Headline hunters hit silver screen
KOMAL VIJAY SINGH
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Journalists are a recurrent character study in Bollywood movies now.
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In the thick of action Stills from ‘A Wednesday’.
Lending credibility and that touch of authenticity in every other Bollywood movie is a character that has a visible presence 24/7 on TV. Except for an occasional byline, the same character is faceless on the pages of a newspaper. Yes, it’s a jo
urnalist who has become a palpable presence in movies now.
Just two Fridays back, it was A Wednesday that got full-throated praise from the critics. ‘Baby Doll’ Deepal Shaw, who plays the character of TV journalist Naina Roy in the company of stalwarts like Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher, also won rave reviews for her convincing portrayal of a journalist.
One doesn’t need to jog one’s memory to recall recent releases with journalists in the shape of Soha Ali Khan (Mumbai Meri Jaan), Priyanka Chopra (God Tussi Great Ho), Minisha Lamba (Shaurya), John Abraham and Arshad Warsi (Kabul Express), and Zayed Khan (Mission Istanbul). Priyanka Chopra earlier essayed the role of a TV journalist in Krrish. Farhan Akhtar’s Lakshya, of course, was the precursor for bringing the jholawala patrakaar on screen via Preity Zinta’s peppily passionate character of Romilla. Tushar Kapoor is playing a journo next in C Kkompany.
Quiz Deepal Shaw about the trend and she admits that in today’s age the media is an inevitable part of a common man’s life. “Turn on the TV, 24X7 you have reporters and anchors trying to grapple with a situation. My job as an actor is to be a keen observer. I was sure TV channels would render me all the help that I needed to essay my character.” She laughs, “As a celebrity, you are always interviewed. It’s easy to emulate those around you. I had no idea I’d be playing a journo so soon.”
With her good diction and command over Hindi as Naina Roy being complimented, Deepal says a TV journalist has to be good at extempore speech. Since she has a flair for languages, she found herself getting possessed. “I had the content in my hands, but I surprised myself,” she tells.
Minisha Lamba, who shared screen space as Ranbir Kapoor’s three leading ladies in Bachna Ae Haseeno, had earlier been appreciated as war reporter Kavya Shastri in Shaurya.
Lakshya and Kabul Express.
About journalists, as characters, making the crossover from newsprint and the telly to cinema reel, she says, “Newspapers are the mirror of society. Responsible journalism is a concept that is finding its way aplenty in films. ”
Yogesh Vinayak Joshi, who wrote the script of Mumbai Meri Jaan and conceived Soha’s character of Rupali Joshi, holds, “It has become almost impossible to imagine any incident, a celebration, or a catastrophe, without television. It reaches the masses faster than any other medium and becomes an integral character in the whole event.”
He voices his grouse with the medium, “Though there are a few exceptions, most of the news channels are making news out of anything. Sometimes you don’t know whether you are watching news or a masala film. TV has become one of the family members. I have seen some people getting withdrawal symptoms if they don’t watch TV! In fact they have started watching it regularly so that they can curse it regularly! It’s a new weird habit.”
Height of insensitivity
Yogesh adds most of the news channels don’t miss a single opportunity to misuse the power of media. News channels are turning into entertainment channels. “Rupali Joshi’s story in MMJ is one tight slap on the face of all those news channels. And that’s the best way to remind them their basic purpose as the fourth pillar of democracy,” he asserts.
Having the last word is Neeraj Pandey, writer-director of A Wednesday: “Journalists make for extremely interesting characters. The high viewership of news channels also helps for people to identify and relate with such characters on film. Also, having stepped out of the studio they have become very helpful to storytelling.” We couldn’t agree more.
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