Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Actors in Bollywood

Professional Actors in Bollywood... Really?

To become a professional and accomplished actor in the Hollywood industry, one must follow an array of steps. The time, training, dedication, passion and patience applies to those who aspire to become an actor. The steps might include taking acting classes, registering yourself in professional acting schools, hiring acting coaches, taking a series of headshots, increasing your credibility by acting in small-time theaters before hitting the big screen and then hiring agents who would help place you in the appropriate roles. However, in the Bollywood scene, the methodology used here is slightly different. India has been known to run on bribes and shortcuts, much like the Bollywood industry.

The industry as we see today is saturated with old actors who still try to play the hero 'macho' roles. Plastic surgery and hair dye have made a tremendous difference and has transformed the actor's image and appearance on-screen. With technology advancing and the 50year old actors are still acting in the new and upcoming movies passing off as 25 year old or worse, as college students making the lives of new, upcoming and fresh actors extremely difficult. Even if the heroes of yesterday retire, their family members (sisters, brothers, sons, daughters etc.) soon take their place as leading actors and actresses. A classic example would be Amitabh Bachachan- The Big B. When he retired as playing the hero roles in movies, his son soon stepped into his shoes. Directors immediately casted him in roles that didn't even suite him which ironically lead to his downfall. His movies soon failed solely because the public, playing the non biased partisan, booed him and his performances in movies.

With old actors or their family members dominating the industry, the fresh new ones find it challenging to penetrate the film family. Maliaka Sherawat is one of the classic examples for this case. Coming from a family that had absolutely no ties to the industry, she paved her own way to break through the glass ceiling. By stripping on screen and making controversial statements, she left an unforgettable imprint on people's minds. Her movies became a blockbuster success among the masses for her stripteases and her infamous kissing scenes. Initially, to gain more publicity, she would also pass indecent slurs to provoke professional actors. However, although she has given her best effort and has tried to mark her territory in the industry, her film career would only be limited to side roles playing mistresses or 'item' girls as the majority is run by the film fraternity or the film family.

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