Bollywood: Unsung Heroines of Indian Film industry

A look at the industry's women of substance who deserve a far better deal than glamour-obsessed production houses are prepared to give them

They aren't anywhere close to the top perch of the Power List of Bollywood heroines - never mind the fact that they are rated as 'super talented' and are leagues ahead of the glamour girls when it comes to acting prowess. They have all had their origins either in theatre or in off-mainstream cinema. Another common factor: they've all been fêted with awards galore and are, for sure, well-read and able to hold a conversation devoid of a compulsive narcissistic disorder.

UNDER APPRECIATED: Konkona Sen Sharma and Richa Chadda
Before them, it was Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil and, to a degree, Nandita Das, who succeeded in straddling both worlds: cinema of the escapist, hyper-commercial kind and uncompromising endeavours geared towards excellence in quality rather than enormous financial profit. Fortuitously, these artistes could carry off the tightrope walk between the bipolar realms of fantasy and realism.
Today, there appears to be no path to walk on. In fact, I was quite startled when an immensely talented actress told me, "I don't want to become the next Nandita Das. I want to work with Aditya Chopra, Karan Johar and, above all, Rajkumar Hirani. I see myself as typical Bollywood heroine material: I can look good, dance well, carry off designer clothes and act too. But since I started off in unconventional, risk-taking films, I've been branded as an art house actress."
Evidently frazzled, she hopes to get a call from directors of cushily-bankrolled extravaganzas some day. If not, she says, "I'll just pack up and get married to a suitable man. For a single girl, Mumbai is a tough city to live in; there's no point being a fringe-dweller. Believe me, I'm being honest and practical."
If I don't mention this powerhouse actress by name, it's to keep her from being ostracised for her frank talk. She did want to go on record when Priyanka Chopra bagged the title role of Mary Kom though, as she felt she was the right choice after completing her audition.
It's the rule of the game. After all, in commercial terms, Priyanka Chopra's presence in the biopic of the real-life boxing star did fetch more footfalls. Like it or not, a heroine who already commands instant interest at the cash counters is the first option.
Over, then, to the actresses of substance who, I think, deserve a better deal, starting with Richa Chadda. After an impressive cameo in Dibakar Bannerjee's Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, she has since knocked on the doors of countless film production offices with no luck, which meant earning a living by acting in theatre and snapping up ad films that came her way. Anurag Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur, in which Richa portrayed Nawazuddin Shah's character's mother, turned out to be a game-changer of sorts. She was noticed, and picked up the Critics Award for Best Actress trophy at the Filmfare Awards.
Yet, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela is the only mainstream film Richa has appeared in, playing second fiddle to Deepika Padukone, of course. Subsequently, the ?former has excelled essentially in off-the-wall, medium-budget films, ranging from Fukrey (as a rough-talking don, no less) to this year's critically-lauded Masaan and Main aur Charles. Next in line, there's the Pooja Bhatt-produced Cabaret. Not a bad zone to be in, but the radar of the top guns in the trade considers a Kangana Ranaut or a Katrina Kaif as safer bets.
Similarly, Huma Qureshi, who, like Richa, arrived from Delhi to gamble at the Bollywood roulette, has been ghettoised. "She's an actress, but not a star," goes the callous Bollywood mantra, despite outstanding performances by her in D-Day and Badlapur.
Indeed, as Rishi Kapoor, who has a flair for talent-spotting, put it, "Huma's a gorgeous girl, which is why I've often harassed her to lose weight. A Bollywood heroine requires acting talent, yes, but she must also fit into the mould of heroines who slog it out at gyms to stay in shape."
Presently, Huma is filming British Indian director Gurinder Chadha's Viceroy's House (the remake of the Hollywood horror film Oculus) in Rajasthan, and a Malayalam film called White. She's busy all right, but her chances of crossing swords with the frontline heroes are, at best, remote.
Kalki Koechlin - who belted out steel-strong performances in Dev D, That Girl in Yellow Boots, and Margarita, with a Straw - doesn't fit into the mould either. Since she looks Western and is of French heritage, Kalki hasn't quite made the crossover to the blockbusters. She did show up in the Karan Johar-produced Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, albeit predictably in a supporting ensemble part. Sadly, her separation from her mentor-turned-husband, Anurag Kashyap, seems to have affected her career graph. Left with no alternative, she's now frequen-tly seen in experimental theatre.
Lamentably, the incomparable Konkona Sen Sharma also seems to have thrown in the towel. Besides Bengali films, she made an impact with her nuanced acts in the Mumbai-confected Life in a. Metro, Wake Up Sid, Luck by Chance, also Omkara and the more rec-ent Talvar. However, in the tradition of her formidably gifted mother, Aparna Sen, Konkana has announced that she too is disenchanted with the projects being offered to her. She's, therefore, in the midst of writing a script that she will direct herself.
Moral of the story: in the sphere of Bollywood stardom, glamour sells. Acting ability doesn't.