Bollywood hottie Rani Mukherjee on Koffee with Karan said that the bond she shares with Black director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is unmatched. Which left many wondering if playing a role that is dark and intense leaves a lasting impression on not just the actor’s psyche, but also spurs their need to play more such characters.
Playing a character with a disability has become a dream of many tinseltown stars. After Hrithik Roshan gave a scintillating performance as a paraplegic in Guzaarish and Amitabh Bachchan played the character of a boy suffering from progeria in Paa, actress Soha Ali Khan is now following suit with the character of a deaf girl in her next movie. She is even learning sign language for it.
In the past, Aamir Khan has portrayed the character of a man suffering from short-term memory loss in Ghajini and Shah Rukh Khan played the role of a person suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome in My Name is Khan.
Do intense roles challenge an star’s acting prowess? Agrees actress Ayesha Kapoor of Black fame. “Such roles are powerful yet challenging. Starting my career with such a character has boosted my acting skills and has opened new doors for me in the film industry. I don’t mind playing another such character in the future.”
Director Mahesh Bhatt thinks that such characters raise the dramatic latitude of a star. “In 1983, Sridevi, who brilliantly portrayed the character of a young woman who regresses to childhood after suffering a head injury in film Sadma got Sridevi her first Filmfare nomination for Best Actress.”
Youngsters feel that bold roles prove that Bollywood is beyond item-numbers and masala. “It’s a surely a win-win situation for stars, as their fans want to see them in a different avatar,” says Shobhit Sujay, a movie buff.