Not so serious: Actors take a detour with light-hearted roles
There was a time in Hindi cinema when actors stuck to their USP — action, romance or comedy. But, with Bollywood’s landscape evolving like never before, actors have begun to play with themes and genres of late.
Away from serious themes and thrillers we’re used to seeing them in, actors such as Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Manoj Bajpayee and Akshaye Khanna are taking the road they’ve travelled less on to give the audience — and themselves — a breather with comedies. Safe to add to this list are Akshay Kumar, who left the audience in splits with Housefull 4 and Good Newwz (both 2019) a long time after playing the common man hero, and Saif Ali Khan, whose quirky avatar in Jawaani Jaaneman has been a refresher from his heavy-duty, intense demeanour in Sacred Games, Laal Kaptaan and Tanhaji - The Unsung Warrior.
Akshay says the versatility in his filmography of late — from PadMan and Gold (both 2018) to Kesari and Mission Mangal and then Housefull 4 (all 2019) — is a result of what he’s been “taught by critics”. He explains, “When I started my career, I only did action films and comedy, and they said in their reviews that ‘He does this only, yeh kuch aur karta nahi hai’. Then, I actually started thinking a lot that I have to show them that I can do different kinds of roles, and then I started doing it.”
Saif, who regaled us with rom-coms Hum Tum (2004) and Salaam Namaste (2005), comes back to the space with Jawaani Jaaneman. “It is a good, fun and light zone,” he said in a recent interview. The same could be said for his co-star Tabu, who is rarely seen dabbling in comedy.
When it comes to Akshaye, there’s no doubt he has been impressing the audience with films such as Mom (2017) and Section 375 (2019), but it had been a while since fans saw his Hungama (2003) and Hulchul (2004) touch. Then came Sab Kushal Mangal, which the actor described as a “sweet and innocent film”.
Nawazuddin, known for his grip over intense roles, was also happy to experiment with the comedy genre in Motichoor Chaknachoor last year, more so after his Ganesh Gaitonde act in the second season of Sacred Games. The actor tells us, “We can’t carry forward the hangover of one character to another.”
Taking a break from his spate of serious on-screen avatars is also Manoj, whose lighter side will be seen in Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari, a family entertainer set in Mumbai of the 1990s.
Giving an interesting take on “reverse casting”, Yami Gautam, who did two projects as varied as Uri: The Surgical Strike and Bala last year, says it takes an “actor and director to have faith in each other” while attempting a project different from a zone that the artiste is known for.
When I started my career, I only did action films and comedy, and they [critics] said in their reviews, ‘Yeh kuch aur karta nahi hai’. I started thinking that I have to show them I can do different kinds of roles, and then I started doing it.
AKSHAY KUMAR ACTOR Doing such a role (Motichoor...) made me feel mentally light also. It is difficult to pull yourself out of a dark character, and as actors, we have to escape from the trappings of a character to take on new roles...
NAWAZUDDIN SIDDIQUI ACTOR