb debut in Gangs of Wasseypur, she portrayed a witch in Ek Thi Daayan, impressed again with Dedh Ishqiya and will soon be seen in an experimental film called X. Says actress Vidya Balan, the queen bee of experimentation, “The younger lot of actors are lucky to be in the industry at a time when filmmakers are willing to experiment with newer and challenging subjects. They are willing to place their bets on newer talent. A decade ago the scenario was different — big filmmakers would invest only in big actors. Right now it’s the script that’s the gamechanger. And that’s the reason we have the younger lot of actors succeeding in making it big.”
One newbie who surprised everyone is Alia Bhatt, seen more as a glam doll post her debut as a rich, spoilt teenager in Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year. She is now garnering accolades for her de-glam role in Imtiaz Ali’s Highway.
Actor Ranbir Kapoor made people sit up and take notice after his unconventional role as a rockstar — the turning point in his career. But Ranbir feels, “My debut film Saawariya was not a run-of-the-mill film. It might not have garnered fabulous business but it did give me the confidence to try a Barfi. At my age I can afford to take risks with diverse characters. I don’t fear getting typecast. I learnt it from my family and I know that in the long run that’s what works. I don’t think there is any formula for success. There are intelligent films and intelligent filmmakers. You have to just pick the one film that’ll set you apart from the rest.”
Ayushmann played a sperm donor in his debut Vicky Donor, a small-budget picture that got critical acclaim and box office success. He will next be seen in Bombay Fairytale, a biopic of the first Indian who made an airplane. Handsome hunk Vidyut Jamwal opted to make his debut in a negative role in Force. Arjun Kapoor displayed shades of grey in both Ishaqzaade and Aurangzeb and will soon be seen in the English-Konkani satirical film, Finding Franny Fernandes. Powerhouse performer Parineeti Chopra gained huge popularity by playing a loud-mouthed Punjabi kudi in Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl, a fiery woman in Ishaqzaade and a rebellious girl in Shuddh Desi Romance. She will soon be seen in Dawaat-E-Ishq, a film that focuses on dowry.
Gen next’s psyche
For Vidyut, donning the role of a baddie in Force turned out to be a good call. “When I heard the script, I loved it. I wanted to take the chance because I knew if I gave my hundred percent, it would come out well. It turned out better than I had expected.” Despite playing the villain, he clinched several debut awards that year.
At a time when Bollywood is seeing a horde of newcomers, each with their own USP, is the competition to be noticed intense? “The competition has always been fierce. Even SRK and Hrithik faced competition. But now, the audience is more educated and will accept you if you’re a good performer,” opines Vidyut.
Newcomers are realising that they don’t want to be like somebody else, feels actor Gulshan Devaiah, who played the bad guy in Ram Leela. “They have a strong identity. Gone are the days when they worked towards becoming the chocolate hero or the dancing sensation. The new wave of cinema has a lot more place for non-conventional artistes. These actors know what they want to be. Also, today’s actors are exposed to cinema from across the world and their tastes and sensibilities are different from actors from 10 years ago,” he says. Actress Madhoo, best known for her film Roja, says, “My times were gentler and gave us many chances to get it right. Today, the industry is more ruthless. Even established stars like Priyanka Chopra are constantly reinventing themselves. To sustain their initial success, newcomers will require a lot of focus, dedication and luck.”
Director’s take
Filmmaker Rajshree Ojha, who directed Aisha, says, “The younger generation is very clear on the production houses they want to work with and the kind of roles they want. They’re choosy and know the kind of career graph they want. I don’t think they go out of the way to get an unconventional role.” Rajshree thinks these newbies are doing safer roles compared to yesteryear actors. “In earlier days, the risk was more. Mr Bachchan took more risks when he did Saat Hindustani and Saudagar. Now, younger stars are guided by their agents and know what they want to do.” When the movie is being directed by a reputed filmmaker, the risk is bound to be less. Referring to Alia’s de-glam role in Highway, Rajshree says, “When you have names like Imtiaz Ali and A.R. Rahman associated with the project, how wrong can you get? The bigger the names, lesser the risk. In fact, Priyanka was a risk-taker as she started out with a negative role in Aitraaz. Even Kareena did a Chameli.”
Filmmaker Bejoy Nambiar, who directed critically acclaimed films Shaitaan and David, agrees, “With reputed filmmakers, they will feel safe as the burden is not entirely on them and a lot depends on the director. These actors know what they’re getting into.”
Balancing act
Though Ayushmann, Arjun, Parineeti started off with unconventional films, they will soon be seen in rom-coms and genres that appeal to a larger audience. So, how important is the balance between mainstream cinema and characters that tap the creative quotient? Says Rajshree, “These actors don’t walk on the same path all the time. Everybody wants to become an SRK or Salman. I do hope there’s a group that would take risks with their heart because if talent doesn’t take risks, then nobody can make films.”
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