The upcoming show Badho Bahu on &TV seems like it’s taken inspiration from the likes of Sultan and Dum Laga Ke Haisha. While the leading man of the show, Prince Narula plays a wrestler like Salman Khan did in Sultan, the leading lady, newbie Rytasha Rathore weighs a 100 kgs, reminding us of the overweight protagonist in Dum Lagaa Ke Haisha.
When the channel zeroed in on the concept of the show, the team had a rather daunting task to find the female lead for it. The nationwide auditions led them to Rytasha, and she was finally selected. Considering that the leading ladies on television are svelte looking girls, Rytasha has taken it upon herself to break the stereotype. She seems unflustered with the responsibility. Says Rytasha, “We have grown up hearing and watching the quintessential heroine that a lot of makers ended up moulding their female characters on. I am proud that I am attempting to break the stereotype about a woman’s weight. This goes on to prove that people are evolving and aren’t afraid of accepting unconventional characters. What people used to call a flaw, has become one of the main reasons I have bagged the role.”
Given that the television industry has been following stereotypical ideologies, Rytasha has a few challenges to deal with. She admits, “The biggest challenge is that there are not enough lead roles for me because of the way I look. The auditions are usually for slim and fair girls; the casting calls are stereotyped. Going by how this show happened to me, I hope there’s work for me in the future too.”
