Mumbai: Actress Prachi Desai arrives for the promotion of film Azhar at the sets of &TV dance show So You Think You Can Dance, in Mumbai on May 3, 2016. (Photo: IANS)
By Kishori Sud
New Delhi, May 14 (IANS) Shows that are progressive in outlook are the need of the hour on Indian television, says actress Prachi Desai, who feels the content on the far-reaching medium is in a dismal state of affairs.
Prachi moved into the film world after successfully establishing her name with a lead role as Bani in the once-popular daily soap "Kasamh Se", which dealt with the trials and tribulations of three sisters.
With no immediate plans to return to the small screen medium for a fiction show, Prachi told IANS in an interview: "Honestly, (Indian) television right now makes me really sad. It is a huge sign of worry."
"Looking at where the country is going and the things that are happening around us, we should open our eyes and give content to the people accordingly. I am not saying that the medium is a social service, but TV impacts so many people on so many different levels, in a huge way," she added.
The 27-year-old actress, whose latest Bollywood release is "Azhar", strongly believes that since TV caters to a huge audience, "we definitely need way better content and not content which is so regressive and just so shocking at every level".
"We need to improve so much... Years ago, we used to have way more advanced shows in terms of outlook and relatability," added the "Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai" actress.
Having played roles featuring her in a mature and calm demeanour in most of her films and in her debut TV show too, Prachi says that she has no idea why this stereotyping happened. In fact, she would love to be cast in more fun roles.
"Ask my directors why they give me such roles! I honestly have no idea myself. I am completely opposite. My roles are beyond my age too.
"On one hand, I should be happy that inspite of not being this person in reality, I am able to bring such maturity in my roles, but at the same time I should be having a lot more fun, closer to my age... Pair me up with younger actors who do more youth-based films," she said.
In "Azhar", which narrates the highs and lows of Mohammad Azharuddin's life for most of the 1990s, Prachi essays the first wife of India's former cricket captain.
Asked if the trend of biopics is becoming an overdose for the audiences, the "Bol Bachchan" actress said: "Trend is a pattern with everything -- be it fashion or cinema. Everyone wants to dabble in that until it reaches its saturation point. I am extremely happy about the trend. I think human stories are always interesting. Each life has a story, each human has a different story."
She feels that the biopic trend should go on for a longer time.
(Kishori Sud can be contacted at kishori.s@ians.in)
