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Talent queen

Photo: Sandeep Saxena

Style aNd substance Kirron Kher

She is the new resident mother in Hindi cinema.“I believe the self-effacing types were long gone,” says Kirron Kher. “Film characters evolve with the changes in the society, and the role of mothers has undergone a tremendous change in the world we live in,” explains Kirron, who has reflected that change from “Devdas” to “Dostana”.

However, she takes umbrage if you fit her only in the bracket of celluloid mother. “That way Shah Rukh has only been playing a son through out his career.” Remind her that actors are put in that bracket if they largely appear in scripts where the entire focus is on the son or the daughter, and she says: “I would prefer if you call it a supporting role.”

Kirron returns to television with “India Has Got Talent” as part of the jury. Still remembered for her pricking questions put with characteristic poise in “Purushshetra”, Kirron says: “I accepted the offer because I liked the concept, and Colors is one channel that has some meaningful shows. In ‘India…’ anybody who has talent will get his or her proverbial 15 seconds of fame, which I believe almost every Indian is looking for these days. Now, even mothers want to have a share of their children’s fame. It used to be the American way of life, but we are fast reaching there.”

Kirron says the concept is different, in that, it will not focus only on singers. “We have classical dancers, folk dancers, boys on roller skates, baazigars, trapeze artistes…In the Kolkata auditions, I was impressed by the Chhau dancers…these are talented people who’ve been out of national television for a long time.”

The challenge is to make your act interesting in the given two minutes. “And there is no age bar. In the U.K version of the show, Susan Boyle surprised everybody with her singing prowess. I believe we also have many people who haven’t got a platform.”

However, such shows are proving to be shortcuts, which give a false idea of fame to young boys and girls, rendering them vulnerable to failure.

“I know failure is the biggest teacher, and my experience says not many can handle failure gracefully. There are only very few, who can take failure as a milestone, and that’s what makes them extraordinary. On our part, those who are not good enough are being told bluntly they are wasting their time.”

Kirron recently made news for joining BJP in the midst of the election euphoria. And, the party’s dismal show at the hustings hasn’t made her revisit her decision. “BJP means different things to for different people. I joined the party for its development agenda, and its stand on uniform civil code and politics of appeasement.” However, the numbers in the last couple of elections suggest that party seems stuck, and needs a plus vote. “It has risen from two seats to reach here. Those who had two-third majority are today elated at crossing the 200 mark. I believe the party was lacking in glamour, and so I decided to give it a shot of glamour!”

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