Accentuate the role

A lot can be measured about a person from their accent. In a country that is as diverse as India, even Hindi has a number of inflections and nuances as one moves from one part of the country to another. Even as Hollywood movies have the quintessential Brooklyn antihero and the heavy Italian-accented Corleone family, Bollywood too has its share of roles set apart by their accent. Just take Amitabh Bachchan’s flawless Bhojpuri in Lal Baadshah, or more recently, Ranveer Singh’s perfect Maharashtrian accent in Bajirao Mastani.

Ranveer Singh’s Maharashtrian accent in Bajirao Mastani was spot-on.

Hrithik Roshan, known to be a perfectionist by nature, has been brushing up on a Bihari accent as he tries to master his role in his upcoming Anand Kumar biopic. Not one to be left behind, Shahid Kapoor too has been getting coaching in a Garwali accent to perfect his role in Batti Gul Meter Chalu, which will be set in the Northern parts of the country.

While learning the accent definitely gives a character an edge, it is difficult to have each actor pick up the intricacies of a dialect before shooting commences, laments filmmaker Ashwini Chaudhary. “Of course actors must prepare themselves physically and get the pertinent cultural nuances in place, but ultimately it is upon the maker on what his vision is or how much he is able to prevail on the actor to work on his character. Actors, I feel need to put in their hundred per cent, even the extra mile, to fit into the role they play. Thankfully, things are changing in the last few years. Actors like Aamir Khan in Dangal and Randeep Hooda in Highway and Sarabjeet have set the bar high,” he states.

Deepika Padukone was criticised for her accent in Chennai Express.

Film historian S.M.M. Ausaja, also believes that accents are an important part of creating a convincing character. “When you’re really getting into the skin of the character, then it’s important to emulate the dialect and accent as well — especially because the accent is part of who a person is. If you look at Dilip Kumar in Ganga Jamuna or Amitabh Bachchan in Lal Baadshah, then you see that they get the accents so perfect in these films. On the flip side, even though the film had an iconic story, I thought Aamir’s performance in Lagaan was lacking, because his accent and mannerisms didn’t fit in with his milieu,” he says.    

Just as it is simple to wow the audience with the correct accent, it is just as easy to overdo it with disastrous effects. Deepika Padukone was sharply criticised for her overdone Tamil accent in Chennai Express, which became rather carricaturish. In last year’s Jab Harry Met Sejal, Anushka Sharma faced similar criticism. This is exactly what art critic and cultural theorist Ranjit Hoskote warns against. “Frankly, I don’t think accents are that necessary to enhance certain characteristics of a role on screen. That’s partly because there are just pointless stereotypes. The actor is portraying some kind of an individual, but by stereotyping them to some kind of ethnicity or regional identity, one is actually taking away from their individuality and also opening the door to some form of low humour. Also, there are a number of variations within a regional accent. So, what one sees on the screen, is usually just textbook stereotyping — which, I think, is totally unproductive. And, in a badly divided country like India, makes it much worse by playing into people’s prejudices,” he asserts.

Actress Tannishtha Chatterjee, who delivered a flawless Rajasthani accent in Parched, without its becoming ridiculous in any way, says that it is often up to the director as to which how much of an accented Hindi a character will speak in. As for herself, the actress confesses that she likes to experiment with shades in a character like accents and mannerisms. She says, “Often the decision to use a stereotypical (almost caricaturish) accent for a character is that of the director’s. Many a time, we, as actors, aren’t given a choice, but are instructed to play it a certain way. Of course, since films are a director’s medium, there is no arguing when that happens. That being said, however, actors love to play accents, try out new ones on the screen or on the stage — it is a great way to explore one’s artistic and acting abilities; and frankly, we love that challenge!”

Ausaja adds that the type of film too has a bearing on whether an accent is necessary for the characters or not. “When you have a masala movie, it’s okay to overlook such nitty-gritty as accents. However, when it’s a regional film where the characters have to blend into the milieu then an accent becomes vital,” he concludes.

— With inputs from Pooja Salvi, Dyuti Basu and Pratyush Patra