Spotlight on stereotypes

Star views

Actors usually say that they are open to playing any kind of role and wouldn’t like to be typecast. Women clearly don’t want to be seen only running around trees and want to do more. They are choosy when it comes to picking their projects because they want to be remembered for variety. 

A clear example of this is actor Priyamani, who was offered very similar projects, after she won a National Award for her performance in ‘Paruthiveeran’. Priyamani says that she has been a victim of being typecast several times. “Post ‘Paruthiveeran’, I started getting a lot projects with a similar storyline but I consciously stayed way from accepting them. I immediately worked on another project called ‘Malaikottai’ which did well to bring out another facet of mine. I not only enjoyed working on the project but it also did well to take away the risk of being typecast,” reasons Priyamani.

She says that she’s not against working on projects which belong to the same genre but prefers to try out as many different subjects as possible. “I am fortunate that I have been getting offers where I have played glamorous and non-glamorous roles. Thankfully, most of my roles have been appreciated by the audience and talked about as well,” adds Priyamani.

Model-turned-actor Pooja Chopra, whose last film was ‘Ouch’ opposite Manoj Bajpayee, is sad that actors are always at the risk of being typecast. “The moment an actor excels in a particular role and the film does well, the same actor will get offers to play similar roles. If I play a teenager in one project and a romantic role in another, I make sure that I also work in a film that offers a negative shade,” feels Pooja.

Today, even the seniormost actors, have to sometimes do a screen test before the director can take them in for a particular role. “These screen tests are good because they prove that actors who have been working in a particular genre for a long time are also capable of essaying a different type of role. It pays for actors to take risks and get out of their comfort zone,” says Pooja.      

Actor Tina Ahuja feels that it is best to go with the flow rather than reviewing the progress. “I don’t think an actor needs to be bothered about what other people are saying, as long as he or she believes in what they are doing. If an actor enjoys working in a particular genre, then I don’t see anything wrong with sticking to that genre because one can be a master at everything,” reasons Tina.

    She feels that comments and criticism will always be there. “If an actor’s movie rakes in Rs 200 crore and if the same actor’s next movie does badly, then people are quick to blame it on the role. I don’t think that’s the right approach. Actors must do what they are comfortable doing and stick to their beliefs,” she adds.

Actor Elli Avram says that she always picks her projects after a lot of thought and makes sure that there’s no repetition. “I would rather wait for the right script to come by than be in a hurry to sign projects. I am tired of being tagged as ‘that cute, bubbly girl’. This is a cliched way of talking about any actor who has acted in more than one romantic film,” feels Elli.

She hopes that this mindset among directors, producers and the audience will change. “There must be more auditions in the film industry. This will ensure that actors get a chance to try out different types of roles and decide what they are good at,” she adds. Elli is presently shooting for her film ‘Naam Shabana’ which also has Akshay Kumar essaying an interesting role.