Suddenly, ‘hot’ is the key word. Talent and screen presence be damned. It is, after all, your ‘hotness quotient’ that counts. You may sound like a cranky, foreign-returned NRI lass, but you’ll still be allowed the part of the girl-next-door if you’re eye candy enough. You may speak with an accent and yet, you’ll probably be offered the part of that ‘gaon ki gori’ because your boyfriend is the most drooled-over hunk in the industry. Bollywood has never witnessed such a slew of poster gals before, and their hourglass figures are suddenly taking the Indian male by storm. They eat right, exercise right and do their make-up right – no wonder they’re in such demand. As for their ability to act, that’s just incidental.

In all this, the heart can’t help but yearn for the ladies that lit up the big screen till about half a decade ago. Juhi Chawla as the delectable Vaiyanti Iyer in Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke is just as much a delight today, as is Madhuri Dixit as the effortlessly lovable Pooja in Saajan. Heroes faded to the background when they shared screen space with Kajol. Her mammoth performance in Dil Kya Kare where she played the much-scorned role of the 'other woman' with incredible dignity. Few times before, and probably never after, has my generation seen such a delicately poised character make the transition from someone at the receiving end of immense flak to an effortless protagonist with so much grace. These women may have been victimised by the shelf life syndrome that has always plagued Bollywood beauties, but even today, they do not fail to light up the screen whenever they grace it.

Television has seen similar trends as well, and as a lot of people would agree, it is actually in a worse shape than the celluloid world. I distinctly remember waiting with bated breath for each new episode of ‘Hasratein’, a weekly serial that depicted the union of two people from failed marriages, and how they managed to find a room for love even in the wake of much opposition and social ostracisation. It wasn’t just the gripping plot that made you want to watch it. It was, above everything else, the presence of the magnificent Shefali Chhaya (now Shah) that made you want to cry or laugh, depending on what her character was going through. And the response was spectacular: never before perhaps had a lady from Indian television, despite playing the quintessential ‘home-breaker’, garnered as much public support. Shah made a smooth transition from being the scorned one to the loved one, from being the antagonist to the protagonist, and only on the basis of her abilities to emote. She later won the ‘Woman of the Year’ award in the year 1997. As for her predecessors, we know all too well, how much we love our much-ornamented, perpetually-decorated Tulsis and Parvatis. Shah’s character and the likes just disappeared into oblivion, and since then, it’s the sarees and accessories instead of the acting, that makes a statement.

With this for the present, one cannot image what the future holds for the word of Indian entertainment. As someone looking forward to more actors who are women of substance, I just hope we do away with the caricatures and bring in the real women again very soon.