No heavy make-up or blingy saris please

Indian television serials and soaps get real.

NEW DELHI:

Over-the-top make-up, blingy saris and heavy jewellery ruled the small screen for almost a decade, but not anymore. With reality-based shows dominating the tube, new shows are trying to style their shows as realistically as possible.

Komolika from “Kasautii Zindagi Ki”, Jigyasa from “Kasam Se” or Ramola Sikand of “Kahin Kissi Roz” were known for their stylised bindis, bright-coloured saris and heavy make-up.

But thanks to the new crop of shows — “Sasural Genda Phool”, “Pavitra Rishta”, “Chhajje Chhajje Kaa Pyaar” and “Pardes Main Mila Koi Apna” — which are about middle class families and their lives, subdued dressing styles are becoming a trend on the small screen.

The director of “Pavitra Rishta”, Ravindra Gautam said, “The look of the characters is a collective effort of the channel, the producers and me. Since it’s the story of a middle class family living in a chawl or kholi, I wanted everything to be simple and realistic. My vision was supported by other members of the team and we are happy that it has been accepted by the masses.”

To make the storyline more believable, he drew inspiration from his own family members. “As for the make-up, we have seen how our mothers dress in real life. We usually see them wearing simple clothes with unkempt hair and hardly any make-up. I wanted to bring that realism to the show,” said Gautam.

Saurabh Tiwari, head of programming (Fiction) of Imagine TV, said that the audience’s preferences have changed. They are now interested in content they can relate to. “This change in trend is due to the evolution of the medium. For six to seven years, over the top storytelling and characterisation ruled the industry. But the show, ‘Balika Vadhu’, changed this trend,” he said.

“People are now interested in seeing things which are realistic and happening around them. TV today is ubiquitous in Indian homes and people are now demanding stories which they can relate to,” he added.

Long-running serials like “Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi” and “Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki” were shot on palatial sets, with the female characters performing household chores in heavily embroidered saris and jewellery.

Actress Sushmita Mukherjee, popularly known for her role as Gangiya in “Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo”, says people don’t want that kind of fantasy any more. “At that time, Ekta Kapoor was providing the masses with what they were paying for in the movie halls. That kind of glamour — the looks, sets, jewellery and costumes — was the requirement then,” said Mukherjee, who has been the part of the industry for over 25 years.

“It has been 10 years of the same thing and now people are bored. They want realism,” added the actor.

Smita Singh, popularly known as Punpunwali of “Bhagyavidhata”, sports heavy make-up and jewellery in the show. But she says she could never fully connect with her character. “I’m really happy that the trend is turning normal now. I could never find a connection. People don’t wear such heavy make-up and jewellery in real life and they certainly don’t sleep like that. I don’t even put such heavy make-up off screen,” she added. Singh is also doing a new TV show “Luteri Dulhan” and said she is happy that her character sports nothing but kajal (kohl).

Urvashi Dholakia, who previously glamourised vampish characters, said, “The image has changed drastically. When I started working in Komolika, glamour was in demand at that point of time and went down very well with the masses. But over the years, the characters have changed; they haven’t become subdued, but their look has certainly changed.”







Published in The Express Tribune, June 14th, 2011.