Actors often complain about want of good roles coming their way. But that’s invariably towards the end of their careers, or when they are down and to a large extent, out too.
And for the few who do steer towards serious cinema to satisfy their creative urge, barring Tabu and Aishwarya Rai, it is a calculated move to bask in the limited share of their glory. Karisma Kapoor in the recent past is one such example.
It thus comes as a pleasant surprise to see a two-year old in the industry, Ayesha Takia, (with about seven films to her credit) try her hand at a new genre in the Nagesh Kukunoor directed Dor. At a time, when she is not even considered a bankable star to sell an art house product, her decision to act in a de-glamorised set up is laudatory.
But what is even more commendable is her adaptability to get into the skin of a young traditional
Rajasthani
woman Meera, who pines to live to the fullest in an orthodox family when calamity strikes and she loses her husband.
Devoid of any elaborate make up or frills to enhance her physical attributes, Takia not only looks stunningly gorgeous (even when she is forcibly made to garb as a Rajasthani widow in the traditional dark blue attire), but also carries off some of the complex moments in the film with élan.
Devoid of any elaborate make up or frills to enhance her physical attributes, Takia not only looks stunningly gorgeous (even when she is forcibly made to garb as a Rajasthani widow in the traditional dark blue attire), but also carries off some of the complex moments in the film with élan.
While many actors get away with the “silent expressions”, which critics rave as great acting, what is most difficult is getting the nuance and the right intonation to a character while delivering emotionally charged lines; an experience most actors are often heard complaining about.
In
Dor
, Takia tackles speeches and poignant moments alike with appropriate brio and is never less than utterly convincing in any. Be it her silent suffering in the cruel hands of destiny (when her dreams get shattered by the untimely death of her husband) or her defiance against the friend (Gul Panag, the wife of the killer of her husband) who makes the startling revelation to her that it was Panag’s spouse who had accidentally killed Takia’s husband, Takia displays a range of emotions. The hurt she endures is almost palpable when she pleads about her being wronged in a hapless situation for no fault of hers.
Perhaps her greatest quality is to be totally unselfconscious and never look discomfited in any character she performs. As Meera, despite the film’s stilted dialogues, it’s her complete surrender to the moral fiber of her role that leaves a lasting impression on the viewers. So far removed does she make Meera from the weepy, predictable and stony women one is so accustomed to watching in such films that she conveys the self-assertiveness of a chance victim with great command and honesty.
With many directors, from Subhash Ghai to Nikhil Advani, believing in her talent, her career is sure to take wing, albeit of a different kind; that of a young and refreshing actor who has the potential to do look as convincing in a glam outfit as in a realistic girl-next-door character.