Actresses on TV are taking some risky and bold steps, like getting bald in reality for the character. A trend which was started by Krutika Desai in Uttaran is carried forward by Rinku Karmarkar in Yeh Vaada Raha. Sangeeta Yadav talks to the showmakers & actors about this trend on the small screen

It’s very rare to see actresses on the small screen play their character convincingly. But of late, there are many who have shed the stereotype image that goes with the lead actresses — lots of make-up, heavy jewellery and zari saris — to wear simple cotton saris and no heavy jewellery. Today, women don’t fear to look de-glam and are even willing to shave their lustrous locks.

Krutika Desai became the first woman to experiment with her looks by going bald for her show Uttaran in 2013. It made a lot of noise in the TV fraternity. She not only left a lasting impression by playing a vengeful mother-in-law but also bagged a lot of appreciation from viewers for taking such a bold step.

“From donning a modern avatar to playing typical saas-bahu, I’ve tried it all in these 27 years of my profession. So, I have been there, done that, including going bald for the show. Maybe I was the first one but it made it easier for others to try it out without inhibition. Shaving off your head requires a lot of guts and confidence that you will look different yet beautiful,” Krutika Desai tells you, who is busy shooting these days shooting for her TV show Mere Aangne Mein.

Now all eyes are on Rinku Karmarkar who has gone bald for Yeh Vaada Raha. “To pull up the TRP we have made Taai’s character more interesting. With the bald look, my character will look stronger and more powerful. It’s going to be a lot of fun and I’m liking the whole aspect of going bald,” Karmarkar says.

The present track has taken a twist  high on drama and emotions where Taai’s son Kartik (Ankush Arora) has gone against her to marry Survi (Sonal Vengurlekar). In protest Taai tonsured her head at a shraadh ceremony of Survi and her father Shrikant to mark the end of an old enemity but the beginning of another and even more dangerous one.

But the idea of going bald came up since Karmarkar was willing to challenge herself and lift this character. “I was tired of wearing the wig and pins. These would itch and cause a lot of pain to my scalp. One day I told everyone of the set that wig pehnane se acha Taai ko takla kar do. The makers were astonished to hear it and asked if I was serious about it. looking at my willingness, they had a meeting with the channel and decided to bring the change,” Karmarkar tells you, for whom what mattered was the plot be weaved in a better way.

“I was not concerned about going bald. My only concern was the track should run smoothly. It should justify and not look abrupt. I was given the option to use the prosthetics but it didn’t look good. So, I decided to go bald. I’ve got so many compliments that it takes a lot of guts for an actress to go bald. But I didn’t shave off my hair to prove that I am gutsy,” Karmarkar says.

For the makers, it was a challenge to ensure that the change in the track didn’t appear abrupt and yet give it a twist that would take it to a point where it would generate curiosity among the viewers.

In order to give the audience the actual emotions that one goes through when one goes bald, the whole thing was shot live. “Rinku went bald live on television and it took us more than five hours to shoot it as we wanted to capture all the expressions. People were shocked to see Taai going bald and the reason for such a drastic step. We had to show the deep-rooted hatred that Taai had not just through her dialogues  but actions as well. She is the female version of Shakaal or Mogamoo who were the most villainous characters of Bollywood films,” Mahesh Pandey, scriptwriter of Yeh Waada Raha tells you.

Another aspect that the showmakers had to keep in mind was that even though Taai was going bald, the evilness and revengeful side should not die. “A lot of importance has been given to her jewellery and clothing. Her character is loud and she does the unexpected,” Pandey says hoping that this attempt would give a lot of courage to other actresses to take such bold steps for the characters they play.

While Karmarkar herself suggested going bald, she had to think several times whether to take such a big step for the sake of a role. “There have been many times earlier when I wanted to go bald but didn’t do it because of the fear of not getting  the result that I want. You are an actress so how can you go baldIJ These thoughts came back to me. But somebody rightly said that what has to happen will happen with time,” she confesses.

However, critics opine that the trend of women going bald should not become a marketing gimmick but be treated keeping in mind the craft of the storytelling.

“Women in general and media in particular are becoming bolder. Everyone realises that to stand out from the crowd one has to do something dramatic. To be fair to writers in particular, it’s the storyline that defines the look, it should not and can’t be look first. Once it’s done for the right reasons, all else falls into place properly. Storylines are getting more experimental as that’s the need of the hour with all the competition. More power to women,” Gajra Kottary, TV critic and scriptwriter of Balika Vadhu, explains.

For now, the fact that TV actresses are taking the realistic route of doing what is required is being appreciated by one and all. “It’s quite a risk and not easy but then TV is getting driven by quality and content. The audience is getting more mature and is educated. They can make out the difference between what is real and what is artificial. It’s commendable what  TV actresses are doing today,” Asha Negi says who played Purvi in Pavitra Rishta.