Unlike the film industry, new soaps introduce ‘fresh’ faces for lead roles instead of cashing in on the established ones

With every new soap, half-a-dozen new faces are launched. If we go by the average — five new soaps a month — 2008 alone has seen over 250 new actors on television. The astounding statistics compel one to ask how does the industry absorb so many actors?

Part of the answer lies in the launch of new channels. But the main reason is the dynamics of the industry where a fresh face is preferred over an established name. The known actors then rarely return in lead roles, acceding to play supporting cast in a soap or participating in reality shows.

Often, ‘big’ faces go obscure once the soap’s off the air or the script changes track. They age off, die, get kidnapped or undergo plastic surgery. Sumeet Sachdev, Gautam in Kyunkii Saas Bhi Bahu Thi, was once the lead but generation leaps ate into his role. He’s not been part of another show. Now, with Kyunkii’s doubtful future, he too may become invisible unless he reinvents himself. Instant recollection yields other such names — Preeti Amin of Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Poorva Gokhale of Kkoi Dil Mein Hai, Vikas Manaktala and Priyanka Bassi of Left Right Left.

The word in the industry is that the new-face phenomenon is the offshoot of the tantrums the actors throw after tasting success. The producers however, deny this. “The characters on the small screen are more memorable than the actors who play them. So it’s difficult to launch, say, a Rajshri Thakur as the lead in another show as people still remember her as Saloni of Saat Phere. Moreover, even though I wish to hire her, I can’t, unless I have a script where her character will override Saloni’s popularity,” explains Sunjoy Wadhwa of Sphere Origin Productions. One can recall how Sakshi Tanwar’s role as Ganga in

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