New-age leaders muses for stars
Call it a reflection of changing times or a desire to be real, young Indian leaders like Milind Deora, Sachin Pilot and Priyanka Gandhi are defining the image of on-screen politicians in Bollywood.
Till recently, politicians had been portrayed as old, potbellied and often sleazy. That has now changed. Abhishek Bachchan, who played a young politician in R. Balakrishnan’s Paa says he modelled his look on young leaders like Sachin Pilot and Milind Deora.
“I modelled my look after Sachin Pilot and Milind Deora in the film. There were no special effects taken for my look in the movie because we wanted to keep the character as normal as possible,” Bachchan had said about his role.
The actor will be playing a young leader once again in Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se, where he portrays the role of communist activist Surya Sen, who was hanged by the British. Based on Manini Chatterjee’s Do And Die, the film tells the story of 1930 Chittagong uprising.
Similarly, 24-year-old Deepika Padukone, who is famous for her glamourous roles, has opted for cotton sarees and a no make-up look to play Sen’s comrade Kalpana Datta.
Katrina Kaif, in the latest Prakash Jha hit Raajneeti picked up pointers for her character from Priyanka Gandhi. Kaif said she watched Priyanka’s election videos to get her body language and look right.
“Priyanka is a young, strong, independent and modern leader with the right blend of values. Though my character is not based on her, I watched her campaign videos to observe her body language and how she campaigns and interacts with the crowd,” Kaif said. Earlier, reports had said Kaif’s character in Raajneeti was modelled on Sonia Gandhi and that had landed the film in trouble with the censors. But Katrina’s admission that Priyanka was her inspiration, quelled the controversy. Jha, who mixed epic Mahabharata and The Godfather to make his blockbuster, said his film was a reflection of the changing face of Indian politics.
“The Gandhi-topi and dhoti-kurta clad politician is a thing of past. Today politicians are from the urban milieu,” Jha said.
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