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Namrata'a
gamble for meat ...is exercise in patience
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 She's
just another pretty bird caught in the Hindi film
industry's high tension wires.
At first glance, Namrata Shirodkar is typical of
that catwalk species from model town. The epitome of
makeovers and good grooming, with the mandatory
tiara of semiprecious stones, a trinket from her
Miss India days.
Don't be fooled.
Even her minimalist approach to aspiration is
just a blind. She may seem smug with life's small
graces, but the lady has big technicolour dreams.
Seemingly content to take a few nimble steps,
Namrata has made a living playing the second fiddle
in glowbiz.
But Nams is no vacuous doll.
She's biding her time, waiting in the wings for
that role of a lifetime.
Till then, why not be saleable, durable? She
rationalises, ''Let's be honest. Hindi film heroines
hardly get roles of substance. When they do, they
take it or stick around with the routine.
 "I
like comedy films and would love to do one. On the
other hand, I don't mind the length of the role. For
instance, Pukar and Vaastav. I
wasn't there from the beginning to the end in either
of the films. You can leave an impact even with a
five-minute scene.''
Meanwhile, she moves with the flow, inwardly
waiting for that chiming Cindrella hour. Maybe it's
a chess game for her. Slow to move but quick to the
bait. There are no starry sulks or tantrums. Only a
raring-to-go actress and a courteous soul.
It was with Vaastav and Pukar
that Namrata first broke water in Hindi cinema.
In Vaastav, she etched an amazing
performance in her two-bit role as the garishly
painted woman of our great human bazaar, the Kothawali.
To see one of our Anglicised young things spitting
coarse galiwali Hindi is a substantial
switch.
 Namrata
revealed to a website recently, ''I don't have
career strategies. After Pukar and Vaastav,
I was thrilled that people liked me as a performer.
That has got me going and giving my best. I am
getting a lot of offers, but I would rather not do
ten films which are not that great as far as roles
go.
"I would rather do five which give me
satisfaction as an actress. I would like to be in
the list of serious actresses. I want to be
associated with good work and people. But this is
not to be interpreted as I won't do any song and
dance roles."
She gets into the skin of peripheral roles
without complaint -- the heroine's sidekick, the
other woman, the trollop, the cast-off girlfriend
after the hero's heartbeat gives his gaming hormones
a chastising shove.
It's a gamble. That meaty role she is waiting to
sink her teeth into may just be a handspan away, she
hopes.
Remember her as the curvaceous, all-heart
good girl who was left with a love-child sans
marriage in Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge? You
wonder why she opts for such roles. Well, to keep
that telegenic face fresh in producers-directors
memory.
Nams gambles, finetunes her craft with whatever
is on offer. She's learning on the job, making the
best of what she gets.
The good part is not being taken seriously has a
bright side too -- she's is not under pressure to
perform.
She also hasn't succumbed to doing the hot number
in films like younger sis Shilpa, who did get more
than her fair share of attention. But the irony is,
such roles come with a two-minute shelf life. Shilpa
disappeared overnight -- cleavage, thunder thighs
and all.
Very few can do what Karisma did, rising to
meaningful roles after compromising earlier on with
petty Sarkailo khatiya and Sexy sexy
numbers.
Namrata for her part has staunchly steered clear
off the lure of such skin-deep numbers. She is well
ensconsed in the movie-business. She's also a
familiar face in the award nites and starry event
management shows, dancing the night away on stage.
She even has a decent hamper of films for
now: '' I have signed up two films with Mahesh
Manjrekar. I have Mahesh's home production called Kabhie
Dhoop Kabhie Chhaon, a remake of his
award-winning film, Aai. It also costars
Rekhaji.
 "Then
I have Tere Mera Saath Rahen with Ajay (Devgan)
and Sonali (Bendre), directed by Mahesh again. I
also have Tinnu Anand's next film with Sunil Shetty
which is a thriller. I have my hands full with five
good films!'' she chirps.
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