With more actresses willing to flirt with danger,viewers can look forward to some action-packed shows Bid farewell to the sultry powder-puffed diva,and set aside the meek girl-next-door,as the stereotypical small screen women now morph into a new breed of adrenaline-rush freaks. Leading the way is Priyanka Chopra. As she is set to host Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 3,on Colors,it is certain that women on TV are now increasingly packing action as well as punch in their acts. This season,Fear Factor promises ek haseena,13 khiladis and a mind-blowing,action-packed experience. Im ready to show the guys how its done (in my high heels). I will put them and myself to some serious,mind-numbing tasks, says Chopra,who is excited to begin the shoot in Brazil soon. The actress,who replaces the ultimate stunt-master Akshay Kumar,as the host of the show,is confident about her new avatar. From what I know of whats being planned,fear cannot be a factor for anyone involved, she adds. In television world,out-of-the box shows like KKK-3,have given women a chance to unleash their adventurous self. Besides,they have triggered a ripple-effect that is now turning the superwoman concept into a trend. Nethra Raghuraman,after winning KKK-3s first season in 2008,went on to host ongoing National Geographics Flight of the Hawksanother show which is known for riding-it-rough with the boys. Joining her in the league of playing toughies are Kavita Kaushik,who is a Haryanvi-spewing cop on FIR while Seven on Sony has Shama Sikandar training the fighters. Although Sonys popular show CID features men at the helm of the investigations,it has its share of tough female copsinspector Tasha,played by Vaishnavi Dhanraj and sub-inspector Kajal,played by Jasveer Kaur. Taking up of these telly assignments demands high level of physical fitness and skills. I was offered Flight of the Hawks because they knew that I can accelerate a car like a pro, says Raghuraman,who performed real stunts for the show. It was anything but easy. While shooting for one of the stunts,she had a narrow escape and was severely injured. I was hanging by a rope in a 200-foot ditch. Luckily,I had the support of a great team,and they knew their job well. All I had to do was remain fit, she adds. While mainstream television has just begun to cast women in daring acts,the real superwoman is yet to step out of the closet. MTV India featured VJ Anusha as the classy uptown-cum-tom girl on a bike and car reality show Ultimate Drive,and VJ Bani J,ever since her Roadies stint,has been playing the no-nonsense-bindaas-girl for the channel. Ultimately,one should bring to the table what one originally is. Women are always asked to play bubbly roles. It would be great to see Priyanka host KKK-3. I prefer women doing the killer stunts, says Bani,who feels that there should be more such roles for women. Though reality and adventure shows have given women a scope to experiment,the Indian soaps have rarely featured women in fist-pumping action roles. An exception is the feisty character of Chandramukhi Chautala on FIR,which has been on air for over four years. It was unlike any character on television at that time. Here was a woman who spoke in chaste Haryanvi,fought criminals,wore the bosss hat and yet bore a feminine facade, says Kavita Kaushik who plays Chautala. For Shashank Bali,the director of FIR,breaking the saas-bahu trend was not as challenging as he thought. A powerful script is important for a shows success, he says. Inspired by such successes,hopefully,the viewers will get to see more gun-wielding characters soon. KKK-3 is likely to be launched in August. With an extremely popular Chopra at the heart of all the dare-devilry that this show promises,the telly-dom can hope that she sets a precedent that other producers as well as actresses would love to follow.
