Dreaming Big

He was Jai in Just Mohabbat and she shook her butt in the Shake it Daddy music video. But Vatsal Sheth and Ayesha Takia would rather look at their television sojourns as mere launching pads to the big screen. Stars in their eyes they may have, but the new breed of actors is apparently not content with small screen success. Both Vatsal and Takia, who forewent offers on television, are all set to make their Bollywood splash this monsoon in Gordhan Tanwani's Taarzan- The Wonder Car directed by the duo-in-white Abbas Mastan. But will the two hit the jackpot? Kahiin To Hoga's Rajeev Khandelwal and Aamna Shariff, currently the hottest pair on Indian television, too is readying to take the flight to Bollywood. Manasi Varma (Monalika of Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii) has shades of Zeenat Aman in her and celluloid dreams in her eyes. Tina Parakh (Shruti of KGGK) has completed Taap which will launch her as an actress and Sanjay Upadhyay as a director in tinsel town. Is television really the grooming ground for a sureshot celluloid career? So far, only a handful have made the successful transition from TV to cinema. Irrfan Khan, Kay Kay and of course Shah Rukh Khan. While SRK created history, Kay Kay's brilliance has been noticed by many, including director Hansal Mehta (Chhal) who remarks, "It's a fact that you can't place him in the same slot as SRK, but what he has is an intensity which others lack. He has a certain silent brooding maturity." Irrfaan, noticed recently in Maqbool, is being touted as the next Nana Patekar. The similarity between Kay Kay and Aman Varma is interesting. Armed with a Masters in Business Administration like Kay Kay, Varma has pulled off almost everything he has tried on the small screen. His performance in Devi may not be anything to rave about but the Salman Khan hairstyle he has adopted, has definitely set the hearts of many young females aflutter. But did he register in Andaaz, alongside the voluptuous Lara Dutta, Priyanka Chopra and lead hunk Akshay Kumar? Did he look the ungrateful son in Baghban? Didn't he ham in Tum? And how many films which he can gush about are presently in his kitty? Amar Upadhyay said goodbye to television because he thought he was cut out for films. The hysteria which broke out after his fictional death in Kyunki… was the apparent cause for this illusion. Wah Wah Ramji, supposed to be his first release, got delayed. Dhund, which eventually saw the light of day, was a dud. "It was not a bad film. The problem was that it wasn't publicised well enough and was released during the World Cup," defends Upadhyay. "The film offers which started coming after my 'death' were not the only reason I left Kyunki," he argues. The other reason was that I was not game to being a part of the 20-year leap. How could I play father to a son who looks as old as me or maybe older? If the 20-year leap had not happened, I wouldn't have left Kyunki... for films." Upadhyay soon realised that he had squandered away the opportunity to grow bigger on television and came back to where he belonged. Aroona Irani let him in. The fact that he no more features in Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand because the channel (Star Plus) wanted fresh induction of characters is another story. Yash Tonk's story bears similarity. Yash nursed ambitions of wanting to be an anti-hero, especially after working in Ken Ghosh's Ishq Vishk and Feroz Khan's Jaanasheen. But with the release of Jignesh's Wrong Number (which sank without trace), he apparently weighed his chances and went sensibly back to Kaahin Kissii Roz. Gaurav Chanana is one of the finest examples of starry ambitions gone awry. Chanana sabotaged his fledgling TV career that had started well with Sanjivani, to opt for a role in Vijaypat Singhania's Woh Tera Naam Tha. Today, hardly a viewer even remembers Chanana's name. TV too has not been kind enough to give him a second chance. On the big screen, Sandhya Hubahu Mridul made her debut with Shaad Ali's Saathiya in which she played Rani Mukerji's sister. Ali had vouched for her but matter-of-factly, "She is versatile and mouldable, she takes directions well, but I don't see her playing the lead." Today, Sandhya has entered Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin. She claims, "All wanted to cash in on the role I did in Saathiya but I wasn't interested in playing the same old role all the time. I don't want to get slotted. That is why I rejected those offers." Wise girl. Varun Badola is another who has had a tough time in Bollywood. Does anybody remember him in Haasil and Charas? Ditto for Achint Kaur in the Anupam Kher directed Om Jai Jagadish and Tanuja Chandra's Sur? Why is Natassha (who started with the serial Kabhi Souten Kabhi Saheli) confined to virtually only Balaji films? The less said about Harsh Chhaya in Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar, Company, Hathyar the better. Wasn't this guy sterling in Tara and Hasratein and isn't he better than Karisma Kapoor in Karishma- The Miracles of Destiny? Synonymous with Sony's Henna, the talented Simone Singh performed in Ek Rishta: A Bond Of Love but her performance was nothing to write home about. Seen in Tanuja Chandra's Sur, no one talked about her ability to pull off emotional roles with conviction and ease. Remember her teeny weeny bit in Karan Johar's K3G? Even VJs who jumped on to the filmi bandwagon haven't had it rosy- be it Purab Kohli (Darna Mana Hai) or Amrita Arora (the lass is just beginning to find her bearings after she donned the ultra-sexy avatar). Preeti Jhangiani started with a music video on TV (Chui Mui Si), but even a role in Yash Chopra's Mohabbatein did not help her cause. Television has definitely not helped as a talent showcase in many of these cases. What Indian television has done, and in a far more significant way, is thrown up a set of 'character actors' like Alok Nath, Pankaj Kapur, Reema Lagu, who have given consistent quality performances and held their own in Bollywood. So, have Vatsal Seth, Tina Parakh and Ayesh Takia jumped into the fire? Will the good-looking and talented Rajeev and Aamna shine on the silver screen? Will Manasi Verma hold her own against Bollywood actresses? Time should tell. If they hit it off, there will be no turning back. If not, will TV still keep its doors open ?