Daring to be different

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For someone like Rishi Kapoor, it took a few decades to come out of his ‘chocolate boy’ image and do different kinds of roles. After being praised by critics for his grey character in Agneepath, he is again being appreciated for his role in D-Day. And it’s not just Kapoor, several actors have taken their time to come out of the character mould they have been placed in. Arjun Rampal took his time before experimenting with diverse characters. However, the new generation of actors seems to be taking the plunge as soon as they enter the industry.
So if Sushant Singh Rajput, who portrayed a small town guy in Kai Po Che, will now be seen in a completely romantic character in his next Shudh Desi Romance and then playing a detective in Dibakar Banerjee’s next; someone like Richa Chadha who bagged the Filmfare debut actor award, has been very cautious while selecting her roles. And these are not the only ones, there’s a long list of new actors who want to be on an experimental spree rather than being comfortable with what works for them.
Kalki Koechlin, who started off with a bold character in her first film DevD and has done various kinds of roles since then — from the arty The Girl In Yellow Boots to the commercial Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, thinks experiments helps an actor to push the boundaries. “Picking up different kinds of roles is a conscious effort to not be typecast and continue to surprise and improve myself. I believe in getting out of my comfort zone once in a while, that’s when I learn the most,” she says.
Actor Gulshan Devaiah won accolades for his portrayal of a drug dealer in internationally acclaimed film Peddlers and then went on to do a grey character in Hate Story, and is now doing a rom-com. According to him, the new actors are more than ready to shun their comfort zone to stand out in an industry that’s buzzing with new talent. “At present, everyone who comes to become an actor has got good professional training. They know what they want out of themselves. I try out new characters because I don’t want to be a part of any one category. The only thing I have always been sure of is not to do similar characters or portray something which is similar to ‘the real’ me,” says Gulshan.
Actor Richa Chadha thinks that this is the right time to experiment. “Unlike earlier, when an audience had issues with seeing a ‘hero’ or ‘heroine’ in a negative role, now they accept the actors in any role they portray. They have grown with exposure to world cinema,” she says, adding that she feels liabilities on the younger actors or newcomers are lesser, giving them more space to experiment.