No Small Wonder

Tulsi aka Smriti Z Iraani8217;s turn from a roll call in soaps to a campaign roll for the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP is an outcome of her mammoth TV presence. 8216;8216;I genuinely want to be a part of the solution,8221; says Iraani. She grabbed BJP eyeballs with her strong views on social issues on Sabe TV8217;s talk show Kuch Diiil Se, where she does an Oprah in a sari.

In fact, Sakshi Tanwar8212;Parvati from Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii8212;has turned down campaigning offers. Komolika, alias Urvashi Dholakia of Kasautii Zindagii Kay, says she was also approached by the Congress and BJP. She said no to them. 8220;I have no time for campaigns,8221; says the actress who would rather attend dandiya nights in the US. So what if she8217;s the scheming vamp? Like adman Prahlad Kakkar says, 8221;TV stars have no star value, but familiarity. They8217;re like rich neighbours in a glass house, and people like to gossip about them.8221;

Another woman who8217;s taken daily soap out of the kitchen politics arena is Jassi. Recently, an episode of Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin, where Jassi faced a moral dilemma about accepting a bribe, was thrown open to viewers. Twelve thousand SMSes were received in 30 minutes for a single episode. In fact, Jassitarians joined forces this month through a fan club on http://www.setindia.com.

Everyone8217;s making way for TV. Flip to Page 3 to find faces from the tube splashed alongside regular glitterati. The recently launched Gr8 magazine only increases their shelf space. And it8217;s not just instances of mass hysteria that convey the magnitude of this industry.

An octogenarian walks upto Aman Yatan Verma on the sets of Khullja Sim Sim and says she8217;s a die-hard fan. A family waits a full day on the sets of Kyunki for a snapshot with Sudha Shivpuri who plays Ba. Several people offer to carry big bahu Iraani8217;s bags at the Singapore airport.

Aditi Gosalia, one of her die-hard devotees, swears by Iraani8217;s flawless character. 8216;8216;I would fulfil any wish of hers,8217;8217; says the 30-year-old, who works as a counsellor at a Mumbai-based computer education institute. She tuned out of Kuch Diiil Se for the month when Iraani wasn8217;t its anchor and watches Kyunki only when her favourite actress is in the frame.

While Lata classics have been stacked away in the CD collection, it8217;s not uncommon to find women humming Kyunki8217;s theme tune.8216;8216;For me, it8217;s difficult to fathom how people get emotionally attached to the character,8217;8217; says Iraani, 8216;8216;On the streets people treat me as they would a family member.8217;8217; Though Bedi, whose halter-necks made a bigger statement than her over-the-top cricket commentary, hasn8217;t been in the thick of 8216;family8217; matters.

8216;8216;I8217;m more popular with the men today,8217;8217; laughs the actress, once a female icon as young scribe Shanti. She8217;s had her share of crank callers. One landed up at her door claiming to 8216;8216;see her in his dreams every night8221;.

And then there are fans like Hetal Jimulia, a 24-year-old helpdesk coordinator at a software company in Mumbai, who become a part of the star parivaar. 8216;8216;I8217;m there at all the celebrations8212;his birthday, Christmas or New Year,8217;8217; says Jimulia, who has followed Ronit Bose Roy8217;s the latest Mihir career since his first film Jaan Tere Naam. In fact, Roy was already on a roll as Rishab Bajaj in Kasautii Zindagii Kay and didn8217;t think that Mihir8217;s character would prove bullish at the soap exchange. Jimulia first met Roy as a 14-year-old on the sets of his film Deewane Pyar Ke. 8216;8216;No, I wasn8217;t heartbroken when he decided to tie the knot,8217;8217; retorts the young woman who now wants to design a website for him.

Hero worship is passeacute;, according to Sudha Chandran who feels that she has unleashed a new breed of vamp voters with her portrayal of Ramola Sikand in Kaahin Kissii Roz. 8216;8216;I received my biggest compliment when I saw a couple trying to tune the colour gradation on their TV set. The husband told his wife to wait until KKR and that if Mumji8217;s sari and lipstick shade matched, their TV8217;s colour tuning would be perfect.8221;

And whether she goes to Mumbai8217;s Santacruz or Vile Parle markets, she spots Ramola Sikand jewellery and bindis all over.

Shivpuri, Kyunki8217;s 86-year-old Ba, sheds about 20 years to be her own age in a salwar kurta. You instantly know why she8217;s everyone8217;s favourite grandma, since she calls everyone in the vicinity beta in a most endearing tone that8217;s perfect off camera too. 8216;8216;The biggest compliment for me has been when parents approach me and tell me that children who used to greet them saying 8216;Hi8217; now touch their feet,8217;8217; she says.

Balaji8217;s blue-eyed boy Verma, on the other hand, is glad that he has been able to shed the Anupam Kapadia identity from Kyunki. 8216;8216;I deliberately chose to host a game show, but I hear that most women in their 40s and 50s want a son-in-law just like me,8217;8217; he grins. With two films, two serials Kyunki and Arzoo Hai Tu, one winning gameshow and another in the making Jaadu for Star Plus, Verma8217;s grown into a cult figure on the box.

That8217;s not to say the other stars don8217;t share the icing. 8216;8216;TV has given me a new lease of life,8217;8217; admits Bedi, who has received several offers to anchor shows across the country post World Cup. In fact, Minister of Health Sushma Swaraj chose Bedi as the host of a ground event for World Population Day, after watching her in action at the World Tobacco Day in Mumbai. Most recently, Bedi8217;s signed up as the hostess of a geophysicists8217; conference to be held in Hyderabad. 8216;8216;Why not? I learn something new everyday,8217;8217; replies Bedi, when asked about this strange, new assignment. Iraani is the brand ambassador for all of three brands8212;Milton, Johnson 038; Johnson and Stayfree, and reveals that she8217;s turned down sari and bindi endorsements. Roy also informs that a steady bulk of corporate shows pour into his schedule. 8216;8216;The most momentous one was when I performed at the Afro-Asian Games in front of an audience of 12,000.8217;8217;

Of course, it8217;s easy to hide the warts8212;superficial or otherwise beneath all the war paint. 8216;8216;I look terrible without make-up,8217;8217; moans Iraani. 8216;8216;I8217;ve realised that I can never be frivolous or act unlike Tulsi.8217;8217; While Roy8217;s biggest woe is that he can never stumble out of a bar or get drunk in the presence of a bunch of women. Apart from the 18-hour shift, Shivpuri8217;s realised that the public is shell-shocked if she8217;s found buying mutton. 8216;8216;A group of Gujju ladies was aghast and said, 8216;Ba tame mutton khau che?8217; You eat mutton?8217;8217;