Mumbai, April 20: In a star crazed B-town, youth has its own appeal! With leading Bollywood heroines such as Tabu, Rani Mukerji, Kajol struggling to find decent roles, it is evident that the shelf life of B-town beauties in on a steep decline.
Actresses who hit the silver screen in 90’s like Priety Zinta, Rani Mukerji, Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai are fast fading to oblivion. Talking about this ubiquitously unique phenomenon to a newspaper, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt said, “Even in Hollywood Julia Roberts is feeling the tremors of the end. Whether you’re a streetwalker, an actor or in any other glamorous profession, there is a premium on youth. One can’t flinch away from the fact that an actor has a limited shelf life; and in this consumerist age where society is youth-obsessed, there is no place for people beyond a particular age. Even a child in an average school wants his mother to look like the young, television mother in a soap opera or a television commercial. Age controls the days and the nights of the entertainment world.”
Indeed, in Bollywood, the young guns rule the roost. It is a fact that Aishwarya lost jewelry deal, doll and a bath soap endorsement to petite Katrina Kaif. With Priyanka and Kareena becoming the new hot property of B-town, Akshay’s teaming up with young Jiah Khan, Ajay Devgan and Salman vying for Asin, Shahrukh sizzling with Deepika, Shahid yearning to romance Genelia and Abhishek making a cute pair with Sonam; Bollywood is undergoing a sea change where 90’s beauties are struggling to find their rhythm.
According to writer Vindo Mirani, “They’re (90’s actresses such as Priety Zinta, Rani Mukerji, Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai ) considered for the occasional meaty role, but with the production numbers having gone down, the roles have dried up for the older lot. The heroes well into their 40s invariably ask their producers to get them younger heroines.’’ A filmmaker quipped “In Bollywood, the heroines are absolutely inter-changeable; switching Deepika with Katrina makes no difference to a project.