The Men Are Back

Tanwar forever wears her middle-class badge on her arm,so much so that when her Maruti 800 finally gives up on her wedding day,she has no qualms about jumping into an autorickshaw,lehnga and all,so that she can reach the wedding venue. Ram,on the other hand,makes the show what it is. In him,we finally get a fat lover boy. The show has ample jokes on his bulk,including a scene where he chooses his wedding ghodi based on whether it can take his weight.

Ekta,who conceived the role with Ram in mind,wanted to make a comment on the size obsession of urban India. “There is so much pretty around us that pretty doesn’t even register anymore. I wanted to create a character who is fat,but is okay being fat. Ram’s character is not perfect and that’s why people like him,” she says.

A plus-sized heartthrob is an instant clutter-breaker,but the fact that this quirk is reserved for a male character points to a new direction in Indian television.

So long,the big screen has serenaded the hero,and the small screen has been of and for women. It’s the land of Tulsi,Parvati,Ganga,Anandi and Kkusum,with a Komolika and Jigyasa also thrown in. Now,with the likes of Ram and Kunal Chopra (Parichay,Colors),the men are back in business. At Sony Entertainment Television,it’s a line up of some more tough talking men. There’s Adaalat’s razor sharp lawyer KD Pathak (played by Ronit Roy),and the impressive ACP Pradyuman and Senior Inspector Daya in CID. Of course,there is also Toasty’s all-men parivaar in Saas Bina Sasuraal,another Sony family drama that has interesting male characters.

So,are men on Indian shows finally getting screen space? “We are getting there. TV is growing and as higher budgets stream in,there will be creative tweakings also. Television primarily remains a medium for women but the bottomline is that if you are good,you will stand out,” says Ram.

Ram,who started his TV career with Ghar Ek Mandir,also played the popular character Jai Walia in Kasamh Se on Zee. But the overwhelming response to his character in Bade Achche Lagte Hain has taken him by surprise. “We didn’t expect the show to take off so quickly. Sakshi and I have been in television for more than a decade and we’ve both tasted success,but never this quickly,” he says. He almost didn’t do the show — after his compelling uncle act in Vikramaditya Motwane’s Udaan,film assignments have been keeping him busy. But he was wooed by Ekta’s pitch. “When Ekta told me she’s developed this character for me,I knew it would be something interesting,” he says.

With Parichay,Ekta has taken on a challenge. The show has been made and packaged as a man’s story. Samir Soni plays the fallen hero,who has to earn the audience’s respect. “The character of Kunal is of a loser who has no redeemable qualities on the surface. I want to bring out his insecurities. The audience might not adore him but I’m sure that as they get to know Kunal,they’ll identify with him,” says Ekta. Soni is trying to keep the pressure at bay. “I’m not thinking of TRPs or revenue. I just want to keep it simple and get the character right. I’m trying to live by Kunal’s philosophy,which is that only horses and rats run in a race while lions make their own way,” he says.

Will these characters show the way for more male-centred narratives? Soni feels that women stories will always call the shots. “Most people who make television content feel that since more women watch it,they should make shows about women. And since soaps thrive on emotions,it’s convenient to create a story around women who inherently are more dramatic than men. A saas-bahu clash is always more dramatic than a business takeover saga,” he says.

Abhimanyu Singh,producer of Contiloe Films’ Adaalat says it all boils down to the genre. “Soaps are around a household so they will always be about women but nothing stops them from creating strong protagonists. On the other hand,thrillers and horrors usually are about male protagonists.”

For a male character to click,says Ekta,“the women should love him and the men should identify with him”. The actors also need to step up in order to stand out. Ram,for instance,went all out with the fat jokes on Bade Achche Lagte Hain. “When Ekta told me that she wants to use my weight as a quirk in the show,I told the writers to go all out. There’s no point in doing something half-heartedly. We have got wonderful response for those scenes,” says Ram,who trained in the Stanislavski Method of acting in Los Angeles.

If stars need vehicles,then shows also need able actors to drive them. Like Adaalat and Roy. The star,who was last seen as Bandini’s Dharamraj Mahiyavanshi,is working the material in the courtroom drama,Adaalat,which is now a bi-weekly. The show relies heavily on his popularity. “Since the show is dependent on the protagonist,we needed somebody like Ronit who has the charisma,popularity and style to pull it off,” says Singh.

Longevity is every actor’s big dream. In television,where destinies are made and destroyed at the press of a remote button,being selective is an actor’s only life jacket. As Soni says,“On television,it’s always the character who clicks and not so much the actor.” Ram concurs,“Luck plays a huge part in the beginning of your showbiz career but once you are accepted,then it all depends on what you choose. When

I chose the role of Jai Walia,I was criticised for playing a 50-year-old,but it clicked. Now my fans tell me it’s my best role.”

It’s about connection,after all. The audience might cry with the bahu but a fleshed-out male character can also move the ladies. But is Indian television ready for male-centric shows like Dexter,Californication and Mad Men? “It looks far off but we have to push the envelope slowly. It’s a long haul but stranger things have happened,” says Ekta. We’ll be watching.