Wake up and smell the coffee...it's time to get real!

Akshay Kumar who was recently hosting KKK 4 asked contestant Smita Bansal (Sumitra of Balika Vadhu) why actors on TV shows woke up in the morning with hair and make-up in place. I would like to add a bit more to the observation. Not only is the hair and make-up in place but even the saree pallu is perfectly pinned and there is not a single crease on the nightwear. I have said this earlier and I am reiterating that it’s about time our TV shows got real. Though the Ekta Kapoors of the world have begun to move away from the saas bahu dramas and are opting for more real concepts (Bade Acche Lagte Hain), all one needs to do right now is to focus on getting more real with the actors. When a story is authentic and true to life then why have larger than life characters? Why does a rich man always have to live in a fake-looking mansion which is nothing but a gaudy set? However affluent a man may be but does anyone wear a three-piece suit at home or does the lady of the house flaunt her diamonds and gold suits? In Hamari Saas Leela Firoze Bhagat who plays Apara Mehta’s rich husband wears waistcoats that appear to be made out of tapestry/ upholstery fabric and Apara is always dressed as if she has to leave for someone’s wedding. But I need to get one small clarification. If this family is so super rich then who is the one that runs their business? Because Feroze is dressed for office all the time but neither he nor his sons ever go to work. Now let’s move on to another popular show Saath Nibhana Saathiya which is currently rated number one on Star Plus. This is yet another show about a wealthy joint family where all the women in the house look like Christmas trees. I understand that this is a saas bahu show and going by the rules of such shows all the characters should wear flashy wedding sarees, heavy jewellery and layers of greasepaint. But please let’s credit the viewers of such shows at least with some degree of common sense. Even a bored housewife watching this one is laughing at these unreal characters on screen. Talking of some more unreal characters that look like they seriously need to get a reality check are the leads of another very popular show Uttaran. For God’s sake… have mercy on the audience and please get these actors to look like normal human beings. This is one show where the look of the actors is so OTT that it not just takes the cake but the entire bakery. Why do the girls drape their sarees in that ridiculous manner? And what’s with their hair and make-up? Do they do it themselves? But the question that’s revolving in most of the viewers minds is why does Daddaji talk in that strange lingo even though everyone speaks in normal Hindi? Is someone is even directing this show? And this is just not happening in those unreal shows with unreal twists and turns. Even in the otherwise well-written shows like Mukti Bandhan there are several lapses like this. Some episodes back there was a scene where Siddharth had to get out of bed and open the door in the middle of the night. He was shown getting out of bed in jeans while his wife was sleeping beside him in nightwear. Who goes to bed wearing jeans and that too with the kind of social background this family belongs to? And will someone please tell Charulata that when you are just walking in the house no woman holds her saree pallu as if she is walking the ramp, even if she is very well-to-do! A director who is currently directing a number one show says while deciding the make-up and clothes, he drew inspiration from his own family members. He says one has seen how our mothers dress in real life. They usually wear simple clothes have unkempt hair and hardly put any make-up. That is the realism he has brought into the show. In fact, now that audiences identify with shows that are more relatable even the vamps on the shows have begun to opt for a more subtle look. Gone are the days of vamps with loud and garish bindis and heavily made-up eyes. If shows with regressive story lines are almost out then why do we still have archaic looking actors? It’s about time we got real. Read more...