On a high horse

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On a high horse

Anushka Sharma is at risk of not evolving as an actress given her stereotypical roles — and high-handed attitude. Giving her company is Sonakshi Sinha

By Khalid Mohamed

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Published: Fri 25 Jan 2013, 5:29 PM

Last updated: Tue 7 Apr 2015, 8:31 PM

Hype kills. The year’s first major release — Vishal Bharadwaj’s Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola — was so extensively publicised that it led to great expectations and consequent disappointment. The incoherent story about a despotic, feudal overlord who becomes a reform-seeking socialist as soon as he gets drunk, was meant to be absurdly comic. Sorry, it hardly evoked any guffaws or belly laughs from the audience.

Pankaj Kapur as the despot with the split personality knocked out an accomplished performance. On the other hand, the leading man Imran Khan was lifeless, while Anushka Sharma overacted to the hilt. Indeed, the 24-year-old heroine, who was introduced in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi by the Yashraj banner some four years ago, opposite Shah Rukh Khan no less, quickly needs a reality check — plus a refresher course in the principles of acting. In all the seven films she has done so far, she screams, shouts, smiles from ear to ear, flays her arms around like a windmill, and delivers her dialogue at such a rat-a-tat speed that often you can’t figure out what on earth she’s saying. Sheer gobbledygook.

Indeed, she went ballistic in Jab Tak Hai Jaan, as a TV reporter. And gets worse in Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola. Cast as Bijlee, she displays her oomph by emerging from a pond, jumps instead of walking and generally employs a body language which suggest that she needs tranquilisers To be fair, when she went over-the-top in Band Baaja Baarat, the overacting worked, since it suited the character of the crafty wedding planner she was portraying. After that, there has been no variation at all.

TAKE IT EASY PLEASE!: InMatru ki Bijlee ka Mandola, Anushka employs a body language which suggest that she needs tranquilisers

Also, her interviews suggest a personality who’s brash and far too full of herself. She shouts out from the rooftops that she is the first choice of the quality-conscious directors, be it Rajkumar Hirani or Anurag Kashyap. Her publicity machinery ensures that every little statement of hers is printed as if it was a pearl of wisdom. And in recent weeks, she has featured on the covers of every film magazine. Inevitably, she always underlines the point that she doesn’t care a whit if her former boyfriend, Ranveer Singh, is now dating Deepika Padukone. It seems it’s his loss entirely.

You might think this is being too harsh to Anushka Sharma. Not really. Accustomed to fawning flattery and unqualified praise, quite a few newcomers never evolve as artistes. They have to be reminded that restraint is a virtue. Adding subtle nuances to a character are a must for every actor, however fresh he or she may be from the Bollywood oven. That’s why a Vidya Balan, who approaches every role of hers methodically, has attained a long-lasting career and should serve as a role-model for the upcoming generation.

At last year’s end, another young actress demonstrated that she still has to grasp the alphabet of acting. Twenty-five-year-old Sonakshi Sinha may have toted super-hits galore but cannot be described as a fine actress by any stretch of the imagination. Far too cosmeticised and kitschily dressed, she has played second fiddle to Salman Khan in the Dabangg series, to Akshay Kumar in Rowdy Rathore, and to Ajay Devgn in Son of Sardar. Curiously, her father Shatrughan Sinha has not helped her in selecting scripts which could give her a role that at least has a smidgen of substance.

Incidentally, Sonakshi Sinha has also spread herself thin in the media, ironically on the matter of her extra kilos. She never fails to emphasise that Indians like women to be a bit “on the heavier side”. Plus, she never fails to point out that the ubiquitous Ranveer Singh was never a factor in her private life.

Seriously, both Anushka and Sonakshi could do with some acting classes, the sort that allow them to vary their performances instead of looking like wind-up dolls.

Perhaps the disappointing box office show of Matru Ki Bijlee ka Mandola, may entice Anushka to review her performances, acquire a measure of voice modulation and speak through silences rather than go blah-blah-blah till you’re bored to the point of annoyance. Acting matters, not hype.


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