One person many looks

As Bollywood witnesses a rise in off-beat roles,actors are now open to on-screen experimentations.

There was a time when actors in Bollywood feared to experiment. For years together they sported the same look. But of late actors are willing to experiment and have been sporting goatees,bald pates,curls et al. Some of them like John Abraham and Vidya Balan have also experimented with their physique.

Abraham bulked up for Nishikant Kamats film Force and then dropped 10 kgs for Desi Boyz in 10 days! His trainer Vinod Channa reportedly said,It was tough to gain eight kilos and still maintain six-pack abs. John and I would keep changing exercise and diet regimes almost everyday to achieve the desired results. I also checked regularly and saw how his body was reacting to each plan,and then altered it accordingly.

But Abraham is not the only actor to have taken a chance with his on-screen looks. Throughout his filmi career,Aamir Khan has demonstrated his ability to metamorphose his looks according to the character he played. In his forthcoming film Talaash directed by Reema Kagti,the actor who plays a tough cop,has gone for a close crop and a stache moustache,a stark contrast to his clean-shaven next-door-guy look in 3 Idiots.

Next on the list is Shah Rukh Khan who,in RA.One,sported two different looks. As the well-groomed,blue-eyed G.One,he sported a clean-shaven look and for his character Shekhar Subramaniam,the actor had curly hair. In his forthcoming film Don2,SRK is expected to sport a rugged,messy look with long locks!

Lets face it,earlier actors looked the same in every film. But nowadays due to the strong characters that they essay in films,actors have started experimenting with their looks, says Dilshad Pastakia,who styled Shah Rukh Khans look in RA.One and Don2. The hair stylist adds that compared to their male counterparts,actresses arent too open to the idea of experimentation. Thats because they still do not get strong roles that require them to experiment as much.

And yet Kangna Ranaut and Vidya Balan have taken a chance with their looks in Miley Naa Miley Hum and The Dirty Picture respectively. While Ranaut shed her curly locks for a short hairdo in MNMH,Balan added a few kilos for Milan Luthrias film. As an increasing number of actors seem willing to experiment with their on-screen looks,one needs to wait and watch if this trend is here to stay.