Television stars: What happens once the glamour wears off?

They are a part of our lives, day after day, week after week, involving us in their daily struggles, conspiracies, triumphs. These are the stars of the small screen, with whom the nation’s television viewers come to empathise with as they get hooked to the daily soaps. 

The Hindi GEC has seen some long running shows – ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kahi Bahu Thi’, ‘Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki’, ‘Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’, ‘Balika Vadhu’, ‘Sasural Simar Ka’, ‘CID’ and more, with hugely popular characters like Tulsi and the Virani family; Anandi; Jethalal and the residents of Gokuldham Society; ACP Pradyuman and his band of crime fighters. As viewers, we have remained invested in their lives on screen and – thanks to social media – off screen as well. 

Several years back, Arun Govil became a much revered personality for playing the role of Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s mythological epic ‘Ramayan’ on Doordarshan. Deepika Chikhalia, who essayed the role of Sita, even had a short stint in politics. 

The whole nation mourned the ‘death’ of Mihir Virani (played by Amar Upadhyay) in ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kahi Bahu Thi’. So much so that the show’s producers had to bring him back – and a crazy back story as to how he survived. Smriti Zubin Irani, who played Tulsi Virani, Mihir’s wife, is now the Information & Broadcasting Minister in the Modi Government. 

It is intriguing to look at the life of television stars after their show comes to an end, or when they quit the show. Some are ‘knocked off’ as their character becomes redundant, some leave in search of fresh pastures in Bollywood (Himanshu Malik, Prachi Desai, Sushant Singh Rajput), and some leave after acrimonious spats (Shilpa Shinde aka Angoori Bhabhi of ‘Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hai’). Well, we could even count in Sunil Grover, who quit ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’ after the infamous mid-air ‘fight’ with the popular comedian. 

How does life after television serials look like for the small screen stars? With a whole bunch of newcomers waiting in the wings for that one break, there is no dearth of new talent in this field. And producers do look out for fresh faces. How does one cope with the highly competitive life, where ‘Fame is a fickle friend…Celebrity is as celebrity does’ (as Gilderoy Lockhart advised Harry Potter in ‘The Chamber of Secrets’). 

Sunjoy Waddhwa, CMD, Sphereorigins, remarked, “If an actor is only restricted to playing lead roles, then obviously the lifespan is limited. Apart from doing lead roles, one has to perform other character parts as well, because television is all about characters. If actors explore doing several roles, then there is a long run life span.” 

He further said that finding that one perfect face is a challenge as television actors are more attracted towards a career in Bollywood. He also lamented the fact that there are very few who come as a prepared actor. “We have to do so many auditions just to get a new face with inherited acting genes,” he added. 

Agreeing with this, Kinaari Mehta of Jay Mehtaa Productions, said, “It is a major challenge to get infusion of new faces in this industry, which is full of alluring and talented performers. But if you get a new face, it always works big time. There won’t be any kind of baggage on the character and he/she will be known by the new character.” 

Jay Mehtaa of Jay Mehtaa Productions, on the other hand, disagreed that the lifespan of television actors is short. He pointed out that there are several veteran actors who have continued to roll with the same grace on television screens for the last 10-15 years. “They may, however, need to take a break from the small screen from time to time due to fatigue factor. The actors are mainly recognised by the characters they portray in a particular show,” he noted. 

What do TV stars have to say? 

Neha Saxena:

“Actors’ lifespan mostly depends upon the TRPs of their show – some shows run for good many years, while some go off air very soon. In other words, one can assume that the lifespan of actors is directly proportional to the popularity of their show. It definitely makes a difference when you are seen on the screen where you get more attention, more adulation from everyone; basically, it’s a matter of out of sight, out of mind!” 

Shakti Arora:

“It’s actually very less, but if they agree to play a role in a reasonable budget, then the lifespan gets automatically accelerated. If the artist is very popular, then no matter what, life is always there. For actors, ups and downs are a part of their lives. No one stays up all the time and no one stays down all the time in this industry.”

 

Parul Chauhan:

“There is no average life span as such, it depends on what kind of work you are doing, it depends on your luck, and it depends on your attitude towards your work, your nature, and your behaviour. All these matter a lot. We have seen a lot of senior actors working on small screens. So, you need that passion plus luck, and you will be able to work forever. Every person has that grace and positivity towards their work, so if they are able to carry it forward, then one will be able to work in this field forever.” 

 

Divyajyotee Sharma:

“It’s true that everything has a shelf life. One generation replaces another. Be it TV or films, being seen on-screen is important. One needs to be constantly seen in shows or films as out of sight is out of mind. Lead actors in TV shows are mostly young; senior actors may fit in relevant stories and need to re-invent too.” 

 

Mrunal Jain:

“It all depends on your body of work and luck factor. Of course, the lifespan is limited, but sometimes it also depends on a particular script. It might happen that the show you are doing has gained popularity and is in the TRP market or sometimes it might also go off-air. Sometimes you just need a break after a long running show and you may enter back. Divyanka Tripathi is a classic example of an actress coming back after a long break.” 

 

Urvashi Dholakia:

“I have been in the industry for the past 33 years and will still move ahead with same vivacity.”