No need to wait for a Hrithik Roshan or Akshay Kumar starrer movie if you want to enjoy some breathtaking stunts and action. Evidently, Bollywood actresses don’t want to just dance around trees or sing in the rain any longer. With an aim to add some substance to their role, our sexy sirens now intend to do some action-oriented roles. Glamorous action if we may call it…
We caught Bipasha performing some awesome stunts in Race and Dhoom II and Aishwarya Rai swinging the sword in the historical epic Jodhaa-Akbar, not to forget her action-oriented role in Dhoom II. Koena is playing a superwoman in Karna.
“It’s only after doing it that I realised how exciting doing action is,” Aishwarya Rai Bachchan says. Besides Jodhaa Akbar in which she wielded the sword, the charming beauty also did several stunts for the Hollywood film, The Last Legion. “Now that I have got a good taste of it, I just can’t wait to do action stunts again and again. It is truly thrilling to do sword fights or for that matter jumping off from a cliff.”
We had a dialogue with some actresses who have recently taken up action-oriented roles:
- Priyanka Chopra for Drona
Ex-Miss World Priyanka Chopra now seems to be pining for a new title — Bollywood’s Action Diva. She harks back to the comic book heroine of yore in Goldie Behl’s Drona, a la Uma Thurman in Kill Bill. Priyanka learnt a special strain of the martial arts for her role in the action drama. “I had learnt some kung fu for Don. But this is different. It is a full-on action movie for me, with kicks and somersaults galore. I quite enjoyed the cuts and bruises. I did,” says Priyanka beaming bright.
She adds, “Before the shooting I took training for Gatka, which is a focused form of fighting from Punjab . A trainer was called from Ludhiana
Priyanka agrees that her Drona-look and body language are unlike anything she has done before. Grapevine has it that she decided to do all the action sequence on her own despite doctor’s warning. While performing the stunts, she even ended up hurting her leg again. “If we can pull off dramas, comedies - then why can’t we do action films?” she justifies, when asked why drove her into action movies.
- Neha Dhupia for Singh is Kinng
Neha Dhupia has been commended for her stunts by critics in this mega-hit. As per the actress, performing the stunts never frightened or upset her. “It’s no big deal, really,” she says, “People thought they were breathtaking stunts but I just took a deep breath and did them. I had to be on a yacht, sailing and beating up bad boys, and then I had to step out of a limousine and shoot them down. All this was easy, except that I had to do it wearing a gown!”
All we would say is, well done!
- Deepika Padukone for Chandni Chowk to
Famous badminton player’s daughter Deepika Padukone might not be a sportsperson herself but she does have that spirit. Quite new to tinseltown, the actress wants to prove her mettle in all genres, including action.
“For Chandni Chowk to China, I have learned jujitsu – it’s a form of martial arts which is very famous in China China
Quite impressed with her co-actor in the film, Ajay Devgan says, “Heroines are as strong as heroes. Deepika is all set to give a heady rush of adrenaline to audiences with action scenes in Nikhil Advani’s Chandni Chowk To China opposite Akshay Kumar.” Deepika asserts that the trend of more heroines taking up action roles itself shows that with the evolution of the Hindi film industry, women are getting to do more in films than just dance around trees.
You have a point, lady.
- Jiah Khan for Ghajini
Ghajini’s shooting getting stalled right now doesn’t stop this young performer from grinning. Jiah Khan is quite ecstatic about the stunts she has done so far for the film. She purportedly has as threatening stunts in the movie as Aamir. Ask her about the movie and prompt comes the reply, “I am really sorry. I am not allowed to talk about the film. But yes, you will find me doing a lot of action in Ghajini. What else do you think I had to lose my weight for?” She adds, “For the first time I have done stunts and it was great fun. From day one I started practice. It has been really exciting and working in this film is definitely the most special phase of my life so far.”
Action In Vogue
Many Bollywood heroines seem to have been inspired to take up action. Even a newcomer like Shruti Hasan is doing action sequences in the film Luck starring Imran Khan and Sanjay Dutt.
As per cute Ayesha Takia, she has already worked in most genres and now wants to prove herself as an action star. “Action movies are all set to make a comeback. And I would be more than happy to be a part of it,” says she. Probably, she wants to dodge out of her cutie pie image.
Commenting on the trend, Amrita Rao said, “I would love to do an action flick. In fact I find myself fortunate that I entered the film industry during a phase when actresses are doing so much and have longer terms.”
But some commentators feel that Bollywood actresses are being forced to experiment with the action genre as films are still written keeping the hero in mind. In fact, even films like Chak De India and Bheja Fry did not have a leading lady.
“We are in an era when the role of the conventional Hindi leading lady is fast getting marginalised,” says Bollywood historian Derek Bose. He adds, “Today, it is either a comedy or an action flick that can assure you a box-office draw. If an actress has to find employment she has to choose between the two.”
Fearless Nadia
Hunterwali, Pahadi Kanya, Miss Frontier Mail, Lutaru Lalna, Punjab Mail, Diamond Queen, Bombaiwali, Jungle Princess and Hunterwali ki Beti used to run houseful. In the 1930s and 40s, Bollywood heroines did not have important roles in action films. Thanks to Mary Evans, the supposed first stunt-woman of Hindi cinema — who was popularly known as the Fearless Nadia. Mary’s odd roles and stunts made her quite popular with the audiences.
Riding a horse with a whip in hand, fencing with villains atop running trains, swinging from chandeliers and doing stunts without resorting to stuntmen — Mary Evans gave a new look to Indian cinema, hurling the myth of the docile heroine into air.
She undoubtedly had gets out of the ordinary and did believe in what she did. As she once said, “I walk my own road. And I can never get lost on my path. Acting is beyond dancing around the trees and singing to the moon, fully-clad in a sari.”
A theatre artiste and an actress who had worked in foreign films, Nadia entered the Hindi film industry in 1933 by debuting in Wadia Movietone’s Lal-e-Yaman. Two years later, she donned tight pants, high boots, a revealing shirt and a whip in her hand to become synonymous with the title of her movie Hunterwali.
Whatever be the reason, the good thing is that Bollywood has now finally started thinking out of the box. Indian heroine will no more be a coy and faint-hearted doe-eyed beauty (that we were quite bored of seeing), but a bold and beautiful charmer who is now a rescuer and no more the rescued.
No comments:
Post a Comment