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 How many of us remember the memorable songs from “Kuchh Kuchh Hota
hai”? Rani Mukherjee prancing around in short skirts and trendy
bags..with moves ala Zeenat Aman. She had arrived. Guys wanted her,
girls wanted to be like her. Just around the corner was a cute,
effervescent girl…with a dimpled smile..no prizes for guessing that
one. It was Preity Zinta. Whether it was her charm in Kal Ho Na Ho or
her portrayal of a neurotic girl in Armaan, she charmed the hearts of
millions of Indians…that alas was many moons ago.
Cut to circa 2008 – 09. Enter Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor, Priyanka
Chopra and Katrina Kaif. These girls have taken the country and the
film industry by storm. While Priyanka is everyone’s favourite “Desi
Girl” Sonam has become the new “Masakalli” of the Indian junta. Katrina
has not only managed to become the “it” girl with the filmwallas but
also rules in the brand endorsement market. Every brand wants her
pretty face to say how good their products are. Om Shanti Om
capitulated Deepika into the superstar status overnight. It’s a dream
for any new girl to be launched by with SRK and this girl lived to tell
the tale. Good films fell into her kitty more easily than for anyone
else. From a Yashraj banner to an Imtiaz Ali film, it’s been a
dream-like ride for a girl who till very recently was walking the ramps
in fashion week as one of the many models.
Which brings us to think…what happened to the likes of Rani, Preity n
company? Perhaps this question is best answered by taking a look at the
market dynamics of the Film industry. Any industry is a reflection of
the times we live in and the film industry is no different. Today’s
mantra is “what’s next”. With more than 50 % of our population being
under 30,we are catering to an essentially restless, fast paced
creature whose tastes are young and changing at a rapid pace. This
explains the reason why turnaround time for our leading ladies is
becoming shorter with each passing decade. I wont even go to explaining
the reasons why of Madhubala, Nargis and the likes ruled the industry
for as long as they did because that’s like a whole generation away.
Let’s look at starting from the 80s, actresses like Hema Malini and
Dimple Kapadia ruled the roost for many many years. In spite of being
married with kids they managed to be at top for over a decade, getting
plum roles and more plum pay packets. They were followed by Sridevi,
Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla, who for the longest time were the queen
bees. They faded away much later than today’s leading ladies. In
today’s times, you’re lucky if people want you 5 years hence.
One of the most important reasons from the film industry’s perspective
is that a film will almost never get sold on the basis of an actress.
Sad but true. A film till today is essentially a “hero” driven vehicle,
though there have been exceptions to this rule like a “Black” but
that’s what they remain, an exception. Junta still wants to see a Shah
Rukh Khan or an Aamir Khan film. I have my doubts if they will ever see
a film which will have a Deepika starring with a “nobody”. I highly
doubt it. With the scheme of things in the industry, an actress is the
most easily replaceable. Actors are the one’s who will always be
finalised first and then the actresses and if a scenario happens where
one is not available, the other one can fit her shoes just as easily.
It’s ironic because on one hand we have a young population who is
fairly well versed with Hollywood where actresses are almost equals to
their male counterparts. They have roles written for them like a Lara
Croft which goes on to become huge blockbusters but the story back home
is yet to change. We are yet to see a desi version of Lara Croft or
even something like The Reader. The main reason being that films with
powerful female leads with “not-so-big” male actors just haven’t found
acceptance with the Indian audiences and therefore it’s extremely
difficult to sell such a film. We still want to see our heroes,
fighting, emoting and dancing with the pretty ones but I don’t if they
will accept things the other way round.
With multiple options being the mantra of the day, its no surprise that
there are so many actresses in the marquee and they keep changing
before you blink an eyelid. Well, all I can say is “make hay while the
sun shine” ladies because you never know when the sun goes down on you.
Shivani Prabhakar | Samurn media
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